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Maintaining a Woodburning Stove

August 18, 2022

 

Maintaining a Woodburning Stove

There are a few things to consider when investing in a woodburning stove, with one of those things being the ongoing maintenance and cleaning to keep the stove looking and performing its best.

A dirty stove that hasn’t been maintained particularly well does have the potential to make your room look untidy. Plus, a stove that’s properly looked after will be more efficient and stand the test of time – which of course, is what you want when investing in your home. 

With that being said, a woodburning stove isn’t too difficult to maintain at all. The main thing to ensure you do is get into a good routine, we’d suggest setting some time aside on a monthly basis to keep on top of things. Throughout the winter months, you should clean your stove more frequently depending on how often you use it.

We’ve broken down all the main areas you need to focus on when it comes to cleaning and maintaining your stove. Read on to find out more…

Cleaning Inside Your Woodburning Stove

Firstly, let’s discuss the inside of your woodburning stove and how you should clean it. The first thing to point out is that, for obvious reasons, make sure you’ve left the stove to cool down for long enough before you begin to clean it. You should also make sure you’re wearing protective gloves before you start.

To clear out the ash, use a small spade to move it to one side and brush slowly into your metal container. The key thing here is not to rush it! Ash can be quite messy and easily get in the air if you move too quickly. Once the ash is inside the container, take it outdoors and keep it there. Make sure you don’t keep the ash inside your home as storing it inside, particularly if you keep adding ash to the container without emptying it, can result in a buildup of carbon monoxide.

Once all the ash is collected, you can dispose of it outdoors. If you’re unsure of how to dispose of the ash, check with your local council for specific guidance on the disposal of ash into general waste. The one thing to note is that you should never put hot ashes in the bin as it could melt the plastic and cause a fire.

Cleaning the glass of your woodburning stove

To make sure you always have a great view of the flames, you should clean the glass of your woodburning stove regularly. To do so, simply wipe it with stove glass cleaner, leave it for a few minutes and wipe down with a damp cloth. It’s important you choose the right kind of glass cleaner, as the glass on your stove requires a different cleaning product to other glass that you have in your home. 

Soot build up is a common problem which can be easily resolved, so don’t panic if your glass starts to look dark. Some of the soot can be removed with a bit of elbow grease when wiping down the glass, but the rest can be resolved with a little bit of wood ash. Simply dampen a cloth and dip it into the ashes, rub it in a circular motion on the glass until the soot has come off. Make sure you don’t use coal ash for this as it will scratch the glass.

Cleaning the exterior of your woodburning stove

Cleaning the exterior of your stove is a pretty simple job and is best done with a vacuum cleaner using the soft brush attachment. You could use a cloth to wipe away any dust, but keep it dry as a damp cloth can cause streaks and could rust the stove eventually.

Make sure you’re gentle when it comes to cleaning the exterior, stoves shouldn’t be polished, but lightly wiped to remove dust with a dry cloth.

Keeping your chimney in good condition

The final part you need to think about is the chimney, which is arguably the trickiest job but one of the most important. A buildup of soot in the chimney can mean that the smoke isn’t expelled properly. As a general rule, for woodburning stoves, we’d recommend having a chimney sweep every quarter when in use. You can easily find a chimney sweeping service near you online.

Closing thoughts

And there you have it, the main things you need to know about taking care of your woodburning stove. If you have any further questions about how you would maintain your new stove, get in touch today and a member of our team will be happy to help.

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