10 Wrong Answers To Common Stove Wood Burning Questions: Do You Know The Correct Ones?
How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are a great option to conserve energy and also heat a room. They require some care.
Many modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker either under or on the grate to ensure your stove won't produce many harmful pollutants.
How to start a Wood Fire
The smell and sound of a fire made from wood can be a wonderful addition to any house. It's important to know how to create a fire on your stove. Unintentional methods can lead to an unburned fire that doesn't burn efficiently, and produces creosote or smoke. These tips can help you start a safe fire that will heat up your home quickly and efficiently.
Check the condition of your coals and logs before you start an fire. If they are too wet, they will smother the flame and stop it from burning efficiently. You might want to open the chimney to get rid of any ash that falls into the stove.
Start by placing a few small newspaper pieces that are dry into your stove. indoor wood burning stove will help ignite the fire. Once these begin to ignite, add a layer of larger pieces to the top of the pile. This should be done in a crosshatch fashion so that there is air between each piece of wood.
If your wood stove has 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 stove's door often to keep it in check.
It is important to not use too much tinder, as this can lead to a fire that burns at an excessive rate and doesn't make use of the fuel as efficiently as it could. When you have a good fire and a bed of tinder in your stove, you can start the main fire by placing two large base logs across the grate. On the top of these base logs lay a layer parallel to them. This "top-down" method of building the fireplace will create an effective and long-lasting fire that doesn't consume larger logs from the base.
Once your fire is well established shut off the damper and keep it closed. Doing this too soon can cause the fire to get smothered and not allow for the proper air flow, which will 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 used together with a central heating system or furnace to provide supplemental heating for large homes. A lot of the stoves that burn clean use a superior combustion principle that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from combustible gases and tar by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization process, and the second step is to provide fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases the odors.
The amount of heat you get from your stove depends on both the species of wood used as well as the amount of moisture in it, as well as the size of the logs. To allow the wood to dry, logs must be stored in a ventilated space for a couple of months prior to burning. If the logs are too wet, they will produce a lot of steam that is in essence wasted energy.
When you are burning the fire, you should add more wood to the pile at intervals, not all at once. The addition of too much wood at once could cause the temperature to rise in the firebox, causing a vortex which pulls smoke and unburned volatile compounds back into flames. This could decrease the effectiveness of your stove.
Avoid using other combustibles in 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 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 to have a professional install and test your wood burning stove. A certified WETT technician will test the stove for proper operation and safety as well as make sure that your chimney is working correctly. They provide maintenance services for your chimney and stove to ensure they remain in top condition. They will inspect the areas that are accessible to your chimney for leakage, and fix any issues that are found. They will also make sure that all occupants of the home understand and follow the fire evacuation procedure in the event of an accident.
Adjusting the Damper
When you're not cooking on your stove, a damper regulates the amount of heat lost through the chimney. It can also be used to manage the fire. If Modern wood burning stoves opens, but the damper is not closed the fire won't be able to burn as it should and smoke will billow into your home. You can adjust the damper to ensure the best flames by experimenting with different locations.
Typically, you want to keep the damper open enough to let air flow in and out of the flue when a fire is burning. This will allow the fire to start and stay lit for several hours. The proper opening will stop the fire from becoming depleted of air and prevent 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 an adequate draft. Once this is accomplished the damper for the wood stove may be adjusted.
Once the fire has burned for a while, you can reduce the damper to around three-quarters of its maximum. This will prevent the warm air from the room from going up the chimney while still allowing the smoke to escape out of the wood stove.
This is the most effective way to keep your fire lit and prevent it from getting too hot. The draft could be stopped if you shut the damper to far, but a cold wind could be able to enter your home when the damper is left open.
By placing your hands on the top of the flue pipe will show you how much the damper has opened. If you feel a breeze rubbing against your hand the damper is probably in the open position.
The damper settings can vary from one stove to the next and even between different kinds of wood. You can play around with different settings to get an idea of the most suitable setting for your stove.
Clean Up
After a fire, it is essential to clean the stove and flue. This can lower the risk of a chimney fire which is the main reason for wood stove fires in homes. Creosote, a sticky substance which can build up inside the stovepipe, is extremely dangerous. Moisture and unburned particles of wood that cannot escape the fire are the cause for this substance. It can also happen when fires aren't properly lit.
A regular cleaning routine helps keep the buildup of creosote at bay. 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, too.
It is also an excellent idea to clean out the Ash tray and grate frequently. It is best to burn only seasoned wood since it will create less creosote. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. These items could release dangerous chemicals for the flue and air, which could be released in your home.
The glass on the wood burning stove needs to be cleaned regularly too. The majority of newer wood stoves are designed with self-cleaning glass, which means that they do not require much cleaning. You can use stove glass cleaners on the window if you're able get the glass as clean as you would like on your wood stove.
Other helpful tips to maintain your wood stove are to turn the vent off when you are not using it and cracking a window or door to increase air flow. This will keep the fire burning hotter and more efficiently, as it won't need to work as hard to circulate the air. It is advisable not to stack logs, or let them sit on the fire for a long duration. This can cause splits and warping. In addition, it is a good idea to avoid using compressed combustible wood logs in your wood stove, as the paraffin they contain can melt and flow into the flue which could cause damage.