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How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove Wood stoves are an excellent way to save energy and warm rooms. They require some care. Visit Web Page comply with EPA emission guidelines. You can check for an EPA sticker on the grate or beneath it to ensure your stove doesn't release harmful pollutants. How to Start a Wood Fire The smell and sound of a woodfire can be an enjoyable addition to any house. However, it is important to know the correct method to create a fire on your stove. Improper techniques can result in an unburned fire that doesn't burn efficiently and creates smoke or creosote. These tips will help you start an fire that can heat your home with the least effort and ensure your safety. Before you start a fire, you should check the condition of your logs and coals. If they're too damp they will choke the fire and prevent it from burning properly. You may also want to open the flue to let any ash that has been deposited into the stove. Begin by putting a few small, dry pieces of newspaper into your stove. This will help to ignite the tinder. When the tinder and the kindling have started to ignite, you can add a layer of larger kindling pieces on top. This should be done with the crosshatch pattern to ensure that there is air between each piece. If your wood stove is equipped with an automatic control for combustion, it will automatically pump air into the fire as it grows. This will allow the fire to burn at a steady rate without having to constantly open the stove door to keep it in check. It is essential to avoid using too much tinder, as this could result in the fire burning at an excessive rate and doesn't utilize the fuel as efficiently as it can. Once you've made a solid base in your stove with sparks, tinder and kindling begin the main flame by placing two large logs of the base on the grate. Then, add a layer of smaller logs that are perpendicular to them and on top of the base logs. This “top-down” method of building a fireplace will produce a long-lasting and effective fire that doesn't engulf larger logs from the base. Close the damper once the fire is established and keep it shut. The fire could be smothered by opening the damper before it has fully established. It can also decrease the effectiveness of the fire. Adding Wood Stoves aren't only beautiful pieces of home decor they can also help you save money by supplying efficient wood heat. They can be used together with a central heating system or furnace to provide supplemental heating for large houses. A lot of the stoves that burn clean utilize a superior combustion method that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from the combustion of combustible gases and tar by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage allows the combustion of volatile compounds and the second supplies fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves combustion and reduces odors. The amount of heat that you can get from a stove depends on the species and moisture content of the wood you use, and also the size of logs. To allow the wood to dry, the logs should be stored in a ventilated location for a few months before burning. If the logs contain excessive moisture, they will create steam that is in essence wasted energy. When you are burning the fire, you should add more wood to the stack in intervals, not all at once. In addition, adding too much wood at one time causes the temperature in the firebox to rise and creates a vortex that draws smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame which can decrease the efficiency of your stove. You should avoid the use of any other combustibles, like cardboard or paper in your stove, since they are not wood and have different physical properties and cannot be burned safely without creating dangerously high temperatures and a lot of 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 burned in wood-burning stoves. If you're planning to install wood-burning stoves into your home, it is essential to have it installed and tested by a qualified. A certified WETT technician will test the installation for proper operation and safety as well as make sure that your chimney is operating correctly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to keep them in top condition. They will look for leaks in the areas accessible to your chimney and fix any issues they spot. They will also make sure that all occupants of the home understand and follow the fire evacuation procedure in the event of an accident. Adjusting the Damper A damper regulates how much heat escapes up the chimney when you aren't using your stove. Additionally, it can also help you control the fire. If the flue is opened but the damper is not closed enough, the fire won't be able to burn properly and it will release smoke into your living area. You can adjust the damper to get the best flames by experimenting with different locations. Typically, you'll want to keep the damper open enough to let air in and out of the flue when the fire is burning. This allows the fire to start a fire and also helps keep it in good shape so that you can enjoy it for a long time. A proper opening will keep the fire from being starved of air and will keep it from blowing out smoke. To adjust your damper correctly first, make sure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm, and that it has a good draft. Once this is accomplished the damper for the wood stove may be adjusted. Once the fire has burned a bit you should shut the damper down to about three-quarters of its full position. This will stop the warm air from the room from getting into the chimney, but still allowing smoke to escape. This is the best way to keep your fire burning and keep it from getting too hot. If you shut the damper too tightly, it could block the draft from working, however if it is too open a cold breeze could blow through your home. You can determine how much the damper is open by placing your hands near the top of the of the flue pipe. If you feel a slight draft pressing against your hand, it's probably in the open position. The damper settings can vary between stoves and even among different types of wood. You can experiment with different settings to get a sense of the most suitable setting for your stove. Clean up After the fire, it's important to clean the stove and flue. This can to reduce the chance of a chimney fire which is the most common reason for wood stove fires in homes. Creosote, a sticky material that can accumulate within the stovepipe, can be very dangerous. Moisture and unburned particles of wood that are unable to escape the fire are responsible for this chemical. This can also be caused when fires aren't lit properly. Regular cleaning can help stop the buildup of creosote. This can be done by sweeping your chimney once a year. It is also recommended to get your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a every year. 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 since it will create less creosote. It is also an excellent idea to avoid burning paper, cardboard, plastic and other trash items. These can release harmful chemicals for the flue and air, which could be released into your home. It is also essential to wash the glass of the wood stove regularly. Many modern wood stoves come with self-cleaning windows so they don't require as much scrubbing. If you're unable to clean the glass of your wood stove as clean as you would like There are stove glass cleaners that you can use on the window. Some other helpful tips for maintaining your wood stove include turning the vent off when you're not using it, and opening a window or door to increase the flow of air. This will keep the fire burning more hot and efficiently. The wood stove will not have to perform as hard to circulate air. It is recommended not to stack logs or let them sit on the fire for a long time. This could cause warping and splits. It is advised to avoid using combustible compressed wood in your wood stove as the paraffin contained within them can melt and flow into the flue, which could cause damage.