Burning well
Lighting, air controls, thermometers, glass and refuelling: how to get a clean, hot fire from your stove.
Calculators
CO alarm checklist
Example: 3 of 4 checks done: 1 thing to do
Guides
How to light a wood burner: step by step
How to light a wood burner cleanly: top-down or traditional, air controls, kindling and when to add the first logs.
Wood burner tips for a cold snap
Getting the most from your stove in a cold snap: dry logs, refuelling, and keeping the rest of the house warm.
Stove air controls explained: primary, secondary, airwash
What each air control on a wood burner does, and how to set them for lighting, burning and slowing the fire.
Keeping a wood burner going overnight
What to know before trying to keep a stove in overnight: why smouldering is a problem, and what your manual says.
Stove fans explained: how heat-powered fans work
How a heat-powered stove fan works, what makers claim and what to check before buying one. Spec-based, not tested.
Stove thermometers explained: reading the zones
How a stove-top or flue-pipe thermometer works, what its zones mean, and what to adjust when it reads too cool or too hot.
Top-down fire lighting: how and why it works
The top-down method for lighting a stove: how to build it, why it smokes less, and when it doesn't suit.
What to do with wood ash: disposal and garden uses
How to cool and dispose of stove ash safely, and the garden uses the RHS describes.
Why is my stove glass black? Causes and fixes
Black stove glass usually means wet wood, a low burn or a blocked airwash. How to diagnose it and keep the glass clear.