- Regularly sweep your chimney - at least once a year to get rid of tar and other deposits. It is these buildups that cause chimney fires. If you are burning a lot of wood, especially if the wood is not that well seasoned then you may need to sweep your chimney more often.
- Check the door fire rope smoke seals - in most stoves the door is sealed to the body with fire rope. Over time the fire rope can compress and in the end start to 'leak' air in which means that you cannot control your stove - indeed if the rope has completely failed then the stove can just roar away. One clever way of checking whether the rope is OK is to shut a piece of paper (papre money is good) in the door. If it is easy to pull it out then the seal is not working very well and it is time to replace the door rope seals. If the rope has split or frayed or is coming off the door then you should also replace it. You can read our replacing stove door smoke seals guide.
- Check the grate in your stove to make sure it is not cracked or bent. Replace it before it fails.
- Check the baffle plate (sometimes called a throat plate) and remove tar and deposits from it with a flue brush. This is a plate of metal at the top of the firebox that creates a longer route for the flue gases to travel before they reach the flue exit. If it is starting to burn out then replace it.
- Visually check the firebricks - the firebricks protect the metal of the firebox from the extreme temperatures found in stoves. A few little cracks may well not be worth worring about too much, but if the bricks are crumbling away or the crack means that a bit is about to fall off, leaving (or about to leave) exposed metal then you should replace the brick. If there is exposed metal in the firebox then this will be damaged in the end. This can burn the metal out and/or warp and bend it.
- Check the ashpan - you do not want holes in the ashpan letting hot ash fall as you carry it through your house!
- In summer months leave the air vent or door slightly open - this will ensure that there is a slight draught going through the stove and chimney to keep it free from condensation and moisture, otherwise the stove can start to rust.
- If the stove is rusting and your stove is made of non-emalelled steel or cast iron then clean the rust off with wire wool and/or a wire brush. Then either re-spray your stove - check our painting guide - or use black polish. If you are blacking your stove up with polish then refer to our using stove polish guide.
