The Stove Shop Fife – Helpful Hints:

Woodstove Tips

When lighting a stove use lots of kindling and small pieces of wood to create a good hot fire. It is important to raise the firebox temperature to a hot operating level as this is important as clean combustion will only take place at a high firebox temperature.

As much as half of the heat obtainable from wood is achieved from the secondary combustion(the flames) smoke equals unburnt fuel. Therefore it is important that the firebox temperature is maintained at a high level as this is essential for complete and clean combustion. The use of a stove pipe or stove top thermometer is recommended, and this will indicate the stove performance. The firebox temperature should reach at least 400 degees C which equates approx to 250 degrees C at the flue pipe or on the stove top.

By maintaining a hot bright firebed complete combustion will take place and you will obtain the maximum energy from your logs whilst keeping the stove glass clean and minimising soot in the chimney and pollution to the environment.

• Good quality dry logs are essential for optimum performance.

• The natural optimum burn rate of wood is about 1 to 2 hours,if a longer burn cycle is required, close down after reloading and fire for a while to establish a hot flaming fire to burn the volatiles out of the logs, then, when the logs are still whole but approaching the charcoal stage, reduce the burn rate.

• It is more economical to relight a stove in the morning than use a full firebox just to keep it in all night.

• Always have a good supply of kindling, a fire lighter or dry crumpled newspaper and a lighter or matches.

• A multi fuel stove is normally wood and smokeless fuel.

Coal merchant
C Downie – Dairsie 01334 870346

Local log suppliers
Ross Carstairs – 01382 330395 or 07711251682
Tayfield Estate – 01382 543400

Chimney Sweep
Hugh Mackintosh – 01334 478275