How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves can be an ideal option to conserve energy and also heat a room. wood stoves for sale near me will require some maintenance.
Many modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. You can look for an EPA sticker on the grate or underneath it to ensure that your stove doesn't release harmful pollutants.
How to start a Wood Fire
The smell and sound of a woodfire can be an excellent addition to any home. It's important to know how to build an effective fire on your stove. Improper techniques can result in an unburned fire that doesn't burn effectively and produces creosote or smoke. The following tips can aid you in starting the fire that will warm your home with the least effort and maximum safety.
Before you begin an fire, make sure you check the condition of your coals and logs. If they are wet it will dampen your fire and hinder proper burning. You might want 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 to spark the tinder and ignite your kindling. Once the tinder and kindling are beginning to burn, you can put a layer of larger kindling pieces on the top. This should be done with an arc pattern so that there is air between each piece.
If your wood stove comes with an automatic combustion control, it will automatically feed air to the fire as it grows. This allows the fire to burn steadily without you having to open the stove's door often to keep it in check.
Be careful not to use too much tinder as it will cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and not utilize the fuel effectively. If you have a nice bed of tinder and kindling in your stove, you can start the main fire by laying two large logs of the base across the grate. On the top of these base woods put a layer of wood perpendicular to them. This method of building the fire is known as a "top-down" fire can result in a successful and long-lasting fire that does not engulf the larger base logs.
Close the damper once your fire is established and keep it closed. The fire can be smothered if the user opens 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 save you money. They can be used together with central heating systems or furnace to provide additional heating in large homes. A lot of the stoves that burn cleanly available today utilize an advanced combustion principle which can separate the burning volatile substances from combustible gasses as well as tar. This is done by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage permits the combustion of volatile compounds and the second provides fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and reduces odors.
The amount of heat that you will get from your stove will depend on the type of wood and the amount of moisture, as well as the size of the logs. To let the wood dry, logs should be kept in a ventilated area for a few months before burning. If the logs are not dry enough, they will produce plenty of steam that is essentially wasted energy.
You should add wood to the pile at intervals and not all at once. Too much wood added at one time causes the temperature in the firebox to rise and produces a vortex that sucks 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, because they are not wood and possess different physical properties that can't be burned without creating dangerously high temperatures and excessive emissions. It is not recommended to burn compressed combustibles like wood briquettes since they differ in physical and chemical composition from firewood. They are also not approved by the type to be used in wood burning stoves.
It is important that a professional install and test your wood burning stove. A certified WETT technician will test your stove to ensure it is safe and reliable. They will also ensure that your chimney works correctly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to ensure they are in good condition. They will look for leaks in the areas that are accessible to your chimney, and fix any problems they find. They will also make sure that all house occupants understand and comply with the fire evacuation procedures in case of an emergency.
Adjusting the Damper
If you're not making use of your stove, a damper regulates how much heat is lost through the chimney. Additionally, it can also help you to control the flame. If the flue is not open but the damper is closed too much the fire won't be able to burn properly and will release smoke into your living area. You can adjust your damper to achieve the most effective flames by playing around with different settings.
Typically, you want to keep the damper open enough to let air in and out of the flue while a fire is burning. This will allow the fire to start and remain lit for a number of hours. The right opening can stop the fire from being starved of air and stop it from blowing smoke.
To adjust your damper properly, you must first ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has a good draft. Once this is accomplished the damper on the wood stove may be adjusted.
After the fire has burned for some time, you need to close the damper approximately three quarters of the way. This will prevent the warm air from the room from going into the chimney, while allowing smoke to escape out of the wood stove.
This is the most effective way to keep the fire from getting 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 into your home.
You can test how much the damper is open by placing your hands near the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you can feel a small 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 kinds of wood. The process of experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what you should look for, but you might need to adjust it until you have found the ideal setting for your stove.
Clean Up
After an incident, it is crucial to clean the flue and stove. This will help lower the risk of a chimney fire, which is the main reason for wood stove-related fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky substance which can build up within the stovepipe, can be very dangerous. It is caused by moisture and unburned wood particles that cannot escape the fire. This can also occur when fires are not properly lit.
Regular cleaning can help stop the buildup of creosote. The most effective method for doing this is to sweep the chimney each year. It is also recommended to have your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and checked at least every year.
Also, it is an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and the grates regularly. It is a good idea to only use seasoned wood to burn, since this will result in less creosote and less ash. Avoid burning paper, cardboard and plastic. These items can release dangerous chemicals to the flue and air, which can be released into your home.
It is also essential to wash the glass of the wood-burning stove on a regular basis. Many newer wood stoves have self-cleaning glass, which means that they do not require any scrubs. If you're not able to make the glass on your wood stove as clean as you'd like you can use stove glass cleaners available that can be used on the window.
Some other helpful tips to maintain your wood stove include turning the vent down when you're not using it, and opening the door or window to increase air flow. This will help keep the fire burning hotter and more efficiently, as it won't have to be as active to circulate the air. It is a good idea not to stack logs or place them on the fire for a long time. This can cause 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 into the flue, which could damage it.