How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are a cozy way to heat a room and save energy. They require some care.
Many modern wood stoves meet EPA emissions guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker either under or on the grate to make sure your stove doesn't create many harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The scent and sound of a wood fire can be a welcome feature in any home. It is essential to know how to create a fire in your stove. Improper techniques can result in a fire which does not burn well, and may produce creosote or smoke. These tips will help you start an fire that can heat your home with minimal effort and with the highest security.
Before you start a fire, you should check the condition of your logs and coals. If they're too damp, they will smother the flame and stop it from burning properly. It is also possible to open the flue to let any ash that has fallen into the stove.
Begin by placing a handful of small dry newspaper pieces in your stove. This will help ignite the tinder and ignite the kindling. Once they start to ignite, add a layer of larger pieces to the top of the pile. This should be done with a crosshatch design so that there is air between each piece.
If you have wood stoves that have an automatic control of combustion, it will automatically feed an air stream that is controlled to your fire as it grows. This allows the fire to burn for a long time without the need to open the stove's door often to keep it in check.
Be careful not to use too much tinder as it can cause the fire to burn at a fast rate and will not be able to use the fuel efficiently. If you have a nice bed of tinder and kindling in your stove, you can start the main fire by placing two large logs of the base across the grate. On the top of these base woods, place a layer perpendicularly to them. This method of creating a fire called a "top-down" fire can result in a successful and long-lasting fire that does not overtake the larger base logs.
Close the damper when the fire is established and keep it shut. Opening the damper too soon could cause the fire to be smothered, and it will not allow for the proper air flow, which can decrease the efficiency of the fire.
Add Wood
Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and also save you money. They can be utilized together with a central heating system or furnace to provide additional heat in large homes. Many of the new stoves that burn clean use a superior combustion principle that separates the burning of volatile compounds from the combustion of combustible gases and tar by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage is for the vaporization process, and the second step is to provide fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and reduces the odors.
The amount of heat you can get from your stove depends on the type of wood and the amount of moisture in it, as well as the size of the logs. To let the wood dry, logs should be kept in a ventilated location for a couple of months prior to burning. If the logs are wet they will release lots of steam, which is basically wasted energy.
During the burning of the fire, it is recommended to add more wood to the stack in intervals, and not all at one time. Adding too much wood at one time causes the temperature in the firebox to rise, and creates a vortex that draws smoke and unburnt volatile compounds back into the flame, which can decrease the efficiency of your stove.
Avoid the use of other combustibles such as paper or cardboard in your stove, as they are not wood and have different physical properties and cannot be burned without creating dangerously high temperatures and excessive emissions. You should not burn combustibles that are compressed, 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.
It is crucial that you have a professional install and test your wood burning stove. A certified WETT technician will test the stove for proper operation and safety, and also ensure that your chimney is functioning properly. These professionals can also offer maintenance services to keep your chimney and stove in tip-top shape. They can check the areas that are accessible to your chimney to determine if there is leakage and fix any issues that are found. They will also ensure that all residents of the house understand and adhere to the fire evacuation procedures in case of an accident.
Adjusting the Damper
If you're not cooking on your stove, a damper controls the amount of heat lost through the chimney. It can also be used to manage the flame. If outdoor wood burning stove is opened but the damper is closed too much the fire won't burn properly and it will billow out smoke into your living area. To get the most effective fire using your damper adjusted properly you should test different locations and observe how each affects the flames.
Typically, you'll want to keep the damper open enough to let air in and out of the flue when the fire is burning. This will allow the fire to begin and stay lit for several hours. The proper opening will stop the fire from being starved of air and stop it from blowing smoke.
To adjust your damper properly first, make sure that the fireplace is heated and that the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney stays warm and has a good draft. Once these are done the damper on the wood stove can be adjusted.
Once the fire has smolder for a while, you can close the damper to about three-quarters of its full position. This will prevent warm air from the room from escaping into the chimney, but still allowing smoke to escape.
This is the best method to keep the fire from becoming too hot, while also keeping it burning. If you close the damper too tightly, it may stop the draft from working, but when it's too wide, a cold breeze could blow through your home.
You can determine how much the damper is open by holding your hand near the top of the of the flue pipe. If you feel a slight draft pushing on your hand it's likely to be in the open position.
The damper setting can vary slightly from one stove to the next, and even between different kinds of wood. Playing around with different settings will give you an idea of what you should look for, but you may need to adjust it until you find the perfect setting for your stove.
Clean Up
After the fire, it's important to clean the stove and flue. This reduces the chance of a fire in the chimney which is the most common cause of fires that are caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky material that accumulates on the inside of the stovepipe and can be extremely hazardous. Unburned and moist particles of wood that cannot escape the fire are responsible for this chemical. It can also happen when fires aren't properly lit.
Regular cleaning can help stop the buildup of creosote. The most effective method for doing this is by sweeping the chimney at least once a year. It is recommended that you 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 grates regularly. It is best to burn only wood that is well-seasoned, as it will produce less creosote. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. These items can release dangerous chemicals to the air and flue, that could end up in your home.
It is also important to clean the glass of the wood stove regularly. A lot of modern wood stoves are designed with self-cleaning glass, which means they do not require any scrubs. You can make use of stove glass cleaners on the window if you're not getting the glass as clean as you'd like on your wood stove.
Other ways to maintain your wood stove include turning down the vent when you're not using it, and slamming doors or windows to allow more airflow. This will keep the fire burning hotter and more efficiently, as it will not need to be as active to circulate the air. It is also a good idea not stack logs or place them in the fire for prolonged durations of time, since this could lead to splitting and warping. It is best to avoid using combustible wood that has been compressed in your wood stove because the paraffin in them can melt and flow into the flue and cause damage.