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How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove Wood stoves are a warm way to heat a room and save energy. They do require some maintenance. Many modern wood stoves are compliant with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker on the underside or next to the grate, to ensure that your stove doesn't create a lot of 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 is essential to understand how to build a fire in your stove. Unintentional methods can lead to a fire which does not burn effectively, and can produce smoke or creosote. These tips will help you start the fire that will warm your home with minimal effort and ensure your safety. Before you begin a fire, check the condition of your coals and logs. If they're wet it will dampen your fire and hinder proper burning. It is also possible to open the flue to let any ash out that has been deposited into the stove. Start by placing a few small, dry newspaper pieces in the stove. This will help ignite the sparks. Once they start 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 you have wood stoves that have an automatic control for combustion that will automatically deliver an air stream controlled to the fire as it grows. This will allow the fire to burn at a steady rate without the need to open the stove door to keep it in check. Do not use too much tinder as this will cause the fire to burn at a fast rate and not use the fuel effectively. If you have a solid pile of tinder and some kindling in your stove, you can start the main fire by laying two large base logs across the grate. Then, on top of these base logs lay a layer parallel to them. This method of constructing the fire is known as a “top-down” fire can result in a successful and long-lasting fire that will not completely consume the larger base logs. Close the damper after your fire has been established and kept it shut. Opening the damper too soon can cause the fire smother and will not allow for the correct air flow, which can decrease the efficiency of the fire. Adding Wood Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and help you save money. They can be used by themselves or in conjunction with a furnace or central heating system to provide the additional heat needed in large homes or homes with multiple rooms. A lot of the stoves that are clean burning available use an advanced combustion principle which can separate the burning volatile substances from combustible gasses as well as tar. This is achieved by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization and the second is to provide fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves the process of combustion and helps reduce the odors. The amount of heat that you can get from a stove is contingent upon the type and amount of moisture of the wood used, and also the size of the logs. The logs must be stored in a ventilated area for several months before you attempt to burn them, to give the wood time to dry. If the logs are too wet they will create plenty of steam that is in essence wasted energy. During the burning of the fire, add more wood to the stack in intervals, but not all at one time. The addition of too much wood at once can cause the temperature to rise within the firebox, creating a vortex which pulls smoke and unburned volatile compounds back into flames. This could decrease the effectiveness of your stove. Avoid the use of other combustibles like cardboard or paper in your stove, because they are not wood and have different physical properties that can't be burned safely without creating dangerously high temperatures and exorbitant emissions. You should not burn combustibles that are compressed, such as wood briquettes because they differ in physical and chemical composition from firewood. They are also not approved by the type to be burned in wood burning stoves. If you are installing wood-burning stoves into your home, it's crucial to have it installed and tested by a professional. A certified WETT technician will test your installation to ensure that it is safe and efficient. They can also make sure that your chimney works correctly. They also provide maintenance services to keep your chimney and stove in tip-top shape. They can check the areas that are accessible to your chimney for leakage, and repair any problems discovered. They will also ensure that the occupants of your home know and follow the fire evacuation guidelines in case of an emergency. Adjusting the Damper A damper regulates how much heat is lost to the chimney when you aren't using your stove. It can also be used to regulate the flame. 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. To get the most effective fire using your damper adjusted properly you have to play around with different positions and observe how each one affects the flames. Typically, you should keep the damper open enough to let air enter and out of the flue while a fire is burning. This allows the fire to get going and keeps it in good shape so that you can enjoy it for long periods of time. The right opening will also stop the fire from becoming starved of air and prevent it from blowing smoke. To properly adjust your damper you need to ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is warm. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and that it has a good draft. After that, the damper on the wood stove can be adjusted. Once the fire has smolder 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 from the wood stove. This is the best method to keep your fire lit and keep it from getting too hot. If you close the damper too tightly, it could stop the draft from working, but if it is too wide, a cold breeze could enter your home. You can test how much the damper is opened by placing your hand on the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you feel a breeze pushing against your hand the damper is probably in the open position. The damper settings can differ between stoves and even between different kinds of wood. You can play around with different settings to get a sense of the most suitable setting for your stove. Clean up After an incident, it is important to clean the stove and flue. This will reduce the risk of an explosion in the chimney which is the most common cause of fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote, a sticky material that can accumulate in the stovepipe, is extremely dangerous. The moisture and the unburned parts of wood that cannot escape the fire are the cause for this substance. It can also be caused by improperly lit fires. Regular cleaning can help stop the buildup of creosote. The most effective method for doing this is by sweeping the chimney at least once a year. It is also recommended that you get your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and checked at least year. It is also recommended to clean the ash tray and the grates regularly. wood fire stove for sale is recommended to use only seasoned wood for burning, as this will produce less creosote and ash. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. These materials can release harmful chemicals to the air and flue that could end up in your home. The glass that is used on the wood burning stove has to be cleaned regularly too. The majority of newer wood stoves are made with self-cleaning glass, which means that they do not require much scrubbing. You can apply stove glass cleaners to the window if you're able get the glass as clean as you want on your wood stove. Other ways to keep your wood stove in good condition include lowering the vent when you're not using it and slamming doors or windows to allow more airflow. This will keep the fire burning more hot and efficient. The wood stove will not have to be as active to circulate air. It is recommended not to stack logs or let them sit on the fire for an extended duration. This can lead to splits and warping. It is also best to avoid using compressed combustible wood logs in your wood stove, as the paraffin they contain could melt and spill into the flue which could cause damage.