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How to Properly Operate a Woodburning Stove Wood stoves can be an affordable and cozy method to heat the home. Smoke from wood stoves can be hazardous to your health. It is important to know how these appliances work and to use them correctly. Modern stoves use secondary or catalytic combustion to control emissions. Older stoves and open flames emit 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 simple way to think of the firebox is that it's an enclosed combustion chamber that has walls and doors. The majority of fireplaces come with an already-built metal or the masonry fireboxes. The type of firebox you choose will depend on your preference and the type of fireplace you own. The majority of wood-burning stoves utilize a constant flow of air to produce the fire and burn the fuel. Fresh air is drawn through the adjustable dampers within the doors of the stove. This allows the fuels to be burned properly and reduces the harmful gases produced by burning that is not complete or properly burned. The exhaust gases will then be drawn up the chimney, and then away from your home. Modern stoves with catalytic secondary combustion employ a special catalyst to reburn the unburnt gasses to produce additional heat. This results in a cleaner and less polluting exhaust than traditional wood stoves with no secondary combustion. Modern non-catalytic wood stoves are available, but these are typically less efficient than those that have secondary combustion that is catalytic. Certain fireplaces that burn wood have a backboiler, which can be used for space heating as well as water heating. These stoves are called “hybrids” or “combination”. They have been in use since the early 20th century. Wood burning stoves should only be used with seasoned wood. Freshly cut (green) wood has a high content of moisture, which can cause low flue temperatures and a lot of creosote accumulation in the chimney. This could lead to chimney fires that destroy the stove, and they can be hazardous to your family's health. If you're looking for a professional who can inspect your wood-burning stove or do repairs to your firebox, be sure the chimney technician you choose is certified by CSIA certification and provides testimonials from their customers on their website. Find out their rates, and what type of work they perform. The pipe for ventilation Wood stoves require ventilation to remove emissions from the combustion process and keep your home warm and healthy. Fireplaces And Stove helps remove carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and excess moisture from the combustion process. It also reduces the amount of air pollution and heat loss outside. Wood, pellet and gas stoves have different requirements for venting to accommodate the ways they function. Maintaining the stove's ventilation system on a regular basis is crucial for safety and efficiency. The ventilation system is comprised of the firebox, the ventilation pipe and chimney. The chimney and the vent pipe work together to create draft, which draws smoke from the stove through the fireplace to the outside air. Draft is generated by the difference in density and temperature between hot wood smoke and cold outside air. The greater the temperature of the smoke, the better it is able to rise through the chimney and vent pipe. Most modern wood stoves are certified as low-emission units by EPA. This means they emit less pollutants than older models, and contribute to global warming as well as other environmental concerns. Most newer stoves also have built-in pollution controls to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide they emit while ensuring that the carbon emissions are burned efficiently. Older stoves with open flues produce lots of carbon dioxide, poisonous gas that should not be allowed to escape into your home. Carbon monoxide is produced when the chimney is dirty or has inadequate ventilation. Installing carbon monoxide alarms in your home is therefore essential. Before installing a brand new or used wood stove, measure the distance from the point where the stove is on the floor to the chimney opening on the ceiling or wall. Multiply this distance by two to find the length of stovepipe you need. You can choose to use single-wall or double-wall stovepipes and ensure that you have adequate clearance from combustibles with either type. The air vent of the stove must be adjusted when it is first lit up until a proper flame is established in the stove and its combustion process has been stabilized. It is recommended to avoid using wood logs in the stove because they may contain volatile chemicals which can cause the air vents to malfunction. The chimney The chimney is a complicated system which requires attention and care. From top to bottom the chimney is comprised of several important components, all of which are essential to ensure that your stove works efficiently and safely. The firebox, ventilation pipe and chimney work together to exhaust the combustion gases produced by your woodburning stove to the outside. This is essential to preventing harmful emissions and also reducing carbon dioxide levels within your home. To accomplish this the chimney and flue should be hot enough to allow the gases to exit the fireplace without cooling. This can be accomplished by using a wood-burning stove that has a high heat output, and by adding new logs on a regular basis to the fire. Modern wood-burning stoves have a higher chimney than older systems to increase the effect of drafting. However, this can have disadvantages if the size of your chimney is greater than the maximum permitted for your location. In this scenario the chimney may compete with the house's stack for airflow, causing the gases to cool down before leaving. This can restrict the gas flow and cause a buildup of creosote, which poses a potential fire hazard. One of the most common mistakes homeowners make is to open and close the fireplace door too frequently which can adversely affect the combustion. It is essential to keep the fireplace door as tightly shut as you can, and only open it to add ash or firewood. Keeping the door open too long allows hot air to escape from the stove, causing the logs to become cooler and harder to light, and also releases unburned volatile compounds into the room. Another common mistake that people make is to use other types of combustibles in their woodburning stoves, which can result in higher emissions, or even a chimney fire. The reality is that woodburning stoves were designed and optimised to burn firewood and not other kinds of combustibles. The flu To ensure proper air flow, woodburning stoves require an exhaust pipe that is the right size. Usually, the size of the flue must be at 25 percent larger than the stove pipe (which connects the stove to the chimney) to ensure adequate room for smoke circulation. In addition the wood stove should be installed on a hearth constructed of non-combustible materials and has a clear, unobstructed area in front of the fireplace opening. Modern stoves feature an element called catalytic combustor, which can help reduce the amount of harmful byproducts that are released into the chimney. This feature can also assist to improve the efficiency of a wood stove by burning a fire that generates more heat and less pollution. Utilizing other kinds of combustibles other than firewood however, could cause issues, such as lower efficiency and higher levels of emissions. It is crucial to use dry or seasoned wood when burning wood in your stove or fireplace. If your wood isn't seasoned or dry, it will emit high levels of creosote and water vapour into the chimney. This can lead to low flue temperatures, and even a chimney fire. Another way to prevent a fire in your chimney is to have a professional inspection and clean your flue system regularly. This includes the stovepipe, the chimney, and the chimney itself. A dirty stove and flue system can result in a poor chimney draft which could release carbon monoxide into your home. This can be dangerous to your family and you should not let it occur. A good guideline is to hire an experienced chimney sweep sweep your stove and chimney each year. This will help keep the chimney and stove working efficiently.