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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. However, they require some level of maintenance. A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emissions guidelines. You can look for an EPA sticker on the grate or beneath it to make sure your stove doesn't release harmful pollutants. How to Start a Wood Fire The sound and smell of a fire made from wood can be a welcome feature in any home. However, it is important to know how to properly build a fire in your stove. Improper techniques can result in the fire not burning effectively and produces smoke or creosote. The following tips can help you start a fire that is safe and can heat your home quickly and effectively. Before you start a fire, you should check the condition of your coals and logs. If they are wet they could smother the flame and stop it from burning properly. It is possible to open the chimney to eliminate any ash that falls into the stove. Begin by putting a few small, dry newspaper pieces in the stove. This will help ignite the sparks. Once these begin to ignite, add a layer of larger pieces to the top of the pile. This should be done in a crosshatch fashion so that there is air between each piece of wood. If your wood stove is equipped with an automatic combustion control, it will automatically supply air to the flame as it grows. This will allow the fire to burn for a long time without you having to open the stove door constantly to tend to it. It is important to not use too much tinder, as it can cause the fire burning at an extremely high rate and fails to make use of the fuel as efficiently as it can. After you've built a solid bed in your stove of igniters, tinder, and embers begin the main flame by laying two large base logs on the grate. Next, small wood stove fireplacesandstove that are perpendicular to them and on the top of the base logs. This “top-down” method of creating a fireplace will result in a long-lasting, efficient fire that doesn't completely engulf larger base logs. When your fire is established Close the damper and keep it closed. The fire may be smothered by opening the damper before it has fully established. It will also reduce the efficiency of the fire. Adding Wood Stoves can be used to heat your home efficiently and save you money. They can be used alone or together with a furnace or central heating system to provide the supplemental heat required in large houses or homes with multiple rooms. Many of the new clean-burning stoves on the market utilize a superior combustion method that separates the burning of volatile compounds from the combustion of combustible gases and tar by providing air in two distinct stages. The first stage is for the vaporization process, and the second stage is to provide fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases smells. The amount of heat you will get from a stove will depend on the type and amount of moisture of the wood used and also the dimensions of logs. The logs should be stored in a well-ventilated space for several months prior to when you try to burn them, to give the wood a chance to dry out. If the logs are wet, they will produce plenty of steam that is in essence wasted energy. When you are burning the fire, you should add more wood to the pile at intervals, and not all at one time. Too much wood added at once can cause the temperature of the firebox to increase and creates a vortex, which draws smoke and unburnt volatile compounds back into the flame which can reduce 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 without creating dangerously high temperatures and exorbitant emissions. You should not burn combustibles that are compressed, such as wood briquettes as they are different in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not approved to be burned in wood-burning stoves. It is essential 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 properly. These professionals can also offer maintenance services to keep your stove and chimney in top condition. They will inspect the areas that are accessible to your chimney for leaks, and fix any issues that are found. They will also make sure that the occupants of your home know and follow the evacuation procedures for fire in case in the event of an emergency. Adjusting the Damper A damper controls how much heat escapes through the chimney when you're not cooking on your stove. It can also be used to regulate the fire. If the flue opens but the damper is not closed the fire won't ignite properly and smoke will erupt into your home. To ensure that you get the most effective fire using your damper set correctly, you must experiment with different locations and observe how each affects the flames. You want to keep your damper open to allow air to be able to enter and exit the flue while a fire is burning. This lets the fire get going and keeps it lit so you can enjoy it for a long time. 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 have to first ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is warm. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and it also has a strong draft. After these steps are completed, the damper for wood stoves can be adjusted. After the fire has burned for some time, you need to close the damper about three quarters of the way. This will prevent the warm air from the room from going up the chimney while still allowing the smoke to escape out of the wood stove. This is the best method to stop the fire from becoming too hot, while also keeping it burning. The draft might be stopped if you close the damper too tightly, but a cold wind could be able to enter your home if the damper is left open. You can test how much the damper is open by placing your hands near the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you feel a slight breeze pushing against your hand The damper is most likely in an open position. The damper's setting can vary a little from one stove to another and even between different kinds of wood. Playing around with different settings will give you an idea of what to look for, but you may need to tweak it until you have found the ideal setting for your stove. Clean Up It is crucial to clean your flue and stove after the start of a fire. This will reduce the risk of an explosion in the chimney which is the most common reason for fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky substance that accumulates on the stovepipe's interior and can be extremely hazardous. Moisture and unburned particles of wood that are unable to escape the fire are the cause for this substance. It can be caused by improperly lit fires. A regular cleaning schedule can help keep the buildup of creosote at bay. The best way to do this is to sweep the chimney every year. It is recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally inspected and cleaned at least once per year. It is also an excellent idea to clean the Ash tray and grate frequently. It is recommended to only use seasoned wood to burn, since it will create less creosote as well as ash. It is also an excellent idea to avoid burning cardboard, paper or plastic items. They could release chemicals that are dangerous for the respiratory tract and the air, and could be released into your home. The glass that is used on the wood burning stove has to be regularly cleaned too. Most newer wood stoves have self-cleaning windows, which means they do not require as much scrubs. If you're unable to make the glass on your wood stove as clean as you'd like you can use stove glass cleaners that you can use on the window. Other helpful tips to maintain your wood stove are to turn the vent off when you're not using it, and opening windows or doors to allow more air flow. This keeps the fire burning more hot and efficiently. The wood stove will not need to work as hard in order to circulate air. It is a good idea not to stack logs or leave them on the fire for an extended time. This could cause splitting and warping. Finally, it is recommended to not use compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, because the paraffin they contain could melt and spill down the flue which could cause damage.