Using the Wood Stove

The wood stove is really a closed fireplace rather than a stove in the traditional sense, but the same principles apply. If you’ve never run one before, it’s completely fine to just leave it alone — there’s no need to use it.

Layout

Diagram of the stove showing the flue damper at the back, the primary air lever at the bottom left, and the secondary air lever at the bottom right

  • Primary air lever — bottom left. Pull it outward to open, push it in to close.
  • Secondary air lever — bottom right. Pull it outward to open, push it in to close.
  • Flue damper — a small lever behind the stovepipe, at the back. Vertical means open. In general, just leave this one alone — and be aware that its handle gets very hot during use.

Starting a fire

  1. Open the door using the handle, then remove the handle — it gets hot, and you won’t need it again until you want to open or close the door.
  2. Stack 4 to 6 pieces of wood in pairs, alternating their orientation each layer, with kindling (paper and bark) in the middle.
  3. Make sure both the primary and secondary air levers are fully open.
  4. Make sure the flue damper is open (vertical) — it should normally just be left in this position.
  5. While lighting the fire, you can leave the door slightly ajar, as long as no smoke is escaping into the room.
  6. Once the fire is going, close the door fully. Keep it closed during normal operation — fresh wood can spark and pop.

Maintaining and refueling

Once the fire is burning well, reduce the primary air lever to about 25% open. If the fire is still too hot, reduce the secondary air as well.

To refuel, add one piece of wood at a time (or up to two smaller pieces). Don’t overfire the stove — wait at least 10–20 minutes between refuels to make sure it isn’t already running too hot.