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How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove Wood stoves are a great method to reduce energy consumption and warm rooms. They require some care. A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker under or beside the grate, to ensure that your stove doesn't create lots of harmful pollutants. How to Start a Wood Fire The scent and sound of a woodfire can be a welcome addition in any home. It is essential to know how to build an effective fire on your stove. Improper techniques can result in an unburned fire that doesn't burn efficiently, and produces creosote or smoke. These tips can help you start a fire that is safe and will heat up your home quickly and efficiently. Make sure to check the condition of your logs and coals before you begin a fire. If they're damp it will dampen your fire and hinder proper burning. It is also possible to open the flue to let out any ash that has been deposited into the stove. Start by placing several small newspaper pieces that are dry into your stove. This will help to ignite the fire. When they begin to burn, add a layer of larger pieces of kindling to the top of the pile. This should be done using a crosshatch design 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 will allow the fire to burn for a long time without the need to open the stove door often to keep it in check. Avoid using too much tinder, as it can cause the fire to burn at an extremely fast rate and not use the fuel effectively. When you have a good pile of tinder and some kindling in your stove, you can start the main fire by placing two large base logs across the grate. Then, you can lay small logs parallel to these and on the top of the base logs. This “top-down” method of building the fireplace will create a long-lasting, efficient fire that doesn't consume larger base logs. When your fire is established, close 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 can reduce its efficiency. Adding Wood Stoves are not just beautiful home decor pieces – they can help you save money by providing efficient wood heat. They can be used by themselves or together with central heating or furnace system to provide the supplemental heat required in large houses or homes with multiple rooms. A lot of the stoves that burn clean employ a superior combustion process that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from the combustion of combustible gases and tar by providing air in two different stages. The first stage allows for the vaporization of the volatile compounds and the second provides fresh air that is pre-heated. This enhances the combustion process and helps reduce the smell. The amount of heat that you can get from a stove will depend on the species and the moisture content of the wood used, and also the size of the logs. The logs should be stored in a well-ventilated area for a period of time before you try to burn them to give the wood a chance to dry. If the logs are wet they will release a lot of steam that is basically wasted energy. When you are burning the fire, you should add more wood to the stack in intervals, not all at all at. In addition, adding too much wood at once causes the temperature in the firebox to increase and produces a vortex that sucks smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame, which could reduce the efficiency of your stove. It is recommended to stay clear of other combustibles such as paper or cardboard in your stove, as they are not wood and possess different physical properties and cannot be burned without causing dangerously high temperatures and exorbitant emissions. You should also not use compressed combustibles like wood briquettes because they have a distinct chemical and physical composition to actual firewood and are not type-approved for burning in wood-burning stoves. It is crucial that you have a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician will test the installation to ensure proper operation and safety as well as ensure that your chimney is working correctly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your chimney and stove to ensure they remain in top shape. They can inspect the accessible areas of your chimney to determine if there is leakage and fix any issues discovered. They will also ensure that all residents of the home understand and follow the evacuation procedure in the event of an accident. Adjusting the Damper If you're not cooking on your stove, a damper controls the amount of heat that is lost through the chimney. Additionally, it can also help manage the fire. If the flue opens, but the damper is not closed the fire will not be able to burn as it should and smoke will erupt into your home. You can adjust your damper to achieve the most effective flames by playing around with different locations. It is important to keep your damper open to allow air to be able to enter and exit the flue when a flame is burning. This lets the fire get going and also helps keep it burning so that you can enjoy it for a long time. stoves wood burners will prevent the fire from starving of air, and also prevent it from blowing out smoke. To properly adjust your damper first, make sure that the fireplace has been preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has a good draft. After this the damper for the wood stove may be adjusted. After the fire has smolder for a while, you can close the damper to about three-quarters of its full position. This will stop warm air from the room from getting into the chimney, while still permitting smoke to escape. This is the best method to keep your fire burning and to prevent it from becoming too hot. The draft might be stopped if you close the damper to far, but a cold wind can enter your home if the damper is not closed. You can test how much the damper is open by holding your hand near the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you can feel a slight breeze pushing on your hand it is probably in the open position. The damper settings can differ a little from one stove to the next, and even between different types of wood. Playing around with different settings will give you an idea of what to look for, but you might need to adjust until you get the ideal setting for your stove. Clean Up It is important to clean your chimney and stove after the start of a fire. This will lower the risk of a chimney fire, which is the main cause of wood stove related fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky substance that builds up on the stovepipe's interior and can be very dangerous. The moisture and the unburned parts of wood that cannot escape the fire are the cause for this chemical. It can also happen when fires aren't lit properly. Regular cleaning helps to stop the buildup of creosote. The best way to do this is to sweep the chimney at least once a year. It is recommended that you have your fireplace and stove professionally inspected and cleaned at least once per year, too. It is also an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and grate it regularly. It is best to only burn wood that has been seasoned, as it will produce less creosote. It is also a good idea to avoid burning paper, cardboard or plastic items. They could release chemicals that are dangerous for respiratory illnesses and the air, which could be released into your home. It is also necessary to wash the glass of the wood stove on a regular basis. A lot of modern wood stoves have self-cleaning glass, which means that they don't require a lot of scrubbing. If you are not able to make the glass on your wood stove as clean as you would like There are stove glass cleaners you can use on the window. Other tips for maintaining your wood stove are to turn the vent off when you're not using it and cracking the door or window to allow more air flow. This will keep the fire burning longer and more efficiently, since it won't need to be as active to circulate the air. It is recommended to not stack logs or leave them in the flame for long periods of time, as this can lead to warping and splitting. It is advised to avoid using compressed combustible wood in your wood stove because the paraffin contained within the wood can melt and then flow into the flue and cause damage.