10 Websites To Aid You Learn To Be An Expert In Stove Wood Burning How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves are an excellent way to save energy and also heat the room. However, they require some level of maintenance.

A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. You can check for an EPA sticker on the grate or under it to ensure your stove doesn't release harmful pollutants.

How to Start a Wood Fire

The smell and sound of a wood fire could be a pleasant addition to any house. It is essential to know how to build a fire on your stove. Incorrect techniques may lead to a fire which does not burn efficiently, and produces creosote or smoke. The tips below will aid you in starting the fire that will warm your home with the least effort and maximum safety.

Before you begin an fire, make sure you check the condition of your coals and logs. If they are wet they will choke the fire and prevent it from burning efficiently. You might want to open the chimney to remove any ash that has fallen into the stove.

Begin by putting several small, dry newspaper pieces in the stove. This will help spark the tinder and ignite your kindling. Once the tinder and kindling have started to ignite, you can add the larger kindling pieces on top. 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 fire as it grows. This will enable the fire to burn at a consistent pace without having to open the stove's doors to maintain it.

Avoid using excessive tinder since it can 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, start the main fire by laying two large base logs across the grate. Then, you can lay an additional layer of smaller logs parallel to these and on the top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of creating a fireplace will result in an effective and long-lasting fire that doesn't completely engulf larger base logs.

Close the damper after your fire is established, and keep it shut. The fire could be smothered by opening the damper prior to it being fully established. It will also reduce the effectiveness of the fire.

Add Wood

Stoves aren't just beautiful home decor pieces they can also help you save money by supplying efficient wood heat. They can be used alone or in conjunction with a furnace or central heating system to provide the additional heating required in large homes or homes with many rooms. A lot of the stoves that burn cleanly available today utilize advanced combustion principles that separates the burning volatile compounds from combustible gasses as well as tar. This is accomplished by supplying air at two distinct stages. The first stage allows the burning of volatile compounds and the second stage offers fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and reduces the odors.

The amount of heat you get from a stove is contingent upon the species and the moisture content of the wood, and also the size of the logs. To let the wood dry, logs must be stored in a ventilated space for a couple of months prior to burning. If the logs are soaked with too much moisture, they'll produce steam that is in essence wasted power.

You should add wood to the pile in intervals, not all at once. Too much wood added at one time causes the temperature inside the firebox to rise and produces a vortex that sucks smoke and unburnt volatile compounds back into the flame which can decrease the efficiency of your stove.

Avoid using other combustibles inside your stove, like paper or cardboard, as they are not wood. They have different physical properties and are unable to be burned without producing dangerously high temperatures. Also, you should not use compressed combustibles like wood briquettes as they have a distinct chemical and physical composition to actual firewood and are not approved for use in wood burning stoves.

It is important to have a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician can test your stove to ensure that it is safe and efficient. They can also make sure that your chimney works correctly. These experts can also provide maintenance services to keep your chimney and stove in top condition. They can inspect the areas that are accessible to your chimney to determine if there is leakage and fix any issues discovered. They will also make sure that the residents of the house know and follow the evacuation procedures for fire in case in the event of an emergency.

Adjusting the Damper

If you're not using your stove, a damper can control the amount of heat lost through the chimney. It can also be used to manage the fire. If the flue is open but the damper is too closed, the fire won't be able to burn properly and will release smoke into your living area. You can adjust the damper to get the best flames by experimenting with different locations.


You want to keep your damper open to allow air to enter and exit the flue while a fire is burning. This allows the fire to get a good fire going and helps it stay burning so that you can enjoy it for long periods of time. The proper opening will stop the fire from becoming starved of air, and also prevent it from blowing smoke.

In order to properly adjust your damper, you have to ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is warm. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has a good draft. After this the damper for the wood stove may be adjusted.

Once the fire has smolder for a while, you can shut the damper down to about three-quarters of its maximum. This will stop warm air from the room from going up the chimney while still allowing smoke to escape out of the wood stove.

This is the best way to keep the fire from becoming too hot, while also keeping it burning. If you shut the damper too far it could block the draft from working, however if it is too wide, a cold breeze could enter your home.

Holding your hand at the top of the flue pipe will show you how much the damper has sunk. If you can feel a small draft pushing on your hand it's probably in the open position.

The damper setting can vary a little from one stove to another and even between different types of wood. The process of experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what you should look for, but you will need to adjust it until you find the perfect setting for your stove.

Clean Up

After a fire, it is essential to clean the flue and stove. This will reduce the risk of an explosion in the chimney, which is the primary cause of fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote, a sticky material that can build up within the stovepipe, can be extremely dangerous. It is caused by the moisture and wood particles that are not burned that cannot escape the fire. It could be caused by improperly lit fires.

Regular cleaning can help keep away the buildup of creosote. The best method to do this is to sweep the chimney each year. It is recommended that you have your stove and fireplace professionally inspected and cleaned at least once per year as well.

It is also a good idea for you to clean the ash tray and grates regularly. It is best to burn only wood that is well-seasoned since it will create less creosote. It is also a good idea to avoid burning cardboard, paper or plastic items. These can release harmful chemicals for the flue and atmosphere, which may be released into your home.

The glass on the wood burning stove has to be cleaned regularly too. The majority of modern wood stoves have self-cleaning windows so they don't require as much scrubs. You can use stove glass cleaners on the glass if you aren't able get the glass as clean as you want on your wood stove.

Other suggestions to maintain your wood stove include lowering the vent when you aren't using it, and cracking windows or doors to improve airflow. woodburner stove will help keep the fire burning hotter and more efficiently since it won't need to work as hard to circulate air. It is recommended not to stack logs or leave them on the fire for an extended period of time. This could cause splits and warping. It is recommended to avoid using combustible compressed wood in your wood stove because the paraffin that is contained in the logs can melt and leak into the flue which could cause damage.