WoodBurning And Multi Fuel Stove Maintenance

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 ashpan 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.

Ashpan: 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 Ashpan itself as continued heat could cause damage.

 Stove  Rope Seal: This is the heat resistant roap 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 too 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.