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How to Properly Operate a Woodburning Stove
Wood stoves are a great way to heat your home. They're also inexpensive. Smoke from wood stoves can be hazardous to your health. It is crucial to know how these appliances function and to use them correctly.
Many modern stoves rely on a catalytic or secondary combustion to reduce their emissions. Older stoves and open flames emit large amounts 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.
The simplest way to think of the firebox is to think of it as an enclosed combustion chamber that has walls and an entrance. The majority of fireplaces have prefabricated metal fireboxes or masonry firebox. The type of firebox you pick will depend on your personal preferences and the type of fireplace that you have.
The majority of fireplaces that burn wood use a constant air flow to start the fire and burn fuel. Fresh air is drawn into the stove through the adjustable dampers in the stove's doors. This lets the fuel be properly burned and also helps reduce harmful gases generated by unburnt or incomplete combustion. The exhaust gases are then drawn up through the chimney and safely out of your home.
Modern stoves with catalytic secondary combustion make use of a specific catalyst that reburns unburned gases to create additional warmth. This produces a cleaner and less polluting fume than traditional wood stoves with no secondary combustion. Modern non-catalytic stoves are also available, but they're usually less efficient than stoves with secondary combustion catalytically.
Some fireplaces with wood burning have backboilers that can be used for space heating as well as water heating. These stoves are known as "hybrids" or "combination". They are in use since the beginning of the 20th century.
Wood burning stoves should be lit with well-seasoned wood. Freshly cut (green) wood has a high moisture content and can result in low flue temperatures and a lot of creosote build-up in the chimney. This could lead to chimney fires that destroy the stove, and can be hazardous to your family's health.
If you're looking for an expert to look over your wood burning stove or to make any repairs to your firebox, make sure the chimney expert you hire is CSIA certified and offers customer testimonials on their website. You can inquire about their prices, and what type of work they can perform.
The pipe for ventilation
Ventilation is a must for wood stoves in order to remove fumes and keep the home healthy and warm. Ventilation is essential to remove carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide from the process of combustion. It also reduces air pollution and loss of heat to the outdoors. Wood, gas and pellet stoves all have distinct venting requirements. Maintaining the stove's ventilation system annually is critical to ensure safety and efficiency.
The ventilation system consists of the firebox as well as the ventilation pipe. The chimney and the pipe are used together to create a draft that draws smoke from the stove through the fireplace. Draft is created by the variation in temperature and density between hot wood smoke and cold outside air. The more hot the temperature, the more smoke can rise through the ventilation pipe and chimney.
Modern wood stoves have been rated as low-emission units by EPA. wood burning stoves means that they produce far fewer pollutants than older models, and contribute to global warming as well as other environmental issues. Many newer stoves have built-in pollution controls to limit the amount they emit, while also ensuring that the emissions are disposed of efficiently.
Older stoves that have open flues create lots of carbon dioxide, poisonous gas that should not be allowed to escape into your home. This could happen if the chimney is not properly maintained or there is insufficient ventilation, which is why it is essential to install carbon monoxide detectors within your home.
The distance you measure is between the chimney's opening in the ceiling or wall and the spot where the wood stove is located on the floor. Multiply this number by two to determine the length of stovepipe you need. You can use either single-wall or a double-wall stovepipe however, you must ensure the proper clearance from burning combustibles.
When the stove is lit for the first time then adjust the air vent until a proper flame has been established and the combustion process is stable. It is best to avoid using wood based logs in the stove as they may contain volatile chemicals that could cause the air vents to malfunction.
The chimney
The chimney is a complicated system that requires careful care. From top to bottom, the chimney is comprised of a variety of essential components, all of which are crucial to ensure that your stove functions safely and efficiently.
The firebox, the ventilation pipe and chimney work together to vent the combustion gases generated by your woodburning fireplace to the outside. This is essential to lower carbon dioxide levels and prevent harmful emissions. To do this the chimney and flue must be sufficiently hot to remove the gases from the fireplace without cooling. This can be accomplished by using a wood-burning stove that produces a large amount of heat, and by adding new logs regularly to the fire.
Modern woodburning stoves are taller chimney than older models to increase the effect of drafting. This could be a problem when the chimney's height is higher than the maximum for your location. In this scenario, the chimney could compete with the house's stack for airflow, causing gases to cool down before leaving. This can restrict the flow of gases and create a buildup of creosote, which poses a potential fire hazard.
The most common mistake homeowners make is to open the fireplace door and close it too often. This can adversely affect combustion. It is important to keep the fireplace door as tightly shut as you can, and only open it to add ash or firewood. Keeping the door open too long allows hot air to escape from the stove, causing the logs to become cooler and harder to light, and also releases unburned volatile compounds into the room.
Other kinds of combustibles may cause higher emissions or even a chimney fire. Woodburning stoves were designed and optimized for burning firewood. They are not suitable for other types of combustibles.
The flu
A woodburning stove requires a properly size flue to permit adequate draft development and air flow. Typically, the size of the flue should be at least 25 percent greater than the stove pipe (which connects the stove to the chimney) to provide enough space for smoke passage. A wood stove should be placed on an uncombustible hearth with a clear space in front of the fireplace opening.
Modern stoves come with catalytic combustion systems that reduces the amount of harmful byproducts that are released into the chimney. This feature can also assist to increase the efficiency of wood stoves by burning a flame that produces more heat and less pollution. However, using different types of combustibles like coal, can cause problems, including lower efficiency and higher emissions.
It is important to use dry or seasoned wood when you are burning wood in your fireplace or stove. If your wood isn't dry or seasoned it will release high levels of creosote and water vapor into the chimney. This can cause low flue temperatures and possibly a chimney fire.
A professional can also assist you in avoiding the possibility of a chimney fire by regularly inspecting and cleaning the flue system. This includes the chimney, stovepipe and chimney itself to ensure all are in good working order.
A dirty flue and stove can result in a poor chimney draft which can produce carbon monoxide in your home. This can be dangerous to your family members and you should never let it occur.
A good guideline is to hire an experienced chimney sweep sweep your stove and chimney each year. This will help keep your chimney and stove in good condition.