How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves can be an ideal method to reduce energy consumption and heat the room. However, they require a certain amount of maintenance.
A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker either under or on the grate, to ensure that your stove doesn't generate lots of harmful pollutants.
How to Start outdoor wood stove and smell of a wood fire can be a pleasant addition to any home. However, it is important to know how to properly make a fire on your stove. Incorrect techniques can lead to a fire that doesn't burn efficiently and creates creosote or smoke. The following tips can assist you in starting a fire that will heat your home with the least effort and ensure your safety.
Before you start a fire, check the condition of your logs and coals. If they are too wet they will choke the fire and prevent it from burning efficiently. You may want to open the chimney to eliminate any ash that falls into the stove.
Start by placing a few small, dry newspaper pieces in the stove. This will help to ignite the tinder. Once they start to burn, add a layer of larger pieces of kindling to the top of the pile. This should be done with a crosshatch design so that there is air between each piece.
If your wood stove is equipped with an automatic combustion control it will automatically feed air to the fire as it expands. This allows the fire to burn continuously without the need to open the door of your stove constantly to tend to it.
Avoid using excessive tinder since this will cause the fire to burn at an extremely fast rate and will not be able to use the fuel efficiently. If you have a solid fire and a bed of tinder in your stove, you can start the main fire by placing two large logs of the base across the grill. Then, you can lay a layer of smaller logs parallel to these and on the top of the base logs. This method of building the fire is called a "top-down" fire will result in a powerful and long-lasting fire that does not completely consume the larger base logs.
When your fire is established Close the damper and ensure it stays closed. The fire may be smothered if you open the damper before it has fully established. This can also affect 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 in conjunction with a central heating system or furnace to provide supplemental heat in large homes. A lot of the stoves that are clean burning available on the market use an advanced combustion principle which is able to separate the burning volatile compounds from combustible gasses as well as tar. This is achieved by supplying air in two distinct stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization and the second step is to provide pre-heated fresh air. This improves the process of combustion and helps reduce the odors.
The amount of heat you will get from your stove will depend on both the species of wood used and the amount of moisture and the size of the logs. The logs must be stored in a well-ventilated area for several months before you attempt to burn them, to give the wood time to dry. If the logs have too much moisture, they will produce steam, which is basically wasted energy.
You should add wood to the pile at intervals and not all at once. Addition of too much wood all at once can cause the temperature to rise in the firebox, causing the formation of a vortex that draws smoke and volatile compounds that are not burned back into the flames. This could reduce the efficiency of your stove.
Avoid using other combustibles inside your stove such as paper or cardboard because they are not wood. They have different physical properties and are unable to be burned without producing dangerously high temperatures. You should also not use compressed combustibles, such as wood briquettes as they have a completely different physical and chemical composition from real firewood, and are not approved for burning in wood-burning stoves.
It is important to have a professional install and test your wood burning stove. A certified WETT technician will test the installation to ensure proper operation and safety, as well as ensure that your chimney is working properly. They also provide maintenance services to keep your chimney and stove in tip-top shape. They can look for leaks in the areas accessible to your chimney, and fix any problems they find. They will also make sure that the occupants of your home are aware of and adhere to the evacuation procedures for fire in case of an emergency.
Adjusting the Damper
A damper regulates how much heat escapes through the chimney when you aren't using your stove. In addition to this it can help you to control the flame. If the flue is open but the damper is closed the fire won't be able to burn as it should and smoke will pour into your home. To get the most effective fire using the damper properly adjusted, you have to experiment with different settings and observe how each affects the flames.
Typically, you'll want to keep the damper open enough to let air enter and out of the flue when the fire is burning. This lets the fire get a good fire going and helps it stay burning so that you can enjoy it for a long time. The proper opening will prevent the fire from starving of air and will keep it from blowing smoke.
To be able to adjust your damper, you have to first ensure that the fireplace is heated and the wood stove is warm. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has good draft. After these steps are completed, the damper for wood stoves can be adjusted.
After the fire has been burning for a while, you should shut the damper around three quarters of the way. This will prevent warm air from the room from venturing into the chimney, while still permitting smoke to escape.
This is the best way to ensure that your fire is lit and keep it from getting too hot. The draft could be stopped if you close the damper too far but a cold wind can enter your home in the event that the damper is left open.
You can determine how much the damper is open by holding your hand near the top of the of the flue pipe. If you can feel a slight draft pushing against your hand, it's likely to be in the open position.
The damper settings can vary from one stove to the next and even among different types of wood. Playing around with different settings will give you an idea of what to look for, but you will need to adjust it until you find the perfect setting for your stove.
Clean Up
It is important to clean your stove and flue after the start of a fire. This can reduce the chance of an ensuing fire in the chimney, which is the primary cause of fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky substance that can build up within the stovepipe, can be extremely dangerous. It is caused by the moisture and wood particles that are not burned that are unable to escape the fire. It can be caused by improperly lit fires.
A regular cleaning routine helps to prevent the buildup of creosote. This can be accomplished by sweeping your chimney at least once every year. It is recommended to have your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a year as well.
It is also an excellent idea to clean the Ash tray and grate frequently. It is recommended to use only seasoned wood for burning, as it will create less creosote and ash. It is also a good idea to avoid burning paper, cardboard or plastic items. They can release harmful chemicals for the respiratory tract and the air, which could be released into your home.
The glass in the wood burning stove has to be cleaned frequently too. Many modern wood stoves come with self-cleaning windows so they do not require as much scrubbing. You can use stove glass cleaners on the window if you're not able get the glass as clean as you would like on your wood stove.
Some other helpful tips to maintain your wood stove include turning the vent off when you are not using it, and opening a window or door to increase the flow of air. This will ensure that the fire is burning longer and more efficient. The wood stove won't have to perform as hard to circulate air. It is recommended not to stack logs or let them sit on the fire for an extended duration. This can lead to splits and warping. Finally, it is best to not use compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, as the paraffin they contain can melt and flow down into the flue, which could cause damage.