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Home Contact Us Interesting Links Disclaimer		FireplaceGuide.com » Wood Stoves Wood Stove Basics: What You Should Know Wood stoves can be a great alternative to our heating problems with the rising cost of electricity and stove oil in today's market. Along with wood burning, there also are some very important things a person should know about using this form of heating. If this is done properly you will enjoy many hours of safe and warm heating from a wood stove in your home, especially in climates that have very cold winters. Of course with any source of heating, safety must come first. If you're switching your heating to wood, then you should be aware of a few things you should do. If your wood stove leaves a smell of smoke in your home, then you will find that it is not vented properly. When you have your chimney put up get professionals to do it and get it inspected. If you are in an area where there are no professional inspectors, then ask your local fire department to check it out. You will only get out of your wood stove what you put into it and this means that you should use your wood efficiently and safely. Do not use such things as charcoal or liquid starters to get your fire going. These are very dangerous and should not be used under any circumstances. The best way to start a fire safely is to use newspaper rolled into a ball and place this in your stove with some dry wood chips on top. Once this is burning and you have some hot coals at the bottom, then add some well dried wood. It is very important that the wood is split and dried. This usually means that wood that's been cut the year before will make excellent burning firewood. When you first light your wood stove is usually the time that it will be the smokiest. During this you should have your draft wide open to make sure the smoke escapes from your home via the chimney. It may seem like you're letting all the heat go up the chimney, but in order to get a fire going that is going to produce heat it is the only way to do it. You have to get a clean flame going before it will produce the kind of heat you want. This first heat primes the chimney and gives it a draft and helps to keep the chimney clean. The best fire you can have going is hot and has no smell of smoke inside and very little outside. If there is dark smoke coming from your chimney this means that your wood stove is not burning properly. This can lead to creosote forming inside your chimney and if this builds up enough it can lead to a chimney fire. This is usually caused by sticky wood that is allowed to smolder without enough air to flame it. One precaution you can take when creosote builds up is to clean your chimney. To be on the safe side make sure you do this periodically. To clean your wood stove make sure that you don't let dead ashes pile up inside. Ashes should be removed regularly and placed in an outdoor metal container. Always store these ashes away from your home in a safe area; it is a precaution that could save your life. Always be aware of what is around your stove inside your home. It is better to have your wood stove in a clear area with nothing around it that can catch on fire. A fire extinguisher is an absolute necessity in the area where your stove is and don't forget your smoke detectors. Back to top
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