Simple DIY Maintenance and Repair for Wood Stoves

Wood stoves are popular with many people today because they can decrease the cost of the overall heating bill. They are relatively easy to install and use environment friendly fuel options such as wood. They are great for a secondary source of heat for your home. Here are a few simply maintenance and repair tips you can follow to keep your wood burning stove in great condition for years to come.

The Old Rule Broken

There is a long-standing guideline for wood stoves and fireplaces, and that is to burn only hardwood. The reason for this is because burning softwoods contributes to creosote buildup. This rule does not apply to the newer high-tech clean burning catalytic wood stoves. They are able to burn hotter, so there will not be any creosote buildup.

Spotting Trouble

Once you have made a fire and it is in its normal burning cycle, it's a good idea to go outside and look at the chimney to see if you can spot any trouble. If you happen to see lots of smoke exiting the flue, you are either burning the stove too cool or you are using poor firewood.

Cleaning

To help prevent internal rusting of your wood stove, you will want to clean the interior of the wood stove at the end of the heating season. To do this, you will need to use a shop vacuum that is fitted with a crevice tool to help remove soot and ash, and then spray a light coat of silicone lubricant inside the wood stove and flue to help protect against humidity.

To clean an enameled wood stove, you will need to wash off the dirt or soot with a solution of equal parts vinegar and warm water. Then you will repair any chips and scratches with a touch-up kit sold by the manufacturer.

Cast-iron Stove Care

After you have painted a non-enameled stove, you will want to light the first fire on a day when you can open the windows because the stove will produce smoke as the paint cures. The open windows will allow the smoke to drift out.

Back Puffs

Because the air is warmer, chimney drafts are weaker in the spring and the fall than in the winter. Therefore, back puffs are more likely to happen. Back puffs are when the smoke collects and then ignites in the firebox. During those seasons you will want to light smaller fires and use less wood. This will let more air into the firebox.

Door Gasket

You will want to check the door gasket on your wood stove once a month during heating season. When the stove is cold, you will hold a dollar bill in the door and close the door on it. You will then tug on the dollar bill, if you can easily pull it out, you need to adjust or replace the door gasket. If the dollar bill will not budge, this means the door gasket is good and it is not necessary to replace it. You will also want to check for any loose spots all around the stove's door gasket.

Resources: 1001 Do-It-Yourself Hints & Tips