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How To Use Wood Burning Stoves More Efficiently

Written by Brent Butterworth
Last Update: May 3, 2023

Imagine sitting on your couch on a cold, winter evening. A cold breeze is blowing through the window and is slowly tickling you. You get up and realize that you’re feeling very cold. What would you do to make yourself warm? You may go under the blankets, but what if you have to stay awake for completing a task in your laptop? Yes, you got it right! You may use a room heater or a wood burning stove. Wood burning stoves prove to be great when it comes to heating you in the winter season. These are cheaper to use when compared to the room heaters. It can easily warm up the entire house overnight, and you don’t even have to turn off the stove after a period.

How To Use Wood Burning Stoves – A Practical Guide

How To Use Wood Burning Stoves

What Are Wood Burning Stoves?

Wood burning stoves are room heaters which burn down wood for creating the heat. The fire is ignited in the wood burning fire pit, and then wooden pieces are added in as fuel. These stoves work tremendously well and have high-efficiency rates. Modern wood burning stoves are equipped with enough ventilation and efficient burning mechanisms to ensure that you use a few pieces of wood to get the maximum heat. These stoves are very easy to use and can provide enough heat for the whole night.

One thing that’s best about using these stoves is that you can use wood that is wasted after you’ve completed your woodworking project. It doesn’t matter with if you’ve cut it with a band saw or a circular saw, you can use all the spare pieces to ignite the stove.

Safety Tips

Although the wood burning stoves are relatively safe, the smoke that is created while burning off wood can be hazardous to most people. Also, igniting a fire indoors is never recommended. This is why you must ensure that you follow some of the safety precautions for igniting a wood burning stove. The safety tips are:

Storing the Firewood

You must store the firewood in a safe, dry place. Make sure that there’s no chance of fire or sparks, as this firewood can catch fire very easily.

Storing the firewood

Use Safe Wood

Always know which firewood you are using for the wood burning stove. If you have a small wood burning stove, you may use softwood or hardwood. Never use freshly cut wood as it might produce a lot of smoke which can be harmful to you and your family.

Proper Ventilation

Most wood burning stove manufacturers ensure that there is a good ventilation system built in. If you can ensure proper ventilation, the fire will get the oxygen and will burn at a faster rate giving off more heat energy.

Starting the Fire Properly

Know the proper way of starting a fire in a wood burning stove. If you’re using kerosene or other flammable materials as a catalyst, you must store them away carefully after each use. If you’re using a non-catalytic stove, you must know when to give the wood into the stove.

Test for Smoke

Always know how much smoke the stove is producing. Purchase a smoke detector and try to judge as to how much smoke is being produced. Then you must check if the quantity meets the EPA standards. If not, you must stop using the wood burning stove, or fix it by installing a new wood burning kit.

Essential Wood Burning Tool

To ensure proper safety, you must use the essential wood burning tools. You can purchase a wire mesh to cover up the entrance of the stove so that no sparks leave the stove. Be extra careful not to place any combustible material close to the stove as this might cause a fire.

Regular Maintenance

It is the most important tip that you must follow. Ensure that you regularly check the stove and arrange proper maintenance. You should also check if there is creosote building up which can cause a blast. You can do the maintenance all by yourself or with the help of a professional cleaner.

Regular maintenance

Conclusion

Wood burning stoves are very handy when you need to warm up your home. These stoves are very efficient and cost very little when compared to the room heaters. Although these are very handy and highly versatile, we must be extra cautious when working with one. This is because igniting fire indoors can be very dangerous.

To safely use the wood burning stove, we must at first store the firewood in a safe, dry place. We must use safe wood that doesn’t contribute to health risks. We must carefully start the fire and check the smoke levels regularly. We must check the wood burning patterns regularly ensure that these are burning at an efficient rate. These stoves should also be properly maintained from time to time so that we get the maximum efficiency even after years of use.

About the author

Brent Butterworth

A Professional Woodworker & Custom Furniture Builder

Brent lives in Wisconsin and is a woodworker, custom cabinetmaker, interior consultant, and a freelance writer who got the opportunity to write several magazine articles for different publications on home improvement and woodworking. He’s always amazed at the depth and breadth of woodworking all over the globe, and feels proud to be a part of this great effort. Brent has built everything one can imagine, from unique art furniture to different types of home furniture to canoes and even a sailboat.

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