Wood burners add a lot to your home. Without a fireplace, a wood burner can sufficiently heat your home, create a lovely atmosphere, and burn efficiently for a long time.
Using your wood burner as best as possible can save you time, money, and hassle. Let’s discuss the best ways to use a wood burner once your appliance is installed.
The Right Type of Wood
It’s essential to burn only correctly seasoned wood because unseasoned wood contains far too much moisture to burn safely and effectively. Unfortunately, Particulate Matter exudes from unseasoned logs when burned, which is harmful and can lead to respiratory conditions. Environmentally, it is significantly friendlier to use seasoned wood, too.
Kiln-dried logs have most of their moisture removed as they’re placed into a furnace. For wood to be considered safe to burn, it must have below 20% moisture content. It would help if you always looked for Ready To Burn certified products for assured quality.
Regarding natural logs, kiln-dried wood is superior for gorgeous flames and long-lasting fires. These logs are low in tar and produce minimal ash, meaning there’s generally less of a cleaning job after burning them.
Build Your Fire Correctly
What else is required to build a fire in a wood burner? Usually, you’ll need kindling and firelighters to get the fire going. Place two firelighters into the wood burner first, then place a generous amount of kindling on them. Light the firelighters and wait for the kindling to start flaming; once it is, you can add your wood logs on top, spread evenly across the wood burner so plenty of oxygen can flow between the logs and maintain the fire.
To maintain the integrity and performance of the wood burner, clean out your appliance after every use. However, please wait for the area to cool down completely before cleaning it. Proper maintenance, such as regularly clearing out ash and debris, ensures more efficient burning and extends the lifespan of your wood burner. Resources like Kiln Frog offer valuable guidance on maintaining and optimizing kiln-fired equipment for long-term use.
Understanding Your Appliance
You should never use coal in your wood burner. Wood-burning appliances aren’t designed to cope with the temperatures coal reaches, which is considerably hotter than wood. Therefore, you’d need a multi-fuel stove for an appliance that burns coal. Certain wood burners can handle Heat Logs, but you’d need to check with the operation manual in case.
An experienced professional should install your wood burner because the flue needs to be correctly connected to the appliance and the wall, ensuring any pollutants are extracted from your home. Once your wood burner is installed, using it safely is crucial. For their safety, you should never allow children to be in close proximity to the appliance; only responsible adults should operate the wood burner.
