How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are an excellent method to reduce energy consumption and warm a room. However, they require some level of maintenance.
A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker under or beside the grate to ensure your stove Wood burning (http://spectr-sb116.ru/) doesn't generate a lot of harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The smell and sound of a woodfire can be a welcome addition in any house. However, it is important to know the proper way to build a fire in your stove. Improper techniques can result in a fire which does not burn effectively, and can produce smoke or creosote. The tips below will assist you in starting a fire that will heat your home with minimal effort and with the highest security.
Check the condition of your logs and coals before you begin the fire. If they're wet, it will smother your fire and prevent the proper burning. You might also want to open the flue to let out any ash that has been deposited into the stove.
Begin by placing some small contemporary wood burning stove newspaper pieces that are dry and clean into your stove. This will help to ignite the tinder. When the tinder and the kindling have started to burn, you can put a layer of larger kindling pieces on top. This should be done using 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 feed 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 door to tend it.
It is important to not use too much tinder, since this could result in a fire that burns at an excessive rate and doesn't make use of the fuel as efficiently as possible. If you have a nice fire and a bed of tinder in your stove, you can start the main fire by placing two large base logs on the grate. Next, place a layer of smaller logs parallel to these and on top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of building the fireplace will create an effective and long-lasting fire that doesn't completely engulf larger logs from the base.
Close the damper when your fire has been established and keep it shut. If you open the damper too early, it could cause the fire to smother and will not allow for the correct air flow, which can reduce its efficiency.
Adding wood burner stoves uk
Stoves aren't just beautiful home décor pieces they can also help you save money by providing efficient wood heating. They can be used by themselves or in conjunction with a furnace or central heating system to provide the additional heat needed in large homes or houses with a lot of rooms. Many of the latest clean burning stoves that are available on the market use an advanced combustion principle which separates the burning volatile compounds from combustible gases and tar. This is accomplished by providing air at two distinct stages. The first stage allows for the burning of volatile compounds, while the second step provides fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases the odors.
The amount of heat you will get from a stove will depend on the species and moisture content of the wood and also the dimensions of logs. The logs should be stacked in a well-ventilated area for a period of time before you attempt to burn them to allow the wood to dry out. If the logs contain too much moisture, they will create steam which is essentially wasted energy.
You should add wood to the pile at intervals and not all at once. In addition, adding too much wood at once could cause the temperature to rise in the firebox, causing an air vortex that pulls smoke and volatile compounds that are not burned back into flames. This could decrease the efficiency of your stove.
You should avoid the use of other combustibles like cardboard or paper in your stove, because they are not wood and have different physical properties and cannot be burned without creating dangerously high temperatures and exorbitant emissions. You should not burn combustibles that are compressed, such as wood burning fire briquettes because they differ in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not approved by the type to be used in wood burning stoves.
If you're installing wood-burning stoves in your home, it's essential to have it installed and tested by a professional. A certified WETT technician will examine your stove to make sure that it is safe and efficient. They will also ensure whether your chimney is working properly. They provide maintenance services for your chimney and stove to ensure they are in good condition. They can inspect the areas that are accessible to your chimney to determine if there is leakage and repair any problems found. They will also make sure that all house occupants know and follow the evacuation procedures for fire in case in the event of an emergency.
Adjusting the Damper
A damper regulates the amount of heat that is lost through the chimney when you're not using your stove. It can also be used to regulate the fire. If the flue opens, but the damper is closed the fire won't burn properly and smoke will billow into your home. To ensure you have the most efficient fire, with the damper properly adjusted, you should experiment with different settings and observe how each affects the flames.
Typically, you should keep the damper open enough to let air flow in and out of the flue while a fire is burning. This lets the fire get a good fire going and also helps keep it burning so that you can enjoy it for a long time. The right opening will prevent the fire from becoming depleted of air and stop it from blowing smoke.
To adjust your damper properly it is important to first make sure that the fireplace is preheated and that the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has an adequate draft. Once this is done, the wood stove damper can be adjusted.
After the fire has been burning for an extended period, close the damper about three quarters of the way. This will stop warm room air from escaping through the chimney, while allowing smoke to escape out of the wood stove.
This is the best way to stop the fire from becoming too hot, while also keeping it burning. If you close the damper too tightly, it may stop the draft from working, but should it be too open a cold breeze could blow through your home.
You can test how much the damper is opened by holding your hand near the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you can feel a slight draft pushing against your hand, it's likely to be in the open position.
The damper settings may differ from one stove to another 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 essential to clean your stove and flue after an incident. This will reduce the risk of an ensuing fire in the chimney which is the main reason for fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote, a sticky substance which can build up in the stovepipe, is extremely hazardous. Unburned and moist particles of wood that are unable to escape the fire are responsible for this substance. This can also be caused when fires aren't properly lit.
A regular cleaning routine helps keep the buildup of creosote at bay. This can be accomplished by sweeping your chimney at least once every year. It is also recommended that you have your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and examined at least year.
It is also an excellent idea to clean out the ash tray and grate it regularly. It is best to burn only seasoned wood because it produces less creosote. Avoid burning paper, cardboard and plastic. They could release chemicals that are dangerous for respiratory illnesses and the air, which could be released into your home.
The glass on the wood burning stove needs to be cleaned regularly too. Many modern wood stoves come with self-cleaning windows, which means they do not require as much cleaning. If you are not able to make the glass on your wood stove as clean as you would like There are stove glass cleaners available that you can use on the window.
Other tips to maintain your wood stove include lowering the vent when you're not using it, and cracking windows or doors to allow more airflow. This will keep the fire burning more hot and more efficiently, since it won't need to work as hard to circulate the air. It is recommended not to stack logs or let them sit on the fire for a long period of time. This can lead to splits and warping. In addition, it is a good idea to avoid using compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, as the paraffin they contain can melt and then flow into the flue which could damage it.