How to Properly Operate a Woodburning Stove
Wood stoves are an affordable and cozy method to heat your home. Smoke from wood stoves can be harmful to your health. It is important to know how these appliances work and how they operate.
Many modern stoves rely on secondary or catalytic combustion to limit their emissions. Older stoves and open flames release 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.
The simplest way to think of the firebox is that it's a box-like combustion chamber with walls and doors. Most fireplaces have either prefabricated metal or a brick fireboxes. The type of box you select is based on your preferences and the kind of fireplace you have.
Most wood-burning stoves use an air flow that is constant to create the flame and burn the fuel. wood stove furnace is drawn into the stove via dampers which can be adjusted inside its doors. This allows the fuels to burn correctly, and also reduces the toxic gases that are produced by incomplete or unburnt burning. The exhaust gases will then be dragged up the chimney and away from your home.
Modern stoves with catalytic second combustion use a special catalyst that reburns unburned gases to produce additional warmth. This produces a more clean and less polluting exhaust than traditional wood stoves with no secondary combustion. Modern non-catalytic stoves are also available, but they're typically less efficient than stoves with secondary combustion catalytically.
Some wood-burning stoves have backboilers that can be used to heat water, in addition to space heating. They are known as "combination" or "hybrid" stoves and have been in use since the beginning of the 20th century.
Wood burning stoves should be lit with seasoned wood. Freshly cut wood (green) has high levels of water. This could lead to low flue temperatures, as well as excessive creosote accumulation within the chimney. This could lead to chimney fires, which can harm your stove or cause harm to the health of your family.
If you're in search of a professional who can inspect your wood-burning stove or do repairs to your firebox, make sure that the chimney professional you hire has CSIA certification and also has testimonials from their customers on their website. It is also essential to inquire about their rates and what type of work they do.
The ventilation pipe
Ventilation is a must for wood stoves in order to eliminate fumes and keep the home safe and warm. Venting carries away carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and excess moisture from the process of combustion. It also reduces air pollution and heat loss outside. Gas, pellet and wood stoves have different requirements for venting to adapt to the way they operate. Properly maintaining the stove's venting system every year is essential for safety and efficiency.
The ventilation system consists of the firebox, the ventilation pipe and chimney. The ventilation pipe and chimney work together to create draft, drawing smoke from the stove through the fireplace and into the outside air. Draft is caused through the variation in temperature and density between hot wood smoke and cold air outside. The higher the temperature, more smoke rises through the pipe of ventilation and chimney.
The majority of modern wood stove s have been rated as low-emission models by the EPA. This means they emit far fewer pollutants than older models, and contribute to global warming and other environmental issues. Many newer stoves have built-in pollution controls to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide they release while ensuring the emissions are disposed of efficiently.
Older stoves with open flues emit lots of carbon dioxide, a poisonous gas that must not be allowed to escape into the home. This can happen if your chimney is not clean or there is insufficient ventilation. It is essential to install carbon monoxide detectors in your home.
Before installing a brand new or used wood stove determine the distance between the place where the stove is placed on the floor to the chimney opening on the ceiling or wall. Multiply this distance by two to calculate the length of stovepipe you need. You can use single-wall or double-wall stovepipes, and you must be aware of the proper clearances from combustibles for either type.
When the stove is first lit and the flame is first lit, adjust the vent until a stable flame has been created and the combustion process is stable. It is also a good idea to stay clear of using wood briquettes in the stove, as 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 is a complicated system that requires attention and care. The chimney is composed of numerous important parts which are all essential to the safety and efficiency of your stove.
The ventilation pipe, the firebox and chimney work together to vent the combustion gases produced by your woodburning stove to the outside. This is essential in preventing harmful emissions and reducing carbon dioxide levels in your home. To achieve this the chimney and flue should be hot enough to allow the gases to exit the fireplace without cooling. This is accomplished by using a woodburning stove that has a high heat output and by adding regularly new logs to the fire.
Modern woodburning stoves have a taller chimney than older models to increase the effect of drafting. This can be a problem when the chimney's height is higher than the maximum height for your area. If this occurs the chimney could compete with the house stack for draft, causing gases to cool prior to exiting. This could result in a pause in the flow of gas, and the formation of creosote.
One of the most common errors that homeowners make is to open and close the fireplace door too frequently which could negatively impact the combustion. It is important to keep the fireplace door closed whenever possible, and only open it when you need to add additional firewood or ash. The door shouldn't be left open for too long. This allows hot air from the stove to escape, making the logs cooler and less likely to light.
Another common mistake that people make is to use different kinds of combustibles inside their woodburning stoves, which could result in higher emissions, or even a chimney fire. Woodburning stoves were designed and optimized for burning firewood. They are not suitable for other combustion products.
The flu
A woodburning stove needs a correctly sized flue to allow for proper draft development and air flow. The flue must be at least 25% larger than the pipe connecting the chimney and stove to allow for sufficient smoke flow. In addition the stove must be placed on a hearth constructed of a non-combustible substance and is clear and unobstructed area in front of the fireplace opening.
Modern stoves are equipped with an engineered combustion system that reduces the amount of harmful byproducts that get released into the chimney. This feature is also able to improve the efficiency of a wood stove by burning a fire that generates more heat and emits less. Making use of other types of combustibles than firewood, however, can result in problems, such as lower efficiency and more emission levels.
When you are burning wood in a fireplace or stove it is essential to burn seasoned or dried wood. If your wood isn't well-seasoned or dried, it could release a lot of water vapor into the chimney. This can lead to low flue temperatures and possibly a chimney fire.
A professional can also help you avoid the possibility of a chimney fire by regularly checking and cleaning the flue system. This should include the chimney, stovepipe and chimney itself to ensure that everything is in good working order.
A dirty stove or system can cause an unclean draft in your chimney, which can cause carbon monoxide to accumulate in your home. This can be harmful to your family and should never be allowed to occur.
A good rule is to have your chimney and stove cleaned by a professional every year. This will help keep the chimney and stove operating efficiently.