How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove Wood stoves are an excellent way to save energy and heat the room. However, outdoor wood burning stove need some level of maintenance. Many modern wood stoves conform to EPA emissions guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker on the underside or next to the grate to make sure your stove doesn't generate a lot of harmful pollutants. How to Start a Wood Fire The smell and sound of a wood fire can be a welcome addition to any home. However, it is important to know the proper way to build a fire in your stove. Improper techniques can result in an unburned fire that doesn't burn well, and may produce smoke or creosote. The tips below will help you start the fire that will warm your home with minimum effort and maximum security. Make sure to check the condition of your coals and logs before you start the fire. If they're too damp they could smother the flame and stop it from burning properly. It is possible to open the chimney to get rid of any ash that has fallen into the stove. Begin by placing a handful of small dry newspaper pieces into your stove. This will help ignite the tinder and ignite the kindling. When the tinder and the kindling have begun to ignite, you can add an additional layer of larger pieces on the top. This should be done in a crosshatch pattern, so that there is air between each piece of wood. If your wood stove is equipped with an automatic control for combustion, it will automatically supply air to the fire as it expands. This will help the fire to burn at a consistent pace without having to open the stove's doors to tend it. It is important to not use too much tinder, as it can cause the fire burning at a high rate and doesn't utilize the fuel as efficiently as possible. When you have a good fire and a bed of tinder in your stove, begin the main fire by laying two large logs of the base across the grill. On top of these base logs lay a layer parallel to them. This top-down method of building the fireplace will create a long-lasting and effective fire that doesn't completely engulf larger base logs. Once your fire is well established, close the damper and keep it closed. If you open the damper too early, it can cause the fire be smothered, and it will not allow for the correct air flow, which can reduce its efficiency. Add Wood Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and also save you money. They can be used by themselves or together with central heating or furnace system to provide the supplemental heat required in large houses or houses with a lot of rooms. A lot of the clean-burning stoves on the market utilize a superior combustion method that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from the combustion of combustible gases and tar by providing air in two distinct stages. The first stage permits the combustion of volatile compounds, while the second step offers fresh air that is pre-heated. This enhances the combustion process and reduces the odors. The amount of heat you will get from a stove will depend on the type and amount of moisture of the wood used as well as the size of the logs. To let the wood dry, logs must be kept in a ventilated area for a couple of months prior to burning. If the logs are too wet they will create a lot of steam that is basically wasted energy. While you're burning the fire, you should add more wood to the stack in intervals, and not all at one time. The addition of too much wood all at once can cause the temperature to rise in the firebox, causing the formation of a vortex that pulls smoke and volatile compounds that are not burned back into the flames. This can reduce the efficiency of your stove. Avoid burning other combustibles in your stove, like paper or cardboard because they are not wood. They have different physical properties and can't be burned without producing dangerously high temperatures. Also, avoid using compressed combustibles like wood briquettes, as they have a very different chemical and physical composition to actual firewood and are not type-approved for burning in wood burning stoves. It is important that you have a professional install and test your wood burning stove. A certified WETT technician will test the installation to ensure proper operation and safety as well as make sure that your chimney is functioning correctly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to ensure they remain in top condition. They can look for leaks in the areas accessible to your chimney and repair any problems they find. They will also ensure that the occupants of the home understand and follow the evacuation procedure in case of an accident. Adjusting the Damper If you're not using your stove, a damper can control how much heat is lost through the chimney. In addition, it can help you control the fire. If the flue is not open but the damper is not closed enough, the fire will not burn as efficiently and will release smoke into your living space. To ensure that you get the best fire with the damper properly adjusted, you should play around with different positions and observe how each one affects the flames. You should keep your damper open to allow air to enter and exit the flue while a fire is burning. This will let the fire start and stay lit for several hours. The right opening will prevent the fire from becoming depleted of air and prevent it from blowing smoke. To adjust your damper correctly it is important to first make sure that the fireplace is heated and that the wood stove is hot. This will ensure the chimney is warm, and it also has a good draft. Once this is accomplished the damper on the wood stove can be adjusted. Once the fire has burned for a while, you can shut the damper down to about three-quarters of its full position. This will prevent warm air in the room from venturing into the chimney, while still allowing smoke to escape. This is the most effective way to prevent the fire from getting too hot, while also keeping it burning. The draft could be stopped if you shut the damper to far however a cold breeze can enter your home in the event that the damper is not closed. You can test how much the damper is open by placing your hand on the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you feel a slight breeze pushing against your palm, the damper is likely to be open. The damper settings can differ from one stove to the next and even between different kinds of wood. You can experiment with different settings to get a sense of the best setting for your stove. Clean up It is important to clean your flue and stove after a fire. This can lower the risk of a chimney fire which is the main cause of wood stove related fires in homes. Creosote, a sticky substance that builds up 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 could be caused by improperly lit fires. Regular cleaning helps to keep away the buildup of creosote. This can be accomplished by sweeping your chimney once every year. It is recommended that you have your fireplace and stove professionally inspected and cleaned at least once a year, too. It is also an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and grate regularly. It is recommended to burn only wood that is well-seasoned because it produces less creosote. It is also recommended to avoid burning cardboard, paper or plastic items. They could release chemicals that are dangerous for respiratory illnesses and the atmosphere, which may be released into your home. The glass on the wood burning stove needs to be cleaned regularly as well. Many newer wood stoves are designed with self-cleaning glass, which means they do not require much scrubbing. If you're unable to clean the glass of your wood stove as clean as you'd like There are stove glass cleaners that you can use on the window. Other ways to maintain your wood stove include lowering the vent when you aren't using it, and opening doors or windows to allow more airflow. This will keep the fire burning more hot and efficiently. The wood stove will not need to perform as hard to circulate air. It is recommended to not stack logs or keep them in the fire for long periods of time as this could lead to warping and splitting. It is also a good idea to avoid using compressed combustible wood logs in your wood stove, because the paraffin they contain could melt and spill into the flue which could damage it.
outdoor wood burning stove
