Month: July 2020

Used in households across the world, wood burning stoves are powerful heating solutions that can provide warmth and charm to virtually any home.

Far more efficient and environmentally friendly than other sources of heat, a wood burning stove is a sound investment and is a great option if you’re looking to replace an older, open style fire. Charnwood’s wide range of Ecodesign Ready stoves are up to 90% more efficient than a traditional open fires and older stoves.

How does a wood burning stove work?

Wood burning stoves offer exceptional reliability and can be used to heat properties of all shapes and sizes, as well as individual rooms. They remain one of the most energy efficient ways to heat a property, using renewable and locally sourced fuels to generate heat.

How to use a wood burning stove

A wood burning stove generates a great deal of heat, so we would recommend you wear protective gloves when operating it.

One of the keys to a successful fire is to ensure your wood is dry with a moisture level of less than 20%.

Start by making a small ‘Jenga’ stack of kindling around a firelighter on top of 2 small logs. A top tip is to use a natural fire lighter as this generates better results with a cleaner burn.

Once you’ve done this, you can then light your fire. To get the fire started you should always leave the stove door slightly cracked open and the air lever pulled all the way out to allow oxygen to flow over the kindling. If you do need to re-fuel the fire at any point, simply open the air supply lever and the door to the stove, then place your new logs on your stack of burning wood. We recommend loading little and often.

How to install a wood burning stove

In the UK it is important your stove is fitted by a HETAS registered engineer or fitted according to Building Regulations (document J) and signed off by Building Control.

We would always recommend purchasing a stove through one of our official Charnwood stockists who will either offer a full installation service or recommend a registered installer. We have carefully handpicked our dealerships to ensure they provide you with the best advice, service and, crucially, after sales support. Stoves purchased through this route also qualify for our 10 year dealer backed guarantee and a 1 year no quibble guarantee on all consumable parts (such as door seals, firebricks and glass).

There are many things to consider when it comes to wood burning stove installation, including whether you have an existing chimney breast or fireplace, distances to combustible materials, the size of your room, the age of your property and how well insulated your home is.

Your official Charnwood stockist will, in most cases, carry out a full survey of your fireplace and  will need to know a number of things about your property including if you’re installing the stove in a smoke-controlled area. They will also recommend the right sized stove for your property and ensure that the model you choose complies with current and future regulations.

If you’re considering buying a wood burning stove, get in touch with our skilled and experienced team.

Suitable for heating a wide variety of different living spaces, wood burning stoves are incredibly popular.

One of the most efficient ways to heat a property, a wood burning stove is capable of heating just a room or an entire home, while helping to keep your energy bills low. Functional and aesthetically pleasing, a wood burning stove also provides an attractive focal point in any living area.

But how do you clean your wood burning stove? During the winter months, when the majority of homeowners use their stove regularly, it’s easy for wood burning stoves to become dirty and in need of some TLC.

If you’re looking to clean your stove, we’ve put together our top tips on how to clean a wood burning stove to keep it looking as good as new.

Wood burning stove cleaning tips and tricks

Cleaning the surface

When it comes to cleaning your stove’s exterior surface and surrounding area, you can’t go far wrong with a soft brush, damp cloth and a vacuum cleaner. These tools are ideal for removing any soot and dirt and is best undertaken when your stove is unlit and cool.

How to clean glass on a wood burning stove

It is always important to burn well seasoned, dry logs on your stove but occasionally soot will accumulate on the glass of your wood stove, especially if you’ve been using firewood with a moisture content over 20%. The good news is, it can be easily removed by dipping a damp cloth into the soft ashes from the stove and simply wiping away the soot from the glass. You will also find there are a number of different wood burning stove cleaners on the market that you can use to clean the glass effectively. At Charnwood we offer our Schott dry wiper which works very well.

Also explore our Wood-Burning Stove FAQs.

Empty your ash pan

When your wood burning stove is not in use it is worth emptying out the ash pan as well as the firebox completely . However, when it’s time to use your stove again during cooler evenings and colder months, it is useful to remember that lighting your fire on a bed of ash is much more effective.

Inspect the door and flue seals

When cleaning your wood burning stove, take the opportunity to inspect the rope seals on the doors and flue. It’s not uncommon for the seals to succumb to everyday wear and tear, so it’s important that these are checked frequently and changed if necessary.

A fresh spray of paint

Finally, if your stove is looking tired and unloved, don’t be afraid to get out the stove paint can.

The vast majority of Charnwood stoves are painted with heat resistant paint, however they can become scratched and pick up dust and dirt over time. Before painting your stove, you should make sure that the surface is dry, clean and free from any grease. Before spraying your stove we would recommend masking off the glass and handles and gently rubbing down any areas to be retouched with a Scotchbrite pad. You can purchase Charnwood high temperature stove paint from your local Charnwood stockist or on our spares shop. We offer a choice of eight colours and even full paint kits if you choose to ever change the colour of your stove completely.

Follow these tips and your wood burning stove should be good as new in no time at all.

To find out more about cleaning your wood burning stove, get in touch.