A wood burner requires responsible use to keep your fire burning and your emissions minimal. The fuel you burn, the air flow, and your burning practices all contribute greatly to minimizing pollution and making a more efficient fire.
Tips to increase your stoves efficiency:
- Do not slumber your stove.
You slumber your stove when your appliance is set at a minimal output, usually overnight, so that burning can be resumed without needing to relight the fire. Running your appliance at a low output can lead to incomplete combustion when burning wood, that will lead to a build-up of creosote deposits in the flue, as well as increased levels of CO and particulates.
When your appliance is slumbered for a prolonged period, the flue temperatures can also begin to cool. This can cause insufficient flue draw, resulting in smoke, gases and carbon monoxide potentially entering the room.
Problems will occur when the heat load applied to an appliance is not suitable for its size and it must be turned to low output to prevent excessive heating temperatures.
You do get appliances that are specifically designed to slumber. Guidelines or instructions should always be followed when using an appliance as such.
- Refuel Safety.
When refueling your stove, there should not be smoke or combustion entering your room. If you do encounter this when refueling, it is best to seek advice from your installation installer. You should always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for advice on how to correctly refuel your appliance.
- Importance of sufficient ventilation.
All stoves require enough air supply, regardless of the size of your wood burner to facilitate combustion and ensure a perfect flue draw to expel products of combustion. Your stove installer can carry out a survey to ascertain if your property meets the minimum ventilation requirement, due to every home having various variables that affect the airflow.
- The top-down method of lighting a fire.
Lighting a fire using this method has the advantage of warming up the flue, enabling a good flue draught that will effectively expel combustion from your chimney. This method is also beneficial as it removes the need to open your stove’s door and add fuel to the kindling – this can also prevent your combustion chamber from cooling and particulates entering your room.
- Burning Responsibly
Burning Ready to burn logs – to ensure a cleaner, safer, and more efficient fire; you need wood with a moisture content of or less than 20%. Understanding what fuels are suitable and how to care for your stove and chimney are essential for every stove user.
Being responsible when using your appliance and regular care for your appliance and chimney system keeps you burning safely and efficiently, keeping you warm and your wood burner’s environment impact minimal.