How to Properly Operate a Woodburning Stove
Wood stoves are an affordable and cozy method to heat your home. However, the smoke they release can be harmful to your health. It is essential to know how these appliances function and to operate them properly.
Many modern stoves rely on secondary or catalytic combustion to limit their 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.
The most simple way to think about the firebox is that it's an enclosed combustion chamber that has walls and a door. The majority of fireplaces have an already-built metal firebox or a masonry firebox. The kind of firebox you select will depend on your preference as well as the type of fireplace you own.
The majority of wood-burning stoves employ a constant flow of air to produce the fire and burn the fuel. Fresh air is drawn in through adjustable dampers that are located in the stove's doors. This allows the fuels to burn properly and reduces the harmful gases that are produced by incomplete or unburnt combustion. The exhaust gases are then transported through the chimney and safely out of your house.
Modern stoves with catalytic secondary combustion use a special catalyst to reburn unburnt gases to generate additional warmth. This results in a much cleaner and less polluting exhaust than traditional wood stoves that have no secondary combustion. Modern non-catalytic wood stoves are also available however they are usually less efficient than those with catalytic second combustion.
Some wood-burning fireplaces come with a backboiler, which can be used for space heating and water heating. These stoves are referred to as "hybrids" or "combination". They are in use since the beginning of the 20th century.
Wood burning stoves can only be made use of well-seasoned wood. Freshly cut wood (green) has high levels of water. This can result in low flue temperatures, as well as excessive creosote accumulation in the chimney. This can lead to chimney fires that can cause damage to your stove and could be hazardous to the health of your family.
If you are looking for an expert to inspect your wood-burning stove or do firebox repairs, ensure that the chimney professional you hire has CSIA certification and has testimonials from their customers on their website. You can inquire about their prices, and what type of work they do.
The pipe for ventilation
Ventilation is required for wood stoves to remove fumes and keep the home healthy and warm. Ventilation is essential to remove carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide from the combustion process. It also helps reduce the amount of air pollution and heat loss to the outdoors. Gas, pellet and wood stoves have different venting requirements to adapt to the way they function. Properly maintaining the stove's venting system every year is essential to ensure safety and efficiency.
The ventilation system consists of the firebox, the ventilation pipe, and the chimney. The chimney and the ventilation pipe are used in conjunction to create draft, bringing smoke from the stove through the fireplace to outside air. Draft is created by the differences in temperature and density between hot wood smoke and cold outside air. The higher the temperature, the more smoke rises through the pipe of ventilation and chimney.
Most modern wood stoves have been certified as low-emission units by EPA. They produce far less pollutants than older models which contribute to global warming and other environmental issues. Many newer stoves include pollution controls that limit how much they emit, while also ensuring that the emissions are burned efficiently.
Older stoves with open flues produce more carbon dioxide. It is a poisonous, toxic gas and it cannot be escaped into your home. This could happen if the chimney is not clean or if there is not enough ventilation, which is why it is essential to install carbon monoxide detectors within your home.
Before installing a new or used wood stove measure the distance from where the stove sits on the floor to the chimney opening on the wall or ceiling. Multiplying this distance by 2 will give you the shortest length of stovepipe you need. You can choose to use single-wall or double-wall stovepipes, and you must account for proper clearances from combustibles for either type.
The vents for the stove's air must be adjusted when it first starts to light up, until a good flame is established in the stove and the combustion process has been stabilized. It is advised 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 may not seem like something that people give a lot of thought to, but it's actually an intricate system that requires careful attention. From top to bottom, the chimney is made up of a number of important components each of which is essential to ensure that your stove works 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 crucial to reduce carbon dioxide levels as well as prevent harmful emissions. To accomplish this, the chimney and flue must to be sufficiently hot to carry the gases out of the fireplace without cooling. This can be achieved by using a wood-burning fireplace that produces a large amount of heat, and by adding new logs regularly to the fire.
Modern woodburning stoves are designed to operate with a chimney that is taller than older systems in order to get a better drafting effect. This could cause problems if your chimney height exceeds the maximum height for your area. If contemporary wood stove occurs the chimney could compete with the house stack for draft, causing the gases to cool prior to exiting. This can cause a restriction in the flow of gas, and the formation of creosote.
The most common error homeowners make is to open the fireplace door and close it frequently. This can cause problems with combustion. It is important to keep the door of your fireplace closed whenever you can and only open it when you need to add additional firewood or ash. The door that is left open for too long can allow hot air to escape from the stove, which causes the logs to cool and harder to light, and releases volatile compounds that are not burned into the room.
Other kinds of combustibles may create higher emissions, or even the possibility of a chimney fire. The truth is that woodburning stoves are built and optimized to burn wood and not other kinds of combustibles.
The flu
A woodburning stove requires a properly sized flue to allow for proper draft and air flow. The flue should be at a minimum 25% larger than the stove pipe that connects the stove and chimney to allow adequate smoke flow. A wood stove must be placed on an uncombustible hearth with a clear space in front of the fireplace's opening.
Modern stoves are equipped with an engineered combustion system which reduces the amount of harmful byproducts released into the chimney. This feature can also help to increase the efficiency of wood stoves by burning a fire that produces more heat and less polluting. Using other types of combustibles, other than firewood however, can result in problems with lower efficiency and more emission levels.
It is important to use dry or seasoned wood when burning wood in your fireplace or stove. If your wood isn't dry or seasoned, it will emit high levels of creosote and water vapour into the chimney. This can result in low flue temperatures, and even a fire in the chimney.
A professional can also assist you in avoiding a fire in your chimney by regularly inspecting and cleaning the flue system. This includes the stovepipe, the chimney, and the chimney itself.
A dirty stove or system could cause an unclean draft in your chimney, which could cause carbon monoxide to accumulate in your home. This could be hazardous to your family members and you shouldn't allow it to occur.
A good rule of thumb is to hire a professional chimney sweep clean your chimney and stove each year. This will keep your stove and chimney in good condition.