Some people say that a wood burning stove can be compared to a pet dog. Before you get one, you need to know that it will need the correct treatment, including feeding and attention just like a dog does.
Let’s explore what that attention and feeding of a stove entails:
It’s critical that you get your chimney swept regularly. This means at least once per year. Without doing so, your chimney or flue system is likely to get a build-up of tar and soot. This could prevent your stove from being able to burn well and it could even cause a chimney fire. Although you may feel that this is an unnecessary use of energy and expense, it would be a false economy not to attend to it.
It’s also recommended that you arrange for a full service of your stove at the beginning of winter and at the end of it. The seals should be inspected, along with an investigation into whether there is any debris that has collected above the baffle plate. You should also ensure that the flue pipe seals and the register plate is examined. During this session, the firebox needs to be cleaned, and the firebrick’s and grate’s condition checked.
Although probably the biggest advantage of installing a stove is the efficiency that you’ll enjoy (many times this is over 80%), most of our customers are looking for the comfort that a stove offers. It looks great and is something that creates a comforting centrepiece of any home.
To keep the stove looking at its best, it’s a good idea to use stove polish on the body of it. In fact, you won’t have to paint it as often if you use this. There are some stove polishes on the market that work in the same vein as a shoe polish.
To keep the glass clean, you can dip a damp piece of kitchen paper town into the ash of soft wood and use this to wipe away any marks. However, you’ll get a better polish from stove glass cleaner. Look for the foaming stove cleaner from ACR for the best results in removing any black marks from ash etc.
Once you have taken care of your stove, you can sit back and enjoy the results. Wood burning and multi-fuel stoves are something that will be at the corner stone of great family memories. They take relatively little maintenance for the pleasure that they produce.
