How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves are a cozy method to heat a room and conserve energy. However, they need an amount of care.

Many modern buy wood stove online stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. You can look for an EPA sticker on the grate or underneath it to make sure your stove isn't releasing harmful pollutants.

How to start a Wood Fire

The smell and sound of a fire made from wood can be a welcome feature in any home. It is essential to know how to create a fire on your stove. Incorrect methods can result in an unburned fire that doesn't burn effectively and can cause creosote or smoke. These tips will aid you in starting a fire that will heat your home with minimum effort and with the highest safety.

Before you begin an fire, make sure you check the condition of your coals and logs. If they're wet, it will smother your fire and hinder proper burning. You might want to open the chimney to eliminate any ash that's fallen into the stove.

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

If you own wood stoves that have an automatic control of combustion it will automatically supply a controlled stream of air to your fire as it grows. This will allow the fire to burn at a consistent pace without the need to open the stove door to tend it.

Be careful not to use too much tinder, as this will cause the fire to burn at a fast rate and will not be able to use the fuel effectively. If you have a solid bed of tinder and kindling in your stove, you can start the main fire by placing two large logs of the base across the grill. Then, on top of these base logs lay a layer parallel to them. This method of building an ember called a "top-down" fire will result in a powerful and long-lasting fire that doesn't engulf the larger base logs.

When your fire is established shut off the damper and keep it closed. Doing this too soon can cause the fire to be smothered, and it will not allow for the proper airflow, which will lower the effectiveness of the fire.

Adding Wood

Stoves are not only beautiful pieces of home decor they can also help you save money by providing efficient wood heating. They can be used alone or in conjunction with central heating or a furnace system to provide the extra heating required in large homes or homes with multiple rooms. Many of the latest clean burning stoves that are available today utilize advanced combustion technology that can separate the burning volatile substances from combustible gasses and tar. This is done by supplying air at two distinct stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization process, and the second is to provide pre-heated fresh aiprocedures in the event of an accident.

Adjusting the Damper

When you're not using 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 too closed, the fire won't be able to burn properly and it will release smoke into your living space. To ensure that you get the most efficient fire, with your damper adjusted properly you must test different positions and observe how each affects the flames.

Typically, you should keep the damper open enough to let air enter and out of the flue while a fire is burning. This will allow the fire to start and stay lit for many hours. The proper opening will prevent the fire from starving of air and prevent it from blowing out smoke.

To adjust your damper properly it is important to first make sure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has an adequate 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 full position. This will stop warm room air from escaping into the chimney, while allowing the smoke to escape from the wood stove.

This is the most effective way to ensure that your fire is lit and keep it from getting too hot. If you close the damper too far it may stop the draft from working, but when it's too open a cold breeze could enter your home.

You can determine how much the damper is open by holding your hand near the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you feel a slight breeze pushing 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 wood burning stoves setting for your stove.

Clean up

It is important to clean your flue and stove after the start of a fire. This will reduce the risk of an ensuing fire in the chimney which is the main cause of fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky substance that can accumulate in the stovepipe, is extremely hazardous. It is caused by the moisture and wood particles that are not burned that are unable to escape the fire. It could also be caused by poorly lit fires.

Regular cleaning can help stop the buildup of creosote. The best Contemporary wood burning stoves way to do this is by sweeping the chimney each year. It is also recommended that you get your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a yearly.

It is also a good idea to clean out the Ash tray and grate frequently. It is recommended to use only wood that is seasoned to burn, since this will result in less creosote and less ash. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. These can release chemicals that can be dangerous for the flue and air, and could be released into your home.

It is also important to wash the glass of the wood burning stove regularly. A lot of modern wood stoves are made with self-cleaning glass, which means they do not require much cleaning. You can make use of stove glass cleaners on the glass if you aren't getting the glass as clean as you would like on your wood stove.

Other helpful tips for maintaining your wood burners outdoor stove include turning the vent off when you are not using it and slamming a window or door to increase the flow of air. This will help keep the fire burning hotter and more efficiently, as it won't need to exert as much effort to circulate air. It is recommended not to stack logs, or place them on the fire for an extended time. This could cause splits and warping. It is also recommended to not use compressed combustible logs in your wood burning stoves on sale stove, because the paraffin in them can melt and flow into the flue which could cause damage.