How to Properly Operate a Woodburning Stove
Wood stoves can be a cozy and inexpensive way to heat the home. Smoke from wood stoves can be harmful to your health. It's important to understand how these appliances function and how to use them correctly.
Many modern stoves rely on a catalytic or secondary combustion to reduce their emissions. But older stoves and open fires generate 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 firebox is considered a combustion chamber with walls and lid. Most fireplaces come with prefabricated metal fireboxes or masonry firebox. The type of box you select is based on your preferences as well as the kind of fireplace you have.
The majority of wood-burning stoves employ the constant flow of air to generate the fire and burn the fuel. Fresh air is pumped into the stove via dampers which can be adjusted inside the doors. This allows the fuels to burn properly, and reduces toxic gases that are produced by incomplete or unburnt combustion. The exhaust gases are drawn up through the chimney and safely out of your house.
Modern stoves with catalytic secondary combustion employ a special catalyst that reburns the unburned gasses to produce additional heat. This creates a more clean and less polluting smoke than traditional wood stoves without secondary combustion. Modern non-catalytic stoves are also available, but they're generally less efficient than stoves with secondary combustion that is catalytic.
Some wood-burning fireplaces come with backboilers that can be used for space heating as well as water heating. These stoves are referred to as "hybrids" or "combination". They have been around since early 20th century.
Wood burning stoves should only be made use of seasoned wood. Freshly cut wood (green) has a high water content. This can lead to low flue temperatures, and excessive creosote accumulation within the chimney. This can lead to chimney fires that damage the stove and can even be dangerous to your family's health.
If you are looking for a professional who can inspect your wood-burning stove, or make repairs to your firebox, make sure that the chimney technician you choose is certified by the CSIA certification and also has testimonials from their customers on their website. It's also important to inquire about their pricing and what kind of work they perform.
The ventilation pipe
Wood stoves require ventilation to eliminate the smoke from the combustion process and keep the home warm and healthy. Ventilation is necessary to remove carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide from the process of combustion. It also helps to reduce air pollution and heat loss to the outdoors. Gas, wood and pellet stoves all have different venting requirements. It is important to maintain the stove's venting system on annually to ensure safety and efficiency.
The ventilation system consists of the firebox as well as the ventilation pipe. The chimney and the ventilation pipe are used together to create a draft that draws smoke from the stove out through the fireplace. Draft is caused by the variation in temperature and density between hot wood smoke and cold air outside. The higher the temperature of the smoke, the more it is able to rise through the chimney and vent pipe.
Modern wood stoves are EPA-certified as low-emission units. They produce less pollution than older models that contribute to global warming and other environmental concerns. Most modern stoves have built-in pollution control systems to limit the amount of emissions while making sure that they burn efficiently.
Older stoves that have open flues generate more carbon dioxide. This is a toxic gas that is toxic and cannot be escaped into your home. Carbon monoxide can be produced when your chimney is dirty or has inadequate ventilation. Installing carbon monoxide alarms in your home is therefore crucial.
Before installing a brand 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. Multiply this distance by two to calculate the length of stovepipe that you require. You can use a single-wall or double-wall stovepipes, but you must ensure the adequate clearance from burning combustibles.
The stove's air vent should be adjusted when it first starts to light up until a proper flame has been established in the stove and its combustion process has stabilised. It is recommended to avoid using briquettes of wood in the stove, because they are not logs, and can contain volatile chemicals that could cause the air vent to fail and cause a hazardous situation.
The chimney
The chimney is a complex system which requires attention and care. The chimney is made up of numerous important parts which are all essential to ensure the safety and efficiency of your stove.
The combustion gases are vented to the outside through the firebox, the ventilation pipe, and the chimney. This is essential to reduce carbon dioxide levels as well as prevent harmful emissions. To achieve this, the chimney and flue have to be sufficiently hot to carry the gases out of the fireplace, without cooling. This is accomplished by using a woodburning stove that has a high heat output and by regularly adding new logs to the fire.
Modern wood-burning stoves have a higher chimney than older systems to increase the effect of drafting. This can be a problem in the event that your chimney's height exceeds the maximum for your location. In this case the chimney may compete with the house's stack for airflow, causing gases to cool before they leave. This can restrict the flow of gases and lead to creosote accumulation, which poses a potential fire danger.
One of the most common mistakes that homeowners make is to open and close the fireplace door too often which could negatively impact combustion. It is important to keep the door of your fireplace as closed as possible, and only open it to add firewood or ash. The door should not be open for long. This lets hot air from the stove to escape, making the logs cooler and harder to light.
Other kinds of combustibles may produce higher emissions or 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, woodburning stoves require flues that are the proper size. The flue should be at least 25% larger than the pipe connecting the stove and chimney to allow for sufficient smoke circulation. A wood stove should be set on a non-combustible hearth with a clear area in front of the fireplace opening.
Modern stoves are equipped with an engineered combustion system which reduces the amount of harmful byproducts that get released into the chimney. This feature can also help to improve the efficiency of a wood stove by burning a fire that produces more heat and less pollution. However, using other kinds of combustibles, such as coal, can cause problems, including lower efficiency and higher emissions.
It is crucial to use dry or seasoned wood when burning wood in your stove or fireplace. If the wood isn't properly seasoned or dried, it will release a large amount of water vapor into your chimney. This can lead to low flue temperatures, and even a chimney fire.
A professional can also assist you in avoiding an explosion in your chimney by regularly checking and cleaning the flue system. This includes the chimney, stovepipe and the chimney itself to ensure that everything is in good working order.
A dirty stove and flue system could result in an unclean chimney draft that can produce carbon monoxide in your home. This can be harmful to your family and should never be allowed to occur.
A good rule of thumb is to have an experienced chimney sweep sweep your stove and chimney once per year. This will also help to keep your chimney and stove operating efficiently.