How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are a cozy way to heat a space and also save energy. They require some care.
Many modern wood stoves are compliant with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker on the underside or next to the grate to make sure your stove doesn’t generate lots of harmful pollutants.
How to start a Wood Fire
The sound and smell of a wood fire can be a wonderful addition to any home. It’s important to know how to create a fire in your stove. Incorrect methods can result in an unburned fire that doesn’t burn effectively and can cause creosote or smoke. The tips below can help you create a fire that is safe and will heat up your home quickly and efficiently.
Before you begin a fire, check the condition of your logs and coals. If they’re wet, it will smother your fire and hinder proper burning. You may want to open the chimney to get rid of any ash that falls into the stove.
Begin by placing a handful of small dry newspaper pieces in your stove. This will help ignite the tinder and kindling. After the tinder and kindling are beginning to burn, you can put the larger kindling pieces on the top. This should be done in a crosshatch fashion so that there will be air between each piece of wood.
If you own a wood stove with an automatic control for combustion it will automatically supply a controlled stream of air to the flame as it heats. This allows the fire to burn continuously without having to open the stove’s door constantly to tend to it.
It’s important to avoid using too much tinder, since this can lead to an unburned fire that burns at a high rate and doesn’t use the fuel as efficiently as possible. Once you’ve got a good foundation in your stove that is made of igniters, tinder, and embers, start the main flame by laying two large base logs on the grate. Then, you can lay a layer of smaller logs perpendicular to these and on top of the base logs. This “top-down” method of creating the fireplace will create a long-lasting and effective fire that doesn’t completely engulf larger base logs.
Once your fire is well established Close the damper and keep it closed. Opening the damper too soon can cause the fire to get smothered and not allow for proper air flow, which will lower the effectiveness of the fire.
Adding Wood
Stoves are not just beautiful home décor pieces they can also help you save money by providing efficient wood heat. They can be utilized in conjunction with central heating systems or furnace to provide supplemental heating for large houses. A lot of the stoves that burn clean utilize a superior combustion method that separates the burning of volatile compounds from the combustion of combustible gases and tar by providing air in two different stages. The first stage permits the vaporization of the volatile compounds and the second offers fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases the odors.
The amount of heat that you will get from your US Stove Rustic Cast Iron Wood Burning Stove will depend on the kind of wood and the amount of moisture and the size of the logs. The logs should be stacked in a well-ventilated space for several months before you try to burn them to give the wood time to dry. If the logs contain too much moisture, they will create steam that is in essence wasted energy.
It is best to add wood to the pile in intervals, not all at once. Adding too much wood at one time causes the temperature inside the firebox to rise, and produces a vortex that sucks smoke and unburnt volatile compounds back into the flame which can reduce the efficiency of your stove.
Avoid using other combustibles inside your stove, such as paper or cardboard, as they are not wood. They have different physical properties and can’t be burned without producing dangerously high temperatures. You should also not use compressed combustibles such as wood briquettes as they have a completely different chemical and physical composition to actual firewood and are not suitable for burning in wood-burning stoves.
If you are installing a wood burning stove in your home, it is important to have it properly installed and tested by a professional. A certified WETT technician will test your installation to ensure it is safe and reliable. They will also ensure that your chimney works correctly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your chimney and stove to ensure they are in good condition. They will inspect the accessible areas of your chimney to determine if there is leakage and fix any issues found. They will also make sure that all occupants of the house understand and follow the fire evacuation procedure in the event of an accident.
Adjusting the Damper
A damper regulates the amount of heat that is lost up the chimney when you’re not using your stove. Additionally, it can help you control the fire. If the flue is open but the damper is not closed enough, the fire won’t be able to burn properly and it will billow out smoke into your living space. To ensure you have the most effective fire using the damper properly adjusted, you must play around with different locations and observe how each affects the flames.
Typically, you want to keep the damper open enough to let air in and out of the flue while the fire is burning. This will let the fire start and stay lit for many hours. A proper opening will prevent the fire from starving of air and will keep it from blowing smoke.
To properly adjust your damper, you must first ensure that the fireplace is heated and that the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has good draft. After that, the wood stove damper can be adjusted.
After the fire has burned for a while, you should shut the damper around three quarters of the way. This will stop warm room air from escaping up the chimney while still allowing smoke to escape from the wood stove.
This is the most effective way to ensure that your fire is lit and prevent it from getting too hot. If you close the damper too far it could stop the draft from working, however should it be too open, a cold wind could blow through your home.
Holding your hand at the top of the flue pipe will show you how much the damper has sunk. If you feel a breeze rubbing against your hand the damper is probably to be open.
The damper settings may differ between stoves and even among different types of wood. You can experiment with different settings to get an idea of the ideal setting for your stove.
Clean Up
After the fire, it’s essential to clean the stove and flue. This reduces the chance of an explosion in the chimney which is the most common cause of fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote, a sticky material which can build up within the stovepipe, can be extremely dangerous. It is caused by moisture and unburned wood particles that are unable to escape the fire. It can also happen when fires aren’t properly lit.
A regular cleaning routine helps keep the buildup of creosote at bay. The best method to do this is by sweeping the chimney at least once a year. It is also recommended to have your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and checked at least year.
It is also a good idea to clean out the ash tray and grate regularly. It is recommended to only burn wood that has been seasoned, as it will produce less creosote. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. These items could release dangerous chemicals to the air and flue which could be released in your home.
The glass that is used on the wood burning stove has to be regularly cleaned as well. The majority of modern wood stoves have self-cleaning windows, which means they do not require as much cleaning. If you’re unable to get the glass on your wood stove as clean as you’d like you can use stove glass cleaners available that can be used wood stoves for sale – click through the following website – on the window.
Some other helpful suggestions for maintaining your wood stove include turning the vent down when you are not using it and cracking the door or window to increase air flow. This keeps the fire burning more hot and efficiently. The wood stove will not need to work as hard in order to circulate air. It is also a good idea to not stack logs or keep them in the fire for long durations of time, since this could lead to splitting and warping. Finally, it is a good idea to avoid using compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, as the paraffin they contain can melt and then flow down the flue which could cause damage.