How to use your wood stove
How to use your wood stove
Once you have acquired a wood stove, you may find that you are unsure about how to actually use it. Read along below, where we will answer some frequently asked questions about using wood stoves.
Once you have acquired a wood stove, new questions often arise. How are you supposed to use it properly and environmentally friendly? Read along below, where we will answer some frequently asked questions about using wood stoves.
- Open the air vent
- Place three sticks perpendicular to the door at the bottom of the stove. Aim to have around two inches of space between each stick
- Place a handful of smaller sticks crosswise. On top of these, place a few even thinner sticks perpendicular to the door. Add several crosswise layers if needed
- Finally, place kindling or very thin sticks and a few ignition bags or fire starters on top
- Set fire to the kindling, and leave the stove door open about an inch until the fire gets stronger
- Then switch to normal operation. Use only secondary air/combustion air and close everything else: door, primary air, valve, ash drawer, etc., so that air is only supplied from the top of the door/glass
- If the pane or stones then turn black, that means the stove is not getting enough air.
Are you unsure about whether you are doing it right? Go outside and have a look at the smoke. It should be almost transparent.
In your wood stove, you should only burn dry firewood intended for the purpose. It is recommended to bring the firewood inside your house a week before it is to be used, to ensure it is sufficiently dry so that it does not produce too much smoke.
Many people throw both milk cartons, old pallets and egg trays into their stoves as well, but burning all these kinds of waste is not allowed.
- Surface-treated wood, such as pressure-impregnated wood and pallets
- Waste wood, which may contain remnants of paint, glue and/or nails
- Ordinary household waste such as milk cartons and magazines
- Construction waste such as chipboard and plasterboard
You can light your stove in many ways, but it is recommended that you do the following:
- Place two sizeable pieces of firewood in the bottom of your stove and continue to add on smaller pieces on top.
- Ignite the firewood from the top. It may seem more intuitive to light firewood from below, but you should actually always light from the top, as this will avoid a lot of smoke and harmful substances that are otherwise sent out into the living room and up through the chimney. You get both a cleaner combustion and an increased heating value by lighting from above.
- Make sure that the fire is strong before closing the door.
When materials such as iron and steel are heated, as they are in a wood stove, they tend to expand a little. This means that pressure is added to the welds and this can make the crackling or ticking sounds that you may have heard. This is, however, completely normal and absolutely harmless.
If the fire goes out and the glass looked sooted, it is because the flames are not getting enough oxygen. This happens if you are using your wood stove incorrectly.
Wood stoves that burn firewood can reach temperatures up to 400 degrees – and they can withstand this without problems. The glass used in modern stoves can withstand even higher temperatures, but still without worries.
If you are nervous about whether your stove is giving off too much heat, you can take comfort in the fact that this is not harmful to the stove at all.
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