This is what ought to be done to safely work with a wood heating system. Before you ever start a fire in your wood heater check the stove pipe and chimney. Turn to see they are properly connected and that they haven't any holes showing. Fumes like carbon monoxide, and also smoke, could escape into your home by way of a hole in the stove pipe, as could flames f you ever have a little chimney fire. Which could take up a house fire.
Open a window some to allow oxygen from outside to enter the room where your heater is burning. The fire burns the oxygen present in the room when the heater is operating.
It is a good notion to possess your heater sitting on a sheet metal base, that stretches out while watching heater's door. This metal sheet spreads out any excessive heat on the floor and really should the fire spit out burning embers when the door is opened for putting wood in, the floor will undoubtedly be protected from burns. This may often happen if the wood being burnt is not completely dry. Some types of wood like spruce will have a tendency to pop and spit embers frequently while burning.
Check the fire proof chord seal around the door of the heater, making sure that you can find no holes or gaps present. You want the fire box of your heater air tight when you close the draft lever shutting off the air flow. The draft lever enables you to control how hot the fire burns. Closing the draft lever decreases the fire by stopping its oxygen supply.
outdoors need to keep a door seal repair kit readily available. It contains a tube of liquid adhesive and a length of fire proof rope-like chord. If you can see the light of the fire through the edge of the door where in fact the door seal is situated, repair is needed.
It is advisable to do the repair when the door of the heater is still quite warm. Measure and cut the correct amount of door sealing chord that may fit all around the door in the groove. Scrape out the old chord still inside the heater door groove and when clean wipe it with a rag. Apply the liquid adhesive a few drops at a time to the within of the groove. The heat of the door will cause it to become sticky in a minute. Once the adhesive becomes gel-like, press the chord in to the groove with a screwdriver. Contain the chord in place for some moments although it sets, attaching several inches of the chord to the groove at the same time. When it is all in place, close the heater door. Tighten the entranceway latch whenever you can and allow it set for about fifteen minutes.
The chimney should be checked for an excess of soot deposited on its inside. It is just a good idea to open the hole for the soot to fall down the chimney and stove pipe into the heaters burning chamber. That is done by turning two fire bricks on their side near the top of the heaters burning chamber.
Wear old clothes. Take hand wiping rag, chimney cleaning brush, and the various tools needed to remove the stove pipe cap at the top of your chimney. Carefully climb onto the roof. Take off the chimney cap and brush the soot off the within of the cap. Look inside the chimney. You'll likely visit a layer of black soot within the top of the chimney. Blow it away. Take the chimney brush and carefully push it down and pull it up the chimney. Do this repeatedly and soon you see forget about black near the the surface of the chimney. If it is clean reattach the cap onto the chimney, clean your hands and tools with the rag and be careful climbing down off the roof. Invest some time. It is not worth getting hurt by falling.
Wood heat is a comfortable way of heating your home nonetheless it does take some safety knowledge and precautions to take action safely.