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The Best Advice You'll Ever Get About Stove Wood Burning
How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves can be a great way to save energy and warm rooms. They do require some maintenance.

A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker on the underside or next to the grate to ensure your stove doesn't generate a lot of harmful pollutants.

How to start a Wood Fire

The smell and the sound of a woodfire is a welcome addition in any house. However, it is important to know the proper way to build a fire in your stove. Improper techniques can result in an unburned fire that doesn't burn effectively and can cause smoke or creosote. The tips below can help you start a fire that is safe and can heat your home quickly and effectively.

Before you begin a fire, check the condition of your coals and logs. If they're wet, it will smother your fire and prevent the proper burning. You may also want to open the flue to let any ash that has fallen into the stove.

Begin by putting a few small newspaper pieces that are dry into your stove. This will help to ignite the tinder and kindling. Once the tinder and kindling have begun to ignite, you can add an additional layer of larger pieces on top. This should be done using a crosshatch design so that there is air between each piece.

If you own a wood stove that has an automatic combustion control that will automatically deliver a controlled stream of air to the fire as it builds. This will enable the fire to burn at a consistent pace without the need to open the stove's door to maintain it.

Do not use excessive tinder since it will cause the fire to burn at an extremely fast rate and not use the fuel efficiently. Once you've made a solid base in your stove with tinder, kindling and embers begin the main flame by laying two large logs of the base on the grate. Then, on the top of these base woods, place a layer perpendicularly to them. This method of creating an ember called a "top-down" fire can result in a successful and long-lasting fire that does not engulf the larger base logs.

Close the damper after the fire is established and keep it shut. Opening the damper too soon can cause the fire get smothered and not allow for proper air flow, which will reduce its efficiency.

Adding Wood

Stoves are not just beautiful home decor pieces they can also help you save money by supplying efficient wood heat. They can be used alone or in conjunction with a furnace or central heating system to provide the additional heat needed in large homes or houses with a lot of rooms. A lot of the clean burning stoves that are available today utilize an advanced combustion principle which is able to separate the burning volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar. This is achieved by supplying air at two distinct stages. The first stage is for the vaporization, while the second is to supply pre-heated fresh air. This improves the process of combustion and helps to reduce odors.

The amount of heat you get from a stove will depend on the species and the moisture content of the wood you use as well as the size of logs. To allow the wood to dry, the logs should be stored in a well ventilated space for a couple of months prior to burning. If the logs are wet they will create lots of steam, which is in essence wasted energy.

You should add wood to the pile at intervals and not all at all at. The addition of too much wood all at once can cause the temperature to rise within the firebox, causing the formation of a vortex that pulls smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flames. This can reduce the effectiveness of your stove.

Avoid the use of other combustibles, such as paper or cardboard in your stove, as they are not wood and have very different physical properties and cannot be burned safely without creating dangerously high temperatures and exorbitant emissions. It is not recommended to burn compressed combustibles like wood briquettes as they are different in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not approved to be burned in wood burning stoves.

It is crucial that you have a professional install and test your wood burning stove . A certified WETT technician will test your stove to ensure that it is safe and efficient. They will also check that your chimney is functioning properly. They provide maintenance services for your stove and chimney to ensure they are in good shape. They can inspect the accessible areas of your chimney to determine if there is leakage and repair any problems discovered. They will also ensure that the residents of the house are aware of and adhere to the fire evacuation procedures in case of an emergency.

Adjusting the Damper

If you're not cooking on your stove, a damper regulates the amount of heat lost through the chimney. It can also be used to manage the flame. If the flue is open but the damper is closed too much the fire won't burn properly and it will billow out smoke into your living space. To ensure that you get the best fire with the damper properly adjusted, you have to play around with different positions and observe how each one affects the flames.

Typically, you should keep the damper open enough to let air in and out of the flue when the fire is burning. This lets the fire get going and also helps keep it burning so that you can enjoy it for long periods of time. The right opening will prevent the fire from being deprived of air and prevent it from blowing smoke.

To properly adjust your damper, you have to first ensure that the fireplace is heated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney stays warm and has an adequate draft. Once these are done the damper for wood stoves can be adjusted.

After the fire has been burning for an extended period, close the damper approximately three quarters of the way. This will stop the warm air from the room from escaping into the chimney, but still allowing smoke to escape.

This is the most effective way to ensure that your fire is lit and to prevent it from becoming too hot. If you close the damper too far it may stop the draft from working, but should it be too open, a cold wind could blow into your home.

You can test how much the damper is opened by placing your hand on the top of the of the flue pipe. If you can feel a small draft pressing against your hand, it's likely to be in the open position.

The damper settings may differ from one stove to another and even between different kinds of wood. You can play around with different settings to get a sense of the best setting for your stove.

Clean Up

It is crucial to clean your stove and flue after a fire. This reduces the chance of a fire in the chimney which is the main cause of fires that are caused by wood stoves. Creosote, a sticky substance that forms on the inside of the stovepipe and can be extremely hazardous. Moisture and unburned particles of wood that are unable to escape the fire are the cause for this chemical. This can also be caused when fires are not lit properly.

A regular cleaning schedule can help prevent the buildup of creosote. This can be done by sweeping your chimney once a year. It is recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once per year, too.

Also, it's recommended to clean the ash tray and the grates regularly. It is recommended to only use seasoned wood for burning, as this will result in less creosote and ash. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. They could release chemicals that are dangerous for the flue and air, and could be released into your home.

The glass in the wood stove has to be regularly cleaned as well. The majority of newer wood stoves are made with self-cleaning glass, which means they do not require any scrubs. If you're unable to get the glass on your wood stove as clean as you would like you can use stove glass cleaners that you can use on the window.

Other helpful tips for maintaining your wood stove include turning the vent down when you are not using it and slamming a window or door to increase the flow of air. This keeps the fire burning longer and more efficient. The wood stove will not need to work as hard in order to circulate air. It is also a good idea not stack logs or place them in the fire for prolonged periods of time, as this can lead to splitting and warping. It is best to avoid using compressed combustible wood in your wood stove because the paraffin contained within them can melt and flow into the flue which could cause damage.