Old Dominion Chimneys
It’s autumn and with the beautiful fall weather comes lovely evenings that smell like burning leaves and pumpkin bars. The breeze is cool and you can feel winter in the air. Now is the time to make sure your wood burning appliance is running the way it’s supposed to and that it is ready to take the chill out of the air. There are some special considerations to know about when you’re dealing with wood stoves, and Old Dominion Chimneys knows all about them and can take care of any problems you may have.
Caring for Your Wood Burning Stove
One thing that you should know about your wood burning stove is that it’s important to use only properly cured wood. It might be tempting to use your wood burning stove to burn trash or untreated wood, but doing so could cause problems for your stove. Not only could these products emit harmful gases, but burning trash might also cause a chimney fire to occur.
Another good idea is to build small, hot fires. This will help make sure that there are less safety issues, and that the quality of the air is better. You’ll also want to make sure that the stove’s air-intake vent is clear. If you’d like to monitor the amount of gases leaving your stove, you can install a stack thermometer. This doesn’t only help with pollution control, it can also help you keep your stove running efficiently.
If you use your wood burning stove a lot, you know that it’s important to clean the ashes out periodically. To do so, first make sure that your stove is completely cool before you attempt to clean it. You’ll want to use a metal ash bucket, and use a metal scoop to scoop the ashes out of the firebox. Get as many ashes out as possible, and while you’re at it, look at the interior of your stove to make sure that there aren’t any cracks or areas that need to be repaired.
Creosote Buildup
Burning wood in your wood-stove will cause creosote buildup in your chimney, and that’s why you need to make sure to have your wood stove inspected on an annual basis. When wood burns, water vapor and chemicals are released and float up and out of your home through the chimney. However, some of those byproducts end up condensing on the interior of the chimney, and that can cause a creosote buildup that needs to be cleaned out regularly. That’s where Old Dominion Chimney comes in. We will do a thorough inspection and can check out your stove at the same time. We aren’t satisfied until we know that our customers are satisfied, and that means making sure that your stove is safe and ready to go as soon as the weather turns cool.
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