Preparing Your Wood Heater For Winter

/in /by

With winter well on its way, many Melbourne families with wood burning fireplaces will be looking to maximise their heating solution by preparing it properly now.

Make certain your wood burning fireplace is safer to operate, provides cleaner heating, and is more cost-effective to reduce your utilities budget. Turn up the heat and improve the air quality in your home with these practical steps on preparing your wood heater for winter.

  • Source properly-prepared wood

Untreated, unpainted and properly seasoned (dried out thoroughly) wood will burn more efficiently and provide better heating output. The problem with damp wood is that it uses more heat to remove water content and gives off higher smoke levels.It is recommended that you get your wood ready a season in advance.

  • Operate your wood heater according to manufacturer instructions

Ignoring manufacturer guidelines and instructions is counter-intuitive and can shorten your wood heater’s service life. Always stick to maintenance procedures such as having the flue exhaustively checked out and cleaned before the onset of winter. This will provide you with peace of mind that your wood heater is operating in optimal condition and that chances for any nasty surprises from occurring are drastically slim.

  • Don’t overload your wood heater

Stacking too much wood in your wood heater works against what you are trying to achieve. Not only will you increase the level of oxygen needed for it to heat up efficiently but you will inadvertently increase the level of creosote build-up.

Other successful wood burning techniques include:

  • Use kindling to start a hot fire quickly.
  • Ensure air control settings are on a high setting to maintain a blazing fire.
  • Let your fire go out overnight. Leaving the wood heater on overnight, even with the air setting at its lowest, generates lots of smoke and achieves very little heat output.

With a little thought and a bit of extra time taken in preparing your wood heater, you can have a home as warm as toaster this winter. If you’re looking to install a new wood heater in your home or need assistance with preparing your fireplace for winter, get in touch with Quadra-Fire today.