We’re now well and truly in the heart of winter with the festive period just around the corner and the temperatures continuing to drop. At UK Stove Installers we are seeing more and more people investing in a woodburning stove and for good reason given the need to heat homes without paying astronomical prices for gas and electricity! 

So, whether you’re getting a woodburning stove installed soon or you just want a bit of a reminder on the best ways to safely use yours – you can read our guide below… 

Step 1 – Read the instructions

We know this isn’t the most exciting part – but the instructions provided with your stove really do provide all the information you need to safely use and enjoy your woodburning stove. 

With all of our stoves, we give our customers a handy guide that details everything from how to light your stove right through to maintaining it. Of course, if you need any advice you can always get in touch with a member of our team.

Once you’ve read the instructions, you’re ready to move on to the next step… 

Step 2 – Open the valves

Before you start, make sure you have enough kindling wood, firestarters and logs. The last thing you want to do is begin this process only to realise you don’t have enough. 

Once you’ve double checked this, it’s time to open the valves to your stove. Opening the valves essentially controls the air flow and lets oxygen in. Without sufficient oxygen, a fire cannot burn efficiently.

Step 3 – Lay your kindling

Once the valves are open you can begin to lay your kindling. We’d suggest building a jenga style stack of around 6-8 kindling sticks. This shape ensures that air can still circulate and helps direct the heat upwards so that the flue (and your living room) will warm up faster.

Step 4 – Light your fire

Once the kindling is in place, put a firelighter in the centre and light it. Make sure you leave the door slightly ajar while the fire is lighting as the ‘flue pull’ will assist in the lighting process whilst ensuring that condensation doesn’t build up on the glass door of your stove.

Step 5 – Add logs as required

Once your fire is lit and established, you can begin to add some smaller logs on top. Make sure you place them one at a time to avoid suffocating the flames. You’ll know when it’s time to add more wood when the logs inside the stove are mostly glowing red embers, if the fire is smoking you may wish to add a little more air flow through the valve so the fire can burn cleanly.

Step 6 – Enjoy!

And there you go, your woodburning stove is perfectly lit and ready to be enjoyed!

Ongoing Maintenance

To keep your stove performing and looking its best for many years to come, we would recommend regular maintenance. We’ve covered this topic in a recent blog post, so you can read more about maintaining your woodburning stove here.