Wood burning stove Issues, Causes, and Solutions – A Comprehensive Guide
Modern wood-burning stoves are an excellent investment option capable of providing one of the most cost-effective ways of heating up your home. They are undoubtedly efficient and beautiful in their own ways, but they are not always trouble-free. Proper maintenance needs to be done to keep them in a healthy working condition over a longer period of time.
In this article, we will go through a few of these problems in greater detail. After all, until and unless you know the problem well, how would you find the solution? So pay attention as closely as possible.
Wood-burning stove issues and causes
1. The most common problem among homeowners having a new wood stove is the strong smell associated with the paint. The strong smell should ideally go within a few days. In case it doesn’t, it may signify a problem. The manufacturer of the stove should be contacted for further solutions.
2. Next, comes the accelerated deterioration of the bars or the grates. Excessive smoking is the main reason due to which this happen. Other factors contributing to this problem are:
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- Air vents kept open for an extended period of time.
- Ash pit doors kept open for an extended period of time.
- Ash pans aren’t cleaned regularly over time (If regular cleaning of ash pan isn’t done, the ashes get into contact with the bar resulting in premature deterioration and drafts).
3. Thirdly, we have faulty doors that are not airtight in any way whatsoever. This issue is pretty common among many wood-burning stoves. It may occur as a result of the manufacturing defeat or as a result of poor maintenance.
4. Excessive buildup of creosote can also contribute to stove problems. [Creosote is the buildup of black or brown tar on chimney walls with constant use over time. The buildup can contribute to a host of chimney issues including the chances of a fire if they aren’t cleaned regularly.]
5. A few worthy mentions:
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- Chimney obstructions (Can cause serious issues including a fire).
- Poor air flow (Insufficient air makes it difficult to keep the fire going).
The solutions
So we have discussed the problems in thorough details in our previous paragraph. Now let’s go through the different ways through which we might be able to turn the problems into a part of the solution. Let’s begin.
1. An excessive smoky wood-burning stove
Like we said before, an excessive smoky stove can contribute a lot to the accelerated damage of the stove bars and the grates. Hence, proper solution needs to be found out ASAP to keep this problem at bay in the best possible manner.
An ideal wood-stove should be properly connected to the flue. The size of the flue should also match the given requirements of the manufacturer. In case there’s a leak in the seal or a break in the flue, excessive smoking’s bound to occur as a result of the same.
A broken seal can be fixed again with heat-resistant cement. A professional chimney cleaning service can help you with the same.
2. Chimney blockage or obstructions
Many things can result in a chimney blockage such as:
- Dead birds or other animals,
- Debris,
- Creosote,
- Faulty masonry and so on.
A chimney blockage is pretty difficult to clear on your own especially when you don’t have any safety equipment close by. A professional chimney cleaner can help.
3. Tightly sealed rooms
Modern homes are well-sealed. This means there’s isn’t a lot of room for air exchange between the insides and the outsides of doors resulting in an insufficient air supply. This is exactly one of the reasons as to why chimneys can’t operate the way they are supposed to do.
A temporary solution to this issue would be to open up a window. For a permanent solution, it’s more advisable to contact an efficient and reliable chimney cleaning service. It will do you more good than harm in the long run.
4. Excessive creosote build up
Regular cleaning is the only thing that can help to keep this problem at bay in the best possible manner. A professional chimney maintenance service can also help.
Like we said before, wood-burning stove issues are quite common in households. But this doesn’t mean you should ignore them in any way. As soon as you suspect an issue with the stove, go for a professional opinion ASAP. A small step like that can save you a lot of hassle for tomorrow.