How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves can be an excellent method to reduce energy consumption and heat a room. However, they need an amount of care.
Many modern wood stoves are compliant with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker either under or on the grate, to ensure that your stove doesn't create a lot of harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The scent and sound of a woodfire can be an enjoyable addition to any house. It's important to know how to build a fire on your stove. Incorrect methods can result in a fire that doesn't burn efficiently and creates creosote or smoke. These tips will help you begin a safe fire that will heat up your home quickly and efficiently.
Before you begin a fire, you should check the condition of your coals and logs. If they are wet they could smother the flame and stop it from burning efficiently. You might also want to open the flue to let out any ash that has fallen into the stove.
Begin by putting a few small, dry newspaper pieces in the stove. This will help spark the tinder and ignite your kindling. Once the tinder and kindling have started to ignite, you can add the larger kindling pieces on top. This should be done with an arc pattern so that there is air between each piece.
If your wood stove is equipped with an automatic control for combustion, it will automatically pump air into the fire as it expands. This will enable the fire to burn at a consistent pace without the need to open the stove's door to maintain it.
Be careful not to use too much tinder, as this will cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and not use the fuel effectively. If you have a nice bed of tinder and kindling in your stove, you can start the main fire by laying two large base logs on the grate. Then, you can lay an additional layer of smaller logs parallel to these and on top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of creating a fireplace will result in an effective and long-lasting fire that doesn't consume larger base logs.
When your fire is established, close the damper and ensure it stays closed. The fire can be smothered if you open the damper before it has fully established. It can also decrease the effectiveness of the fire.
Adding Wood
Stoves can be used to heat your home efficiently and help you save money. They can be used on their own or together with central heating or furnace system to provide the supplemental heat required in large houses or homes with multiple rooms. Many of the latest stoves that are clean burning available use advanced combustion technology that can separate the burning volatile substances from combustible gases and tar. This is achieved by providing air at two different stages. The first stage allows for the burning of volatile compounds and the second provides fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves the combustion process and helps reduce the smell.
The amount of heat that you get from your stove depends on both the species of wood used as well as the amount of moisture in it, as well as the size of the logs. To let the wood dry, the logs should be stored in a ventilated area for a few months prior to burning. If the logs are too wet, they will produce a lot of steam that is basically wasted energy.
You should add wood to the pile at intervals and not all at one time. Adding too much wood at one time causes the temperature inside the firebox to rise, and creates a vortex, which draws smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame which can reduce the efficiency of your stove.
You should avoid the use of other combustibles, like cardboard or paper in your stove, because they are not wood and have very different physical properties and cannot be burned without causing dangerously high temperatures and excessive emissions. Also, you should not use compressed combustibles, such as wood briquettes because they have a completely different chemical and physical composition to actual firewood and are not approved for burning in wood burning stoves.
If you are installing a wood burning stove in your home, it's important to have it properly installed and tested by a qualified. A certified WETT technician will test the installation to ensure proper operation and safety and also ensure that your chimney is working properly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your chimney and stove to keep them in top condition. They can look for leaks in the areas connected to your chimney and repair any issues they discover. They will also ensure that the occupants of your home understand and comply with the evacuation procedures for fire in case in the event of an emergency.
Adjusting the Damper
A damper controls the amount of heat that is lost through the chimney when you're not cooking on your stove. It can also be used to regulate the fire. If the flue opens, but the damper is not closed the fire won't burn properly and smoke will pour into your home. You can adjust your damper to ensure the best flames by experimenting with different settings.
It is important to keep your damper open to let air flow into and out of the flue when a flame is burning. This will let the fire start and stay lit for several hours. A proper opening will keep the fire from being starved of air and prevent it from blowing smoke.
To properly adjust your damper it is important to first make sure that the fireplace has been heated and that the wood stove is hot. This will ensure the chimney is warm and it also has an adequate draft. Once this is accomplished, the wood stove damper may be adjusted.
After the fire has smolder for a while, you can close the damper to about three-quarters of its original position. This will prevent warm air in the room from escaping into the chimney, but still permitting smoke to escape.
This is the most effective way to stop the fire from becoming too hot, while also keeping it burning. The draft may be stopped if you close the damper too far however a cold breeze can enter your home if the damper is left open.
Placing your hand on the top of the flue pipe will show you how much the damper has opened. If you can feel a small draft pressing against your hand, it's likely to be in the open position.
The damper setting can vary slightly from one stove to the next, and even between different types of wood. Experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what to look for, but you might need to tweak it until you find the ideal setting for your stove.
Clean up
It is essential to clean your stove and flue after the start of a fire. This will to reduce the chance of a chimney fire, which is the primary reason for wood stove fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky material that builds up on the stovepipe's interior and is extremely dangerous. It is caused by the moisture and wood particles that are not burned that are unable to escape the fire. It can also happen by fires that are not lit properly.
Regular cleaning helps to keep away the buildup of creosote. The most effective method for doing this is to sweep the chimney every year. It is also recommended to have your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a year.
It is also recommended to clean the ash tray and grates regularly. It is best to burn only wood that is well-seasoned because it produces less creosote. Avoid burning paper, cardboard and plastic. They could release chemicals that are dangerous for the respiratory tract and the atmosphere, which may be released into your home.
The glass that is used on the wood burning stove has to be cleaned regularly too. Most newer wood stoves have self-cleaning windows so they don't require as much scrubbing. You can make use of stove glass cleaners on the window if you're not getting the glass as clean as you would like on your wood stove.
Other suggestions for maintaining your wood stove are to turn the vent off when you are not using it, and opening the door or window to allow more air flow. This will help keep the fire burning more hot and more efficiently since it won't need to be as active to circulate air. It is advisable not to stack logs or place them on the fire for an extended time. contemporary wood burning stoves can lead to splitting and warping. It is recommended to avoid using combustible compressed wood in your wood stove as the paraffin contained within the wood can melt and then flow into the flue, which could cause damage.