What Are The Rules About Wood-Burning Stoves?

Installing a wood-burning stove at home will always bring much-needed cheer over the winter months but if you're not experienced in the fine art of building a fire, you may find yourself getting frustrated with it, wondering why it won't light no matter what you do.

The good news is that with just a little bit of practice, you'll soon be professional at making fires - but there are a few little tricks of the trade to bear in mind at all times if you want to see success whenever it's cold and chilly outside and you want a fire to warm yourself by.

Firstly, you want to build your fire up slowly. Start the process of building the fire by balling up some newspaper, keeping the balls quite loose so that oxygen can flow through it. Place your newspaper in the middle of the fireplace, then position some kindling around the paper to form a triangle shape.

Once you've done this, you can then light your fire, closing the stove door but keeping it ajar slightly to help drive air through the appliance. Alternatively, you can close the door and have the vents fully open, but you may find it more effective to keep the door open at first.

When the kindling is alight and blazing well, you can start to add heavier pieces of wood onto the fire. Be careful to position your logs so that you maintain the triangle shape you initially created. If the wood is too heavy, it can fall onto the fire and smother it.

As the fire continues to take hold, you can start to add bigger pieces of wood. Once you're happy with it, close the door and shift the vents accordingly, depending on how much air you want to have flowing through.

• by Admin