Wood stove air intake control. Wood stoves can be great for heating a room in your house. They are efficient, cost-effective, and a far more tolerable option when the power goes out than an electric heater.
However, getting the most out of your new stove is a learning curve. Controlling the air entering your wood stove is critical for efficiently burning fuel and keeping your home warm.
A little experimentation and properly seasoned wood will keep you comfortable and lower heating bills during the cold winter months.
Wood Stove Air Intake Control
We will discuss here the steps of using the stove air vent.
Step 1
It is important to ensure that all of the stove’s vents are open before kindling a fire. If you haven’t already created a layer of ash at the bottom of your stove’s burn box.
You should consider doing so because that’s the best way for wood to keep burning consistently.
Step 2
Kindling is usually lighter materials placed inside the fire pit to ignite the fuel and other combustible materials. Kindling lights easily and burns quickly, but it does not sustain a fire for long.
Step 3
Once the kindling has become fully engulfed in flames, begin to close the controllable vents. If the fire starts to dim and diminish while you approach the vents, leave them open slightly and try again.
At this stage, you’re now balancing out a delicate high-wire act – giving your fire just enough oxygen to sustain itself without causing it to go out of control.
Step 4
When the fire is raging hot, and you’re throwing in some more wood to keep the heat going, don’t forget that there’s a tradeoff between efficiency and volume of heat.
Opening the wider vents will lead to a much hotter flame, but you’ll have to add logs more frequently or risk your fire dying out altogether.
And remember to make sure your firebox is well-shoveled so you won’t have to worry about ashes falling back down into the hearth!
FAQs
How do I control the airflow in my wood stove?
Damper vents work like large bolts with a flat side that closes over the holes. If the stove only has one exhaust vent, it should be in the middle of your stove door; if there are two, they will be side by side.
When decreasing air flow by turning the knob clockwise, you will close off some openings as air passes through your stove and exit through the other vent.
Turning it counter-clockwise increases airflow to create more powerful heat so your food will cook faster.
What is the air intake on a wood stove called?
The flue collar of a wood-burning stove sits below the cap and above the firebox. This is where you put your firewood into the stove.
It’s from here, too, that you can expect large puffs of smoke coming out if something isn’t working properly with your stove.
Conclusion
In this blog, we discussed how to control the air flowing into your wood stove for more efficient burning and warmth. Read this complete guide if you have any other questions about the philosophy of a wood stove or want to learn more about the seasoning process.
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