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How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves are a cozy way to heat a room and conserve energy. However, they need an amount of care.

Many modern wood stoves are compliant with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker on the underside or next to the grate to make sure your stove won't produce lots of harmful pollutants.

How to Start a Wood Fire

The smell and sound of a fire made from wood can be a wonderful feature in any home. However, it is important to know the proper way to make a fire on your stove. Incorrect methods can result in the fire not burning effectively and produces smoke or creosote. These tips will aid you in starting a fire that will heat your home with the least effort and with the highest safety.

Check the condition of your logs and coals before you start a fire. If they're too damp, they will smother the fire and prevent it from burning properly. You might want to open the chimney to remove any ash that has fallen into the stove.

Start by placing several small, dry newspaper pieces in your stove. This will help to ignite the tinder. When the tinder and the kindling have begun to burn, you can add a layer of larger kindling pieces on the top. This should be done in a crosshatch fashion so that there is air between each piece of wood.

If you have a wood stove that has an automatic control for combustion that will automatically deliver an air stream that is controlled to the flame as it heats. This will help the fire to burn at a consistent pace without having to open the stove's doors to maintain it.

Do not use too much tinder, as it can cause the fire to burn at an extremely fast rate and not use the fuel efficiently. After you've built a solid base in your stove with sparks, tinder and kindling to start the main flame, you can do this by laying down two large base logs on the grill. Next, place 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.

When your fire is established shut off the damper and keep it closed. The fire could be smothered by opening the damper before it is fully established. It will also reduce the efficiency of the fire.

Adding Wood

Stoves are not just beautiful home decor pieces - they can 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 heating required in large homes or homes with multiple rooms. The latest stoves that burn clean use a superior combustion principle that separates the burning of volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage allows for the combustion of volatile compounds and the second stage provides fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and reduces the odors.

The amount of heat you get from a stove will depend on the type and amount of moisture of the wood you use 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 prior to burning. If the logs are too wet they will create lots of steam, which is basically wasted energy.

When you are burning the fire, you should add more wood to the pile at intervals, but not all at all at. The addition of too much wood at once could cause the temperature to rise in the firebox, creating the formation of a vortex that draws smoke and unburned volatile compounds back into flames. This could decrease the efficiency of your stove.

Avoid using other combustibles in your stove such as paper or cardboard, as they are not wood. stove wood burning have different physical properties and are unable to be burned without causing dangerously high temperatures. You should also not use compressed combustibles, such as wood briquettes because they have a distinct chemical and physical properties from actual firewood and are not type-approved for use in wood burning stoves.

It is important that you have a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician will test your stove to ensure it is safe and reliable. They will also ensure whether your chimney is working properly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to keep them in top 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 ensure that all residents of the house understand and follow the fire evacuation procedure in case of an accident.

Adjusting the Damper

When you're not cooking on your stove, a damper controls how much heat is lost through the chimney. In addition to this it can help you control 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 effective fire using the damper properly adjusted, you should experiment with different locations and observe how each one affects the flames.

Typically, you'll want to keep the damper open enough to let air in and out of the flue while the fire is burning. This will let the fire start and remain lit for a number of hours. A proper opening will stop the fire from becoming starved of air and prevent it from blowing out smoke.

To properly adjust your damper you need to first make sure the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure the chimney is warm and it also has a strong draft. After this the damper on the wood stove may be adjusted.

After the fire has smolder a bit you should reduce the damper to around 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 method to keep the fire from getting too hot while still keeping it lit. If you close the damper too far it could stop the draft from working, however when it's too wide, a cold breeze could enter your home.

Placing your hand on the top of the flue pipe will tell you how much the damper has opened. If you feel a small breeze pushing against your palm the damper is probably in the open position.

The damper settings can differ a little from one stove to the next, and even between different types of wood. Experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what to look for, but you will have to keep adjusting it until you have found the ideal setting for your stove.

Clean up

It is essential to clean your stove and flue after an incident. This will help to reduce the chance of a chimney fire, which is the primary reason for wood stove fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky material that builds up on the stovepipe's interior and can be extremely hazardous. Unburned and moist particles of wood that are unable to escape the fire are the cause for this substance. It could also be caused by poorly lit fires.

A regular cleaning routine helps prevent the buildup of creosote. The best way to do this is by sweeping the chimney at least once a year. It is also recommended that you get your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and checked at least every year.

Also, it's recommended to clean the ash tray and grates regularly. It is recommended to burn only seasoned wood because it produces less creosote. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. These materials can release harmful chemicals into the air and flue which can be released into your home.

The glass in the wood stove has to be regularly cleaned too. Most newer wood stoves have self-cleaning windows so they don't require as much cleaning. You can use stove glass cleaners on the glass if you aren't capable of getting the glass as clean as you want on your wood stove.

Some other helpful suggestions for maintaining your wood stove include turning the vent down when you're not using it and cracking the door or window to allow more air flow. This will help keep the fire burning hotter 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 leave them in the flame for long durations of time, since this could cause warping and splitting. In addition, it is best to avoid using compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, because the paraffin in them can melt and flow down the flue which could damage it.