6 tips to make wood burning less harmful

How do you fire the right way?

Thus, when you burn wood, particulate matter is released which creates unhealthy air. Improper firing creates more pollutants in the air, however, how many pollutants are released depends on how you fire:

1. Fire only dry wood;
2. Never use painted or impregnated wood;
3. Do not burn paper or cardboard;
4. Use firewood with the FSC or PEFC label;
5. Open the air supply in the stove all the way;
6. Check that you are stoking properly: a good fire has yellow and even flames and you can hardly see smoke coming out of the stove pipe.

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What fuel do I choose for my wood stove?

In the stove of your hot tub or sauna, you can choose many different fuels, but not all of them are equally good for the environment. Suitable resources to fire include:

1. Wood briquettes;
2. Good clean and dry wood.

The Swiss way of firing

The so-called Swiss way of firing, also called "reverse firing" is a good method you can use when firing up the wood stove. With this method of firing you make sure that the most combustible material is on top, the advantage of this is that complete combustion occurs almost immediately from the start. This way you get a fire in the stove quickly and easily without much harmful smoke.

Steps for firing the Swiss way

1. Measure the moisture percentage of the wood: make sure it is between 15 and 22%;
2. Fully open the ash pan or any air supply;
3. Place the wood using the Swiss method: Place two or three blocks of wood flat on the bottom, with the cleaved side facing up. You can place additional blocks on top of this, if necessary, depending on space;
4. Place a number of small logs crosswise on top of the large logs, then place a firelighter on this wood.
5. Light the kindling;
6. Leave the stove door slightly open; you can close it when the kindling catches fire properly.
7. Let the stove burn quietly; you may be able to control this by sliding the ash drawer further open or closed.

You can refill the stove by pushing the ashes and burning logs to the back. You then place the new log back in the front of the stove with the cleaved side up, this way the new log can ignite quietly.

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