At some point you will no doubt have come across the magnetic stove thermometers which change colour depending upon the temperature. These are placed on stove flue pipes, a minimum of 300 mm above the stove, and are visible from a distance. When you bear in mind that you can feel the heat coming from your stove it does beg the question, what use is a stove thermometer?
Over fueling
It seems bizarre to suggest that you can over fuel your wood-burning stove but you would be surprised to learn how many people fall into this trap. The idea that you can literally plough was much wood into your stove as possible in order to increase the heat output is inefficient at best and a waste of money at worst.
A stove thermometer will alert you to overheating because quite simply your stove is manufactured to create a specific amount of heat kilowatts. You can pile as much wood into the stove as you want but this will not increase the heat output but it will increase the gas escaping up your chimney – increasing the temperature of the flue and potentially damaging the liner. There is also a danger that it could reduce the lifespan of your stove because put simply it is not manufactured to go above a certain kilowatt output.
Running your stove too cold
If you are looking to buy a stove you should look at the range of kilowatt output to give you an idea of how powerful the machine is. While over fuelling a wood-burning stove can damage the machine and increase the cost of your fuel for no benefit, running your stove too cold can also cause damage. Surprised?
If you under fuel your stove this will reduce the effectiveness of the draw, lead to tar like deposits in the chimney flue, blacken the glass of your stove and potentially cause chimney fires. Quite simply, if your stove is running too cold it will not burn off the excess gases and there will solidify in the chimney flue causing potential damage and safety issues. Who would have thought that you could actually under fuel your stove?
Getting the best out of your stove
There is an art to getting the best out of your wood-burning stove which you will find out in time. If you over fuel your machine this will effectively waste your money, cause potential damage and possibly reduce the life of your stove and chimney flue. Running your machine at a cold temperature by under fuelling can also cause great problems as we have highlighted above. The modern day wood-burning stove is an extremely focused and well-structured machine but it needs to be used in the correct manner with the correct amount of fuel.
If you have any issues about getting the best out of your wood-burning stove please feel free to call us at any time and we are more than happy to discuss your concerns. Acquiring and installing a wood-burning stove can be relatively expensive so the least you can do for your own peace of mind is to get the best out of your wood-burning stove. Do not sit back and wonder, give us a call and we can allay any fears you may have and help you to run your machine as efficiently as possible.