How to Maintain a Woodburning Stove

A wood-burning stove can be an an efficient and effective way to heat your home. It is important to maintain your woodburning appliance to ensure its maximum performance.

Tip: Choose seasoned wood with low moisture content. This will result in longer burn time and will produce more heat.

State environmental agencies are struggling with how to tackle the problem of particulate air pollution from old woodburning stoves.

How They Work

Like the name suggests woodburning stoves burn wood in order to generate heat. They do this by enclosing the fire inside a steel and glass body. This also helps to keep the temperature of your home at a consistent level. It also acts as a barrier to stop smoke from entering your living space.

Stoves regulate combustion by regulating the amount of oxygen they let into the fire. This is accomplished through one or more controllable air vents that can be opened and closed to control the amount of oxygen entering the fire.

Modern stoves employ catalytical or non-catalytical technology to regulate this. Catalytic stoves feature catalytic converters that are designed to reburn the gasses generated during primary combustion to ensure that they do not escape into the room. Non-catalytical stoves don't have the catalyser, and instead rely on secondary combustion within the firebox to reduce emissions.

It is recommended that you only burn wood that is seasoned in your woodburning stove. This means it must have a moisture content of less than 20 percent which allows the fire to burn more efficiently. This will help reduce the amount of smoke and harmful pollution from the flue system and also make the glass inside your stove less likely to be blackened by creosote, a byproduct of burning wood burning stove that can develop over time.

The use of seasoned wood can reduce emissions and save you money on heating bills. It produces more heat per unit of fuel. This is because drier wood has a larger surface area, and thus produces more heat for a given volume of fuel.

Wood smoke can be dangerous to anyone, but it is particularly dangerous to children and adults with weakened lungs. It can also irritate those with lung disorders such as asthma or chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). If you live in a designated smoke control zone, make sure your stove is properly and properly seasoned. It should also be equipped with a chimney that is in compliance with the standards of the area.

Burning Wood

Woodburning stoves are a clean and renewable source of heat. They can be used to keep your home warm during a power outage. They also reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels like oil and gas, which are harmful to the environment.

Modern woodburning stoves operate more efficiently than older models and are engineered to avoid creosote build-up but it is still important to monitor the combustion process. Creosote can be a dangerous byproduct of incomplete combustion. It can clog up the chimney if allowed to build up, leading to reduced efficiency and posing the risk of a fire. Using seasoned wood will help keep the levels of creosote at a minimum and save on the cost of logs as well as helping avoid the need for professional cleaning services.

There are stoves that burn both coal and wood offering you the option of choosing between carbon-neutral energy sources. It is crucial to remember that coal is not a sustainable fuel and there are concerns regarding the method by which it is mined.

It is recommended to choose a Defra approved stove and one that is also Ecodesign ready, since these will comply with the most recent emission regulations. The UK building regulations have specific requirements for the way that the flue is positioned, the size of hearth, and the distance that the stove is from flammable materials, so it's always wise to talk to one of our stove experts prior to purchasing a new stove.

Other combustibles, like paper and garbage should not be used in wood-burning stoves because they could cause more pollution, at worst an explosion in the chimney or worse, make them operate less effectively. Other combustibles are less dense than firewood, which means they burn at a lower heat and produce more particles.

It is also important to use only dried, seasoned, split and dried firewood since this will be more efficient in burning. Wet or damp wood creates more pollutants and smoke. It is recommended to also use a stove pipe of high-quality to ensure that the temperatures of the flue are adequate and that it is set up correctly.

Emissions

Wood-burning stoves release a variety of gases and particles. They release a lot of fine particulate (PM2.5) that can enter the lungs, penetrate the bloodstream and potentially damage the heart, liver, and brain. However, they also produce carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and carcinogenic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs. Some even spit out poisonous metals, such as arsenic and mercury, based on what they're burning.

There have been numerous attempts in the US to regulate the amount electric wood stove-burning stoves emit pollution with different degrees of success. In 1988 the Environmental Protection Agency set emissions guidelines that basically limited the amount of pollution that new stoves could release. Since then there were two more changes to these guidelines, and the latest in 2015 mandates that all stoves, catalytic and non-catalytic emit no more than 4.5 grams of pollutants per hour.

Although these rules were strict, they caused a significant change in the industry, causing hundreds of smaller manufacturers to close up shop and create a race to create high-quality and efficient stoves that were both durable and able to produce less emissions than conventional models. To improve their products, stove designers studied and analyzed combustion flow baffles, combustion chamber shapes. They also looked into insulating materials and recirculation system. They eventually succeeded.

The moisture content of wood is a key element in determining the emission. The higher the level of moisture is, the more pollutants the stove produces. The best method to cut down on the emission levels is to using seasoned firewood which has been properly dried over a period of 6-8 months.

According to a variety of studies, comparing exhaust-related particle pollution only wood burning stoves could produce as much particle contamination as 15 diesel vehicles. These tests were not scientifically valid. These studies do not consider that the majority of the particle pollution from cars comes from its brakes, engine, and tyres, not its exhaust.

Ten blue states are putting pressure on EPA to review their carbon emissions as well as air-quality guidelines for wood-burning appliances. Attorneys general from New York, Washington and Illinois have declared that they will sue the EPA in the event that it continues to allow high-emitting stoves to continue to be sold in homes across the nation.

Maintenance

Although wood-burning stoves are extremely efficient in heating homes but they can be difficult to maintain. To keep your stove looking and working properly, you will have to keep it clean regularly. A dirty stove could affect the health of the people who live there and how much heat it generates. Cleaning the stove is not the only maintenance task that needs to be carried out to keep it working well.

Cleaning the exterior and interior of a stove is simple to do. Cleaning your stove is recommended every week or every two weeks, depending on how often it is used. It is also recommended to clean the firebox of ash every time the stove is used. Spread an old newspaper over the floor prior to scooping the ashes from the stove, and put on gloves to protect your hands. It is also recommended to utilize a ash container made of metal instead of a bucket since this will help prevent rust.

Cleaning the chimney and flue clean is equally important. It is recommended to employ a professional chimney sweep at least once or twice a year to thoroughly clean the chimney and stove. This will prevent creosote buildup and reduce the risk for chimney fires.

A chimney must be examined for cracks in the flue liner as well as the masonry, excessive creosote deposits or bird nests, as well as other debris. A professional chimney sweep will be capable of repairing these issues and restore a functioning, safe chimney.

The clear glass that is used on a wood-burning stove can become smudged and cloudy as soot builds up over time. Spray a mixture of ammonia and water on the glass and wipe it off with a clean cloth. It is best to avoid scratching the glass since it can weaken the glass and break it when it is hot.

Paint that is heat resistant can be used to re-paint wood burning fireplace in the event that the paint starts to chip. These paints are typically available at places where wood stoves are sold and can be found in a variety of colors.