Ready For Winter? How To Avoid Problems With Your Wood-Burning Stove
If you've recently purchased a home with a wood stove, it's time to get things set up for the winter. Wood stoves are a great way to keep warm during the winter. However, they do require yearly maintenance, as well as some added safety precautions. If you're not sure how to care for your new wood stove, here are some helpful tips to get you started.
Start the Season With a Cleaning
If the previous owners didn't provide you with maintenance reports for your wood stove, you'll need to start the season with a good cleaning. You never know how much soot has built up inside the chimney. Not only that, but there could be hidden damage that you don't know about. The cleaning will ensure that you start the season off right. Once you have the initial cleaning taken care of, be sure to continue with the annual winter cleanings.
Test Your Alarms
When it comes to safety this winter, you've got to have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Those alarms are crucial when you have a wood stove in your home. Test your alarms to ensure that they're both working properly and that they have fresh batteries. If you don't have smoke or carbon monoxide alarms in your home, now is the time to install them.
Keep the Fires Small
If you're used to enjoying big fires in your fireplace, you'll need to change your approach now that you have a wood-burning stove. The key to stove safety is to keep the fires small and manageable. The flames should be easily contained inside the firebox. Fires that are too big generate flames that will reach up into the flue, which can lead to chimney fires. Not only that, but the flames can reach out through the doors and into your home, which can pose additional fire and safety risks. For maximum protection, keep the fires small and manageable.
Don't Overlook Your Ashes
Your wood-burning stove is going to generate a lot of ash, especially if you have daily fires this winter. It's important that you not overlook the ash. You'll want to clean out your stove before they build up too much. The ash in your wood-burning stove can stay hot for several days, so you don't want to place it in your trash can. Instead, use a fireplace ash can to safely dispose of your ash.