How to Maintain a Woodburning Stove

A wood-burning stove can be an efficient and effective way to heat your home. It is important to maintain your woodburning appliance to ensure it is operating at its best.

Tips: Choose wood that is seasoned that has a low content of moisture. This will result in a longer burn time and will produce more heat.

State environmental agencies are wrestling with how to tackle the issue of air particulate pollution from old woodburning stoves.

How They Work

Wood-burning stoves, as the name implies, burn wood to produce heat. The fire is contained in a metal-and-glass body which helps to maintain a constant temperature in the home. It also acts as a barrier against smoke entering the living area.

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

Modern stoves typically use either catalytic or non-catalytic technology to control this. Catalytic stoves are equipped with an catalytic convertor designed to reburn gases produced during primary combustion so they do not escape from the room. Non-catalytical stoves are not equipped with a catalyser and rely on secondary combustion inside the firebox in order to reduce emissions.

It is recommended to only use seasoned wood in your woodburning stove. It must have a moisture level lower than 20%, which will allow the fire to burn effectively. This will lessen the amount of the amount of smoke and harmful pollutants that escape through the flue. It will also prevent the glass of your stove from getting blackened by creosote. Creosote is a by-product of wood burning and can accumulate 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 dry wood has a greater surface area, and thus produces more heat from a given amount of fuel.

Smoke from wood can be dangerous to anyone, but it is particularly harmful to children and adults with weak lung. It can also cause irritation for those suffering from lung diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive respiratory disease (COPD). If you reside in an area that has been designated as a smoke control zone, it is essential to ensure that your stove is cleaned and fitted with a chimney that is in compliance with the required standards for the location.

Burning Wood

Wood-burning stoves are a safe and renewable source of heat. They can be used to keep your home warm during a power outage. They also reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels such as gas and oil which are harmful to the environment.

Modern wood-burning stoves are more efficient than earlier models, and are designed to prevent the accumulation of creosote. However it is essential to keep an eye on the combustion. Creosote is a risky by-product of a poorly burned fire and can clog up the chimney if allowed to build up, resulting in less efficiency and creating a fire risk. The use of 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 get stoves that can burn wood and coal giving you a choice of carbon-neutral energy sources. It is crucial to remember that coal is not a green fuel, and there are some concerns about how it is mined.

It is recommended to select the stove that is Defra-approved, and one that is Ecodesign ready. These will meet the latest regulations on emissions. The UK building regulations have specific requirements for how the flue is installed, the size of hearth, and the distance that the stove can be from flammable materials and therefore it is always advisable to speak with one of our stove experts prior to purchasing a new stove.

Other types of combustibles such as paper and rubbish should not be used in wood-burning stoves as they can lead to more pollution, or even a chimney fire and, at best, cause them to operate less efficiently. This is because other combustibles have different density properties than firewood, which means they are able to burn at lower temperatures and produce more particulates.

It is essential to use only properly seasoned, split and dried firewood. This will allow the wood to burn more efficiently. Wet or damp wood can produce lots of smoke and also create more pollutants. It is also recommended to use a high-quality stove pipe in order to ensure that the temperature of the flue are sufficient and that it is installed correctly.

Emissions

Woodburning stoves emit a variety 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 heart, liver 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 even spew toxic metals like arsenic and mercury.

There have been several attempts in the US to regulate how much wood-burning stoves pollute the environment, with varying degrees 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 changes to the regulations. The most recent one, in 2015 mandates that all stoves, catalytic or non-catalytic, emit not more than 4 grams of pollution every hour.

While these strict regulations caused a major change in the industry, causing hundreds of smaller manufacturers to close their doors and create a race to create well-designed and efficient stoves that were durable and capable of producing less emissions than conventional models. To improve their products, stove designers looked at and analysed combustion flow baffles, the shape of the combustion chamber. They also analyzed insulating materials and recirculation system. In time, they were successful.

Emissions are largely dependent on the moisture content of the wood that's burned. The higher the moisture content, the more pollutants a stove will produce. The most effective way to reduce the emission levels is to using seasoned firewood which is properly dried over a period of 6-8 months.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that a single woodburning stove when used regularly, can generate more particle pollution than 15 diesel cars based on tests that aren't scientifically based comparing emissions-related PM2.5 only. However these studies don't consider that around half of a car's particle pollution comes from the engine, brakes and tyres rather than its exhaust.

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

Maintenance

Although wood-burning stoves are extremely efficient in heating homes, they can be difficult to maintain. To ensure that your stove is clean and working properly, you will need to clean it frequently. A dirty stove could affect the health of the occupants and the amount of heat powered stove fan (index) it produces. Cleaning the stove isn't the only maintenance task that should be completed to ensure it is functioning properly.

Cleaning the exterior and interior of a stove is simple to do. Cleaning your stove is recommended on a weekly basis or every two weeks, depending on how often it is used. It is recommended to remove ash from the firebox each time the stove has been used. Spread an old newspaper over the floor prior to scooping the ashes out of the stove, and then wear gloves to protect your hands. Make use of a metal container instead of a bucket to prevent rusting.

It is essential to keep the chimney and flue clean. It is a good idea to employ an experienced chimney sweeper every year or once to thoroughly clean the stove and chimney. This will prevent creosote off the chimney and lessen the risk of chimney fires.

Additionally, heat powered stove fan chimneys should be inspected for cracks in the flue liner, the masonry and creosote deposits that are excessive, bird nests, and other debris. A professional chimney sweep is able to fix these issues to create a safe and functioning chimney.

Over time, the glass of a wood-burning stove can be smudged and clouded with soot. Spray an ammonia-based mixture and water on the glass, and Heat Powered Stove Fan wipe it clean with a clean cloth. Avoid scratching the glass because this could cause it to break and cause it to shatter when hot.

Paint that is resistant to heat can be used to paint a woodburning fireplace if the paint starts chipping. These paints can be purchased at most wood stove retailers and are available in a wide variety of colors.