HOW TO MAINTAIN YOUR WOOD FIRE OR STOVE

Are you bothered by a lot of soot in your wood-burning stove? Or do you want to make sure you are heating cleanly and responsibly? Then it is important that you maintain your wood fire or stove properly. Maintaining and cleaning a wood stove can largely be done easily yourself, such as removing the soot from the window of the wood stove.
 
In this blog, we give you tips on how to remove soot from your wood fire. We discuss the following points:

• Why soot removal from wood fire is important
• Making the wood stove ash- and soot-free
• Removing soot from the glass of the wood stove
• Maintaining the wood fire flue
• These regular checks will ensure you heat your home safely

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Why soot removal from wood fire is important

If you use your wood fire regularly, as the main heating system of the house, then over time you will see soot build up on the glass of the wood fire. But even if you do not use the wood-burning stove that often, it is very important to keep the fire clean and well maintained.
 
Do you pay attention to these points when buying a wood fire? Then you are buying a safe and clean fire. Buying a good appliance is not enough, as fire maintenance is also very important for safe heating. Burning wood leaves soot and ash behind in the fire, on the glass and in the flue. If you do not clean your stove regularly, the soot and ash will accumulate. When a lot of soot and ash remains in the wood stove, you run the risk of a chimney fire.
 
Correct stoking and regular maintenance will therefore make stoking a wood-burning stove safer, but it will also extend the stove's lifespan. Most maintenance on the fire is easy to do yourself, but for the sweeping of the flue, we recommend calling in a professional chimney sweep.

Cleaning the stove of ash and soot

Removing ash and soot residues from the wood stove is easy to do yourself. Make sure the stove has cooled down completely. Wait until there is no more heat coming off the fire and the ash left behind does not contain any glowing particles. Use a soft brush to wipe the ashes from the fire. Collect the ash well, as it can cause stains. Dispose of the ash in the green container.
 
How often you need to remove ash from the fire depends on how regularly you use your wood fire. Always check the combustion chamber or ash drawer before firing wood in the fire and remove the ash in time.
 
Need to clean the wood fire thoroughly? You do this by polishing the combustion chamber with a dry sponge. Do not get the sponge wet and never use detergent to clean the inside of the fire. Water can cause rust and (chemical) cleaning agents are very flammable.

Cleaning the fan and vents

Not every wood stove has a fan or vents. Does your wood fire have a fan and vents? Then you should clean these from time to time with a special brush. Soot and ash remaining in the fan and vents will wear down the fan and cause an annoying noise. 
 
Prefer a wood-burning stove to a fire? Check out our collection!

Collection of wood-burning stoves

Removing soot from wood stove glass

Lots of soot on the glass of the wood stove, it not only obstructs the fire view, but can also affect safety. Therefore, clean the windows of the wood stove also when you remove the ashes from the stove.
 
Removing soot from the glass of the wood stove is very easy if you keep up with maintenance. With a piece of newspaper and hot water, you can easily polish off the deposits from the stove glass. Have you waited too long to clean the pane and using hot water is not enough? Then add a little natural, non-flammable detergent to the hot water.
 
After firing the wood stove, are you bothered by a lot of soot on the glass of the wood stove? Chances are you are not firing the right wood. Read our instructions for safe stoking again. Stoking with the right wood will prevent frequent and intensive maintenance.

Maintaining your wood fire flue

Have your flue swept at least annually by a skilled chimney sweep. Whether you use your wood stove almost daily, or only once a week, maintaining your flue is very important!
 
The smoke you see rising above the flue when burning wood carries off soot, but during this journey through the flue, soot is also left behind in the chimney. Besides the soot released from burning wood which accumulates in the flue, a lot of debris can collect in the flue through the outside. The accumulated soot and debris creates dangerous situations. The fire cannot ventilate properly and the particles left behind are flammable. If you don't have your flue professionally cleaned often enough, you run the risk of a chimney fire.
 
Want to find a reliable chimney sweep? Your DRU dealer can undoubtedly recommend expert companies!

Contact a dealer

These regular checks make sure you heat your home safely

In addition to regular wood stove maintenance, carry out regular checks to ensure you heat your home safely and efficiently. You can easily perform the most important fire checks yourself using our instructions. Make sure you only perform such checks when the fire has cooled down completely and there are no glowing ash residues in the fire.

1. Check the sealing of the stove door

Make sure the door of your stove seals properly, this will save heat. If the door of your fire does not close properly, you will lose heat. As a result, the fire will achieve less power and efficiency will decrease. In short, you will save on heating costs if your fire's door closes properly.
 
Check regularly that the fire's sealing cord is still doing its job and that the door is closing properly. Check the seal by putting a piece of paper between the door and closing it. Check that the piece of paper is stuck between the door, then you can be sure that the door closes properly.
 

Is the door not closing properly? Then it's time to lubricate the door's hinges and replace the sealing cord. Remove the cord and the glue residue left behind after which you attach the new cord according to the instructions.

2. Check the flame plate of the wood stove

Some wood stoves and fireplaces have a flame plate. Does your fire have such a flame plate? If so, check from time to time that the flame plate has enough space to expand when heated. Try taking out the flame plate and see if there is any space in the fire for the flame plate to expand slightly.

3. Maintenance service by a DRU dealer

Does the flame plate have no room, or you can't take it out? Then it is time to have the flame plate replaced. Replacing the flame plate is always done in consultation with your dealer.

Are you experiencing problems with your stove, or do you want to be sure your fire is clean and safe? Schedule a service with a service engineer! Our technicians are professionally trained and specialised in carrying out maintenance and checks on our fires. You can easily schedule a service via your DRU dealer.

Want to know more about removing soot from your wood stove?

Maintaining and cleaning a wood stove is not complicated and doesn't have to take a lot of time, as long as you do the maintenance regularly. With our maintenance and cleaning tips, you will be able to remove soot from your stove and maintain the fire properly. If you still have questions about cleaning and maintaining your stove? Then contact a DRU dealer! They can tell you everything about maintaining your stove.

Contact a DRU dealer