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Stove maintenance
Woodburning stove Maintenance, multifuel stove maintenance
Here you will find some basic rules in order to keep your stove healthy
As with most things around the house, stoves need a little bit of tender loving care in order to serve you well throughout its life.
Below are the main parts of your stove that you would need to check in order for your stove to work efficiently:
Fire Grate: This is the part on the bed of your stove that the fuel sits on. If it is a multi fuel stove ensure that the grate can be riddled easily enough. If the grate does not move or is restricted in its movement remove the grate when cool and check for distortion and cracks. Please note that these do occasionally wear out and the normal reason behind this is often due to the ash pan not being cleaned regularly enough. Remove the ash daily as the ash can catch fire and will put direct heat onto the bar which will reduce the life of the grate.
Fire Bricks: are the concrete looking bricks that you normally find in side the stove on the inside walls and at the back of the stove. The job of the fire bricks are to protect the cast or steel shell from damage by the direct heat produced. From time to time the bricks can crack or start to crumble in places. If the crack is very small you can normally cover the crack in fire cement just to seal the crack but this should only be a short term fix and you should look to replace the fire bricks as soon as possible to avoid damaging your stove.
Stove Throat plate: This is the steel plate at the top of the stove that normally rests on top of the Fire Bricks. This is designed to stop all the heat going directly up the chimney and reflects the heat back into the stove. Over time these can sometimes warp slightly if the stove is run frequently at a high heat. If this gets too warped it could cause problems when sweeping the chimney or trying to remove fire bricks.
ash pan: This is what catches the ash in a Multi Fuel Stove. Ensure that there are no holes in the ash pan to avoid having hot ash falling out. this should be emptied regularly as to protect the Fire Grate and the ash pan itself as continued heat could cause damage.
Stove Rope Seal: This is the heat resistant rope that goes around the door or the stove and the inside of the glass. the road will wear out over time and will need to be replaced. you will normally know when the rope needs replacing as there may be air getting into the stove making it burn less efficiently or there may be smoke seeping out of the door or glass. The rope will also go very flat and hard and crispy over time and this is another sign of wear and tear.
Heat Resistant Glass: The glass can get brittle over time and can crack if knocked. Occasionally the glass will become so brittle because of the heat it will crack with the slightest touch. This is normal and can happen after a period of time. Try not to over tighten the glass screws on the in side of the door as these could make the glass crack once heated.
The above mentioned are the main things that can have an effect on the way the stove works. It is recommended that you check the above items regularly. This will ensure that your stove looks after you through out the cold winter months, year after year.
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