Troubleshooting Woodstoves
- 1). Open the damper, or airflow controls, fully to ensure a good airflow when lighting the fire. This will make the stove easy to light and minimize smoke. You may also, if necessary, leave the door of the wood stove slightly ajar.
- 2). Start the fire using paper or a fire starter and lots of dry, seasoned kindling. This will ensure the fire starts quickly and easily. Add more, and bigger pieces of, wood gradually as the fire takes.
- 3). Close the damper, or airflow controls, gradually as the fire gets going. Closing the damper too quickly may lead to wood not burning well, or even completely, and excessive smoke.
- 4). Open the damper, or airflow controls, fully for 10 seconds before opening the door to add more wood. This will minimize any smoke that may enter the room. In addition, open the door slowly and carefully.
- 5). Burn only seasoned hardwood, such as oak and maple. This will ensure a stove that lights easily, burns well and smokes little, advises the website The Fireplace Channel.
- 6). Clean your chimney or flue regularly. Use a chimney brush to do this, inserting the brush at the bottom of your chimney and cleaning upwards. A clean chimney will draw well and result in a stove that is easy to start and doesn't smoke. It will also reduce incidence of chimney fire, explains the website Chimneys.com
- 7). Check your stove periodically for any signs of cracks or other damage. You may need to take a cracked stove to a professional for repair.
- 8). Check that you door gaskets are working properly. That is, sealing the door efficiently, because this will make a huge difference to airflow and, by extension, your stove's burning efficiency. You can do this by inserting a dollar bill in the door and closing it. The door gaskets need replacing if you can remove the dollar bill.
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