https://www.fireplacesandstove.com/categories/wood-burning-stoves How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove Wood stoves are an ideal way to save energy and warm a room. However, they require a certain amount of maintenance. A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker under or beside the grate to ensure your stove won't produce a lot of harmful pollutants. How to start a Wood Fire The smell and the sound of a fire can be a welcome addition in any home. But it's important to learn how to properly build a fire in your stove. Incorrect techniques can lead to a fire that doesn't burn efficiently and creates smoke or creosote. The tips below can help you start a fire that is safe and will heat up your home quickly and effectively. Check the condition of your logs and coals before you start an fire. If they're too damp, they will smother the flame and stop it from burning efficiently. You may also want to open the flue to let out any ash that has fallen into the stove. Begin by placing a handful of small dry newspaper pieces in the stove. This will help to ignite the tinder and ignite the kindling. Once these begin to burn, add a layer of larger pieces of tinder to the top of the pile. This should be done in a crosshatch pattern so there will be air between each piece of wood. If your wood stove is equipped with an automatic control for combustion, it will automatically feed air to the fire as it expands. This will allow the fire to burn steadily without you having to open the door of your stove constantly to tend to it. Be careful not to use too much tinder as this will cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and will not be able to use the fuel effectively. After you've built a solid foundation in your stove that is made of sparks, tinder and kindling to start the main flame, you can do this by placing two large base logs on the grill. Then, on the top of these base logs, place a layer perpendicularly to them. This method