Owning a multi-fuel or woodburning stove doesn’t make us an expert unfortunately; problems can occur and if you don’t know what to look out for, those problems can spiral out of control and become much bigger – and much more expensive – problems.

More often than not, the simple problems or quirks that happen from time to time can be easily solved, no matter how daunting they initially seem.

Here are a few common problems that occur and how best to deal with them:

Stove is Hard to Light

Problems with lighting a fire in your stove can fall down to the wrong materials being used or the fire being made up incorrectly. Follow proper fire building techniques to help your fire light properly.

Difficult to Control the Temperature

Stoves can actually burn too hot, which can cause overfiring and ultimately, damage to your stove.

The most common cause is too much oxygen being drawn into the fire. Check all your doors and glass seals are intact and make sure you’re familiar with the controls on the stove to make sure a good temperature is maintained.

A stove thermometer is a wise idea as it will tell you if your fire is burning too hot using an easy to read, colour-coded gauge.

Stove Not Burning Well

This problem is most commonly down to the use of damp fuel. Make sure you are burning the correct type of fuel specified for your stove and that you are burning it correctly. If the problem continues, have a professional check your flue for any blockages or other problems.

Stove Is Smoking

All stoves should be correctly fitted to a good chimney so that no smoke or fumes find their way into your home. If smoke is finding its way into your room, this is usually an indication that there is a problem with the flue. Often a lack of ventilation is the culprit. Flues and chimneys need an air supply into the room to be able to remove the smoke effectively.

Always make sure you are using smokeless coal in your fireplace to prevent the creation of large amounts of toxic fumes.