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How to Properly Operate a Woodburning Stove Wood stoves are an inexpensive and cozy way to heat the home. Smoke from wood stoves can be harmful to your health. It is essential to know how these appliances work and how to use them correctly. Many modern stoves rely upon secondary or catalytic combustion to limit their emissions. Older stoves and open flames emit high levels 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 an open-air combustion chamber that has walls and doors. The majority of fireplaces have an already-built metal firebox or a masonry firebox. The type of firebox you choose will depend on your preference as well as the kind of fireplace you own. Most wood-burning fireplaces utilize a continuous flow of air to start the fire and burn fuel. Fresh air is pumped into the stove via dampers that can be adjusted inside its doors. This lets the fuel be properly burned and also helps reduce toxic gases that are generated by unburnt or incomplete combustion. The exhaust gases will be drawn through the chimney and away from your home. Modern stoves with catalytic secondary combustion use a special catalyst that reburns the unburned gasses to produce additional heat. This produces a more clean and less polluting smoke than traditional wood stoves without secondary combustion. Modern non-catalytic stoves are also available, but they're generally less efficient than stoves with catalytic secondary combustion. Some wood-burning fireplaces come with a backboiler, which can be used for space heating and water heating. They are known as “combination” or “hybrid” stoves and have been in use since the beginning of the 20th century. Wood burning stoves should only be used with well-seasoned wood. Freshly cut (green) wood has a high moisture content that can lead to low flue temperatures as well as excessive creosote build-up in the chimney. This can lead to chimney fires that can damage your stove and even be harmful to the health of your family members. If Fireplaces And Stove in search of a professional who can inspect your wood-burning stove or perform firebox repairs, ensure that the chimney expert you hire has CSIA certification and has testimonials from their customers on their website. It is also essential to inquire about their prices and the kind of work they perform. The pipe that allows for ventilation Ventilation is required for wood stoves to help remove smoke and keep the home safe and warm. Ventilation is essential to remove carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide from the combustion process. It also reduces air pollution and heat loss to the outdoors. Gas, wood and pellet stoves all have distinct requirements for venting. It is important to maintain the stove's venting system on an every year to ensure security and efficiency. The ventilation system consists of the firebox and the vent pipe. The chimney and the ventilation pipe are used in conjunction to create draft, which draws smoke from the stove through the fireplace and into the outside air. Draft is generated by the variation in temperature and density between hot wood smoke and cold air outside. The more hot the smoke, the better it can rise up the chimney and through the ventilation pipe. Most modern wood stoves are certified as low-emission units by the EPA. This means they emit less pollutants than older models, which contribute to global warming and other environmental issues. The majority of modern stoves come with pollution control systems that reduce the amount of emissions while ensuring that they are burned efficiently. Older stoves that have open flues create much more carbon dioxide, an extremely poisonous gas and should not be allowed to escape into your home. Carbon monoxide can be a source when your chimney is dirty or if there is inadequate ventilation. Installing carbon monoxide alarms inside your house is therefore important. The distance you measure is between the opening of the chimney in the wall or ceiling and the spot where the wood stove is on the floor. By multiplying this measurement by 2 will provide you with the minimum length of stovepipe you will require. You can choose to use single-wall or double-wall stovepipes, and you must account for proper clearances from combustibles with either type. The air vent of the stove should be adjusted when it first starts to light up and maintained until a stable flame is created in the stove and the combustion process has stabilised. It is recommended to avoid using briquettes of wood in the stove, since they are not logs, and may contain volatile chemicals that can cause the air vent to fail and create a dangerous situation. The chimney The chimney is a complicated system which requires attention and care. From top to bottom the chimney is made up of a number of important components each of which is crucial to ensure that your stove works safely and efficiently. The firebox, ventilation pipe and chimney work together to exhaust the gases from combustion produced by your woodburning stove the outside. This is crucial in preventing harmful emissions and reducing carbon dioxide levels within your home. To achieve this the chimney and flue should be hot enough to allow the gases to exit the fireplace without cooling. This can be achieved 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 built to work with a chimney which is higher than older models to achieve a better draft effect. This could cause problems when the chimney's height is higher than the maximum allowed for your area. In this case the chimney could be competing with the stack of your house for airflow, causing the gases to cool before they leave. This could result in a pause in the flow of gas, and a buildup on creosote. One of the most common mistakes homeowners make is to open and shut the fireplace door too often, which can negatively impact combustion. It is essential to keep the fireplace door as tightly shut as you can, and only open it to add firewood or ash. If you leave the door open for too long permits hot air to escape the stove, causing the logs to get cooler and more difficult to light, and also releases unburned volatile compounds into the room. Other kinds of combustibles may create higher emissions, or even the possibility of a chimney fire. Woodburning stoves were designed and optimised for burning firewood. They are not suitable for other combustibles. The flue To ensure proper air flow, woodburning stoves require flues that are the right size. The flue should be at least 25% larger than the pipe connecting the stove and chimney to allow sufficient smoke flow. Additionally, a wood stove must be set on an open hearth made of a non-combustible material and is clear and unobstructed space in the front of the fireplace opening. Modern stoves have a catalytic combustion system which reduces the amount of harmful byproducts that get released into the chimney. This feature can help increase the efficiency of wood stoves by burning a wood which produces more heat while emitting less pollutants. However, using different types of combustibles like coal, can cause issues, such as lower efficiency and greater emissions. It is important to use dry or seasoned wood when you are burning wood in your fireplace or stove. If your wood isn't dry or seasoned it will release high levels of creosote and water vapour into the chimney. This could lead to low flue temperatures and possibly a chimney fire. A professional can also help you avoid the possibility of a chimney fire by regularly inspecting and cleaning the flue system. This includes the stovepipe, the chimney and the chimney itself. A dirty stove or system may lead to an unclean draft in your chimney, which can cause carbon monoxide to build up within your home. This could be harmful to your family and you should not let it occur. A good rule of thumb is to have a professional chimney sweep sweep your stove and chimney every year. This will help keep the stove and chimney functioning efficiently.