How to Maintain a Woodburning Stove

A wood-burning stove can be an an efficient and effective way to warm your home. But, it's essential to keep your stove in good condition to ensure the best performance.

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

The state environmental agencies are struggling to find a solution for the problem of particulate pollution caused by the old wood-burning stoves.

How They Work

Wood-burning stoves, as their name suggests, burn wood to produce heat. The fire is contained within an aluminum and glass body that assists in maintaining a constant temperature inside the home. It also serves as a barrier to smoke from entering the living room.

Stoves manage combustion by controlling the amount of oxygen that they let into the fire. This is done by opening and closing one or more air vents.

Modern stoves employ non-catalytical or catalytical technologies to regulate this. Catalytic stoves have an catalytic convertor designed to reburn the gas that is produced during primary combustion so they don't escape the room. Non-catalytic stoves, on the contrary, do not contain a catalyst and rely solely on secondary combustion to take place within the firebox to minimize emissions.

It is recommended to only burn wood that is seasoned in your woodburning stove. It should have a moisture level below 20%, which will allow the fire to burn effectively. This will reduce smoke and harmful pollutant emissions from the flue system and it will also make the glass in your stove less likely to be blackened by creosote, a result of burning wood that can develop over time.

The use of wood that is seasoned will reduce emissions and save the cost of heating. It produces more heat per unit of fuel. This is because the surface area of drier wood is larger and produces more heat per unit.

Smoke from wood can be dangerous to anyone, but it is particularly harmful to children and adults with vulnerable lung. It can also irritate those suffering from lung diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive respiratory disorder (COPD). If you live in a designated smoke control zone, make sure your stove is properly seasoned. It should also be installed with a chimney which meets the local standards.

Burning Wood

Wood-burning stoves are a safe, renewable heat that is an excellent option to keep the home warm during power cuts. They also help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which are harmful for the environment, from fossil fuels such as oil and gas.

Modern wood-burning stoves are more efficient than previous models, and they are designed to prevent the build-up of creosote. However, it is important to monitor combustion. Creosote is a dangerous by-product of incomplete combustion. It can block the chimney if allowed to accumulate, leading to less efficiency and creating a fire risk. Using seasoned logs will keep creosote at a minimum, and save you money on logs. It also helps you avoid having to hire a professional to clean your chimney.

You can also select stoves that use wood and coal which gives you a choice between carbon-neutral energy sources. It is crucial to keep in mind that coal is not a green fuel, and there are some concerns about the way it is extracted.

It is best to use a Defra approved stove, and ideally one that is also Ecodesign ready, as they are in line with the most recent emission regulations. The UK building regulations have specific rules for the way that the flue is positioned and the size of the hearth, and the distance that the stove must be from combustible materials and therefore it is always advisable to consult one of our stove experts before buying a stove.

Other combustibles, like paper and garbage should not be used in woodburning stoves, as they could cause more pollution, or even a chimney fire, and at best cause them to operate less effectively. This is because other combustibles have different density properties than firewood, which means they burn at a lower temperature and produce more particulates.

It is also important to use only seasoned, split and dried firewood as this will burn more effectively. Wet or damp wood produces more pollutants and smoke. It is recommended to also make use of a top-quality stove pipe in order to ensure that the temperatures of the flue will be sufficient and that it is set up correctly.

Emissions

Woodburning stoves emit a variety of gases and particles. They produce a lot of fine particulate (PM2.5) which could enter the lungs, penetrate the bloodstream, and cause damage to the liver, heart, and brain. They also produce carcinogenic substances such as polycyclic aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. Some even spit out toxic metals like mercury and arsenic, depending on the fuel they're burning.

There have been numerous attempts in the US to regulate how much wood-burning stoves emit pollution, with varying degrees success. In 1988 the Environmental Protection Agency established emission guidelines that limited how much pollution new stoves were permitted to release. Since then there have been two additional revisions to these regulations, and the latest in 2015 mandates that all stoves, catalytic and non-catalytic release no more than 4.5 grams of pollutants per hour.

These rules imposed by the government caused a major shake-up in the industry, forcing hundreds of smaller manufacturers out of business. However, they also sparked the development of efficient stoves that were durable and could emit less carbon dioxide than traditional models. To improve their products, stove makers looked at and analysed combustion flow, baffles and the shape of the combustion chamber. They also studied the insulation materials and recirculation system. Over time they succeeded.

The moisture content of wood is a key element in determining the emission. The higher the moisture content of the wood, the more harmful emissions the stove produces. The best method to cut down on the amount of emissions is using firewood that is properly dried over a period of 6-8 months.

According to several studies which compare the impact of exhaust-related particles only, a woodburning stove can cause as much particle pollution as 15 diesel vehicles. These tests were not scientific. These studies don't consider that the majority of the particle pollution that cars emit comes from its engine, brakes, and tyres, instead of its exhaust.

Ten blue states have been pushing 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 declared that they will sue the EPA if it continues to allow high-emitting stoves to to be sold in homes across the nation.

Maintenance

While woodburning stoves can be extremely efficient in heating homes, they can be difficult to maintain. To ensure that your stove is clean and working correctly, you'll need to clean it regularly. A dirty stove can impact the health of the people who live there and how much heat it generates. In addition to cleaning the stove, there are also maintenance tasks that must be performed to ensure it works well.

It is simple to clean the interior and exterior of a electric stove fires. Cleaning a stove is recommended on a weekly basis or every two weeks, depending on how often 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 before scooping ashes from the stove, and put on gloves to protect your hands. Use a container made of metal instead of a bucket in order to avoid rusting.

It is essential to keep the chimney and flue in good condition. It is recommended to employ a professional chimney sweep once or twice per year to thoroughly clean the chimney and stove. This will stop the buildup of creosote and decrease the risk of chimney fires.

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

Finally, the glass on a wood burning stove can become smudged or cloudy as soot builds up over time. Spray a mixture of ammonia and water onto the glass and wipe it with a clean cloth. Be careful not to scratch the glass, because this could cause it to cause it to shatter and weaken when hot.

If the paint on a woodburning fireplace begins to chip, it can easily be repainted with a quality heat resistant paint. The paints can be bought at the majority of wood stove retailers and are available in a broad variety of colors.