The 10 Scariest Things About Stove Wood Burning

How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves can be a great method to reduce energy consumption and also heat rooms. They do require some maintenance.

Many modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker either under or on the grate to ensure your stove doesn't create many harmful pollutants.

How to Start a Wood Fire

The smell and sound of a fire can be a welcome addition in any home. But it's important to learn how to properly make a fire on your stove. Incorrect techniques can lead to the fire not burning efficiently and creates smoke or creosote. These tips will help you begin a fire that is safe and will warm your home quickly and efficiently.

Before you start an fire, make sure you check the condition of your logs and coals. If they are wet, they will smother the fire and prevent it from burning efficiently. You might want to open the chimney to get rid of any ash that has fallen into the stove.

Start by placing some small, dry newspaper pieces into your stove. This will help ignite the sparks. Once the tinder and kindling have started to burn, you can add an additional layer of larger pieces on top. This should be done with the crosshatch pattern to ensure that there is air between each piece.

If you have wood stoves that have an automatic combustion control, it will automatically feed an air stream that is controlled to your fire as it grows. This will enable the fire to burn at a steady rate without having to constantly open the stove door to tend it.

It's important to avoid using excessive tinder as this can lead to a fire that burns at an extremely high rate and fails to utilize the fuel as efficiently as possible. If you have a nice fire and a bed of tinder in your stove, begin the main fire by placing two large logs of the base across the grate. Then, you can lay a layer of smaller logs that are perpendicular to them and on the top of the base logs. This method of constructing an ember known as a "top-down" fire will result in an effective and long-lasting fire that does not engulf the larger base logs.

Once your fire is well established shut off the damper and keep it closed. The fire can be smothered if you open the damper before it is fully established. This can also affect the efficiency of the fire.

Adding Wood

Stoves can be used to heat your home efficiently and save you money. They can be used on their own or in conjunction with central heating or a furnace system to provide the additional heating required in large homes or homes with many rooms. A lot of the stoves that burn cleanly available use advanced combustion technology that can separate the burning volatile substances from combustible gasses and tar. This is done by supplying air in two distinct stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization process, and the second is to provide pre-heated fresh air. This improves combustion and decreases smells.

The amount of heat you can get from your stove will depend on the kind of wood and the amount of moisture as well as the size of the logs. The logs must be stored in a well-ventilated space for several months before you try to burn them, to give the wood time to dry. If the logs are soaked with excessive moisture, they will create steam which is essentially wasted energy.

During the burning of the fire, you should add more wood to the stack in intervals, but not all at one time. Addition of too much wood all at once can cause the temperature to rise in the firebox, creating a vortex which draws smoke and volatile compounds that are not burned back into flames. This can reduce the effectiveness of your stove.

You should avoid the use of other combustibles, such as paper or cardboard in your stove, because they are not wood and possess different physical properties and cannot be burned safely without creating dangerously high temperatures and a lot of emissions. You should not burn compressed combustibles such as wood briquettes because they are different in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not approved by the type to be used in wood-burning stoves.

If you are installing wood-burning stoves in your home, it is crucial to have it installed and tested by a professional. A certified WETT technician will test the installation to ensure proper operation and safety, as well as make sure that your chimney is working correctly. They provide maintenance services for your stove and chimney to ensure they remain in top condition. They will inspect the areas that are accessible to your chimney for leaks, and fix any issues that are discovered. They will also ensure that the occupants of your home are aware of and adhere to the fire evacuation guidelines in the event 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 regulate the fire. If the flue is opened but the damper is closed too much the fire will not burn as efficiently and it will release smoke into your living space. To get the best woodburner stoves fire with your damper set correctly, you should test different settings and observe how each one affects the flames.

You should keep your damper open to let air be able to enter and exit the flue when a flame is burning. This will allow the fire to begin and remain lit for a number of hours. The right opening will also stop the fire from becoming starved of air and prevent it from blowing smoke.

To adjust your damper correctly it is important to first make sure that the fireplace has been heated and that the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm, and also that it has a strong draft. After this, the wood stove damper can be adjusted.

After the fire has burned for a while, you should close the damper about three quarters of the way. This will prevent warm air from the room from getting into the chimney, while still permitting smoke to escape.

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

Placing your hand on the top of the flue pipe will tell you how much the damper has sunk. If you feel a slight draft pressing against your hand, it is probably in the open position.

The damper setting can vary slightly from one stove to another and even between different types of wood. Playing around with different settings will give you an idea of what you should look for, but you will have to keep adjusting until you get the perfect setting for your stove.

Clean Up

It is essential to clean your chimney and stove after the start of a fire. This will help lower the risk of a chimney fire, which is the most common reason for wood bruner stove fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky substance that accumulates on the inside of the stovepipe and is extremely dangerous. The moisture and the unburned parts of wood that are unable to escape the fire are the cause for this chemical. It can also happen by fires that are not properly lit.

Regular cleaning helps prevent creosote buildup. The most effective method for doing this is by sweeping the chimney each year. It is recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a year, too.

It is also recommended to clean the ash tray and grate regularly. It is recommended to use only seasoned wood to burn, since it will create less creosote and ash. It is also a good idea to avoid burning paper, cardboard or plastic items. They could release harmful chemicals for respiratory illnesses and the air, which could be released into your home.

The glass that is used on the wood burning stove has to be cleaned regularly too. A lot of modern wood stoves have self-cleaning glass, which means they don't require a lot of scrubbing. If you are not able to get the glass on your wood stove as clean as you'd like you can use stove glass cleaners can be used on the window.

Other helpful tips for maintaining your wood stove include turning the vent down when you're not using it and slamming windows or doors to increase the flow of air. This keeps the fire burning longer and more efficiently. The indoor wood burner stove stove will not have to perform as hard to circulate air. It is recommended not to stack logs or leave them on the fire for a long period of time. This could cause splitting and warping. It is recommended to avoid using combustible wood that has been compressed in your wood stove wood burning (look these up) as the paraffin contained within the logs can melt and leak into the flue, which could cause damage.