Before purchasing a wood burning stove decide which fuels you to want burn. Find out if you live in a smoke control zone otherwise you could be limited to burning smokeless fuels. Many makes of wood stove nowadays are smoke exempt or defra approved models which means you can burn wood in a smoke control zone.

Get your stove serviced and the chimney swept in the summer time. Chimney sweeps and installers are usually ambushed /overwhelmed with requests in the winter months. The crazy season starts at the beginning of September when the kids go back to school.

Always have your chimney swept at least once a year. Unswept neglected chimneys increase the risk of chimney fires or carbon monoxide poisoning. Chimney fires in flue liners can weaken the cripping and shorten its life span! Please protect your investment.

Only burn dry seasoned wood. Ensure its moisture content is under 20% .You can check the content with a decent moisture meter which costs about £30. Burning seasoned wood gives off a lot more heat than wet wood because you are not wasting energy turning moisture into steam.

Clean your stove with a dry cloth (not a wet one) otherwise it will leave white marks.

Coal needs a supply of fresh air coming from underneath so always remember to empty the pan.

Do not burn wood and coal together. The moisture from the wood can mix with the coal to produce a sulphuric acid solution that can rot your flue liner! Wood and coal burn efficiently in different conditions.

Many of you who are reading this have oil gas fire Aga / Rayburns. These need sweeping too! Its best to have it done at the time of servicing when the appliance is cold

A common mistake is to presume if you have a multi-fuel stove and flue liner installation you can burn all types multi-fuel on it such a coal / anthracite etc. This is not correct as most flue liner installations have a 316 liner with a Multi-fuel stove. Which have the advantage of riddling ash over a wood burner has a flat try to catch the ash. A true multi-fuel flue liner installation is where a 904 flue liner is used instead of a 316 flue liner.

Wood burns well on a bed of ash.

A stove thermometer is a great way to monitor the efficiency of your wood burner. It tells you when the stove is running most efficiently or if you have an issues with over heating. The thermometer can be attached to the stove flue pipe or can positioned on top on the stove.

When you first use your new stove you need to begin the process of ' burning in' this ensures your cast iron stove doesn't crack due to thermal shock. Start by lighting a small fire and gradually increase it with each firing. This ensures years of enjoyable hassle free stove use.

A solid fuel installation removes old polluted air from a room and draws in fresh air from the outside. This means a room is better ventilated with a stove installation. Condensation and dust levels can be reduced due to the constant air changes. Medical research suggest that solid fuel heating could reduce the risk of asthma, hayfever and eczema.

Have a fast burn period for about twenty minutes for every twelve hours the stove is alight this helps to clear the flue. This is especially important for stove that happen to be oversized.