Chimney Fires

One of the great misunderstandings in the world of woodstoves is how creosote fits into the picture. Contrary to popular belief, creosote is not an inevitable product of wood burning. Creosote forms when wood is burned incompletely, and is an indication of improper use, poor installation, or a poor wood stove design.

Sometimes it seems that the stove just isn’t working as well as it used to. If there is no obvious problem, such as smoking, catalyst malfunction, etc., but it just doesn’t seem to be doing the job it used to, consider the possibilities in this article.

Under normal conditions of use, the stove glass will not crack or break. Causes of glass breakage are varied including that of improper glass installation.

Which is better, a radiant woodstove or a circulating woodstove? The answer depends on the type of installation.

All EPA-certified stoves have certain elements in common: Each incorporates a much-improved method of injecting combustion air into the firebox of the stove. The goal is to provide air in all the right places, to maximize the mixture of air and fuel, thereby maximizing combustion.

A fireplace that smokes on windy days is subject to its own set of problems and fixes. This article will look at a number of those problems an how to fix them.

Some fireplaces work just fine as long as you keep a rip-roaring fire going. But let it burn low, and it starts to smoke. (You might find that this type of fireplace is also smoky at startup, as discussed above.) The solution is to keep it burning high until spring, when you can open the windows… Just kidding. But seriously now, read on if your fireplace is okay during high-fire, but smokes as it burns low.

Do you have a “non-working” fireplace because your fireplace has a smoking problem? How to handle smoking fireplace problems.