The steps below will demonstrate the main functions and components of your wood burning stove to ensure optimum burning capacity. It will also explain how to lay the right materials to create the perfect fire.
Lighting your stove
- Open the Air Controls fully to ensure the fire gets the air supply it needs to establish properly. There is an indicator at the top of many appliances to show which direction to move the control from closed to open. You will find that many appliances also have a secondary air control to provide a cleaner burn and give greater thermal efficiency and most have this control factory set.
- Choose some small to mid-sized hardwood or softwood logs. Always use good quality Ready to Burn wood with a low moisture content. Place the medium sized logs on the grate (multi-fuel version) or firebed (wood burning versions), with enough space between them for air to circulate.
- Now place some smaller logs across the larger ones below. This will start to create the fuel stack in your stove, which when ignited from the top down will create the draw the needed to get going.
- Place a firelighter in the centre of your stack. This will help the larger logs ignite when the fire burns down to them.
- On top of your hardwood or softwood logs, stack kindling in a similar fashion, crisscrossing each layer. You will need around 6 to 8 pieces of kindling for a standard stove, but if your stove has a tall firebox a few more layers can be added. Place another firelighter on top of your kindling stack.
- To create the best possible conditions for the for the fire to burn, ignite the firelighter on top of the kindling. Leave the stove door slightly ajar to allow plenty of air to reach the flames.
- Once the kindling has started to catch, close the door. Your stove’s air controls should be fully open to allow as much combustion air in as possible.
- Wait for the logs to ignite and once they are burning well, set your stove’s air controls to normal running mode.
