Using The Controls

Take Control

The single most important factor affecting the burn temperature is the way you use and control the stove.

If the air controls are shut down too much, the burning temperature drops and lots of pollution is produced. You may be completely unaware of this, so please take time to read the manufacturer’s instructions and understand them.

You can have a good stove attached to a good chimney and use nice dry wood but if you close the air controls too much, then lots of damaging pollution is produced. This process also wastes your fuel and soots up the chimney.

Overnight Burning Is A Bad Idea

Never try to “slumber” your stove for long periods / overnight with the air controls closed off too much. Loading up the average stove to slumber for a long period can easily produce more than a kilo of tiny damaging particles which then pass out the top of your chimney and in to the air we all breathe.

How To Check If You’re Using The Controls Effectively

Symptoms of very poor burning habits include:

  • Blackened glass
  • Constant smoke from the chimney – the chimney will smoke when first lit and perhaps when refuelling but otherwise there should be no smoke – smoke is simply unburned fuel, loaded with damaging particles
  • Unburned wood or charcoal left after the stove goes out
  • Your chimney sweep may say there’s a lot of “tar / creosote” in your chimney. Please follow their advice on how to address this