- Most modern wood burning stoves are built for maximum efficiency. Seasoned wood is burned in the firebox. If the wood is not dry, it does not burn cleanly. Wood that is too wet may not burn at all, but simply smolder. While the wood is burning, the damper (a moving divider between the stove and the stove pipe) should be completely open, allowing the hot air to circulate from the stove and the smoke to escape into the chimney. When there is no fire in the stove, the damper should be closed.
- Heat from the stove may be distributed through radiation and convection, with most stoves using a combination of the two in order to heat a room or even a house. Heat shields on the sides of the stove prevent the radiation of heat into a room. All modern stoves have heat shields on the rear and back of the stove, but some stoves have heat shields on the other sides as well. While a fire is burning, the amount of oxygen admitted into the fire chamber is controlled to control the fire itself.
- The most modern and efficient wood burning stoves, when operating at maximum efficiency, should produce little or no smoke. The smoke they do produce should be white because it is mainly water vapor. Over time, creosote may build up in the flue and chimney. Creosote is a product of burning wood. Main causes of creosote formation are slow burning fires, burning wood that is wet, or maintaining a low flue temperature. Creosote coats the interior of the flue, chimney, and everything else it touches. When too much creosote coats the interior of the chimney, the likelihood of a chimney fire increases. Chimneys, flues and stovepipes should be inspected yearly for creosote deposits and other obstructions or defects. Because of the possibility of creosote, it is imperative that wood used in a wood burning stove is properly seasoned. In the case of hard woods, this means that it must be dried for a year or more.
