How to Maintain a Woodburning Stove

A wood-burning stove can be efficient and efficient way to warm your home. It is important to maintain your woodburning appliance to ensure that it performs at its peak.

Tips: Choose wood that is seasoned that has a low content of moisture. This will allow you to burn the wood for a longer period and generate more heat.

State environmental agencies are wrestling with the issue of air particulate pollution from old wood burning stoves.

How They Work

Like the name suggests wood-burning stoves burn wood to generate heat. The fire is contained in the body of glass and metal that helps to maintain a constant temperature in the home. It also acts as a barrier that prevents smoke from entering your living space.

The primary way stoves control the combustion process is by regulating the amount of air they allow into the fire. This is accomplished by opening and closing one or more air vents.

Modern stoves employ non-catalytical or catalytical technology to control this. Catalytic stoves are equipped with an catalytic convertor designed to reburn the gas that is produced during primary combustion, so they don't escape the room. Non-catalytical stoves are not equipped with the catalyser, and instead rely on secondary combustion within the firebox in order to reduce emissions.

It is recommended that you only burn seasoned firewood in your wood-burning fireplace. This means that it must have a moisture content less than 20 percent which allows the fire to burn more efficiently. This will help to eliminate smoke and harmful pollutants from the flue system, and will make the glass in your stove less likely to get blackened due to creosote which is a byproduct of burning wood which can build up over time.

The use of seasoned wood can reduce emissions and save money on heating bills. It generates more heat per unit of fuel. This is because dry wood has a greater surface area and consequently produces more heat from a certain amount of fuel.

Smoke from wood can be harmful to anyone, but it is especially harmful to children and older adults with weak lung. It can also irritate those suffering from lung diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). If you live in a smoke control zone, make sure your stove is properly and properly seasoned. It must also be fitted with a chimney that meets the standards of the area.

Burning Wood

Wood-burning stoves are a safe and renewable source of heat. They can also be used to keep your home warm during an power outage. They also reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, such as oil and gas that are harmful to the environment.

Modern woodburning stoves work more efficiently than older models and are engineered to avoid creosote build-up but it is still important to monitor the combustion process. Creosote is a potentially dangerous result of incomplete combustion, can clog the chimney and cause it to become less efficient. It also poses an hazard to fire. Using wood that is seasoned will aid in keeping the levels of creosote at a minimum and reduce the cost of logs, as well as helping avoid the need for professional cleaning services.

There are stoves that can burn wood and coal, which gives you the option of carbon-neutral energy sources. It is crucial to keep in mind that coal is not a climate friendly fuel and there are concerns about how it is extracted.

It is recommended to use an Defra approved stove and one that is Ecodesign ready, since they will be in compliance with the most current emission regulations. The UK building regulations dictate the kind of flue used as well as the size of the hearth and the distance between the stove and the combustible material. It is best to talk to our stove experts before buying an appliance.

Paper and other combustibles, such as garbage and paper should not be put in woodburning appliances. They could cause more pollution and, at worst an explosion in the chimney. At most, they can make them less efficient. This is because combustibles other than firewood have different density characteristics than firewood, and therefore burn at a lower temperature and produce more particles.

It is also essential to use only dry, seasoned, split, and dried firewood as it will burn more efficiently. Dry or damp wood generates more smoke and pollutants. It is recommended to also use a stove pipe of high-quality to ensure that the temperatures of the flue will be sufficient and that it is set up correctly.

Emissions

Woodburning stoves emit a myriad of gases and particles. Mostly they produce fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that is small enough to penetrate the lungs and get into the bloodstream, causing damage to the heart, liver and brain. They also produce carcinogenic compounds like polycyclic aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) as well as nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide. Depending on the kind of fuel they're burning, some even spew toxic metals, such as mercury and arsenic.

In the US There have been a number of attempts to regulate how much pollution woodburning stoves generate with different levels of success. In 1988 the Environmental Protection Agency established emission guidelines that regulated the amount of pollution new stoves were permitted to release. Since since then, there's been two changes to the regulations. The latest one in 2015 requires that all stoves catalytic or non-catalytic emit less than 4 grams of pollution each hour.

While these strict regulations did cause a significant shake-up in the industry causing hundreds of smaller manufacturers to close their doors They also sparked the creation of high-quality and efficient stoves that were durable and capable of producing lower emission levels than traditional models. Stove designers analyzed and studied combustion air flows, baffles, combustion chamber forms, insulating materials and recirculation systems in order to make their products better. In time, they were successful.

Emissions are largely dependent on the moisture content of the wood that's burned. The higher the level of moisture is, the more pollutants the stove can produce. For that reason, the best method of reducing emissions is to use well-seasoned firewood that has been properly dried over 6-8 months.

Several studies have shown that one wood-burning stove, if it's used regularly, can generate particles as large as 15 diesel cars, based on unscientific tests which compare exhaust-related PM2.5 only. These studies don't consider that the majority of pollution that cars emit comes from its brakes, engine, and tyres, rather than its exhaust.

Ten blue states have been pressing on the EPA to review its carbon emissions and air quality guidelines for wood-burning stoves. Attorneys general from New York, Washington and Illinois have announced that they will sue EPA if it continues to allow high-emitting wood-burning stoves to to be sold in homes across the country.

Maintenance

Wood-burning stoves are efficient in heating homes, but they can be a challenge to maintain. A stove will need to be cleaned regularly to ensure that it looks and is operating properly. A dirty stove may affect the health of its occupants and the amount of heat it produces. Cleaning the stove isn't the only maintenance task that should be done to keep it working well.

Cleaning the exterior and interior of a electric stove fires is easy to do. It is recommended to clean the stove on a weekly or biweekly basis based on the frequency it is used. It is also recommended to empty the ash from the firebox each time after the stove has been used. Spread newspaper on the floor, and wear gloves prior to scooping out the ashes. Make use of a metal container instead of a bucket to avoid corrosion.

Maintaining the chimney and flue clean is also essential. A chimney sweep professional should be employed once or twice a year to clean the chimney and stove thoroughly. This will prevent creosote from accumulating and decrease the chance of chimney fires.

Additionally, chimneys should be inspected for cracks in the flue liner and masonry as well as creosote deposits excessively or bird nests, as well as other debris. A professional chimney sweep will be able to repair these problems and restore a safe, functional chimney.

The clear glass of a wood burning stove may become smudged and cloudy as soot builds up over time. Spray an ammonia-based mixture and water on the glass and wipe it clean with a clean cloth. Be careful not to scratch the glass, as this can weaken and shatter when it's hot.

If the paint on a woodburning stove begins to chip it can be easily repainted with a quality paint that is resistant to heat. These paints are available at the majority of wood stove retailers and come in a wide range of colors.