How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove Wood stoves are a cozy way to heat a space and conserve energy. However, they require a certain amount of maintenance. Many modern wood stoves are compliant with EPA emission guidelines. You can check for an EPA sticker on the grate or underneath it to make sure your stove doesn't emit harmful pollutants. How to start a Wood Fire The smell and the sound of a woodfire is a welcome addition in any house. It's important to understand how to build a fire on your stove. Incorrect techniques may lead to a fire which does not burn well, and may produce smoke or creosote. These tips will aid you in starting a fire that will heat your home with the least effort and ensure your security. Before you begin a fire, you should check the condition of your logs and coals. If they're damp it will dampen your fire and hinder proper burning. You may also want to open the flue to let any ash out that has fallen into the stove. Start by placing woodburner stove that are dry and clean in your stove. This will help to ignite the tinder. After the tinder and kindling have begun to ignite, you can add an additional layer of larger pieces on the top. This should be done using the crosshatch pattern to ensure that there is air between each piece. If your wood stove has an automatic combustion control, it will automatically supply air to the fire as it expands. This will allow the fire to burn continuously without you having to open the stove's door frequently to check on it. Avoid using too much tinder, as this will cause the fire to burn at an extremely fast rate and will not be able to use the fuel efficiently. Once you've made a solid base in your stove with sparks, tinder and kindling begin the main flame by laying two large logs of the base on the grill. On top of these base logs lay a layer parallel to them. This method of building the fire is called a top-down fire will result in a powerful and long-lasting fire that does not completely consume the larger base logs. Close the damper once the fire is established and kept it closed. Opening the damper too soon can cause the fire get smothered and not allow for the correct air flow, which can decrease the efficiency of the fire. Adding Wood Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and help you save money. They can be utilized together with a central heating system or furnace to provide supplemental heating for large homes. The latest stoves that are clean-burning use a superior combustion principle that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from the combustion of combustible gases and tar by providing air in two distinct stages. The first stage allows for the burning of volatile compounds and the second offers fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases the odors. The amount of heat you get from your stove depends on the type of wood and the amount of moisture as well as the size of the logs. To let the wood dry, the logs should be stored in a well ventilated area for a few months before burning. If the logs have too much moisture, they'll produce steam which is essentially wasted power. You should add wood to the pile at intervals and not all at all at. The addition of too much wood at once could cause the temperature to rise within the firebox, creating a vortex which pulls smoke and volatile compounds that are not burned back into flames. This could reduce the effectiveness of your stove. Avoid the use of any other combustibles, such as paper or cardboard in your stove, since they are not wood and have different physical properties that can't be burned without creating dangerously high temperatures and a lot of emissions. Also, avoid using compressed combustibles such as wood briquettes, as they have a distinct chemical and physical composition to real firewood and aren't approved for burning in wood-burning stoves. If you are installing wood-burning stoves in your home, it is essential to have it installed and tested by a professional. A certified WETT technician will test the installation to ensure safe operation and safety, and also ensure that your chimney is working correctly. They provide maintenance services for your stove and chimney to ensure they are in good condition. They can check the accessible areas of your chimney for leakage, and fix any issues found. They will also ensure that the occupants of your home are aware of and adhere to the fire evacuation procedures in case in the event of an emergency. Adjusting the Damper A damper controls how much heat is lost up the chimney when you're not using your stove. Additionally, it can help you control the fire. If the flue is open but the damper is not closed enough, the fire won't be able to burn properly and it will release smoke into your living area. To get the most efficient fire, with your damper adjusted properly you must test different locations and observe how each one affects the flames. Typically, you want to keep the damper open enough to let air in and out of the flue while a fire is burning. This lets the fire start a fire and keeps it burning so that you can enjoy it for long periods of time. The right opening will prevent the fire from being starved of air and keep it from blowing smoke. To properly adjust your damper, you need to first ensure that the fireplace is heated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has an adequate draft. Once these are done the wood stove damper can be adjusted. After the fire has smolder slightly, you need to shut the damper down to about three-quarters of its maximum. wood burning fireplace will prevent warm air in the room from getting into the chimney, while still allowing smoke to escape. This is the best method to ensure that your fire is lit and to prevent it from becoming too hot. The draft could be stopped if you close the damper to far but a cold wind could be able to enter your home if the damper is left open. You can test how much the damper is opened by placing your hands near the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you feel a small breeze pushing against your hand The damper is most likely to be open. The damper setting can vary slightly from one stove to the next, and even between different types of wood. Playing around with different settings will give you an idea of what to look for, but you may have to keep adjusting it until you find the ideal setting for your stove. Clean up It is important to clean your flue and stove after a fire. This will reduce the risk of an explosion in the chimney which is the most common cause of fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky substance that builds up on the stovepipe's interior and is extremely dangerous. The moisture and the unburned parts of wood that are unable to escape the fire are responsible for this substance. This can also be caused when fires are not properly lit. A regular cleaning routine helps prevent the buildup of creosote. This can be accomplished by cleaning your chimney once every year. It is also recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a every year. It is also an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and grates regularly. It is recommended to only use seasoned wood to burn, since this will result in less creosote as well as ash. It is also recommended to avoid burning paper, cardboard, plastic and other trash items. These can release chemicals that are dangerous for the respiratory tract and the air, and could be released into your home. The glass on the wood burning stove has to be cleaned regularly too. The majority of newer wood stoves are designed with self-cleaning glass, which means they do not require any scrubbing. If you're unable to get the glass on your wood stove as clean as you would like There are stove glass cleaners that can be used on the window. Other tips to maintain your wood stove include turning the vent off when you're not using it and slamming a window or door to increase air flow. This will help keep the fire burning hotter and more efficiently, since it will not need to exert as much effort to circulate air. It is also a good idea not stack logs or leave them in the flame for long durations of time, since this could cause warping and splitting. In addition, it is a good idea to avoid using compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, because the paraffin they contain can melt and then flow down the flue which could cause damage to the stove.
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