Why Does My Wood Burner Keep Going Out?

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Why Does My Wood Burner Keep Going Out?

A wood-burning stove can add a cosy glow to any room whilst offering exceptional warmth once you get them going. They’re also a great deal of fun to master and creating a successful fire is exceptionally rewarding. If you’re experiencing the common problem of a wood burner that keeps going out after you light it, read on to troubleshoot your dilemma.

 

Are you using wood that is too wet?

To burn effectively, the wood used in your wood burning stove must have a maximum moisture content of 20%. Dry wood burns better because stoves don’t need to boil off any moisture before working through the fuel. So, if you’re burning damp scraps from the garden or nearby woods, moisture might be the culprit.

You can buy ready seasoned wood and kindling ideal for stoves - or why not try drying and seasoning your own? To take a DIY approach, chop and stack wood in a dry environment with plenty of ventilation, allowing the wood to dry for six months before use for optimum results. We would recommend building yourself a wood store, and if you’re not sure how watch our video!

 

Is your fire set up correctly?

If you’re trying to burn a large piece of wood from the start your fuel can struggle to keep lit. Building a fire takes patience and practise but it isn’t complicated. Build a framework with kindling and add smaller logs on top. Light your kindling and it will ignite the wood above, and the flames produced will then be hot enough to handle bigger logs.

Not enough wood means no fuel for your fire to burn, which will ultimately put it out. However, too much wood before you’ve had a chance to get your fire started, can suffocate the flames and extinguish them. You need air as well as fire to burn wood, so start slowly until you get a good blaze going so you don’t snuff out your flames.

 

Are you using the stove air vents correctly?

Log burner air vents are key to a successful fire. When you start a fire, these vents should be open to their widest setting to feed plenty of oxygen to your flames and generate the heat required. However, once your fire catches, you’ll need to slowly shut the air supply. If left too open, your fuel will burn too fast, but a fire can go out entirely if you close them too far. Finding the perfect balance takes patience, but once you work it out, you won’t forget how in a hurry.

 

Are you opening your stove door too often?

Finally, opening the door of your log burner too many times may negatively impact the burn rate. For this reason, only refuel your stove when the fuel supply looks low. Always remember that if you overload a wood-burning stove with logs, it can cause air circulation to suffer and make your fire go out prematurely. For a standard-sized stove, you’ll find adding one to two logs at any given time is the best move.

 

Whether it’s more advice you’re looking for, or perhaps looking to buy yourself a new stove – we can help! Drop us an email at sales@stovesupermarket.co.uk or give us a call on 01226 816 051!

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