Following on from this weeks posts about burning your stove correctly, here’s a few basic tips to help you avoid bad burning.
• Read your stove handbook thoroughly (honestly, you’d be surprised)
• Learn how to effectively control your stove ( eg the difference between primary and secondary air controls, if your stove has them)
• Know what the recommended fuel load is, so you don’t ever over fire the stove.
• Never burn wet wood – always look for the Ready to Burn sign.
• Don’t skimp on kindling – this quickly creates flames and the vital heat that produces an efficient updraft.
• Use smaller logs at the start until the fire is established before you begin to add regular sized logs.
• Don’t reduce the combustion air supply until all of the log surfaces are burning (they should look grey).
• When you eventually turn your stove down, make sure it’s not to the point where you can see smoke rising off the fuel.
• Never add regular or other sized logs to embers as these big, cold logs will quickly reduce the fire chamber temperature and create smoke.
• When refuelling sometimes it’s better to add kindling and effectively start again.
• Always provide the maximum amount of combustion air until all of the new log’s surfaces are burning.
