How to Properly Install and Maintain an Outdoor Wood Burner

Outdoor wood burners, sometimes called wood boilers, appear like small sheds that have an elongated smoke stack. They provide heat to water, or a mixture of water and antifreeze, which is then circulated throughout the house.

When EPA-approved outdoor wood boilers are made of dry wood, they can be an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuel heating. However, they still generate a significant amount of smoke.

Energy Efficiency

Wood heat has been a popular choice for heating homes for a long time. With the fluctuating prices of fossil fuels, wood heat is an attractive alternative for many. Wood boilers are not all built with the same efficiency. As a rule models that make use of wood gasification are more efficient than traditional outdoor wood furnaces.

There are a variety of factors that impact the efficiency of energy used by an OWB. One of these is the quality of the firewood used. It is essential to choose only firewood that has been dried and kept seasoned for at minimum six months, and best for a full year. Dry firewood releases more of its heat into the air than wet, green modern wood burning stoves. It also burns cleaner and emits less pollution.

Another factor is the boiler's combustion efficiency (or percentage) of heat energy converted into heat by the stove. It is typical for manufacturers to tout the efficiency of their OWBs, but it's crucial to look at the delivered efficiency. The latter is a measurement of how much of the available heat that is generated by the wood gets to the home.

It is also crucial to operate the OWB in a way that maximizes its effectiveness. This means cleaning it and maintaining the flue vent on a regular basis. The flue must be cleaned at least once a week during the heating season in order to reduce the amount of smoke generated by the stove and prevent obstruction.

Unlike indoor stoves, which sit directly within your home, an OWB is installed between 100 and 200 feet from your house. The heated water is piped through insulated pipes into your home. The hot water is circulated through a system of heat exchange units that provide warmth throughout your home.

Despite the disadvantages listed above, an OWB can be a highly efficient way to heat your home and save money on your energy bills. Just make sure that you choose a high-efficiency unit and follow the proper maintenance guidelines to get the most out of it. Make sure to only burn dry and seasoned wood in an OWB. This will prevent the firewood from destroying your home and polluting the air.

Environmentally Friendly

Wood is an environmentally friendly alternative to burning fossil fuels such as propane, gasoline and oil. It is a renewable resource, meaning that new trees will sprout to replace the ones which were burned to provide warmth. Wood releases carbon dioxide when burned however, it is absorbed by other plants and trees that convert the carbon dioxide back into oxygen for us to breathe. In contrast to fossil fuels, burning of wood does not generate any other environmental pollutants.

A wood furnace can be used to heat garages, homes, sheds and other buildings. These units are very cost-effective since they eliminate the need to pay high utility bills. These heaters can be used to heat hot tubs or pool, which are great for relaxing in the winter. A majority of these heaters are EPA and CSA approved, making them an eco-friendly option for home heating.

However, a wood stove is not without its drawbacks. Wood smoke contains tiny air particles that can aggravate the symptoms of certain health conditions, such as heart and lung problems. These particles can also contribute to climate change and contaminate water supplies. It is important to use only seasoned firewood in your outdoor wood burner. If your wood isn't seasoned, it will release more smoke, which can irritate those with sensitive respiratory systems.

A substitute for a wood furnace is an electric heat pump, which extracts thermal energy from the air or ground and allows it to heat buildings and lessen the need for propane, natural gas or oil. These heat pumps are more efficient than traditional wood stoves, and are regarded as green, but they require a continuous supply of raw materials in order to function properly.

However, wood-burning heating is still popular with some people because of its low cost and environmental friendliness. A majority of the most efficient models have an efficiency rating of 85 percent which is more than other heating options. Those who are concerned about the impact on the environment must speak with a specialist in outdoor wood burning to find out the best models available that are efficient and environmentally friendly.

Safety

A wood-burning stove, when not maintained and installed properly, could pose a serious fire risk. Smoke from fires can contain toxic substances, fine particles and carbon monoxide, which could cause asthma and respiratory problems. Smoke can also cause a hazard to carpets, furniture and clothing. It is therefore important to hire professionals to install your wood stove.

A professional should also check your chimney or stovepipe for wood burning on a regular schedule. They will ensure that your OWB is working safely and is in compliance with local safety standards, which can stop fires from happening in your home or other structures on your property.

When burning wood in an OWB it is crucial to use only dry, seasoned logs. To minimize the risk of fire, you should keep the area around the logs free of debris or combustible materials such as paper or plastic. Never burn garbage, trash or treated lumber, as they can release a number of harmful pollutants into the air.

While wood smoke is able to harm everyone however, it is particularly dangerous for children, teenagers older adults, as well as those with respiratory diseases or heart problems. It is also recommended that pregnant women and newly-wed mothers avoid wood smoke as it could negatively affect their unborn child.

Using an OWB may also cause annoyance to your neighbors. Depending on the weather and winds smoke from a fireplace can fly through windows. It can also irritate the eyes and noses. It is recommended to shut any windows or doors that are near the stove, and to keep pets from the fire.

Installing carbon dioxide and smoke alarms in every bedroom of your house is also an excellent idea. Check them frequently. It is also recommended to have an escape plan for your family in place and do it at least once per year. For help with smoke and restoration services for fires, Wood Burning Stove For Sale call your local PuroClean office. We can restore smoke-damaged homes or businesses back to their pre-fire state.

Maintenance

Wood burning furnaces (also called outdoor wood heaters or OWBs) are excellent for heating your home and creating a cozy, warm ambience within your home. Like all appliances that you use frequently, it requires some maintenance to ensure that it runs smoothly.

Maintaining the maintenance of your outdoor wood stove will ensure that you get the maximum use out of it. The basic cleaning needs of your wood stove is cleaning the exterior, interior and flue pipe on a regular basis. Before you begin any cleaning, make sure that the fire is extinguished and that all electrical power to the wood stove is off. It is also important to make sure you have all the necessary supplies before you begin cleaning - these include newspapers (to cover the floor of your home), safety gloves, wood burning stove for Sale a toothbrush and an incredibly small shovel as along with a metal ash container instead of a bucket.

Each time you burn wood on your outdoor wood stove, creosote is produced. This residue must be cleaned frequently to ensure optimal air flow in the combustion system. It also helps to stop the accumulation of a chemical that can corrode the inner layers of the steel water jacket. Using a creosote removal product such as Creosote Buster sticks in your fire can help reduce the amount of time and effort needed for the cleaning process.

It is also necessary to clean the ash container on your wood burner on a weekly basis. It is better to empty the ash in metal containers rather than a regular trash can, which is usually filled with trash, plastics and other materials. These could spark or explode if the hot ashes are placed into the can.

Depending on the type and amount of heat being drawn from your wood burning stove for sale burner, as well as the conditions in the air it is possible to control smoke on a regular schedule. If smoke is a problem it is recommended to have the flue pipe of your wood stove cleaned on a regular basis. This is a task that isn't easy for DIYers and is likely to be a task that is better left to the professionals to avoid any health problems caused by breathing in a lot of wood smoke.