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How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove Wood stoves are an ideal option to conserve energy and warm the room. However, they require an amount of care. Many modern wood stoves conform to EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker either under or on the grate to ensure your stove doesn't generate a lot of harmful pollutants. How to start a Wood Fire The smell and sound of a woodfire is an excellent addition to any house. But it's important to learn the correct method to build a fire in your stove. Unintentional methods can lead to an unburned fire that doesn't burn well, and may produce creosote or smoke. The following tips can help you start an fire that can heat your home with the least effort and maximum safety. Before you begin an fire, make sure you check the condition of your logs and coals. If they are wet they could smother the flame and stop it from burning properly. It is also possible to open the flue to let any ash out that has been deposited into the stove. Begin by placing a handful of small dry pieces of newspaper in the stove. This will help ignite the fire. Once the tinder and kindling are beginning to burn, you can put an additional layer of larger pieces on top. Visit Web Page should be done in a crosshatch pattern so there is air between each piece of wood. If you own wood stoves that have an automatic control of combustion, it will automatically feed an air stream that is controlled to the flame as it heats. This will enable the fire to burn at a consistent pace without having to constantly open the stove's doors to maintain it. Avoid using too much tinder, as it will cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and not utilize the fuel effectively. When you have a good bed of tinder and kindling in your stove, start the main fire by laying two large base logs on the grate. Next, place a layer of smaller logs parallel to these and on top of the base logs. This method of creating the fire is called a “top-down” fire will result in an effective and long-lasting fire that will not overtake the larger base logs. Close the damper once your fire is established and kept it closed. The fire can be smothered by opening the damper before it has fully established. It will also reduce the effectiveness of the fire. Adding Wood Stoves aren't just beautiful home décor pieces They can also help you save money by providing efficient wood heat. They can be used in conjunction with a central heating system or furnace to provide supplemental heat in large houses. Many of the latest clean burning stoves that are available on the market use advanced combustion technology that is able to separate the burning volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar. This is achieved by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization process, and the second step is to supply pre-heated fresh air. This improves the combustion process and helps reduce the smell. The amount of heat that you will get from your stove will depend on both the species of wood and the amount of moisture, as well as the size of the logs. The logs should be stacked in a ventilated area for a period of time before you try to burn them to give the wood a chance to dry out. If the logs are too wet they will release a lot of steam that is basically wasted energy. While you're burning the fire, add more wood to the pile at intervals, but not all at once. The addition of too much wood at once can cause the temperature to rise within the firebox, causing the formation of a vortex that draws smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into flames. This could decrease the effectiveness of your stove. Avoid burning other combustibles in your stove, such as paper or cardboard because they are not wood. They have different physical properties and cannot be burned without causing dangerously high temperatures. Also, you should not use compressed combustibles like wood briquettes as they have a very different physical and chemical composition from real firewood and aren't suitable for burning in wood-burning stoves. It is important to have a professional install and test your wood burning stove. A certified WETT technician will test your installation to ensure it is safe and reliable. They will also ensure whether your chimney is working properly. They offer maintenance services for your chimney and stove to ensure they remain in top condition. They can look for leaks in the areas connected to your chimney and fix any problems they find. They will also ensure that all residents of the house are aware of and follow the fire evacuation procedure 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 regulate the flame. If the flue 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. To get the most efficient fire, with your damper adjusted properly you must experiment with different locations and observe how each one affects the flames. Typically, you want to keep the damper open enough to let air enter and out of the flue when a fire is burning. This will allow the fire to start and stay lit for several hours. A proper opening will prevent the fire from starving of air and prevent it from blowing out smoke. To be able to adjust your damper, you need to first ensure that the fireplace is heated and the stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has good draft. Once these are done the damper for wood stoves can be adjusted. After the fire has smolder slightly, you need to shut the damper down to about three-quarters of its original position. This will prevent warm air in the room from escaping into the chimney, but still permitting smoke to escape. This is the most effective way to keep your fire lit and to prevent it from becoming too hot. If you close the damper too much, it could stop the draft from working, but when it's too open, a cold wind could blow through your home. You can determine how much the damper is opened by holding your hand near the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you can feel a slight draft pressing against your hand, it's likely to be in the open position. The damper settings can differ slightly from one stove to another and even between different types of wood. The process of experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what you should look for, but you may have to keep adjusting it until you have found the ideal setting for your stove. Clean Up It is essential 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 reason for wood stove-related fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky material that forms on the inside of the stovepipe and is extremely dangerous. Unburned and moist particles of wood that cannot escape the fire are responsible for this substance. It can also be caused by poorly lit fires. Regular cleaning can help keep away the buildup of creosote. This can be done by sweeping your chimney at least once a year. It is recommended that you have your stove and fireplace professionally inspected and cleaned at least once a year as well. It is also a good idea to clean the ash tray and grate regularly. It is a good idea to use only wood that is seasoned to burn, since this will produce less creosote and ash. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. These items could release dangerous chemicals for the flue and air, which can be released into your home. The glass in the wood stove has to be regularly cleaned too. Many newer wood stoves have self-cleaning glass, which means that they do not require much cleaning. You can use stove glass cleaners on the window if you're not getting the glass as clean as you'd like on your wood stove. Other tips to keep your wood stove in good condition include lowering the vent when you're not using it, and opening doors or windows to improve airflow. This will keep the fire burning more hot and more efficiently since it won't need to work as hard to circulate air. It is advisable not to stack logs, or leave them on the fire for an extended period of time. This can lead to splitting and warping. Finally, it is best to avoid using compressed combustible wood logs in your wood stove, as the paraffin they contain can melt and flow down into the flue, which could damage it.