How to Properly Operate a Woodburning Stove
Wood stoves can be a cozy and inexpensive way to heat your home. Smoke from wood stoves can be hazardous to your health. It is important to know how these appliances work and how to use them properly.
Modern stoves utilize secondary or catalytic combustion to control emissions. Older stoves and open flames emit high levels of particulates.
The firebox
The firebox is the heart of any fireplace system. It's where you create a fire to heat your home and provide ambiance. It's a simple concept, but there are many important details that must be accounted for to keep your wood burning stove safe and efficient.
outdoor wood stove to think about the firebox is to think of it as an enclosed combustion chamber that has walls and doors. Most fireplaces have either prefabricated metal or a brick firebox. The type of firebox you select is based on your preferences as well as the type of fireplace you have.
The majority of wood-burning stoves utilize a constant flow of air to generate the fire and burn the fuel. Fresh air is drawn through adjustable dampers that are located in the stove's doors. This allows the fuels to burn properly and reduces the harmful gases produced by incomplete or unburnt burning. The exhaust gases will then be dragged through the chimney and safely away from your home.
Modern stoves that have catalytic secondary combustion make use of a specific catalyst that reburns the unburned gasses to produce additional heat. This creates a cleaner and less polluting fume than traditional wood stoves with no secondary combustion. Modern wood stoves that are not catalytic are available however they are generally less efficient than stoves with catalytic second combustion.
Certain fireplaces that burn wood have backboilers that can be used for space heating as well as water heating. These are referred to as "combination" or "hybrid" stoves and have been around since the beginning of the 20th century.
Wood burning stoves can only be made use of seasoned wood. Freshly cut wood (green) has high levels of water. This can lead to low flue temperatures, and an excessive accumulation of creosote in the chimney. This could lead to chimney fires, which could damage your stove and even cause harm to the health of your family members.
If you are looking for an expert who can examine your wood-burning stove, or make repairs to your firebox, be sure the chimney technician you choose has CSIA certification and provides customer testimonials on their site. Find out their rates and the kind of work they perform.
The pipe for ventilation
Wood stoves require ventilation to eliminate fumes from combustion and help keep your home warm and healthy. Ventilation is necessary to remove carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide from the process of combustion. It also helps reduce air pollution and heat loss outside. Wood, gas and pellet stoves have different venting requirements. Properly maintaining the stove's ventilation system annually is critical for safety and efficiency.
The ventilation system is comprised of the firebox, the vent pipe and chimney. The chimney and the vent pipe work together to create draft, bringing smoke from the stove through the fireplace to outside air. The difference in temperature and densities of the hot wood smoke and the cold outside air creates draft. The more hot the smoke, the more it can rise through the chimney and through the ventilation pipe.
Modern wood stoves are certified as low-emission units by EPA. They emit less pollution than older models that contribute to global warming and other environmental issues. Most newer stoves also have built-in pollution controls to limit the amount they emit while ensuring that the emissions are burned in an efficient manner.
Older stoves that have open flues produce more carbon dioxide. This is a toxic gas that is toxic and should not be released into your home. This can happen if the chimney is not clean or if there is not enough ventilation, which is why it is crucial to install carbon monoxide detectors in your home.
Before installing a brand new or used wood stove, determine the distance between the point where the stove is on the floor to the chimney opening in the ceiling or wall. Divide this measurement by two to determine the length of stovepipe that you require. You can use single-wall or double-wall stovepipes, and you must be aware of the proper clearances from combustibles with either type.
The vents for the stove's air should be adjusted whenever it first gets lit, until a good flame is established in the stove and the combustion process has stabilised. It is recommended to avoid using wood briquettes in the stove, because they are not logs, and can contain volatile chemicals that could cause the air vent to fail and cause a hazardous situation.
The chimney
The chimney might not be something that people think about a lot to, but it's an intricate system that requires care and attention. The chimney is made up of numerous important parts that are essential to ensure the safety and efficiency of your stove.
The ventilation pipe, the firebox and chimney work together to exhaust the gases from combustion produced by your woodburning stove to the outside. This is crucial to avoiding harmful emissions and also reducing carbon dioxide levels within your home. To achieve this the chimney and flue must be hot enough to allow the gases to exit the fireplace without cooling. This is accomplished by using a woodburning stove with an extremely high heat output, and by regularly adding new logs to the fire.
Modern woodburning stoves are built to work with a chimney that's taller than older models to get a better draft effect. However, this could have disadvantages when the height of your chimney exceeds the maximum allowed for your particular location. If this happens the chimney could compete with the house stack for draft, causing gases to cool before they exit. This can impede the flow of gases and lead to creosote buildup that could be a fire risk.
The most frequent mistake that homeowners make is to open the fireplace door and close it frequently. This can negatively affect combustion. It is important to keep the door of your fireplace closed whenever you can and only open it when you need to add more firewood or ash. The door shouldn't be left open for too long. This lets hot air from the stove to escape, making the wood cooler and harder to light.
Another mistake that many make is to use other types of combustibles in their woodburning stoves, which can result in more emissions or even a chimney fire. Woodburning stoves were developed and optimized to burn wood for fire. They are not suitable for other combustion products.
The flu
A woodburning stove requires a properly large flue that allows for adequate air flow and draft development. Typically, the dimensions of the flue should be at 25 percent greater than the stove pipe (which connects the stove to the chimney) to ensure adequate room for smoke circulation. A wood stove should be placed on a non-combustible hearth that has a clear space in front of fireplace opening.
Modern stoves come with the feature of a catalytic combustor that can cut down on the amount of harmful by-products which are released into the chimney. This feature can also help to increase the efficiency of a wood stove by burning a flame that produces more heat and less polluting. Using other types of combustibles other than firewood however, can result in problems with lower efficiency and higher emission levels.
When burning wood in a fireplace or stove, it is important to burn seasoned or dried wood. If your wood isn't seasoned or dried, it could release a large amount of water vapor into your chimney. This could lead to low flue temperatures and possibly a chimney fire.
Another way to prevent a chimney fire is to have a professional examine and clean your flue system regularly. This includes the stovepipe, chimney and chimney itself to ensure that everything is in good condition.
A dirty stove and flue system can lead to a poor chimney draft which could result in carbon monoxide being released into your home. This could be hazardous for your family members and should not be allowed to happen.
A good rule of thumb is to hire a professional chimney sweep sweep your stove and chimney each year. This will help keep your stove and chimney in good order.