https://www.fireplacesandstove.com/categories/wood-burning-stoves How to Properly Start Burning Stove Wood stoves can be an ideal method to reduce energy consumption and warm a room. However, they require an amount of care. A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emissions guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker on the underside or next to the grate, to ensure that your stove won't produce many harmful pollutants. How to start a Wood Fire The scent and sound of a fire made from wood can be a welcome feature in any house. It's essential to understand how to build an effective fire on your stove. Improper techniques can result in a fire which does not burn effectively, and can produce smoke or creosote. The following tips can assist you in starting a fire that will heat your home with minimum effort and with the highest safety. Examine the condition of your coals and logs before you start an fire. If they are wet they will choke the flame and stop it from burning properly. It is also possible to open the flue to let any ash out that has been deposited into the stove. Begin by placing a few small newspaper pieces that are dry and clean into your stove. This will help ignite the tinder. Once they start to ignite, add a layer of larger pieces of tinder to the top of the pile. This should be done with the crosshatch pattern to ensure that there is air between each piece. If your wood stove is equipped with an automatic combustion control, it will automatically supply air to the fire as it expands. This will allow the fire to burn continuously without you having to open the door of your stove frequently to check on it. Do not use excessive tinder since it will cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and not utilize the fuel efficiently. If you have a nice bed of tinder and kindling in your stove, start the main fire by laying two large logs of the base across the grill. Then, add small logs parallel to these and on the top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of cr