SOLO STOVE TIPS
FIRE IN RIGHT WAY
Learn how to fire in a stove in the best way. Once you know what to do and which fuel materials are best, it is quick and easy every time. Firing right in your stove provides firmer and safer heat. It saves a lot of resources for both you and nature.
Do not use wet or uncoated wood. It should have been stored under a roof with good ventilation for at least one and preferably two years. Never fire with driftwood in the fireplace either. It is often very salty, which destroys both the wood stove and the chimney. Impregnated or painted wood and chipboard emit toxic fumes and vapors, therefore it must not be used as fuel. If you use too little wood or if it is too coarsely split, the right temperature inside the stove will not be reached. Firewood that has a diameter of more than 10 cm should always be split. They should be able to lie flat and get air from both directions. The best is firewood of about 25 cm and around 0.5 kg which is placed with end pieces towards the fire opening. The maximum permissible fuel length when burning with wood is 32–34 cm.
GET TO KNOW YOUR STOVE
The first ignitions, it is best to fire a little gently, so that the paint hardens before you start firing harder. Setting of valves, ignition methods and firing intervals depends on chimney draft, wind and weather conditions, heat demand and fuel. Therefore, it takes some time before you learn how the stove works optimally in your home.
The consequences if you light it incorrectly will be heavy soot formation, poor combustion and that the fire goes out when you close the door. You get the most environmentally friendly ignition through a so-called "Top-Down ignition". Light relatively high in the fuel you have put in the stove's combustion chamber. The gases are burned continuously as the fire works its way down and picks up speed.
WHAT DO I DO WITH SMOKE AND DIRT
THERE IS SOOT IN MY CHIMNEY, HOW DOES IT OCCUR?
Soot occurs if the combustion temperature is too low. Too low a combustion temperature is due to the fact that not enough air has been let into the combustion chamber in relation to the amount of wood. Tar soot can be quickly recognized as a brown and sticky coating. Allow more secondary air for combustion, so that the temperature rises.
A flue gas thermometer on the lower part of the flue can give a good indication of how to fire. The flue gas temperature should be approximately 250 ° during normal firing. If the flue gas temperature is much lower than 250 °, there is a risk that tar soot will occur. If the flue gas temperature is higher than 250 ° –300 ° there is a risk of overheating and the internal parts may burn through.
IT SMOKES INTO THE HOUSE WHEN I OPEN THE DOOR, HOW DO I AVOID IT?
Do not open the door until the wood has burned down and become a layer of embers. When you open the door and a large amount of cold air comes in contact with the flames from wood that has not been burned, soot smoke can occur. Wait to refill the wood until the old wood is burned to a glow layer. If you still need to open the door before the wood is burned, open the door carefully and stand for a moment before opening it completely. Another reason may be that the draft is too bad in the chimney, and that the chimney pushes down the smoke in the stove instead of pulling it up in the chimney. If necessary, let the chimney sweep check the chimney draft.
THERE IS NOT ENOUGH DRAFT IN THE CHIMNEY, WHAT CAN I DO?
If the chimney is too low, poorly insulated or leaky, problems with drafts can occur. Let the chimney sweep check and, if necessary, measure the draft. If the above conditions are in order, the ignition phase can be extended so that the chimney is heated through. The chimney does not draw optimally until it is warm. This is ensured by using large amounts of sticks and 1-2 ignition blocks during ignition. Leave the grate grid open and, if necessary, also leave the door ajar. When the ember layer has formed, add 2-3 dry split firewood and add plenty of air. When the blue / purple flue gases disappear, it is time to close the grate grille and screw down the primary air valves.
