It's Time To Forget Wood Burning Stove: 10 Reasons Why You Don�…

Wood Burning Stoves Near Me

Wood stoves can help you reduce your energy bills. They also help with active woodland management that helps wildlife.

However, if not maintained and installed correctly, they could produce carbon monoxide that poses health hazards for the entire family. To avoid this, select an appliance made of wood that is EPA certified and features the latest technology for safe operation.

Catalytic Stoves

A catalytic fireplace is equipped with a catalyst which looks like honeycomb. It converts wood smoke into water and carbon dioxide. This is a great choice for those looking to reduce indoor air pollution and save money. These stoves use less fuel, burn more hot and produce less creosote. However, they are more expensive to operate than non-catalytic models. They also require regular maintenance of the combustion chamber.

Wood Stoves that have been certified by the EPA

The EPA requires that wood stoves be designed according to specific guidelines that reduce their emissions. According to these guidelines, catalytic stoves must not emit more than 7.5 grams per hour. This is in contrast to 4.1 g/hr for an uncatalytic stove. It is important to keep in mind that lower emissions ratings do not translate into more heating efficiency.

Sizing and Selection

It is essential that your wood stove is built appropriately for the space in which it will be placed. A stove that is not properly sized will not work as intended and could overheat. The proper stove size will boost heat powered wood stove fan output while reducing emissions. The brochure: Buying an wood stove that is certified by the EPA (PDF 530K) offers a simple way to size and select the best wood stove.

Non-Catalytic and Catalytic stoves

The first type of wood stove to be produced was the non-catalytic stove. They are also referred to as traditional wood-burning stoves, or open fire stoves. The primary benefit of a non-catalytic stove is that it doesn't need an additional combustion to reduce emissions. However, a significant amount of energy that is wasted is lost as smoke. The smoke produced by non-catalytic stoves has a poisonous substance known as creosote. The introduction of the catalytic wood stove has eliminated the risk of these issues. The catalytic wood stove uses catalysts to burn the smoke's gases and eliminates the toxic creosote.

Although the catalytic wood stove was designed to help reduce the emission of toxic gases however, it isn't as efficient as the secondary burn system used in the non-catalytic stove. The catalyst produces unhealthy fumes because it doesn't completely burn the byproducts from log burning stove wood. In addition the honeycomb structure the catalyst could degrade over time. This can result in decreased performance and a need for replacement.

Maintain the Combustion Chamber Clean

A catalytic combustor functioning properly will appear to be as a grayish powder. It should be free of soot, ash or other tatty substances that would plug up the cells and reduce catalytic surface area. The combustor shouldn't be subjected to flame impingement. This can be caused by a fast, powerful draft pulling flames directly into the catalytic converter. This may also happen when the firebox's door or ash pan's door is left open.

It is essential to check the catalytic combustion chamber regularly for physical damage or the need to replace. If the catalytic combustor is damaged or needs to be replaced, it must happen as soon as possible to ensure maximum performance.