Wood stoves and chimneys

8-2.1 How often should a chimney be cleaned?

Once a year is the figure these agencies give. The U.S. Fire Administration says to have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected yearly by a professional. CDC gives the same yearly check as a carbon monoxide precaution, and EPA's Burn Wise program says to inspect appliance and chimney annually. EPA stopped updating that program on October 30, 2025, so read those pages as an archive.

The reason is creosote, which a Colorado fire district calls highly flammable. An EPA safety kit, citing the National Fire Protection Association, names a dirty chimney as the leading factor in home heating fires, at 30 percent.

This manual gives no steps for sweeping, because chimney and flue work belongs to a professional. Ask what certification the person holds and what they will show you afterward. If a chimney fire ever starts, stop reading here and go to §E-6.

8-2.2 What makes firewood ready to burn?

Moisture decides it. EPA says wood burns best below 20 percent moisture, and a meter settles the question. Split a log and test the newly split face, as EPA's kit says.

Store it off the ground and cover the top only, which leaves the sides open to dry air. Never burn garbage, plastic, treated lumber or driftwood. Old fence posts and scrap from a remodel can be treated, so leave out anything you can't identify.

8-2.3 Ash, clearance and alarms

A short routine carries most of the daily safety.

1. Open the stove door slowly.
2. Take ash out only after it has cooled.
3. Put it in a covered metal container stored outdoors on a nonflammable surface. Never a cardboard box, and never on a wood deck.
4. Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from the stove.
5. Keep alarms on every floor and outside each bedroom, and test them monthly, as CPSC said in February 2026.

8-2.4 Sizing a stove, and what the label means

Bigger isn't better. CSU Extension says oversizing leads to smoldering and more emissions, so ask a professional to size any new stove to the room or house. The same page puts wood stoves at 63 to 78 percent AFUE and pellet stoves at up to about 80 percent.

Look for the EPA certification label on anything you buy. EPA's kit says certified stoves and inserts cut air pollutants 70 percent compared with older models, and it says to have one installed by a certified professional. This manual could not confirm Colorado's rule on selling or buying new stoves, so ask the dealer in writing.

8-2.5 Can a burn advisory stop your stove?

Mesa County's advisory text is narrower than people assume. A No Burn Advisory from Mesa County Public Health prohibits all open burning, and that page doesn't mention stoves. In a May 14, 2025 advisory the county recommended that residents with wood stoves or fireplaces "limit their use," which is a request and not a ban.

The state's high-pollution-day limits, in an archived and undated copy of Colorado Regulation 4, cover only parts of the Denver metro area below 7,000 feet. This manual confirmed no statewide no-burn rule for stoves on the Slope. CSU does warn that certain Colorado locations may limit wood or pellet stoves, so ask your county and any homeowners' association.