https://www.fireplacesandstove.com/ How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove Wood stoves are an ideal method to reduce energy consumption and heat rooms. However, they require an amount of care. Many modern wood stoves meet EPA emissions guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker either under or on the grate to ensure your stove doesn't generate many harmful pollutants. How to start a Wood Fire The smell and the sound of a woodfire is an excellent addition to any home. It is essential to understand how to build a fire in your stove. Incorrect techniques may lead to an unburned fire that doesn't burn effectively, and can produce creosote or smoke. The following tips can help you start the fire that will warm your home with the least effort and with the highest safety. Examine the condition of your logs and coals before you start the fire. If they're too damp, they will smother the fire and prevent it from burning efficiently. You may want to open the chimney to remove any ash that has fallen into the stove. Begin by placing several small newspaper pieces that are dry in your stove. This will help to ignite the tinder and ignite the kindling. When they begin to burn, add a layer of larger pieces of tinder to the top of the pile. This should be done using the crosshatch pattern to ensure that there is air between each piece. If your wood stove comes with an automatic combustion control, it will automatically feed air to the fire as it expands. This will allow the fire to burn for a long time without you having to open the stove's door constantly to tend to it. Avoid using too much tinder as this will cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and not use the fuel efficiently. When you have a good fire and a bed of tinder in your stove, start the main fire by placing two large base logs across the grill. On the top of these base logs, place a layer perpendicularly to them. This method of building a fire known as a "top-down" fire can result in a successful and long-lasting fire