It's Time To Upgrade Your Woodburning Stove Options
How to Properly Operate a Woodburning Stove
Wood stoves are an inexpensive and cozy way to heat your home. Smoke from wood stoves can be dangerous to your health. It is important to know how these appliances work and to operate them properly.
Many modern stoves rely upon a catalytic or secondary combustion to limit their emissions. However, older stoves and open fires generate 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 most straightforward way to think of the firebox is to think of it as an enclosed combustion chamber that has walls and doors. Most fireplaces have a prefabricated metal or masonry firebox. wood burning stoves small of box you choose will depend on your preferences as well as the type of fireplace you own.
Most wood-burning fireplaces use a constant air flow to start the fire and burn fuel. Fresh air is drawn in through adjustable dampers located within the doors of the stove. This lets the fuel burn efficiently and helps reduce the toxic gases generated by unburnt or incomplete combustion. The exhaust gases will then be drawn up the chimney and safely away from your home.
Modern stoves that have catalytic secondary combustion make use of a specific catalyst to reburn the unburnt gasses to generate additional heat. This produces a cleaner and less polluting emission than traditional wood stoves that have no secondary combustion. Modern non-catalytic stoves are also available, but they're usually less efficient than stoves that have catalytic secondary combustion.
Some wood-burning fireplaces come with backboilers that can be used for space heating and water heating. These stoves are called "hybrids" or "combination". They are in use since the beginning of the 20th century.
Wood burning stoves should only be lit with seasoned wood. Freshly cut (green) wood has a high moisture content, which can cause low flue temperatures and excessive creosote build-up in the chimney. This can lead to chimney fires that cause damage to the stove, and can even be dangerous to your family's health.
If you're in search of an expert to inspect your wood-burning stove or perform repairs to your firebox, be sure the chimney technician you choose is certified by CSIA certification and also has customer testimonials on their site. You can inquire about their prices and the type of work they perform.
The pipe for ventilation
Wood stoves require ventilation in order to remove fumes from combustion and help keep the home warm and healthy. Ventilation is required to remove carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide from the combustion process. It also reduces the amount of air pollution and heat loss outside. Gas, wood and pellet stoves have different requirements for venting. It is crucial to keep the stove's venting systems on an annually to ensure security and efficiency.
The ventilation system consists of the firebox, the vent pipe and the chimney. The chimney and the vent pipe work together to create draft, which draws smoke from the stove through the fireplace to outside air. The difference in temperature and densities between the hot wood smoke and the cold outside air creates draft. The higher the temperature, the more smoke can rise through the pipe of ventilation and chimney.
Most modern wood stoves are EPA-certified low-emission units. This means that they emit less pollutants than older models, and contribute to global warming and other environmental concerns. The majority of modern stoves have built-in pollution controls to limit the amount they release while ensuring the carbon emissions are burned in an efficient manner.
Older stoves with open flues produce lots of carbon dioxide, which is a poisonous gas that must not be allowed to escape into your home. Carbon monoxide can be a source when the chimney is dirty or if there is inadequate ventilation. Installing carbon monoxide alarms in your home is therefore crucial.
The distance you measure is between the opening of the chimney in the ceiling or wall and the spot where the wood stove is located on the floor. By multiplying this measurement by 2 will provide you with the minimum length of stovepipe that you need. You can use single-wall or double-wall stovepipes and account for proper clearances from combustibles for either type.
When the stove is first lit then adjust the air vent until a proper flame has been created and the combustion is stable. It is also a good idea to stay clear of using wood briquettes in the stove, because they aren't logs and can contain volatile chemicals that could cause the air vent to fail and create a dangerous situation.
The chimney
The chimney may not be something that people pay a lot of attention to, but it's a complex system that requires care and attention. From top to bottom the chimney is made up of several important components, all of which are crucial to ensuring that your stove operates effectively and safely.
The wood-burning stove's combustion gases are emitted to the outside through the firebox, the ventilation pipe and the chimney. This is essential to lower carbon dioxide levels as well as prevent harmful emissions. To accomplish this the chimney and flue need to be sufficiently hot to allow the gasses out of the fireplace, without cooling. This can be accomplished by using a wood-burning stove which produces a large amount of heat, and by adding new logs frequently to the fire.
Modern wood-burning stoves have a higher chimney than older models to increase the effect of drafting. However, this could have its drawbacks in the event that the size of your chimney is greater than the maximum allowed for your location. If this occurs, the chimney may compete with the house stack for draft, causing gases to cool before they exit. This could impede the flow of gases and lead to creosote accumulation that could be a fire hazard.
The most common mistake homeowners make is to open the fireplace door and close it too often. This can adversely affect the combustion. It's important to leave the door shut as much as possible and only open it when you need to add additional firewood or ash. If you leave the door open for too long allows hot air to escape from the stove, causing the logs to become cooler and more difficult to light, and releases volatile compounds that are not burned into the room.
Another common mistake that people make is to use different kinds of combustibles with their woodburning stove, which could cause more emissions or even a chimney fire. The reality is that woodburning stoves are built and designed to burn firewood and not other types of combustibles.
The flue
To ensure proper air flow, a woodburning stove needs a flue that is the correct size. The flue should be at least 25% larger than the pipe connecting the stove and chimney to allow sufficient smoke flow. A wood stove must be placed on a non-combustible hearth with a clear area in front of the fireplace opening.
Modern stoves come with catalytic combustion systems which reduces the amount of harmful byproducts released into the chimney. This feature can help increase the efficiency of wood stoves by burning a flame which produces more heat while emitting less pollution. However, using other types of combustibles, such as coal, can lead to problems, including lower efficiency and greater emissions.
When you are burning wood in a fireplace or stove it is essential to use dried or seasoned wood. If the wood isn't properly seasoned or dried, it could release a large amount of water vapor into your chimney. This could result in low flue temperatures, and possibly a chimney fire.
Another method to avoid a chimney fire is to have a professional examine and clean your flue system regularly. This includes the stovepipe, the chimney, and the chimney itself.
A dirty stove and flue system could result in an unclean chimney draft that could release carbon monoxide into your home. This can be dangerous to your family members and you shouldn't let it occur.
A good rule of thumb is to have your chimney and stove swept by a professional once a year. This will keep your chimney and stove in good order.