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How to Properly Operate a Woodburning Stove Wood stoves can be an affordable and cozy method to heat your home. Smoke from wood stoves can be harmful to your health. It is essential to understand how these appliances function and how to use them safely. Modern stoves utilize secondary or catalytic combustion to reduce emissions. But older stoves and open fires produce 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 firebox can be thought of as a combustion chamber with walls and lid. The majority of fireplaces have a prefabricated metal firebox or a masonry firebox. The type of box you select is based on your preferences and the type of fireplace you have. The majority of wood-burning stoves utilize a constant flow of air to generate the fire and burn the fuel. Fresh air is drawn in through the adjustable dampers in the stove's doors. This allows the fuels to burn correctly, and also reduces the toxic gases produced by burning that is not complete or properly burned. The exhaust gases will then be drawn through the chimney and safely away from your home. Modern stoves that have catalytic secondary combustion make use of a specific catalyst that allows the unburned gasses to produce additional heat. This produces a cleaner and less polluting exhaust than traditional wood stoves with no secondary combustion. Modern non-catalytic wood stoves are also available, but these are typically less efficient than stoves with catalytic second combustion. Some wood-burning stoves include a backboiler that can be used to heat water in addition to space 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 operated with seasoned wood. Freshly cut (green) wood has an extremely high moisture content and can result in low flue temperatures and excessive creosote buildup in the chimney. This can cause chimney fires that destroy the stove and can be hazardous to your family's health. If you're looking for a professional to inspect your wood burning stove or perform any firebox repairs ensure that the chimney professional you choose is CSIA certified and has customer testimonials on their website. It's also important to inquire about their pricing and what is the type of work they can do. The pipe for ventilation Ventilation is required for wood stoves in order to remove smoke and keep the home safe and warm. Ventilation is essential to remove carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide from the process of combustion. It also reduces the impact of air pollution and heat loss to the outdoor. Gas, wood and pellet stoves have different requirements for venting to accommodate the different ways they function. Properly maintaining the stove's ventilation system annually is critical to ensure safety and efficiency. The ventilation system is made up of the firebox as well as the ventilation pipe. The chimney and the vent pipe work together to create draft, drawing smoke from the stove through the fireplace to the outside air. Draft is created through the differences in temperature and density between hot wood smoke and cold air outside. The more hot the temperature, the more smoke rises through the pipe of ventilation and chimney. Most modern wood stoves are EPA-certified as low-emission units. They produce far less pollutants than older models that contribute to global warming and other environmental concerns. Many newer stoves include pollution controls that limit the amount they release while ensuring the emissions are burned in an efficient manner. Older stoves with open flues emit a lot more carbon dioxide, which is poisonous gas that should not be allowed to escape into your home. This can happen if the chimney is not clean or there is insufficient ventilation, so it is essential to install carbon monoxide detectors within your home. Measure the distance between the chimney's opening in the wall or ceiling and the spot where the wood stove is located on the floor. 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 stovepipe and must be aware of the proper clearances from combustibles for either type. When the stove first starts to burn and the flame is first lit, adjust the vent until a good flame has been established and the combustion process is stable. It is best to avoid using wood based logs in the stove since they could contain volatile chemicals that can cause the air vents to fail. The chimney The chimney may not be something that homeowners pay a lot of attention to, but it's an intricate system that requires care and attention. The chimney is made up of a variety of components 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 fireplace to the outside. This is crucial to avoiding harmful emissions and reducing carbon dioxide levels in your home. To achieve this, the chimney and flue need to be sufficiently hot to allow the gasses out of the fireplace without them cooling. This can be achieved by using a wood-burning fireplace that has a high heat output and by adding fresh logs frequently to the fire. Most modern woodburning stoves are designed to operate with a chimney that's taller than older models in order to get a better drafting effect. 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 the gases to cool before exiting. This can result in a decrease in the flow of gas and an accumulation of creosote. One of the most frequent mistakes that homeowners make is to close and open the fireplace door too frequently which could negatively impact the combustion. It is important to keep the fireplace door closed as much as possible and only open it when you are required to add additional firewood or ash. Keeping the door open too long permits the hot air to escape from the stove, which causes the logs to become cooler and more difficult to light. It also releases unburned volatile compounds into the room. small wood stove that people make is to use different kinds of combustibles with their woodburning stoves. This could cause higher emissions or even chimney fire. The fact is that woodburning stoves are built and optimized to burn wood, not other types of combustibles. log burning stoves for sale To ensure proper air flow, a woodburning stove needs flues that are the proper size. Typically, the size of the flue should be at least 25 percent greater than the stove pipe (which connects the stove to the chimney) to provide enough space for smoke passage. A wood stove should be set on a non-combustible hearth with a clear area in front of fireplace opening. Modern stoves are equipped with a catalytic combustion system which reduces the amount of harmful byproducts that are released into the chimney. This feature is also able to increase the efficiency of a wood stove by burning a fire that produces more heat and less pollution. Making use of other types of combustibles other than firewood however, can result in problems, such as lower efficiency and more emission levels. When burning wood in a stove or fireplace it is essential to use dried or seasoned wood. If your wood is not dry or seasoned it will release high levels of water vapor and creosote into the 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 inspection and clean your flue system regularly. This includes the stovepipe, chimney and the chimney itself to ensure that everything is in good working order. A dirty flue and stove can lead to a poor chimney draft which can produce carbon monoxide in your home. This can be dangerous to your family and you should never let it happen. A good rule is to ensure that your stove and chimney are cleaned by a professional every year. This will help keep your chimney and stove in good condition.