Encountering issues with your wood-burning stove? Here's our problem-solving guide for a seamless operation.
Wood burners are a popular choice for home heating, but they require proper care and maintenance to function efficiently and safely. Here are some common issues and solutions for wood burners, as highlighted by experts from HETAS and Logs Direct.
Blocked or Poorly Ventilated Flue
If your chimney or flue is blocked by soot, creosote, or debris like bird nests, smoke cannot exit properly, causing it to enter the room. Regular chimney sweeping, typically annually or more frequently if used heavily or with resinous wood, is essential. Ensuring the flue is fully open and consulting a professional if draft remains poor is advised.
Burning Wet or Unseasoned Wood
Wood with moisture content above 20% burns inefficiently, producing excessive smoke and tar, leading to creosote buildup and poorer heat output. Using kiln-dried or properly seasoned hardwood logs can solve this and improve stove longevity and performance.
Creosote Buildup
Creosote, a tar-like substance, forms from incomplete combustion, often with wet wood or smoldering fires, restricting airflow and posing fire risks. Regular chimney cleaning is necessary to prevent dangerous accumulation.
Poor Draft
Poor draft can be caused by chimney height, cold flue walls, or blockages, leading to smoke spillage into living spaces. Proper stove installation, maintaining correct chimney dimensions and temperature, and regular clearing of blockages are essential.
Overloading the Stove
Putting too much wood in at once can cause smoke and inefficient burning, resulting in excessive smoke and deposits. Experts recommend loading the stove with appropriate amounts and burning in controlled stages.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Avoid using improper tools like toothpicks to clean burners or flue ports since they can cause blockages. Use mild detergents and soft cloths for cleaning components after turning off and disconnecting power/gas supplies where applicable.
Experts from HETAS emphasize the importance of correct installation following their guidelines and choosing DEFRA-approved stoves in smoke control zones to comply with regulations and optimize performance.
Other Tips
- A cold plug in the chimney can cause smoking in a wood burner. This can be prevented by leaving the stove door open before lighting the fire and using a top-down method of lighting.
- Burning wet wood requires the fire to work harder, taking longer to heat up and generating less heat.
- The glass on a wood burner can become sooty due to burning unseasoned or improperly dried wood.
- Using unseasoned or excessively moist wood can cause the wood burner to produce inadequate heat.
- An oversized wood burner can be a tricky problem to solve, as replacing it is expensive and disruptive. Storing wood in a dry place and using seasoned wood from a reputable seller can help manage heat output.
- Regularly smelling an odour when using a wood burner could be a sign of a problem in the wood burner installation. Different odours can indicate different issues.
- Smoke emissions can also be caused by the accumulation of soot or debris in the chimney. Regular chimney sweeping by a professional is recommended to prevent blockages.
- A strong or unusual burning smell from a wood burner could indicate a problem with the stove's installation that should be looked at by a professional.
- If a wood burner is too powerful, consider leaving doors open to let heat circulate or installing vents to disperse heat to other areas.
- Improper use of wood burner vents can cause the fire to go out prematurely. Maximum airflow is required when starting a wood burner, which means opening all air vents fully and leaving the door slightly ajar on calm days.
- Running a wood burner at low output because it's too large for the room can cause an increased build-up of flammable deposits in the chimney and lead to incomplete combustion, creating a hazardous amount of carbon monoxide.
- A wood burner that is too powerful can overheat the space, causing discomfort. Properly seasoned wood should have a moisture content of around 15-20%.
- Regularly cleaning your chimney is crucial to prevent smoke from entering your room due to a blocked or poorly ventilated flue.
- Excessive smoke and tar production from burning wet or unseasoned wood can lead to creosote buildup and poorer heat output.
- Creosote buildup from incomplete combustion can restrict airflow and pose fire risks, necessitating regular chimney cleaning.
- Poor draft can cause smoke spillage into living spaces due to chimney height, cold flue walls, or blockages, requiring proper stove installation and regular clearing of blockages.
- Overloading the stove with too much wood can cause smoke and inefficient burning, so experts recommend loading it with appropriate amounts and burning in controlled stages.
- Proper maintenance includes using mild detergents and soft cloths for cleaning components and avoiding improper tools like toothpicks to prevent blockages.
- Experts from HETAS advise correct installation following their guidelines and choosing DEFRA-approved stoves in smoke control zones.
- A cold plug in the chimney can cause smoking in a wood burner, which can be prevented by leaving the stove door open before lighting the fire and using a top-down method of lighting.
- Burning wet wood requires the fire to work harder, taking longer to heat up and generating less heat.
- The glass on a wood burner can become sooty due to burning unseasoned or improperly dried wood.
- An oversized wood burner can be a tricky problem to solve, but storing wood in a dry place and using seasoned wood from a reputable seller can help manage heat output.
