Wood stoves can be an excellent option to conserve energy and warm rooms. They do require some maintenance.
Many modern wood stoves conform to EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker under or beside the grate, to ensure that your stove doesn't generate a lot of harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The smell and sound of a wood fire could be a welcome feature in any house. It's important to know how to build an effective fire on your stove. Improper techniques can result in the fire not to burn well, and may produce smoke or creosote. The following tips will help you begin a fire that is safe and will heat up your home quickly and efficiently.
Before you begin an fire, make sure you check the condition of your coals and logs. If they are wet, they will smother the fire and prevent it from burning efficiently. You might also want to open the flue to let out any ash that has been deposited into the stove.
Begin by putting several small newspaper pieces that are dry in the stove. This will help ignite the fire. Once these begin to burn, add a layer of larger pieces of kindling to the top of the pile. This should be done using the crosshatch pattern to ensure that there is air between each piece.
If you have wood stoves that have an automatic control of combustion, it will automatically feed an air stream controlled to your fire as it grows. This will allow the fire to burn steadily without you having to open the door of your stove often to keep it in check.
Be careful not to use too much tinder, as it will cause the fire to burn at an extremely fast rate and not use the fuel efficiently. If you have a nice fire and a bed of tinder in your stove, you can start the main fire by laying two large base logs on the grate. Then, you can lay an additional layer of smaller logs perpendicular to these and on top of the base logs. This method of building an ember called a "top-down" fire can result in a successful and long-lasting fire that does not engulf the larger base logs.
Close the damper once your fire has been established, and keep it closed. The fire can be smothered if the user opens the damper before it has fully established. It will also reduce the effectiveness of the fire.
Adding Wood
Stoves can be used to heat your home efficiently and help you save money. They can be used alone or in conjunction with central heating or a furnace system to provide the additional heat needed in large homes or homes with multiple rooms. A lot of the stoves that burn cleanly available use advanced combustion principles that can separate the burning volatile substances from combustible gasses and tar. This is accomplished by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage permits the combustion of volatile compounds and the second provides fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and reduces odors.
The amount of heat you will get from a stove depends on the type and amount of moisture of the wood you use as well as the size of logs. To allow the wood to dry, the logs should be stored in a well ventilated space for a few months prior to burning. If the logs are not dry enough, they will produce plenty of steam that is essentially wasted energy.
While you're burning the fire, you should 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 in the firebox, creating the formation of a vortex that 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, as they are not wood and possess different physical properties that can't be burned without causing dangerously high temperatures and exorbitant emissions. Also, you should not use compressed combustibles like wood briquettes as they have a completely different chemical and physical properties from real firewood and aren't suitable for burning in wood burning stoves.
It is crucial that you have a professional install and test your wood burning stove. A certified WETT technician can test your stove to ensure it is safe and functional. They can also make sure that your chimney is functioning properly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to keep them in top shape. They can inspect the areas accessible to your chimney for leaks, and fix any issues that are discovered. They will also make sure that the occupants of the home understand and follow the fire evacuation procedure in case of an accident.
Adjusting the Damper
If you're not cooking on your stove, a damper regulates the amount of heat lost through the chimney. In addition, it can also help to control the flame. If the flue opens, but the damper is too closed the fire won't burn properly and smoke will billow into your home. To ensure you have the most effective fire using your damper adjusted properly you must experiment with different settings and observe how each one affects the flames.
wood burners should keep your damper open to let air be able to enter and exit the flue when a fire is burning. This lets the fire start a fire and also helps keep it in good shape so that you can enjoy it for hours. The proper opening will stop the fire from being starved of air and keep it from blowing smoke.
In order to properly adjust your damper, you need to ensure that the fireplace is heated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney stays warm and has good draft. Once this is done the damper for 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 full position. This will prevent warm air in the room from escaping into the chimney, while still allowing smoke to escape.
This is the most effective way to ensure that your fire is lit and prevent it from getting too hot. The draft might be stopped if you shut the damper too tightly but a cold wind could be able to enter your home in the event that the damper is not closed.
You can check to see how much the damper is open by holding your hand near the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you feel a breeze pushing against your palm, the damper is likely to be open.
The damper setting can vary slightly from one stove to the next and even between different types of wood. You can experiment with various settings to get an idea of the most suitable setting for your stove.
Clean up
It is crucial to clean your flue and stove after an incident. This will to reduce the chance 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 stovepipe's interior and can be extremely hazardous. It is caused by moisture and unburned wood particles that are unable to escape the fire. It can also happen when fires are not lit properly.
Regular cleaning helps keep away the buildup of creosote. This can be done by sweeping your chimney once every year. It is recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally inspected and cleaned at least once per year, too.
It is also a good idea to clean out the ash tray and grate regularly. It is best to only burn wood that has been seasoned, as it will produce less creosote. It is also recommended to avoid burning paper, cardboard, plastic and other trash items. They can release harmful chemicals for the flue and air, and could be released into your home.
The glass on the wood burning stove has to be cleaned regularly as well. The majority of newer wood stoves are designed with self-cleaning glass, which means they do not require much scrubbing. You can make use of stove glass cleaners on the window if you're not getting the glass as clean as you want on your wood stove.
Other ways to maintain your wood stove include turning down the vent when you're not using it, and opening doors or windows to improve airflow. This will ensure that the fire is burning more hot and efficiently. The wood stove will not have to work as hard in order to circulate air. It is advisable not to stack logs, or let them sit on the fire for a long duration. This can cause splitting and warping. It is best to avoid using combustible wood that has been compressed in your wood stove as the paraffin that is contained in them can melt and flow into the flue, which could cause damage.
