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Getting the best out of your Stove

Following these simple guidlines will help you to get the best out of your Wood Burning Stove. If your stove is not producing enough heat, then give us call and we do our best to assist you.

CALL 01749 467400

Go Eco Excel 5Kw Wide Scenic

Use the right type of wood.

Always burn dry hard wood such as Ash, Beech, Birch or Oak, whichever suits your wood burning stove best. Kiln dried wood is best, with a moisture content of around 15-17% or less. Well-seasoned wood is OK provided the moisture content is below 20%, any higher and it will not burn

efficiently and will blacken your stove and clog up your chimney.  Do not use unseasoned (green) or damp wood, or wood scraps such as old fences, pallets or old joinery, which can contain chemical treatments and which will be harmful to the environment and may damage your flue liner.

It is a false economy to burn poor fuel, you will get much more heat from good quality kiln dried wood, and you will burn less fuel. 

2

Negatives of burning Solid Fuel.

The majority of stoves are multi-fuel, which means you can burn wood or solid fuels such as coal or coal briquettes. However, burning these products can have negative consequences.
• Potential to crystallise the glass
• Damaging the stove through corrosion
• Replacement spares will be required
to be purchased more often
• Potential liner damage
• Shortens the life expectancy of the appliance.

In addition, coal pruducts produce more ash and dust in the home, and is more harmful to the envoirenment.​

3

Fuels Not to Use

• House Coal
• Painted or Preserved Wood
• Wet Wood
• Pallet Wood
• Newspaper and Card

4

Storing Your Firewood

You should store wood in a well vented, dry area that is away from the rain,
this is because rain will eventually rot the wood.
You should always stack your firewood because this will help promote air circulation.
You must avoid storing firewood on a soil floor if outside, as the soil will rot the wood.
If you are cutting your own logs for firewood, store them in a dry area, and allow them to dry for at least 12 months, but for wood like oak this can be as long as 24 months.

5

Maintain Your Stove

Cleaning the Glass on Your Stove
Use a specialist stove glass cleaner or
newspaper dipped in vinegar to clean your
glass. Never use an abrasive cloth or
substance to clean the glass


Having Your Chimney Swept
You should have your chimney swept on a
regular basis during the months it is in use.
Having your chimney swept on a regular
basis can help reduce acid corrosion.

Book your chimney sweep here


Clean Your Stove Accessories
It’s not all just about your stove. Your various
stove accessories also take a bit of bashing
during regular use. Make sure to clean them
to keep them in good working order.

6

Lighting Your Wood Burning Stove

Wood burns most efficiently when on a bed of ash at least an inch thick, so do not empty all ash residue when preparing to light the fire.

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Most modern stoves feed air from the top when burning wood and from underneath when burning solid fuels, always make sure that your stove is set correctly.

 

The initial objective is to heat the cold air in the chimney as quickly as possible to get the air moving, and to do this we use lots of kindling.

 

  • Open air controls fully to allow maximum air flow.

  • Place one or two good quality firelighters in the centre of the bed

  • Build a substantial pile of dry kindling over the firelighters. 

  • Light and close the door

  • Let the kindling burn down to a glowing bed of embers.

  • Scatter more dry kindling over the glowing embers and place one good dry log on top of the kindling, close the door.

  • Leave the air control open until the log catches fire, then close gradually to the required burning rate.

  • Place the logs into the centre of the fire, away from the rear, sides, and glass. This helps keep the glass and liners clean and enhances the
    flame picture as the fire is centralised.

  • Do not overload the fire with logs, you need only add one good sized log when the first log is reduced to glowing embers, or two or three smaller logs if that is what you are using.

7

How Much Fuel Do I Need?

Every appliance performs more or less efficiently depending on the stove itself, the flue installation, local climatic and air flow conditions.

Older stoves may be less efficient than a modern stoves and require more wood per kilowatt hour to heat the room. Typically an older stove will require about 6 good quality logs to produce 4kWh of heat over a 5 hour period, wheras a modern Eco compliant stove will use only 4 logs to produce the same heat.

 

If you are going to use your stove on most evenings and at weekends from October to April, then 3 to 4 cubic meters per year is typical for most UK households.

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See here for local supplies of low cost kiln dried firewood

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Get in Touch

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South West Stoves Ltd
856 Pylle
Shepton Mallet
Somerset

BA4 6TA

Tel: 01749 467400

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