The 10 Most Scariest Things About Stove Wood Burning

How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves are a great option to conserve energy and heat the room. 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 sound of a wood fire can be a welcome addition to any house. It is essential to know how to build an effective fire on your stove. Incorrect techniques can lead to an unburned fire that doesn't burn efficiently and creates creosote or smoke. The following tips can help you start a fire that is safe and stove wood burning will heat up your home quickly and efficiently.

Before you begin an fire, make sure you check the condition of your coals and logs. If they're damp it will dampen your fire and hinder proper burning. It is possible to open the chimney to get rid of any ash that has fallen into the stove wood burning.

Begin by putting a few small dry newspaper pieces into your stove. This will help ignite the tinder and kindling. When the tinder and the kindling have started to burn, you can add a layer of larger kindling pieces on top. This should be done in a crosshatch pattern, so that there will be air between each piece of wood.

If your wood stove has an automatic control for combustion, it will automatically supply air to the flame as it grows. This will allow the fire to burn continuously without having to open the door of your stove constantly to tend to it.

Be careful not to use too much tinder, as it can cause the fire to burn at an extremely fast rate and not use the fuel efficiently. Once you've got a good bed in your stove of igniters, tinder, and embers, start the main flame by laying down two large base logs on the grill. On top of these base logs, place a layer perpendicularly to them. This "top-down" method of creating a fireplace will produce an effective and long-lasting fire that doesn't consume larger base logs.

Once your fire is well established shut off the damper and keep it shut. If you open the damper too early, it can cause the fire to smother and will not allow for the proper airflow, which will decrease the efficiency of the fire.

Add Wood

Stoves aren't just beautiful home decor pieces - they can help you save money by providing efficient wood heating. They can be used wood burning stoves alone or in conjunction with central heating or a 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 is able to separate the burning volatile compounds from combustible gases and tar. This is achieved by supplying air in two distinct stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization, while the second stage is to provide fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves the process of combustion and helps reduce the smell.

The amount of heat you get from a stove will depend on the species and moisture content of the wood used and also the dimensions of the 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 too wet they will release lots of steam, which is in essence wasted energy.

When you are burning the fire, add more wood to the stack at intervals, and not all at all at. In addition, adding too much wood at one time can cause the temperature of the firebox to rise, and creates a vortex, which draws smoke and unburnt volatile compounds back into the flame, which can reduce your stove's efficiency.

Avoid using other combustibles in your stove, such as paper or cardboard, as they are not wood. They have different physical properties and can't be burned without creating dangerously high temperatures. Also, avoid using compressed combustibles like wood briquettes because they have a distinct physical and chemical composition from real firewood, and are not type-approved for burning in wood-burning stoves.

If you're installing a wood burning stove in your home, it's essential to have it installed and tested by a qualified. A certified WETT technician can test your installation to ensure it is safe and reliable. They will also check that your chimney is functioning properly. These professionals can also offer maintenance services to keep your stove and chimney in good condition. They can inspect the areas that are accessible to your chimney for leaks, and fix any issues found. They will also make sure that all occupants of the home understand and follow the evacuation procedure in case of an accident.

Adjusting the Damper

When you're not using your stove, a damper regulates how much heat is lost through the chimney. Additionally, it can also help you to control the flame. If the flue opens, but the damper is not closed the fire will not burn properly and smoke will erupt into your home. To ensure that you get the most effective fire using your damper adjusted properly you must experiment with different settings and observe how each one affects the flames.

You want to keep your damper open to let air flow into and out of the flue while a fire is burning. This will let the fire start and stay lit for many hours. A proper opening will stop the fire from becoming starved of air and prevent it from blowing out smoke.

In order to properly adjust your damper, you need to ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is warm. This will ensure that the chimney is warm, stove wood burning and also that it has a strong draft. Once this is done the damper for the wood stove may be adjusted.

Once the fire has burned a bit you should close the damper to about three-quarters of its maximum. This will prevent warm air in the room from escaping into the chimney, but still allowing smoke to escape.

This is the best way to prevent the fire from becoming too hot while keeping it lit. If you shut the damper too much, it could block the draft from working, however when it's too open a cold breeze could blow into your home.

Placing your hand on the top of the flue pipe will inform you how much the damper has opened. If you feel a small breeze pushing against your hand the damper is probably in the open position.

The damper settings can vary between stoves and even among different types of wood. You can experiment with different settings to get an idea of the best setting for your stove.

Clean up

It is essential to clean your stove and flue after the start of a fire. This reduces the chance of a fire in the chimney which is the most common reason for fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky substance that can build up in the stovepipe, is extremely dangerous. Moisture and unburned particles of wood that cannot escape the fire are the cause for this substance. It can also be caused by improperly lit fires.

Regular cleaning can help stop the buildup of creosote. This can be accomplished by sweeping your chimney at least once every year. It is recommended that you have your stove and fireplace professionally inspected and cleaned at least once a year as well.

It is also a good idea to clean out the ash tray and grate it regularly. It is recommended to only burn wood that has been seasoned, as it will produce less creosote. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. They could release chemicals that can be dangerous for the flue and air, which could be released into your home.

The glass on the wood burning stove has to be regularly cleaned too. Many newer wood stoves are made with self-cleaning glass, which means they do not require any cleaning. If you're not able to clean the glass of your wood stove as clean as you would like you can use stove glass cleaners you can use on the window.

Other tips to keep your wood stove in good condition include lowering the vent when you're not using it, and cracking windows or doors to allow more airflow. This keeps the fire burning hotter, and more efficiently. The wood stove won't have to work as hard in order to circulate air. It is also a good idea not stack logs or place them in the flame for long periods of time, as this can lead to splitting and warping. It is best to avoid using combustible wood that has been compressed in your wood stove because the paraffin that is contained in the wood can melt and then flow into the flue which could cause damage.