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How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove Wood stoves are a warm way to heat a space and conserve energy. They require some care. Many modern wood stoves conform to EPA emission guidelines. You can check for an EPA sticker on the grate or under it to ensure your stove doesn't release harmful pollutants. How to start a Wood Fire The sound and smell of a wood fire can be a pleasant feature in any home. It is essential to know how to build a fire in your stove. Improper techniques can result in a fire which does not burn well, and may produce creosote or smoke. These tips will help you start the fire that will warm your home with minimum effort and maximum safety. Examine the condition of your coals and logs before you begin a fire. If they are wet it will dampen your fire and hinder proper burning. It is possible to open the chimney to remove any ash that's fallen into the stove. Begin by putting a few small, dry newspaper pieces in your stove. This will help to ignite the tinder. Once they start to burn, add another layer of larger pieces of tinder 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 has an automatic combustion control it will automatically supply air to the fire as it expands. This will allow the fire to burn at a consistent pace without having to constantly open the stove's door to tend it. It is important to not use too much tinder, as this could result in a fire that burns at an extremely high rate and fails to make use of the fuel as efficiently as it could. If Fireplaces & Stove have a nice pile of tinder and some kindling in your stove, start the main fire by placing two large base logs on the grate. Then, on the top of these base logs lay a layer parallel to them. This “top-down” method of creating the fireplace will create an effective and long-lasting fire that doesn't consume larger logs from the base. Once the fire is established shut off the damper and keep it closed. The fire can be smothered if you open the damper before it has fully established. This can also affect the efficiency of the fire. Adding Wood Stoves can be used to heat your home efficiently and help you save money. They can be utilized in conjunction with central heating systems or furnace to provide supplemental heating in large houses. A lot of the clean-burning stoves on the market employ a superior combustion process that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from combustible gases and tar by supplying air in two distinct stages. The first stage allows for the combustion of volatile compounds and the second stage provides fresh air that is pre-heated. This enhances the combustion process and helps to reduce the smell. The amount of heat that you 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. To let the wood dry, the logs should be kept in a ventilated space for a couple of months prior to burning. If the logs are soaked with excessive moisture, they will create steam which is essentially wasted energy. While you're burning the fire, it is recommended to add more wood to the stack at intervals, but not all at all at. 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 are not burned back into the flames. This could decrease the efficiency of your stove. You should avoid the use of any other combustibles, like cardboard or paper in your stove, as they are not wood and have different physical properties that cannot be burned safely without creating dangerously high temperatures and exorbitant emissions. It is not recommended to burn compressed combustibles such as wood briquettes because they are different in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not type-approved to be used in wood burning stoves. It is important 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 operating properly. They offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to keep them in top condition. They can check for leaks in the areas accessible to your chimney and repair any issues they discover. They will also make sure that all occupants of the house are aware of and adhere to the fire evacuation procedures in the event of an accident. Adjusting the Damper A damper regulates how much heat escapes through the chimney when you aren't cooking on your stove. In addition, 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 burn properly and it will release smoke into your living area. You can adjust the damper to ensure the best flames by playing around with different settings. You want to keep your damper open to allow air to enter and exit the flue while a fire is burning. This allows the fire to get a good fire going and keeps it burning so that you can enjoy it for hours. The right opening will also keep the fire from being starved of air, and also prevent it from blowing out smoke. To be able to adjust your damper you need to ensure that the fireplace is heated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and also that it has an adequate draft. Once this is done, the wood stove damper may be adjusted. Once the fire has smolder a bit you should shut the damper down to about three-quarters of its original position. This will stop warm air in the room from venting through the chimney, while allowing smoke to escape out of the wood stove. This is the best way to keep your fire burning and to prevent it from becoming too hot. If you close the damper too far it could block the draft from working, however should it be too wide, a cold breeze could blow through your home. Placing your hand on the top of the flue pipe will show you how much the damper has opened. If you feel a slight breeze pushing against your palm the damper is probably to be open. The damper settings can vary 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 to look for, but you will need to tweak it until you find the perfect setting for your stove. Clean Up After the fire, it's essential to clean the stove and flue. This will reduce the risk of an ensuing fire in the chimney which is the main cause of fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky substance which can build up inside the stovepipe, is very dangerous. Moisture and unburned particles of wood that are unable to escape the flame are the reason for this substance. It can also be caused by improperly lit fires. A regular cleaning schedule can help keep the buildup of creosote at bay. The most effective method for doing this is to sweep the chimney every year. It is recommended that you have your stove and fireplace professionally inspected and cleaned at least once a year. Also, it is an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and grates regularly. It is best to burn only seasoned wood because it produces less creosote. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. They could release chemicals that can be dangerous for the respiratory tract and the air, and could be released into your home. The glass in the wood stove has to be cleaned regularly too. Many newer wood stoves are made with self-cleaning glass, which means they don't require a lot of cleaning. 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 can be used on the window. Other ways to maintain your wood stove include turning down the vent when you're not using it, and opening doors or windows to increase airflow. This keeps the fire burning longer and more efficiently. The wood stove will not have to be as active to circulate air. It is recommended to not stack logs or place them in the fire for prolonged periods of time as this can lead to warping and splitting. It is also recommended to avoid using compressed combustible wood logs in your wood stove, as the paraffin they contain could melt and spill down the flue which could cause damage.