Stove Wood Burning Explained In Fewer Than 140 Characters
How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are a great option to conserve energy and warm rooms. They will require some maintenance.
A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker either under or on the grate to make sure your stove won't produce a lot of harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The smell and the sound of a fire can be an excellent addition to any house. It's essential to know how to build an effective fire on your stove. Incorrect methods can result in the fire not burning efficiently and creates smoke or creosote. These tips will aid you in starting a fire that will heat your home with minimum effort and maximum security.
Before you start a fire, you should check the condition of your logs and coals. If they're damp it will dampen your fire and hinder proper burning. You might want to open the chimney to get rid of any ash that has fallen into the stove.
Begin by putting a handful of small dry pieces of newspaper into your stove. This will help spark the tinder and ignite your kindling. When the tinder and the kindling are beginning to ignite, you can add a layer of larger kindling pieces on top. This should be done using a crosshatch design so that there is air between each piece.
If you have a wood stove with an automatic control of combustion, it will automatically feed an air stream controlled to the flame as it heats. This will enable the fire to burn at a steady pace without having to open the stove's doors to tend it.
Be careful not to use too much tinder, as it can cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and not utilize the fuel effectively. If you have a solid bed of tinder and kindling in your stove, you can start the main fire by laying two large base logs across the grill. Then, on top of these base logs, place a layer perpendicularly to them. This method of creating an ember called a "top-down" fire will result in a powerful and long-lasting fire that will not engulf the larger base logs.
Close the damper once the fire is established and keep it shut. Doing this too soon can cause the fire smother and will not allow for proper airflow, which will reduce its efficiency.
Adding Wood
Stoves can be used to heat your home efficiently and save you money. They can be used in conjunction with a central heating system or furnace to provide additional heating for large homes. Many of the new stoves that are clean burning available on the market use an advanced combustion principle which separates the burning volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar. This is accomplished by providing air at two distinct stages. The first stage allows the burning of volatile compounds, while the second step provides fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves the combustion process and helps to reduce the odors.
The amount of heat you get from a stove depends on the species and the moisture content of the wood you use, and also the size of logs. The logs should be stacked in a well-ventilated area for several months prior to when you try to burn them to allow the wood to dry. If the logs are wet they will create plenty of steam that is basically wasted energy.
During the burning of the fire, add more wood to the stack at intervals, but not all at once. Addition of too much wood at once can cause the temperature to rise in the firebox, causing a vortex which pulls smoke and volatile compounds that are not burned back into the flames. This can reduce the effectiveness of your stove.
You should avoid the use of any other combustibles, such as paper or cardboard in your stove, because they are not wood and possess different physical properties and cannot be burned without causing dangerously high temperatures and excessive emissions. It is not recommended to burn combustibles that are compressed, such as wood briquettes as they are different in physical and chemical composition from firewood. They are also not approved to be used in wood burning stoves.
If you're installing wood-burning stoves into your home, it is crucial to have it installed and tested by a qualified. A certified WETT technician will test the stove for proper operation and safety, and also ensure that your chimney is operating correctly. These experts can also provide maintenance services to keep your stove and chimney in good condition. They can inspect the areas that are accessible to your chimney for leakage, and fix any issues that are found. They will also make sure that all occupants of the house understand and follow the evacuation procedure in the event of an accident.
Adjusting the Damper
A damper regulates how much heat is lost through the chimney when you aren't cooking on your stove. It can also be used to control the fire. If the flue is open but the damper is closed too much the fire won't burn properly and it will release smoke into your living area. You can adjust your damper to ensure the best flames by testing different settings.
Typically, you'll want to keep the damper open enough to let air flow in and out of the flue when a fire is burning. This will allow the fire to start and stay lit for many hours. The proper opening will keep the fire from being starved of air, and also prevent it from blowing smoke.
To be able to adjust your damper, you have to first ensure that the fireplace is heated and the wood stove is warm. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has an adequate draft. Once these are done the damper for wood stoves can be adjusted.
Once the fire has burned slightly, you need to close the damper to about three-quarters of its full position. This will stop the warm air in the room from venturing into the chimney, while still allowing smoke to escape.
This is the best way to stop the fire from getting too hot, while also keeping it burning. If you shut the damper too much, it could stop the draft from working, however should it be too wide, a cold breeze could blow through your home.
By placing your hands on the top of the flue pipe will inform you how much the damper has opened. If you feel a breeze rubbing against your hand The damper is most likely to be open.
The damper settings may differ from one stove to the next and even among different types of wood. Experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what you should look for, but you will need to tweak it until you have found the perfect setting for your stove.
Clean up
After an incident, it is essential to clean the flue and stove. This will reduce the risk of a fire in the chimney which is the main reason for fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote, a sticky material that can accumulate in the stovepipe, is extremely hazardous. Moisture and unburned particles of wood that cannot escape the flame are the reason for this chemical. It can also happen by fires that are not lit properly.
used wood stoves for sale helps prevent the buildup of creosote. This can be done by sweeping your chimney once a year. It is also recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a year.
It is also a good idea for you to clean the ash tray and grates regularly. It is a good idea to only use seasoned wood to burn, since this will produce less creosote as well as ash. Avoid burning paper, cardboard and plastic. These can release chemicals that are dangerous for the respiratory tract and the atmosphere, which may be released into your home.
It is also essential to clean the glass of the wood burning stove on a regular basis. The majority of newer wood stoves are made with self-cleaning glass, meaning that they do not require much scrubbing. If you are not able to make the glass on your wood stove as clean as you would like you can use stove glass cleaners that can be used on the window.
Some other helpful suggestions for maintaining your wood stove are to turn the vent off when you are not using it and cracking windows or doors to increase air flow. This will ensure that the fire is burning hotter, and more efficient. The wood stove will not have to perform as hard to circulate air. It is recommended not to stack logs or leave them on the fire for an extended time. This can lead to warping and splits. It is advised to avoid using compressed combustible wood in your wood stove since the paraffin contained within the wood can melt and then flow into the flue which could cause damage.