Things all woodburner owners learn the hard way

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Ashes stay hot for a really long time
All wood-burning stove rookies quickly find out why old style dustbins used to say ‘No Hot Ashes’ on the lid. Hours and hours after you thought the fire had gone out, they will still burn through anything they get a chance to.

Your woodburner is also really hot
The very purpose of a wood-burning stove is to provide heat to our home. At its most basic level, it is a metal box with a fire inside – and we all know that metal conducts heat. Yet human curiosity demands we – at least for the briefest of milliseconds – touch our stove to find out: “Can it really be that hot?” The answer is always yes – and you never touch the stove again without the aid of a stove glove.

Birds are clumsy
If you don’t have the foresight to install a chimney cowl at the same time as your woodburner, you will quickly discover that, despite having the power of flight at their disposal, birds have a habit of finding their way into stoves.

Smoke is indiscriminate
If you’re not operating your stove correctly and ensuring there is a good draw up the chimney, the smoke generated by your appliance does not really mind whether it goes upwards or outwards. This lesson is usually learnt when inhaling a couple of lungs’ worth of the byproduct of a slumbering stove.

Logs are irresistible
Spot a log – wherever you happen to be – and you will immediately start plotting the logistics of how you might be able to get it home to your stove. You woodburner will bring out a forager’s instinct.

Did you learn something the hard way when you first got your woodburner? Leave a comment below to let us know.

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