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How to Properly Operate a Woodburning Stove Wood stoves are an excellent option to heat your home. They're also inexpensive. But the smoke they emit can also be harmful to your health. It is essential to understand how these appliances function and how to use them properly. Many modern stoves rely on secondary or catalytic combustion to limit their emissions. But older stoves and open fires generate large amounts of particulates. The firebox The firebox is the heart of any fireplace system. It's where you create a fire to heat your home and provide ambiance. It's a simple concept, but there are many important details that must be accounted for to keep your wood burning stove safe and efficient. The most straightforward way to think about the firebox is that it's a box-like combustion chamber with walls and an entrance. Most fireplaces have a prefabricated metal or masonry fireboxes. The type of box you select is based on your personal preferences and the type of fireplace you own. The majority of fireplaces that burn wood use a constant air flow to create the flame and burn fuel. Fresh air is pumped into the stove through dampers that can be adjusted inside its doors. This lets the fuel burn efficiently and helps reduce harmful gases produced by incomplete or unburnt combustion. The exhaust gases will then be dragged through the chimney and safely away from your home. Modern stoves that have catalytic secondary combustion use a special catalyst to reburn the unburnt gasses to generate additional heat. This results in more clean and less polluting smoke than traditional wood stoves without secondary combustion. Modern non-catalytic stoves are available, but they're typically less efficient than stoves that have secondary combustion that is catalytic. Certain wood-burning stoves come with backboilers that are used to heat water, in addition to space heating. These stoves are called “hybrids” or “combination”. They have been in use since the early 20th century. Wood burning stoves should be lit with well-seasoned wood. Freshly cut wood (green) has an excessive amount of water. This could lead to low flue temperatures and excessive creosote accumulation within the chimney. This can cause chimney fires, which could damage your stove and even cause harm to the health of your family members. If exterior wood stove in search of a professional to inspect your wood-burning stove or perform any firebox repairs ensure that the chimney professional you choose is CSIA certified and has reviews from their customers on their website. You can inquire about their prices, and what type of work they do. The ventilation pipe Ventilation is required for wood stoves to help eliminate fumes and keep the house healthy and warm. Ventilation is necessary to remove carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide from the combustion process. It also reduces air pollution and loss of heat to the outdoors. Gas, wood and pellet stoves all have distinct requirements for venting. Properly maintaining the stove's ventilation system on a regular basis is crucial for safety and efficiency. The ventilation system consists of the firebox, the vent pipe and chimney. The chimney and the ventilation pipe are used in conjunction to create draft, which draws smoke from the stove through the fireplace to outside air. The differences in temperature and densities between the hot wood smoke and the cold outside air creates draft. The more hot the temperature, the more smoke rises through the ventilation pipe and chimney. Modern wood stoves are EPA-certified low-emission units. They produce less pollution than older models which contribute to global heating and other environmental problems. The majority of modern stoves come with pollution control systems that limit the amount of carbon dioxide released while ensuring that they are burned efficiently. Older stoves with open flues produce more carbon dioxide. This is a toxic gas that is toxic and should not be released into your home. Carbon monoxide can be produced if your chimney is dirty or if there is inadequate ventilation. Installing carbon monoxide alarms inside your home is therefore crucial. Find the distance between the chimney's opening in the wall or ceiling and the place where the wood stove is on the floor. By multiplying this measurement by 2 will give you the minimum length of stovepipe you will require. You can use either single-wall or a double-wall stovepipe, but you must ensure the adequate clearance from burning combustibles. The stove's air vent should be adjusted when it first gets lit and maintained until a stable flame is created within the stove and its combustion process has stabilized. It is recommended to avoid using wood briquettes in the stove, because they are not logs and could contain volatile chemicals that can cause the air vent to malfunction and lead to a risky situation. The chimney The chimney is a complicated system that requires careful care. From top to bottom the chimney is comprised of a number of important components that are crucial to ensuring that your stove operates efficiently and safely. The combustion gases are vented outwards through the firebox, the ventilation pipe and the chimney. This is crucial to reduce carbon dioxide levels and to prevent harmful emissions. To accomplish this, the chimney and flue must to be sufficiently hot to remove the gasses out of the fireplace without cooling. This is accomplished by using a woodburning stove that has high heat output and by frequently adding new logs to the fire. The majority of modern woodburning stoves are designed to operate with a chimney that's taller than older models to achieve a better draft effect. This can be a problem if your chimney height exceeds the maximum allowed for your area. In this scenario the chimney could be competing with the house's stack for airflow, which causes gases to cool before leaving. This can impede the gas flow and cause creosote buildup which could pose a fire risk. The most common mistake homeowners make is to open the fireplace door and close it too often. This can cause problems with combustion. It is crucial to keep the door of your fireplace as tightly shut as you can, and only open it to add firewood or ash. If vintage wood burning stove leave the door open for too long allows the hot air to escape from the stove, which causes the logs to cool and harder to light, and releases volatile compounds that are not burned into the room. Other types of combustibles can produce higher emissions or a chimney fire. The reality is that woodburning stoves were designed and designed to burn firewood and not other kinds of combustibles. The flue A woodburning stove requires an appropriately sized flue to allow for adequate draft and air flow. Usually, the size of the flue has to be at 25 percent larger than the stove pipe (which connects the stove to the chimney) to allow enough space for smoke passage. Additionally the wood stove should be installed on an open hearth made of non-combustible materials and is clear and unobstructed area that is in the front of the fireplace opening. Modern stoves feature an element called catalytic combustor which can reduce the amount of harmful byproducts that are released into the chimney. This feature can also help to increase the efficiency of wood stoves by burning a flame that produces more heat and less pollution. Utilizing other kinds of combustibles, other than firewood however, can cause problems, such as lower efficiency and higher emission levels. When burning wood in a fireplace or stove it is essential to use dried or seasoned wood. If your wood isn't well-seasoned or dried, it will release a lot of water vapor into the chimney. This can result in low flue temperatures and even a fire in the chimney. A professional can also help you avoid a fire in your chimney by regularly inspecting and cleaning the flue system. This should include the chimney, stovepipe and chimney itself to ensure that they are all in good working order. A dirty stove or flue system can cause an insufficient draft inside your chimney, which could cause carbon monoxide build-up in your home. This could be hazardous for your family and should never be allowed to happen. A good rule of thumb is to have an experienced chimney sweep clean your chimney and stove once per year. This will keep your stove and chimney in good working order.