WOOD STOVES AND FIREPLACES FOR HOME HEATING THIS WINTER

Wood stoves are now the best alternative for heating your home this winter and saving money on heating due to rising electricity and gas prices (as well as fuel shortages). In Europe, the price of wood stoves has increased by 165% over the past month. Thanks to their aesthetic appeal and eco-friendliness, fireplaces and wood stoves are a very popular choice. However, we may not know how to use them as efficiently as possible or have lost the skill of burning wood. Therefore, spending a few minutes reading the manufacturer's instructions for your wood stove will be quite useful.

WHAT KIND OF WOOD IS BEST FOR WOOD STOVES

The type of wood used for firewood is important because it must be dried before burning to prevent using energy to evaporate water instead of generating heat. The wood should be perfectly dried for at least one year, and the optimal method is kiln-drying since it has a low moisture content of less than 20%. Choose hardwoods over softwoods because they burn longer. Hardwoods come from deciduous trees such as ash and oak.

WOOD STOVE IGNITION TECHNIQUE

In general, you should follow the manufacturer's recommendations, but below are some important tips for using a wood stove correctly:

• If you use wet wood or overload the stove with logs, you will have insufficient smoke.
• Open the main air damper fully.
• To light the firewood, place a hot embers or piece of paper next to it.
• To avoid condensation, keep the door slightly open until the fire stabilizes and the glass heats up.
• Create a fire with large pieces of wood, be careful not to smother it with too many logs.
• When the fire dies out, close the door completely.
• Close the main air damper and adjust temperature using stove controls.
• Open the main air dampers fully when you need to add more firewood.
• Create a coal bed by distributing coals on the grate.
• To make it easier to deliver oxygen to all parts of the fire, place new logs slightly further apart.
• Before closing the main air damper and changing the burn rate, burn fresh logs at high power for 3-5 minutes. Do not close air dampers until the fire starts burning well.
• The best performance of your stove is achieved by regularly feeding small amounts of wood; you will know the fire burns well when the combustion chamber looks bright and clean.