Winter’s still here, but after the festive season, you might be considering just how to service your wood burning stove in order to tidy up a little bit after Christmas. While indeed your own cleaning of your wood burning stove should never be considered a service in the truest sense of the word (we always recommend the services of a HETAS registered engineer!) there are a few things you can do in order to keep your wood burning stove spick and span for the time ahead.
Please keep in mind that all of the below should be done while the wood burning stove has had ample time to cool. No work should be carried out while the stove is still hot.
You’ll want to remove all of the internal parts, including the baffle, the firebricks, the grate, as well as the ashpan. Do bear in mind that firebricks can become fragile after a few good fires, and they can break when dropped. Take care! With a vacuum, you can get all of the ash and wood debris out from the inside of your fireplace. Internal surfaces such as the grate are best tackled using a wire brush and a scraper to get the majority of the fire ruminants up from the inside, and this material can easily be vacuumed up too. We do recommend at this point to give your wood burning stove a once over to ascertain any damage.
Tip: Don’t use your wire brush on the firebricks. A wire brush a little bit too harsh for these, and you may find some of the bricks come away with it! A softer brush is considered the best way to get the soot and the dirt off these. As with the grate, keep a watchful eye open for any signs of damage. While indeed with firebricks, you might see a lot of surface damage, this isn’t really what you’re looking out for. You’ll want to ensure that there are no cracks in the brick first and foremost.
With care, remove the glass from your stove door and replace the old rope seal. Rope seals are designed to be replaced very easily, and should you find yourself at a bit of a loss in order of how to do this, don’t be shy about looking for the instruction manual of your wood burning stove. It’s a job that looks far worse than what it really is!
Take your wire brush and ensure that you take up all of the glue which held your old rope seal up as well. Getting rid of this will allow you to fit the new seal much more easily and be confident that it will hold. It’s best to finish the job by oiling the door mechanism, as well as the hinge pins.
