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How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove Wood stoves are a great option to conserve energy and heat the room. They will require some maintenance. A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. You can check for an EPA sticker on the grate or beneath it to make sure your stove doesn't release harmful pollutants. How to Start a Wood Fire The smell and the sound of a woodfire can be an excellent addition to any house. But it's important to learn how to properly build a fire in your stove. Improper techniques can result in a fire that doesn't burn effectively and can cause creosote or smoke. The following tips can help you start the fire that will warm your home with the least effort and with the highest security. Before you start a fire, you should check the condition of your logs and coals. If they are wet they will choke the flame and stop it from burning properly. It is possible to open the chimney to remove any ash that falls into the stove. Begin by putting a handful of small dry newspaper pieces in your stove. This will help ignite the tinder and ignite the kindling. After the tinder and kindling are beginning to burn, you can put a layer of larger kindling pieces on top. This should be done in a crosshatch fashion so that there is air between each piece of wood. If your wood stove is equipped with an automatic control for combustion, it will automatically pump air into the fire as it grows. This allows the fire to burn steadily without having to open the stove's door frequently to check on it. It is essential to avoid using too much tinder, since this can lead to an unburned fire that burns at a high rate and doesn't make use of the fuel as efficiently as it can. After you've built a solid bed in your stove of tinder, kindling and embers begin the main flame by laying two large logs of the base on the grate. On top of these base logs, place a layer perpendicularly to them. This “top-down” method of creating a fireplace will result in a long-lasting, efficient fire that doesn't consume larger base logs. Once your fire is well established shut off the damper and ensure it stays closed. Opening the damper too soon can cause the fire get smothered and not allow for proper air flow, which will reduce its efficiency. Adding Wood Stoves aren't just beautiful home decor pieces They can also help you save money by providing efficient wood heating. They can be used by themselves or in conjunction with central heating or furnace system to provide the supplemental heat needed in large homes or homes with multiple rooms. Many of the new stoves that burn clean employ a superior combustion process that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar by providing air in two different stages. The first stage allows the combustion of volatile compounds and the second stage provides fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases odors. The amount of heat that you can get from a stove is contingent upon the species and the moisture content of the wood as well as the size of logs. The logs must be stored in a well-ventilated space for a period of time before you attempt to burn them, to allow the wood to dry out. If the logs are wet, they will produce a lot of steam that is basically wasted energy. You should add wood to the pile at intervals, not all at all at. Too much wood added at once causes the temperature inside the firebox to increase and creates a vortex, which draws smoke and unburnt volatile compounds back into the flame, which could reduce the efficiency of your stove. You should avoid the use of any other combustibles, such as paper or cardboard in your stove, because they are not wood and have different physical properties that can't be burned safely without creating dangerously high temperatures and excessive emissions. You should also not use compressed combustibles, such as wood briquettes because they have a very different chemical and physical properties from actual firewood and are not suitable for burning in wood-burning stoves. It is important to have a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician will test your stove to ensure that it is safe and efficient. They will also ensure that your chimney works correctly. They offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to keep them in top shape. They can inspect the accessible areas of your chimney for leaks, and fix any issues discovered. They will also make sure that the occupants of your home know and follow the evacuation procedures for fire in the event of an emergency. Adjusting the Damper A damper regulates how much heat escapes to the chimney when you're not cooking on your stove. It can also be used to control the flame. If the flue opens but the damper is too closed the fire will not ignite properly and smoke will pour into your home. To ensure you have the best fire with the damper properly adjusted, you have to play around with different settings and observe how each affects the flames. Typically, you should keep the damper open enough to let air enter and out of the flue when the fire is burning. This allows the fire to start a fire and keeps it lit so you can enjoy it for long periods of time. The right opening can stop the fire from being starved of air and stop it from blowing smoke. In order to properly adjust your damper, you need to first make sure the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney stays warm and has good draft. After that, the damper on the wood stove can be adjusted. Once the fire has burned for a while, you can shut the damper down to about three-quarters of its full position. This will prevent warm air from the room from escaping into the chimney, while still permitting smoke to escape. This is the best way to ensure that your fire is lit and prevent it from getting too hot. The draft might be stopped if one closes the damper too far however a cold breeze could be able to enter your home in the event that the damper is not closed. You can check to see how much the damper is opened by holding your hand near the top of the of the flue pipe. If you feel a small draft pressing against your hand, it is probably in the open position. The damper settings can differ between stoves and even among different types of wood. The process of experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what to look for, but you might have to keep adjusting it until you find the ideal setting for your stove. Clean up It is important to clean your stove and flue after an incident. This will help to reduce the chance of a chimney fire, which is the most common reason for wood stove fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky substance that accumulates on the inside of the stovepipe and can be extremely hazardous. It is caused by the moisture and wood particles that are not burned that cannot escape the fire. It can be caused by improperly lit fires. Regular cleaning helps to prevent creosote buildup. large wood burning stove to do this is to sweep the chimney every year. It is recommended that you 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 the grates regularly. It is recommended to use only seasoned wood for burning, as this will produce less creosote and less ash. It is also a good idea to avoid burning paper, cardboard plastic, and other waste items. They can release chemicals that can be dangerous for respiratory illnesses and the atmosphere, which may be released into your home. The glass that is used on the wood burning stove has to be cleaned regularly too. Most newer wood stoves have self-cleaning windows so they do not require as much scrubs. If you're unable 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 suggestions to maintain your wood stove include lowering the vent when you're not using it and cracking windows or doors to allow more airflow. This will ensure that the fire is burning hotter, and more efficient. The wood stove will not need to be as active to circulate air. It is also a good idea not stack logs or place them in the fire for long durations of time, since this could cause splitting and warping. It is advised to avoid using compressed combustible wood in your wood stove since the paraffin contained within the wood can melt and then flow into the flue, which could cause damage.