The firing-up stage is absolutely crucial to getting a well-functioning wood-burning stove since proper firing-up quickly creates an optimal combustion temperature and a good chimney draught. How to fire up properly 1: Place 2 large pieces of fuel (5-8 cm thick), with the bark facing downwards, at the bottom of the combustion chamber. 2: On top, build a little tower of 12-14 kindling sticks with an adequate supply of air between them. 3: Place a couple of briquettes/pellet bags between the uppermost layers. 4: Ignite the briquettes/pellet bags so that the wood burns from the top down. Leave the door slightly ajar. 5: After approximately 10 minutes, or when you can easily feel the heat at a distance of 15-20 cm from the glass, close the stove door. 6: Once the flames have died down to embers, it is time to add new wood. NEVER OPEN THE DOOR while there is flames! If there are flames, there are gases – if there are gases, there is smoke – and if there is smoke, it will come out when the door is opened! Carefully, open the stove door 1-2 cm, and after approximately 5 seconds it can be opened fully.  You can now put 2-3 pieces of dry wood on the stove – it may help to stoke up the embers before you put the new wood on top of them.
Always remember: – Light the fire at the top, that way you can save up to 80% of the particle emissions being emitted into the environment during the firing-up phase. – Always use one or more firing-up blocks and lots of dry firewood that has been broken up into small pieces. Basic rules for correct firing 1: Use wood that is clean and dry with a maximum of 18-20% moisture. A moisture meter is relatively inexpensive and can specify the water content. See TermaTech’s moisture meter at your dealer ‘s showroom. Wet wood does not burn well, gives off a lot of smoke and creates more pollution. Never fire up with waste materials – waste materials may contain carcinogenic dioxins and will render the warranty void.  Never fire up with carbon or carbon products. Never fire up with pressure-impregnated wood– even small amounts contain acids that will destroy the stove and chimney. 2: Make sure there is an abundant supply of air – An insufficient air supply can result in the smoke containing harmful particles. It can result in the formation of soot on the window, in the stove’s interior and in the chimney. It also harms the environment. 3: Fire up a little at a time – The fire has to take hold in the fuel so that the temperature gets high quickly. Large pieces of wood have a lot of mass and a small surface, which means that it takes too long to get the core temperature up. Consequently, the fuel will simply smoulder instead of burning. The firewood should not measure more than 30 cm (In very wide stoves it can be longer) and should not be thicker than a man’s forearm. Using 2-3 pieces of wood every time you fire up the fire will give the best combustion. 4: NEVER try to “fire over”. Wood must have air in order to burn correctly. Limiting the air supply will result in the wood emitting gases but these will not ignite. Instead, they will pollute the environment, the stove and the chimney. 5: Go outside and check – The smoke from the chimney should be almost invisible – If there is too much smoke and it smells nasty, you are probably doing something wrong.