1 – Use the Best Firewood
Not all wood is created equal. While the wood you use for an outdoor fire pit is one thing, you must be selective when choosing wood for your stove. The best firewood contains anywhere from 15 to 20 percent moisture, and is small enough to properly fit in your stove.

2 – Don’t Go Overboard With the Wood
Wood stove experts agree, adding too many wood logs destroys overall combustion and leads to a smaller, cooler fire. By stuffing the stove with firewood, you effectively remove air needed for the ideal combustion rate. The perfect amount of wood fills the stove without blocking the air inlet. It’s best to refuel the stove more often rather than overload the stove and reduce its efficiency while increasing its smoke output.

3 – Keep Your Wood Happy and Dry
While you may have purchased properly dried wood, if improperly stored, moisture can be injected into the wood. Do not store wood under a tightly closed tarp. The best way to keep your wood dry is to store it off the ground and shielded with a roof-like structure to protect against rain and snow. When stacking wood, do not tightly pack wood together. In order to sustain its optimum dryness level, wood must have access to free-flowing air. Do not store an excess amount of wood in your home living areas. Only store wood for immediate use in your home.

4 – Properly Burn the Fire
Running a fire in a wood stove is much different than a camp fire. Above all, never allow smouldering, slow fires to bloom. These fires enhance creosote development, which becomes a serious fire hazard. On the other hand, avoid roaring fires. Large fires produce too much direct heat, which may damage the chimney and stove while also wasting wood as roaring fires send its heat directly up the chimney rather than throughout your home and on the stove.
The best fires are those produce moderately-sized flames and practically no smoke within the stove firebox. The stove thermometer should read between 250 and 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Maintain this temperature range monitoring wood amount and air flow.
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5 – Annual Cleaning 
All wood stove experts agree the entire system should be thoroughly cleaned at least once a year, maybe twice for heavy-use stoves. A properly maintained and cleaned stove is more efficient and significantly safer than a neglected system. Over time, especially if high moisture wood or improper burning techniques are used, a highly flammable substance known as creosote builds up along the chimney. If left unchecked, this deposit grows and increases the chance of a house fire. Therefore, have the entire stove system professionally cleaned before fall and winter months.

Here's a link to a Wood  Burning Stove Blog, where one can search for various tips to maintain and clean your stove or fireplace. Keep in mind that in India we do not get all accessories, paints and cleaners. However, if one is not technically challenged one can still do a lot with locally available material/help. Also, Amazon.com is increasingly delivering US products to India. In the meanwhile we are testing Indian made heat resistant paint, which will be cheaper than imports.
http://woodburningstoveblog.blogspot.in

These videos were shot for Ishan from Darjeeling to have a look at how I had placed my stove with a rear flue. Please note that that the flue pipe dia is the same as that of the 'spigot' (round cast iron ring on the flue exit of the stove - if you can't see it then it's inside the firebox, wrapped safely), while the flue has a 30-40 mm long lessor diameter slide into the stove. I've never used a fire cement or welded the two and have never had a problem with smoke or leaks, However, I share my experience with the CAVEAT that you are responsible for your safety, as with all fire products. So please follow the instructions carefully and look for wiser instructions on youtube.