10 Signs To Watch For To Look For A New Woodburning Stove

How to Maintain a Woodburning Stove

A woodburning stove can be a powerful and efficient method of heating the home. It is essential to maintain your woodburning stove in order to ensure it is operating at its best.

Tip: Select seasoned wood with low moisture content. This will give you a longer burn time and a higher heat output.

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

How They Work

Wood-burning stoves, as the name suggests, burn wood to produce heat. They do this by containing the flame within a metal and glass body. This also helps to keep the temperature in your home at an even level. It also serves as an obstruction to smoke from entering the living room.

The main way that stoves regulate the combustion process is through controlling the quantity of air they allow into the fire. This is done by opening and closing one or more air vents.

Modern stoves typically use either catalytic or non-catalytic technology in order to control this. Catalytic stoves are equipped with a catalytic convertor designed to reburn the gas that is generated during primary combustion to ensure they do not escape from the room. Non-catalytic stoves, on contrary, do not contain a catalyst and rely solely on secondary combustion taking place inside the firebox to reduce emissions.

It is recommended that you only burn firewood that is seasoned in your woodburning fireplace. This means that it should have a moisture level of less than 20 and this will allow the fire to burn more efficiently. This will reduce the amount of smoke and harmful substances that escape through the flue. It will also stop the glass of your stove from getting blackened by creosote. Creosote is the by-product of wood burning and will build up over time.

In addition to reducing emissions, using well-seasoned wood can also save money on your heating bills, as it will produce more heat for the same amount of fuel. This is due to the surface area of dry wood is larger and generates more heat per unit volume.

However, wood smoke can be harmful for everyone, especially older adults and children with weakened lungs. It can also irritate those with lung conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). If you live in a smoke control zone, make sure that your stove is properly and properly seasoned. It must also be fitted with a chimney which meets the local standards.

Burning Wood

Wood-burning stoves are a safe, renewable heat that is also a great choice to keep your home warm during power outages. They also reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels like gas and oil which are harmful to the environment.

Modern wood-burning stoves are more efficient than older models, and are designed to stop the build-up of creosote. However, it is important to monitor combustion. Creosote, a dangerous result of incomplete combustion, can clog the chimney and cause it to become less efficient. It can also pose a fire hazard. Using seasoned logs will keep creosote at a minimum and help you save money on logs. It also helps you avoid hiring a professional to clean your chimney.

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

It is best to choose an approved stove by Defra, and preferably one that is Ecodesign ready. They will be compliant with the latest regulations on emissions. The UK building regulations have specific requirements regarding how the flue is installed as well as the size of the hearth and the distance the stove can be from combustible materials, so it's always wise to speak with one of our stove experts prior to purchasing a new stove.

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

It is crucial to use only properly seasoned, split and dried firewood. This will help the wood burn more efficiently. Wet or damp wood produces more smoke and pollution. It is recommended to use a high-quality stove pipe in order to ensure that the flue temperatures are sufficient and that it is set up correctly.

Emissions

Wood-burning stoves produce a myriad of gases and particles. Mostly they produce fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which is small enough to penetrate the lungs and enter the bloodstream, potentially damaging the liver, heart and brain. However they also produce carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and carcinogenic substances like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs. Depending on the kind of fuel they're burning, some release out toxic metals such as arsenic and mercury.

There have been numerous 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 set emissions guidelines that basically limited the amount of pollution that new stoves could release. Since then, there have been two additional revisions to these guidelines and the most recent one in 2015 requires that all stoves, catalytic and non-catalytic emit no more than 4.5 grams of pollutants per hour.

These rules imposed by the government caused a major shake-up within the industry, forcing hundreds of small manufacturers out of business. However, they also sparked the development of efficient stoves which were durable and could produce lower emissions than traditional models. To improve their products, stove makers studied and analyzed combustion flow, baffles and the shape of the combustion chamber. They also looked into the insulation of materials and the recirculation systems. Over time they succeeded.

The moisture content of the wood is a major factor in determining the emissions. The higher the moisture content, the more pollutants a stove will produce. The best way to reduce the amount of emissions is using firewood that is properly dried over a period of 6-8 months.

According to a variety of studies, comparing exhaust-related particle pollution only wood burning stoves could create as much particle pollution as 15 diesel vehicles. These tests were not scientific. These studies fail to take into account that the majority of the particle pollution from cars comes from its brakes, engine, and tyres, not its exhaust.

Ten blue states have been pressing on the EPA to review its carbon emissions and guidelines for air quality of wood-burning stoves. The attorney generals of New York, Washington, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, California, Alaska, Oregon and Vermont have announced plans to sue the EPA for allowing high-emitting stoves to be installed in homes across the country.

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 operating correctly, you'll have to keep it clean regularly. A dirty stove could impact the health of the people who live there and how much heat it produces. Cleaning the electric stove fire is not the only maintenance task that should be done to keep it functioning properly.

Cleaning the interior and exterior of a stove is simple to do. It is recommended to clean a stove on a weekly or 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 newspaper on the floor prior to scooping the ashes from the stove, and put on gloves to protect your hands. Make use of a metal container instead of a bucket in order to avoid the rusting.

It is crucial to keep the flue and chimney clean. It is a good idea to hire a professional chimney sweep at least once or twice a year to thoroughly clean the stove and chimney. This will prevent creosote buildup and lower the risk of chimney fires.

Additionally, chimneys must be examined for cracks in the flue liner and masonry, excessive creosote deposits or bird nests, as well as other debris. A professional chimney sweep is in a position to fix these issues and restore a safe, functional chimney.

Finally, the clear glass on a wood burning stove can become smudged or cloudy with soot build up over time. A mixture of ammonia and water can be sprayed over the glass and then cleaned with a clean cloth until it is clear. Avoid scratching the glass, as this can weaken and shatter when it's hot.

If the paint on a woodburning fireplace begins to chip, it can easily be replaced with a high-quality paint that is heat resistant. These paints can be purchased at most wood stove retailers and are available in a wide variety of colors.