How to Start a Fire in Your Wood Stove – Without Matches or Newspaper

You’ve probably done it. Wadded up sheets of yesterday’s newspaper and stuffed it amongst the kindling in your wood stove. Lit innumerable matches and tossed them atop the newspaper. Blew a stream of your own hot air onto the tiny flame until you got lightheaded.

Now, there’s a better way to light a wood stove. It’s called GreenStart™, a state-of-the-art ignition system that lights your stove in about 1 minute with the click of a button.

Now we’re talking!

The GreenStart system pulls room air into a small igniter unit that’s embedded into the sidewall on the back of a wood stove. It super-heats that air to 1400 degrees Farenheit. The super-heated air comes out an exit point on the unit and starts the kindling burning in about 1 minute. The entire cycle of forcing super-heated air through the unit takes about 15 minutes.

When doing a “cold start” of your stove, all you do is place the kindling close to the exit point for the super-heated air and push the “start” button.

When you want to refresh a fire that’s already been lit, you simply load the wood into the firebox and push the button.

In this video, our friends at Travis Industries in Mukilteo, WA (manufacturers of the Fireplace Xtrordinair, Avalon, and Lopi brands), explain how the GreenStart igniter works and demonstrate the ideal way to load kindling into your wood stove when using this option.

Be sure to check out the notes below the video. You’ll learn about two FPX inserts that are available with the GreenStart option.

GreenStart™ Wood Ignitor Option - Available Now from Travis Industries on Vimeo.

How to load kindling into an insert that uses the GreenStart option

1. Add two pieces of kindling to the bottom of the firebox.
2. Add a third, medium-size piece of kindling crossways, as close to the igniter exit as possible.
3. Add a second medium piece of kindling about 1 inch away from the first one; then add additional pieces in a log-cabin fashion.
4. Add larger pieces of kindling.
5. Once you’re finished adding layers of kindling, add larger pieces of wood to the rest of the fireplace.
6. Close the door.
7. If your unit has a bypass, make sure it’s in the fully-open position. Also make sure the air control is in the fully-open position. 
8. Press the “Start” button and the GreenStart system will light your fireplace.
9. After about 15 minutes, when the fire gets going well, close the bypass.

FPX Elite Plus Inserts With GreenStart Option

33 Elite Plus with Single Arched Door

FPX’s exclusive flush-to-the fireplace design enhances the beautiful lines of a classic fireplace and provides modern heating efficiency. This insert heats a space up to 2,000 square feet with less wood and longer burn times and is designed to be installed in both masonry and zero clearance wood burning fireplaces.

33 Elite Plus with Single Rectangular Door

Features the Shadowbox face and single piece panel for a simple design that conceals the convection opening to give a sleek linear appeal. This insert features a variable speed, high volume blower which can utilize the hard-wiring option kit to preserve the classic good looks of your existing fireplace without a power cord showing on the hearth.

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