How to Use a Wood Burning Stove

Starting a fire with a wood burning stove takes patience and a bit of know-how.
Read the corresponding written guide, visual notes and summary here: clearingfarm.com/how-to-use-a....
Here's also a quick cheat to starting your fire and keeping it running efficiently.
1. Make sure your damper is vertical! (The video shows clearly where that is.)
2. Use dry twigs. If the twigs are dry, they snap easily. If you can't find dry twigs, establish a base fire with match-light charcoal.
3. Avoid paper if possible! It's always better to start your base with twigs or match-light charcoal. If you can't find any of that, use cardboard instead of paper.
4. Blow on the fire a lot. The more you blow, the better. Don’t use an electrical fan though as that might smoke out your space.
5. Remember the basics: Heat rises. So always focus on creating your initial bed of fiery coals before moving onto other steps.
6. Smaller is always better! Big logs will suffocate your fire. Use the smallest wood you can find, particaurly in the early stages of starting the fire.
7. Be patient and enjoy art of making a fire with a wood burning stove.

[@jameskrug9938]

I'm a retired chemist, new to wood stoves and I've watched dozens of videos. This one covers the science and theory, in lay terms, BEST on the subject, that I have seen. Thank You

[@kanonmata1100]

Walt?

[@jskrug1]

@@kanonmata1100Sorry, I'm not "Walt".

[@itsopinion7430]

Been burning wood for 25 years, this guy is really putting way too much time and effort into getting his stove up and running. There are many much better vids out that demonstrate techniques that are quick, effective, with much less time involved. I'm surprise that you put so much value on this vid.

[@johnnysir7114]

Mr.white?

[@itsopinion7430]

Hmm, well I'm sure you we're/are a fine chemist but you don't know squat about running a wood stove. So you watch this guy spend gobs of time and energy getting his stove up and running which in my mind is the slowest and least efficient method of getting a stove up and running that I've seen for a while. There are plenty of vids out there that do a much better job. If you are a complete novice and never built a campfire in your life maybe this vid could help you some, but anyone who actually has run a wood stove for an extended period of time would never follow this man's advice, you'll spend many hours over a years' time just starting up you stove when you could cut that time by 75% if you used the right techniques.

[@joshbredehoeft2794]

I'm new to wood stoves and this was the video I was looking for. Everything put into simple terms and explaining the functions of everything. You're a lifesaver man.

[@matthewdiehl1647]

Ive built hundreds of fires this way-and still do sometimes. But nowadays when im at home i just use a propane torch, kindling in a can. I use regular kindling splits and blast it with the torch, and alternately blast the chimney pipe with my torch too, to force heat to the insode of my chimney pipe and induce draft. Getting a draft started is the biggest help to starting a fire quickly. Also, if ur wood stove sat unused for several days and ur trying to start a fire in damp chilly wet weather its best ti blast the outside of ur chimney pipe with the torch for a bit to push that heavy plug of damp cold air out of ur chimney and help prevent an inversion, which is when ur stove reverses on start up and smokes out ur house

[@petermenosky1820]

Great video, but one suggestion, build the fire upside down. Put a couple logs on the bottom, then your medium branches on next, followed by your vine bark and birch bark on top. Light the birch bark first. As the fire burns, the coals will fall down into the layer below igniting it and building your bed of coals and ultimately your logs. You get a lot of instant heat up the chimney with this method helping to clear any cold blockages. Works a charm each time.

[@frankdemeter5369]

I agree, I put a couple of pieces of kindling in first to allow air to get under the small (3"/4") logs that I put in, build it upside down from there. Works great every time.

[@danielfoster3564]

Called the upside down fire. Been doing it as long as I can remember.

[@catpys]

This works for me too. Much better to get it started too.

[@charlesbrint3021]

The top down fire is what I use as well. It's counterintuitive if you're used to outdoor burning but it works in a stove! Also I use a Mapp gas torch to lite it, ain't nobody got time for all this lol.

[@lindathornton3626]

What if your electricity goes & u have no blower? How can my wood burning oven keep me warm?

[@TwiggehLeaf]

I'm moving into a log cabin in the woods with a wood stove, so this is great for me! Thanks!

[@khadijahdavis1572]

This is why i love KZbin for videos like this, i so appreciate you for this video my beautiful brother please don't stop making these, thank you so much, you just never know how many people need this info, i just bought a wood burning stove and i am very glad to have found your video, this is valuable to an amateur such as myself

[@vanPoll]

Best explanation for new woodstove owners I've seen on youtube so far. Building a nice bed of coal, giving the fire all the air it needs to build the coalbed and after that feeding the large stuff to it, regulating the air down for your heating needs when you have the fire up to speed.

[@LindyLouCantu]

Very helpful video. You made the instructions clear and easy to follow. Thank you for posting!

[@m3w]

This is everything I always wanted to know about wood stoves - thank you!

[@elainesantiago347]

Thank you so much for this video, I am now able to easily and safely start and maintain fires in my wood burning stove.

[@robertcastro3999]

Thanks so much. Very well taught for first time wood burning stove owners.

[@user-sj7in5lw1l]

I have the same exact stove. The instructions said to not install a damper on the stove pipe. Doing so stops your secondary burn. The way this stove works is when it gets up to temp.(close to 1000 degrees) you close the primary air and the draft will cause oxygen to enter through the secondary air tubes at the top of the fire box that burns the smoke. This is why this stove is so efficient.

[@dlyatruby7444]

ohh thats why I almost never can see the smoke out of chimney! Such a fine system! I was asking myself what all those holes are for???..

[@stephaniebahr8533]

Thank you so much for this video!!! Super helpful this is our first year with being in charge of a wood stove in our home and we've had such frustration. This has made all our errors obvious and we should be better with it now... best learning video I've found for us

[@Joe-y]

This has been the biggest help. Thank you so much for making this!

[@elizabethc9832]

Thank you! Great video for beginners.

[@tgeerlings854]

Thanks very much for this superguide!!! I now know how to correctly use my woodstove!👍👍👍👍

[@user-tn6kr4jn5x]

Great explanation of key points of how to get a fire started in the wood stove. Thank you, greatly appreciate the tutorial!

[@breacheeze]

You explained this really well. Definitely gonna save and re-watch a few times. I look forward to more videos!

[@clearingfarm7946]

Thank you! We just posted a new video yesterday and plan to start updating the channel regularly.

[@ashleyearick9204]

Perfectly informative. Thank you.

[@brandonharding118]

Thank you! This is a really informative video. Also, I appreciate your production quality. Well done all around.

[@clearingfarm7946]

Thank you so much for your support! We'll be posting more videos soon around similar topics.

[@mattseymour8637]

Very helpful and informative video. Some things never thought of before. I like the technique of how to blow the fire without getting all the heat back at your face.

[@ninarabideau7003]

I agree with the helpful hack I've been running a woodstove for 15+yrs & never knew about that ! I guess that's why the old fasion wind things that came with the stove worked so well lol ! good video overall

[@TAC617]

Just bought a new Home that has a Pellet Stove upstairs and a wood burning stove in the basement. This was a great help.

[@87ehowell]

This was awesome!! Thank you for the additional education on the stove itself. Great, great, great!

[@rogerknight2267]

We’ve been getting ready for our wood heater for at least a year know; harvesting wood, splitting, stacking, etc. I’ve saved all the scraps created when splitting the wood. It will make some fine kindling, along with the dryer lint that my wife has been collecting. I’ve also invested in a really nice moisture meter. Spot checking my wood racks shows a moisture reading of no higher than 12%. Everything I’ve read says keep it below 20%. My Buck Model 81 will be installed in a few weeks. We’re pumped. Thank you for the info!!

[@DavidB-io7ep]

cotton balls and petroleum jelly over lint. Get a ziplock and put a bunch of cotton balls and petroleum jelly in there. Mix together. Pull one out when you need it. Works like a charm.

[@denisemerie3024]

Thanks! Currently at rustic cabin in the north. First night I was very patient and things went well. The next morning I just wanted to get the stove going and get my coffee fix. Certainly did not work! I don’t own a stove, but will know from now on what steps to take when I’m semi rough camping. Excellent lesson.

[@e_ak_l5319]

I use a wood stove to heat my house when it’s real cold…like it is now, at -30. There were some tips in here that I didn’t know about. Great video, very informative

[@AB-rg9zm]

Diamond hack is awesome, gonna show my kids they will love it. Thanks bro!

[@ZeeRunsThis]

Thanks alot! Got a wood stove in our new house, this was really helpful!

[@laurapena2114]

Great teacher! Thanks! I appreciate your video!

[@akivatalansky]

My new house in a rural area has an oil furnace but also used to have a wood stove, the chimney has a hole for the stove. I like the idea of the wood stove as it looks cozy. Thinking about getting a stove put in. Thanks for the informative video.

[@hoofgripweightlifting6872]

Wow. Thank you for this video. For years we used electric and propane heater. I plan to install wood burner soon as i expect the price of propane and everything else to skyrocket. We live in the country where we have lots of trees. Thank you.

[@achillebelanger9866]

Get it cut and stacked with plenty of chance for sun 🌅😎 and air to dry it. Do it as soon as you can to get it dry. Best to build a lean too woodshed. Make your kindling of branches and dead dry standing.

[@cindybroadus3277]

Wowed by your teaching class today You have taught me everything I needed to know God Bless You sir!!!

[@thegrantdanielsband]

Side note if you have a good newer wood stove do not ever put in a damper this will make the wood stove run bad!! These newer wood stoves are made to run properly without a damper 🙂

[@PedroSerrazina]

Great video. Very thorough and helpful. 👍🏼 🔥

[@jonstalnaker21]

Excellent detail and explanation, thank you

[@dorian3260]

I’ve been adding a few corn chips to my kindling. It works great. I learned this from an episode of The Big Bang Theory!

[@brianwelteroth9248]

I agree with all you say. Though the following are more tips: A propane torch is the easiest way to start a fire and advance it to the stage when you just wanna jam it full of wood, set the air and walk away for a few hours. Fooling with the fire and opening it up every hour or so to add just one log loses a lot of heat from your house. After a full night burn push everything to the back and rake the coals to the front. After about 3 days of burning let her die down all day to burn up most of the coals, the bottom might be about half full. After about 5 days of burning you then need to let her die down all day with air damper wide open to remove the ash and restart.

[@SustainableSierra]

Thanks for this! Our new house will likely have a wood burning stove and I'm now much more confident I WON'T burn the house down. :-)

[@xxxa8534]

I was looking everywhere to figure out what the little knob was on the front of my wood stove. You were the first video I found it on and I hugely appreciated the instruction on how to use the airflow.

[@kizzymckee9005]

Thank you! Really helpful

[@gladtal]

Great video, thank you for this!

[@ron6547]

Yeah, I been heating with a wood stove since I was a kid. I’ve cut hundreds of cords in my life. Get it cut and split in the spring and let it bake in the sun all summer and you’ll have dry wood to burn in the fall and winter. Keep it out of the rain and snow! Split some kindling and start it with newspaper. Pretty simple!

[@itsopinion7430]

Been burning wood for many years. I don't do as much tree falling as I use to do and now buy some of my wood, old age - lol. Yeah, your right, the key word here is simple. This guy is making the simple process of getting your stove fired up complicated, time consuming, and tedious. My advice to the many newbie stove folks is to think and experiment, you'll figure it out if you do that rather than listen to this guy. There are situations where one would use this technique, for example very small fire boxes, or camping perhaps. For most stoves there are much easier methods.

[@jalie26]

@@itsopinion7430 we had a fireplace as a kid, but now I've inherited a wood stove in a home purchase. They are not the same beast and figuring out this wood stove has been a chore, especially since I've been inconsistent in successfully getting a fire and this has been a very cold April here in the rust belt. I disagree that he's making this tedious but rather thoroughly explaining the importance of starting small and building big. I have been using fire starter squares but i haven't had any small twigs to build the fire.

[@itsopinion7430]

@@jalie26 Dry kindling is the key, it's worth the time in the off season to get enough dry kindling for a season. With the right wood and paper, a person should get a hot fire up and running in 5 minutes.

[@kaptein1247]

@@itsopinion7430 I agree. Have never had a fireplace of my own, sadly enough. But have lit plenty of fires. I dont understand why this guy is talking so much. Just throw some paper (or birch bark in this case) Put some tiny twigs ontop, some bigger sticks on that and then the logs. Light it and keep the door open for the first minute or so so it can get plenty of air. Takes 1 minute

[@georgemiller9533]

Nice video. Thank you for your time and effort Sir.

[@rosaparra506]

Great video! Thanks

[@nohillforahighstepper]

If you have to leave your door open when you are starting your fire, you are using too much fuel during the starting process. An efficient fire doesn't smoke much and it won't die when the door is closed. Provided that your draft is working properly. I open all dampers to ensure full draft through the stove in the beginning. Try creating a space that will hold the heat but allow good air flow. I usually put a larger piece on either side and build my fire between them. I start with newspaper, then some small kindling, and a few small, thin flat pieces on top to help hold heat. It will smoke a bit for a minute or two. I let the fire mostly consume the kindling before adding larger pieces. About 5 minutes. But my door is closed as soon as I light the paper. You are aiming to create air flow but hold enough heat to keep the fire. By leaving the door open, you could be venting gas into your living space. If you can smell the fire, it's venting into your home. Go small in the beginning and add sparingly. Just enough to keep it going. A soft wood builds the best bed of coals in the beginning. Poplar, cottonwood, aspen, birch, etc. I've found that pine or spruce starts the best. As soon as there is a nice bed of coals built, front to back, between the 2 larger pieces, you can fill your stove as full as you need, preferably with hardwoods like oak or maple, and get the draft shut down. 1 thing that some stoves need is colder temps outside. The cold temps create draw in your flue (pipe). I have problems getting draft above 50 degrees F. So, I will load the flue with newspaper and light it a couple seconds before I light the fire. That encourages the draft to go the proper direction. I have had a reverse draft a couple times.....the stove was drawing the warmer air from outside and venting the exhaust through the air control valve into the house. All because I wanted a fire on a warm but rainy day. I also have times where the chimney pipe is the entire air flow. It vents fresh air from the outside and the exhaust on separate halves of the pipe. It's kinda cool but impossible to control the burn rate. It happens mostly on windy days.

[@dlyatruby7444]

I use a hair dryer to warm up the pipe when its rainy :)

[@georgemiller9533]

I guess you missed the part where he showed he wasn’t using bone dry wood? Because yeah. You need more air for damp wood.

[@nohillforahighstepper]

@@georgemiller9533 No...I didn't miss it. But the same principles apply. For damp wood, you should use even less fuel than dry wood. The goal is to not over-fuel the heat generated. Dampness affects the heat...so less fuel should be used to maximize the air flow...

[@MaxV11]

Thanks for the great video!!

[@JustinLamer]

Thanks buddy. Great video

[@gabe5946]

Great job 👍

[@JoeTakagi00]

Awesome video

[@HmmYNDknow]

Glad to learn the diamond tip. I wondered when something eventually hits my eye.

[@Milly5288]

Great video

[@iiBleedMusic]

Best video yet

[@Lynkimball0519.]

Thank you so much. Newly divorced and needed sone tips. You’re awesome!

[@Lynkimball0519.]

Some tips. Couldn’t edit

[@myaranche]

Hi, i use pine cones to start my fire in old wood stove....wiith little wd. On top...works grt. Thank you, you are v. Consise and clear ....

[@trashcanbees2739]

this is an absolutely fantastic video and it helped me get a wonderful little fire going. unfortunately i realized that my problem is that i am not getting a draft because the vent in the room is sealed from the outside, which became clear after filling my house up with smoke, lesson learned lol

[@dlyatruby7444]

always see the sky from your fireplace first, then try to start the fire!

[@mauriciocortez8915]

I bought a property in a cold whether and I have one of those thank you for the explanation

[@chappy27441]

This was so helpful-thank you! City girl gone bush girl here and I need guidance 😁👍

[@johnlennon1049]

Great info!

[@Apparition_Unknown]

That diamond tip was so awesome

[@maihuychung5686]

This thing can hold a fire!! I burn a lot of wood and it holds up. I would recommend this product.

[@jordanperks1991]

That diamond thing to blow on the fire was magic. Lol great tip.

[@shayanne7732]

Thank you! 😁

[@natasharedhead2291]

Really informative video. I enjoyed it a lot and I don’t even have a wood stove or a fireplace 😂😂😂 but can’t stop me from dreaming of having one in the future 😂

[@Melanie-ps5yc]

Me in the future 😂🤣😂🤣

[@adamunruh2931]

Thank you sir

[@meowww247]

Thank you

[@michaelthomas4156]

Thanks !!!! V ery helpful!

[@Inspectorzinn2]

Good stuff

[@C05597641]

This is a lovely and meditative way to spend time. You wont be wasting your time making a fire like this. There is far faster ways to make fires. Such as using larger kindling and pre prepared fire starters. Bunched up paper covered in mayonnaise can be a fire starter! The best way to make flame is with lighters. The same lighters that most people use for light cigarettes. Nothing beats that for a fast and efficient flame. It also is on your person and wont fail if wet. What will you have on your body if you miraculously find yourself unharmed and flung from a fast moving car in the middle of nowhere in the rain? A lighter! Everything else is for fun. Which it is. Fun. All the creative ways of making flame are absolutely for a last ditch attempt. If you consider yourself a survivalist, a lighter is the ultimate tool. I own a striker and would attempt to make flame using friction if i had the time. If I was in danger, lighter.

[@RamonaMayhem]

Thank you so much! :).

[@maryvonneadams9378]

Thank you great. Video

[@yennyjen5742]

Great video thank you.. I am not familiar with wood stoves but defínelly thinking on gettin one for the cold Wyoming winters 🥶🥶 we are waiting for temps as low as -30 this coming week.. I like it but seems like it takes a while to have a good fire 🔥 😅

[@Ricktofenable]

Saved my ass with this one, thanks for the in depth video

[@dustinmdamon]

Nice video

[@Plazman]

Wish I was fireproof like you.

[@boathousedave2383]

You can buy a box of those starter sticks for like $12 that will last a season and then just throw logs on it.

[@scotts4769]

You can never just throw logs on a “starter” fire. The take away from this video is start small and build to a bigger fire

[@mr.nobody68]

My dumb ass came home from work, threw in some logs and paper products and then wondered why I had mild coals and why was I shivering. I added a small log, a schmedium stick and 2 more pieces of paper. And now I'm roasting in here. _Kindling made all the difference in the world_

[@observingrogue7652]

Thank you.

[@donavonmacallister3101]

Cool video

[@3345646]

Since starting up a wood stove is a ritual for me, I enjoyed learning new things.Im not sure why my installer didn’t put in a damper. I will check with Lopi stoves to see if I can install one.

[@eat2pigs]

This is how you light a camp fire, there are much easier ways to light a wood stove.

[@78a67h]

I think this tutorial is as comprehensive as one would wish for.

[@trishcovich1923]

Thankyou 💜 💜 💜 💜 💜 💜 💜 💜 💜 💜 💜

[@karenphillips61]

Awesome vis

[@lanemaund5097]

Thanks 👍🇬🇧

[@_re42]

Awesome video. You need more vids broski!

[@clearingfarm7946]

Just posted a new one! Thanks for watching.

[@dmnguye69]

I load my logs on the bottom with kinder and news paper in top, a top start option which works well.

[@takyhonza9978]

I prefer to light the stove from the top. It's simple, efficient and with a minimum of smoke: I put 2 larger oak logs underneath, a few thinner chips across them, then some thinner spruce logs, then more thinner spruce pieces, then finally a pile of chips. The whole pile of wood extends to about 2/3 to 3/4 of the height of the chamber. I stick a fire starter (or paper or very thin chips) under the chips and the preparation is done. It takes about 5 minutes, even with cleaning the stove. When I come home from work, I just light the burner with one match and immediately close the door, the vents open to the maximum. Within minutes a pile of chips ignites brightly and creates a draft in the chimney. At that point I reduce the air intake vents and occasionally check that everything is burning "just right" - a bright fire, but not too fiercely. The fire slowly burns down to bigger and bigger logs. The lowest logs start to burn after about 1 hour and the whole stake burns to glowing ash in about 2-3 hours. Only when the last flames disappear, I open the door, add 2 oak logs and close it again. I leave the bottom flow for a while for a faster burn and then pull the vents down again. Try it out; -)

[@DirtDigglerDetecting]

Dad taught me to roll the paper into a bowe tie. Light the ends the middle is denser. If you have to use paper.

[@cyberdude721]

blowing through the fingers is the best tip ever!

[@tomrunning357]

I just use a self igniting hand held soldering torch that cuts down on time and the need for smaller kindling and helps get the draft going.

[@kriegjaeger]

Thank you so much for this! I'd buy a little pamphet if you sold em, I saved the PDF guide! We got a house with one they had converted to Gas, and to do so they drilled a couple holes in the side about the width of your pinky to run gas lines into. Is it possible to cap those holes and go back to burning wood? I was thinking carriage bolts, maybe with high temp JB weld in any gap left and capping on the outside with a washer and nut.

[@dalah4053]

Just finding you on KZbin. Can you do a video on how to clean out the ashes in this type of wood stove if they build up too high and you aren't ready to let it go out? Our current stove has a bottom grate and ashes fall down to pan. But this type doesn't and we are thinking to buy one with the efficient after burn and front glass door. Thanks.

[@nate2838]

If you have or had a standing dead pine or similar, the sap will have settled into the trunk and the will be areas soaked in sap. It’s often called fat wood (phat wood?) and great fire starter on match 😁

[@AnneWalker-ul9gi]

Excellenté

[@rickvaughan8993]

Been heating with a wood stove for 32 years! Never went through all that nonsense to start a fire!

[@OakJex]

Your such an expert

[@BryanSeigneur0]

Great video! I want to know, is there an air intake [besides the door of course] other than the intake for the heating sleeve for the hot jets for the secondary burn? I guess I presumed there was some additional intake because the top jets are said to be for "secondary" burn. That does make some sense that the O2 source is the top of the stack with nothing on the bottom--it keeps the coals doing their thing.

[@SicanguLakota4rmSouthDakota]

Thank you , how do i use the tiny damper aboce door?

[@alexanderdark6864]

17:00 woah. cool. Can wood stoves be put on floor joist floors or does it have to be concrete?

[@littlehouseinthebigwoods9968]

At 4:28 ... How do I get or find some of those types of sticks? Thanks in advance :-) thanks for the video!

[@Traci_S_Aaron]

I hope that you can make more instructional videos for us green horns lol Great job