14 Cartoons About Woodburning Stove To Brighten Your Day

How to Maintain a Woodburning Stove

A wood-burning stove is an efficient and efficient 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 let you burn the wood for a longer period and generate more heat.

State environmental agencies are grappling with how to address the issue of air particulate pollution from old wood stoves burning stoves.

How They Work

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

The most common way stoves manage the process of combustion is by controlling the quantity of air they allow into the fire. This is accomplished by opening and closing one or more air vents.

Modern stoves use either non-catalytical or catalytical technologies to regulate this. Catalytic stoves feature a catalytic converter which is designed to reburn the gases generated during primary combustion to ensure that they do not escape into the room. Non-catalytical stoves don't have a catalyser and rely on secondary combustion inside the firebox in order to reduce emissions.

It is recommended to only burn seasoned wood in your woodburning stove. This means it must have a moisture content of less than 20 percent, as this allows the fire to burn more efficiently. This will decrease the amount of the amount of smoke and harmful substances that are released from the flue and will also stop the glass of your stove from becoming blackened by creosote. Creosote is a by-product of burning wood and can build up over time.

The use of seasoned wood will reduce emissions and save the cost of heating. It generates more heat per unit of fuel. This is because drier wood has a larger surface area and consequently produces more heat from a given quantity of multi fuel stoves.

Wood smoke is dangerous to anyone, but it is especially harmful to children and adults with weakened lungs. It can also affect those suffering from lung diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive respiratory disease (COPD). If you reside in an area designated as a smoke control zone, it is important to ensure that your stove is properly maintained and has a chimney that is in compliance with the standards required for the location.

Burning Wood

Woodburning stoves offer clean and renewable source of heat. They are also a great choice to keep the house warm during power outages. They also reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels like oil and gas which are harmful to the environment.

Modern woodburning stoves are more efficient than older models, and are designed to stop the accumulation of creosote. However it is essential to monitor combustion. Creosote is a dangerous by-product of a poorly burned electric fire stove (Full Post) and can clog up the chimney if it is allowed to accumulate, leading to reduced efficiency and posing a fire risk. Using seasoned logs will keep creosote at a minimum, and save you money on logs. It also helps you avoid hiring an expert to clean your chimney.

There are stoves that burn coal and wood giving you a choice of carbon-neutral energy sources. But it's important to keep in mind that coal is not a climate-friendly fuel, and there are concerns over the way it is mined and transported.

It is recommended to select the stove that is Defra-approved, and one that is Ecodesign ready. They will be compliant with the latest regulations on emissions. The UK building regulations dictate the kind of flue and the size of the hearth, and the distance between the stove and combustible material. It is recommended to consult our stove experts prior to purchasing an appliance.

Paper and other combustibles like rubbish and paper should not be used in wood-burning appliances. They can contribute to pollution and, at worst, a chimney fire. At best, they will reduce the efficiency of the appliance. 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 as this will be more efficient in burning. Wet or damp wood produces plenty of smoke as well as generating more pollutants. It is also recommended that you use a good quality stove pipe to ensure the flue temperatures are high enough and that it is installed correctly.

Emissions

Wood-burning stoves release a variety of gasses and particles. They produce a large amount of fine particulate (PM2.5) that can enter the lungs, penetrate the bloodstream, and cause damage to the liver, heart and brain. However, they also produce carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and carcinogenic compounds like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs. Depending on the kind of fuel they're burning, some even spew toxic metals like mercury and arsenic.

There have been a variety of attempts in the US to regulate the amount wood-burning stoves emit pollution and have had varying degrees of 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 more revisions to these regulations, and the latest in 2015 mandates that all units both catalytic and non-catalytic emit no more than 4.5 grams of pollutants per hour.

These strict regulations caused a major shake-up within the industry, forcing hundreds of smaller companies out of business. However, they also sparked the development of efficient stoves that were durable and could emit less carbon dioxide than conventional models. To improve their products, stove designers examined and analyzed the flow of combustion, baffles and the shape of the combustion chamber. They also studied the insulation of materials and the recirculation systems. In time, they were successful.

The emission levels are mostly influenced by the moisture content of the wood burned. The greater the moisture content, the more emissions a stove can produce. The most effective way to reduce the amount of emissions is using seasoned firewood which has been properly dried over a time of 6-8 months.

According to several studies which compare the impact of exhaust-related particles only wood burning stoves could create as much particle pollution as 15 diesel vehicles. These tests were not scientifically valid. However these studies don't take into account that about half of the car's particle pollution comes from the brakes, engine and tyres instead of its exhaust.

Ten blue states are pressing on EPA to examine their carbon emissions and guidelines for air quality for wood-burning appliances. Attorney generals from New York, Washington, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, California, Alaska, Oregon and Vermont have announced plans to suit the EPA for allowing high-emitting stoves to be installed in homes across the country.

Maintenance

Wood burning stoves are efficient in heating homes, but can be difficult to maintain. The stove must be cleaned on a regular basis to ensure it is clean and functioning properly. A dirty stove can affect the health of those who live there as well as how much heat it generates. In addition to cleaning the stove, there are additional maintenance tasks that must be carried out to ensure that it works well.

Cleaning the interior and exterior of a stove is simple to do. It is recommended to clean the stove every week or on a fortnightly basis based on the frequency it is used. It is also a good idea to empty the ash from the firebox every time the stove is used. Spread an old newspaper over the floor before scooping ashes out of the stove, and then wear gloves to protect your hands. It's also an excellent idea to utilize a ash container made of metal rather than a bucket, because this will stop rust from forming.

Maintaining the chimney and flue clean is also essential. It is a good idea to hire a professional chimney sweep at least once or twice a year to thoroughly clean the chimney and stove. This will help prevent the buildup of creosote and decrease the risk of chimney fires.

A chimney should also be examined for creosote buildup and cracks along with bird nests, and other debris. A professional chimney sweep will be in a position to fix these issues and restore a functioning, safe chimney.

The clear glass 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 with a clean cloth. Avoid scratching the glass, as this can weaken and shatter when it's hot.

If the paint on a woodburning stove starts to crack, it can easily be painted over with a high-quality paint that is resistant to heat. These paints can be purchased at the majority of wood stove retailers and are available in a broad variety of colors.