Stove Wood Burning: What's The Only Thing Nobody Is Talking About How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves can be a great method to reduce energy consumption and heat rooms. However, they need a certain amount of maintenance.

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

How to start a Wood Fire

The scent and sound of a fire can be an enjoyable addition to any house. But it's important to learn the correct method to create a fire on your stove. Incorrect techniques may lead to the fire not to burn effectively, and can produce creosote or smoke. The following tips can aid you in starting the fire that will warm your home with minimal effort and ensure your safety.

Check the condition of your logs and coals before you start the fire. If they're wet they will choke your fire and hinder proper burning. You might also want to open the flue to let any ash out that has been deposited into the stove.

Begin by putting a handful of small, dry pieces of newspaper into your stove. This will help ignite the fire. When the tinder and the kindling have started to burn, 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 comes with an automatic combustion control it will automatically feed air to the fire as it expands. This will allow the fire to burn at a consistent pace without the need to open the stove's door to tend it.

Be careful not to use too much tinder, as this will cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and not use the fuel effectively. If you have a solid pile of tinder and some kindling in your stove, start the main fire by laying two large base logs on the grate. Then, you can lay a layer of smaller logs perpendicular to these and on top of the base logs. This method of creating an ember known as a "top-down" fire can result in a successful and long-lasting fire that doesn't engulf the larger base logs.

Once the fire is established shut off the damper and keep it closed. The fire may be smothered if you open the damper prior to it being fully established. It can also decrease the effectiveness of the fire.

Add Wood

Stoves aren't just beautiful home decor pieces they can also help you save money by providing efficient wood heating. They can be used in conjunction with a central heating system or furnace to provide additional heat in large homes. The latest stoves that burn clean employ a superior combustion process that separates the burning of volatile compounds from combustible gases and tar by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage is for the vaporization, while the second stage is to provide fresh air that is pre-heated. This enhances the combustion process and reduces the smell.

The amount of heat you can get from your stove is contingent on the kind of wood and the amount of moisture in it as well as the size of the logs. To let the wood dry, the logs should be kept in a ventilated space for a few months before burning. If the logs are not dry enough they will release plenty of steam that is essentially wasted energy.

It is best to add wood to the pile in intervals, not all at one time. In addition, adding too much wood at once could cause the temperature to rise within the firebox, causing an air vortex that draws smoke and unburned volatile compounds back into flames. This could decrease the effectiveness of your stove.

Avoid using 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 causing dangerously high temperatures. Also, you should not use compressed combustibles such as wood briquettes because they have a distinct chemical and physical composition to real firewood and aren't type-approved for burning in wood-burning stoves.

If you are installing wood-burning stoves in your home, it's essential to have it installed and tested by a professional. A certified WETT technician will test your installation to ensure it is safe and functional. They will also ensure whether your chimney is working properly. They also provide maintenance services to keep your stove and chimney in good condition. They can inspect the accessible areas of your chimney for leaks, and fix any issues found. They will also ensure that the residents of the house know and follow the evacuation procedures for fire in the event of an emergency.

Adjusting the Damper

A damper regulates how much heat escapes up 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 too closed the fire will not ignite properly and smoke will pour into your home. You can adjust your damper to ensure the best flames by experimenting with different positions.

It is important to keep your damper open to allow air to flow into and out of the flue when a flame is burning. This will allow the fire to start and stay lit for several hours. The proper opening will stop the fire from being starved of air and keep it from blowing smoke.

To properly adjust your damper first, make sure that the fireplace is heated and that the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has a good draft. Once wood burning stove for sale is accomplished the damper on the wood stove can be adjusted.

Once the fire has burned slightly, you need to reduce the damper to around three-quarters of its maximum. This will prevent warm air from the room from getting into the chimney, but still permitting smoke to escape.

This is the best method to keep the fire from becoming too hot, while also keeping it burning. If you shut the damper too much, it may stop the draft from working, however should it be too open a cold breeze could blow into your home.

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


The damper settings can differ between stoves and even among different types of wood. wood burning stoves near me can experiment with various settings to get an idea of the best setting for your stove.

Clean up

It is important to clean your flue and stove after an incident. This can reduce the risk of a chimney fire, which is the most common reason for wood stove fires in homes. Creosote, a sticky substance that can build up within the stovepipe, can be very dangerous. It is caused by the moisture and wood particles that are not burned that are unable to escape the fire. It can also happen when fires aren't lit properly.

Regular cleaning can help keep away the buildup of creosote. The best way to do this is by sweeping the chimney at least once a year. It is recommended that you have your stove and fireplace professionally inspected and cleaned at least once per year.

It is also a good idea to clean the ash tray and grate it regularly. It is recommended to only burn wood that has been seasoned since it will create less creosote. It is also an excellent idea to avoid burning paper, cardboard, plastic and other trash items. These items could release dangerous chemicals for the air and flue, which could be released in your home.

It is also important to clean the glass of the wood-burning stove regularly. A lot of modern wood stoves are designed with self-cleaning glass, which means they do not require any scrubs. If you are not able to get the glass on your wood stove as clean as you would like There are stove glass cleaners that you can use on the window.

Other suggestions to keep your wood stove in good condition 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 more efficiently since it won't have to exert as much effort to circulate the air. It is recommended to not stack logs or keep them in the fire for prolonged durations of time, since this can lead to warping and splitting. In addition, it is best to avoid using compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, because the paraffin they contain could melt and spill down the flue which could cause damage.