Do not do this

Do as I say, not as I do. Because what I do might lead to a chimney fire. That's when all the gunk inside the chimney suddenly bursts into flames and putting it out is difficult, messy and maybe even dangerous. So do not do what I do, even though it actually has never led to a chimney fire in my case, and even though in this forest we laugh about it and puff our chests and call chimney fire "the area chimney sweep".

What I do, and what you must never ever do, is to collect the embers in the stove in the evening in one corner and add a chunk of green wood. That's right, not a piece of nice, dry firewood, but quite fresh green wood. Never do this.

Then I put some glossy magazines over it all (pictured above, if poorly), and close the air intake. Newspapers don't work for this absolutely inexcusable routine. The embers slowly dry out the green wood, all the while keeping the stove quite, but not extremely hot. This is perfect, in fact, for keeping the room's temperature cozy and nice, but not sweltering.

The reason one should never do this is that the green wood and the low temperature conspire to clog the pipe with ever more creosote. So don't do it.

Then in the morning i shake everything up inside, the fire starts going, and I add some dry wood to crank up the heat.

I learned this from Ole Wik's book Wood Stoves: How to make and use them (mentioned previously). It sure is a nice trick when you have special, delicate guests who just don't see the thrill in waking up in sub-freezing temperatures.

But you must never do it.