How to Properly Operate a Woodburning Stove
Wood stoves are a great option to heat your home. They're also inexpensive. But the smoke they emit can be harmful to health. It is important to know how these appliances work and to use them correctly.
Modern stoves employ secondary or catalytic combustion to reduce 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 most straightforward way to think of the firebox is that it's an enclosed combustion chamber that has walls and an entrance. Most fireplaces have an already-built metal or the masonry fireboxes. The type of box you select is based on your preferences as well as the kind of fireplace you have.
Most wood-burning stoves use an air flow that is constant to create the fire and burn the fuel. Fresh air is drawn through adjustable dampers located inside the stove's doors. This allows the fuel to be properly burned and also helps reduce toxic gases that are caused by unburnt or incomplete combustion. The exhaust gases are then taken up by the chimney, and safely out of your house.
Modern stoves that have catalytic second combustion make use of a specific catalyst that allows unburned gases to be reburned to produce additional warmth. This results in a more clean and less polluting exhaust 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 stoves have backboilers that are used to heat water as well as for space heating. These are referred to as "combination" or "hybrid" stoves and have been around since the early 20th century.
Wood burning stoves must be operated with well-seasoned wood. Freshly cut wood (green) has a high water content. This can result in low flue temperatures, and an excessive accumulation of creosote in the chimney. This can lead to chimney fires that can cause damage to your stove and could be harmful to the health of your family.
If you're looking for an expert to examine your wood-burning stove, or perform any firebox repairs ensure that the chimney professional you choose is CSIA certified and offers reviews from their customers on their website. It's also important to inquire about their pricing and what is the type of work they can do.
The ventilation pipe
Wood stoves require ventilation in order to remove fumes from combustion and help keep the home warm and healthy. Venting helps eliminate 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 function. Maintaining the stove's ventilation system on a regular basis is crucial for safety and efficiency.
The ventilation system is made up of the firebox as well as the ventilation pipe. The chimney and the pipe work together to create draft that draws smoke from the stove out through the fireplace. The differences in temperature and densities between the hot wood smoke and cold outside air creates draft. The higher the temperature, more smoke rises through the vent pipe and chimney.
The majority of modern wood stoves are certified by the EPA as low-emission units. This means they emit far fewer pollutants than older models, and contribute to global warming as well as other environmental concerns. The majority of modern stoves come with pollution controls built-in to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide they emit while ensuring that the emissions are disposed of in an efficient manner.
Older stoves with open flues emit lots of carbon dioxide, which is an extremely poisonous gas and should not be allowed to escape into your home. Carbon monoxide can be produced when the chimney is dirty or if there is inadequate ventilation. Installing carbon monoxide alarms in your house is therefore important.
The distance you measure is between the opening of the chimney in the wall or ceiling and the location where the wood stove is on the floor. Multiplying this number by 2 will give you the shortest length of stovepipe you need. You can use single-wall or double-wall stovepipes, and you must account for proper clearances from combustibles for either type.
The air vent of the stove should be adjusted whenever it first starts to light up and maintained until a stable flame is created within the stove and its combustion process has been stabilized. It is recommended to avoid using wood briquettes in the stove, since they aren't logs and can contain volatile chemicals that can cause the air vent to malfunction and create a dangerous 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. From top to bottom the chimney is comprised of a number of important components, all of which are essential to ensure that your stove works efficiently and safely.
The firebox, ventilation pipe and chimney work together to release the combustion gases generated by your woodburning stove the outside. This is essential to reduce carbon dioxide levels and to prevent harmful emissions. To achieve this the chimney and flue should be hot enough to move the gases from the fireplace without cooling. This is accomplished by using a woodburning stove with a high heat output and by regularly adding new logs to the fire.
Modern woodburning stoves are taller chimney than older systems to improve the drafting effect. This can be a problem if your chimney height exceeds the maximum height for your area. If this happens the chimney could compete with the house stack for draft, causing gases to cool before exiting. This could result in a pause in the flow of gas, and a buildup on creosote.
One of the most common errors that homeowners make is to open and shut the door to the fireplace too often, which can negatively impact the combustion. It is crucial to keep the door of your fireplace as closed as possible, and only open it when you need to add firewood or ash. The door shouldn't be left open for too long. This allows the hot air from the stove to escape, making the logs cooler and more difficult to light.
Another common error that people make is using other kinds of combustibles inside their woodburning stove, which could cause higher emissions, or even a chimney fire. The truth is that woodburning stoves were designed and optimised to burn firewood and not other kinds of combustibles.
The flu
To ensure that the airflow is proper, a woodburning stove needs an exhaust pipe that is the correct size. Typically, the dimensions of the flue has to be at 25 percent greater than the stove pipe (which connects the stove to the chimney) to provide enough space for smoke passage. Additionally the wood stove should be set on a hearth constructed of a non-combustible material and is clear and unobstructed area that is in the front of the fireplace opening.
Modern stoves have a feature called catalytic combustor which can reduce the amount of harmful by-products that are released into the chimney. This feature can improve the efficiency of wood stoves by burning a flame which produces more heat while emitting less pollutants. However, using other kinds of combustibles, like coal, can lead to issues, including lower efficiency and higher emissions.
It is important to use seasoned or dry wood when burning wood in your stove or fireplace. If your wood is not dry or seasoned, it will emit high levels of creosote and water vapour into the chimney. This could result in low flue temperatures and even a fire in the chimney.
fireplacesandstove.com can also help you avoid a fire in your chimney by regularly checking and cleaning the flue system. This should include the stovepipe, chimney and chimney itself to ensure all are in good condition.
A dirty flue and stove could result in a poor chimney draft which could result in carbon monoxide being released into your home. This can be dangerous to your family members and you should not allow it to happen.
A good rule of thumb is to hire an experienced chimney sweep sweep your stove and chimney once per year. This will help keep the stove and chimney operating efficiently.