What colour is the smoke from your chimney?
When you light your wood-burning stove, it’s important to make sure that you’re burning in a way that has the least possible impact on the environment – and that you don’t disturb your neighbours with smoke or odours. You should therefore go outside and check the smoke when the fire is well underway. The smoke should be almost invisible, as this will minimise the amount of particles released into the air. If the gases and particles in the wood are not burnt, they will settle as soot in the chimney or be emitted as dark smoke.
Incorrect lighting or poor draft in the chimney
If the smoke is dark in colour, it is a sign of improper lighting in the stove and thus poor combustion. It is therefore important to light the fire properly.
However, dark-coloured smoke can also be a sign of poor draft in the chimney. One solution is a smoke exhauster that is installed on top of the chimney and ensures a constant, even draft throughout the combustion process. There are several good smoke exhausters on the market, but a good example is the Aduro DraftOptimizer. The smoke exhauster lifts the smoke in the chimney and dilutes it up to 25 times. This reduces particle emissions and minimises smoke and odours outside.
Light the fire correctly and save on firewood
When you light your wood-burning stove correctly and have the right draft in the chimney, you can save money on firewood consumption by getting the most out of your firewood. However, always remember to burn dry firewood for optimum efficiency and heat. There are several ways to check if your firewood is dry enough. You can read more about them here.