How to Maintain a Woodburning Stove

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

Tips: Choose wood that is seasoned with a low moisture content. This will allow you to burn the wood for a longer period and generate more heat.

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

How They Work

Wood-burning stoves, as their name suggests are made of wood that produces heat. The fire is contained in a metal-and-glass body which assists in maintaining a constant temperature within the home. It also acts as a barrier that prevents smoke from entering your living space.

The most common way stoves manage the combustion process is through regulating the quantity of air they allow into the fire. This is done by opening and closing one or more air vents.

Modern stoves employ non-catalytical or catalytical technology to control this. Catalytic stoves feature a catalytic converter which is designed to burn the gasses generated during primary combustion so that they do not escape into the room. Non-catalytic stoves, 913875.Xyz on the other hand, do not have a catalyst, and rely solely on secondary combustion taking place within the firebox, thereby reducing emissions.

It is recommended that you only burn wood that is seasoned in your woodburning stove. It should have a moisture level below 20%, which will allow the fire to burn effectively. This will reduce the amount of smoke and harmful pollutants from the flue system, and it will also make the glass inside your stove less likely to become blackened by creosote, which is a byproduct of burning wood that can accumulate over time.

In addition to reducing emissions, the right kind of wood can save money on heating costs, as it will produce more heat for the same amount of fuel. This is due to the fact that drier wood has a greater surface area, 913875 and Www.913875.xyz thus produces more heat from a given amount of fuel.

However, wood smoke can be harmful for anyone, but especially older adults and children who have vulnerable lungs. It can also irritate people with lung conditions like 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 seasoned and installed with a chimney that meets the required standards for the area.

Burning Wood

Woodburning stoves provide a clean and www.913875.Xyz renewable source of heat. They are also a great choice to keep the home warm during power cuts. They also help reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which are harmful to the environment from fossil fuels such as oil and gas.

Modern wood-burning stoves are more efficient than earlier models, and they are designed to prevent the accumulation of creosote. However, it is important to monitor the combustion. Creosote is a dangerous by-product of incomplete combustion and it can block the chimney if allowed to build up, resulting in less efficiency and creating the risk of a fire. Using seasoned wood will aid in keeping the levels of creosote low and save on the cost of logs as well as helping avoid the need for professional cleaning services.

You can also get stoves that can burn both coal and wood and give you a choice of carbon-neutral energy sources. It is crucial to remember that coal is not a climate friendly fuel, and there are some concerns about the way it is extracted.

It is recommended to use a Defra approved stove, and ideally one that is also Ecodesign ready, as they are in line with the latest emission regulations. The UK building regulations have specific requirements regarding how the flue is fitted, the size of hearth and the distance the stove must be from combustible substances It is therefore advisable to talk to one of our stove experts before purchasing a new stove.

Other combustibles, like paper and garbage are not suitable for use in wood-burning stoves because they can lead to more pollution, and at worst, a chimney fire or worse, make them operate less efficiently. This is because combustibles other than firewood have different density characteristics than firewood, so they burn at lower temperatures and produce more particulates.

It is also important to use only dry, seasoned, split, and dried firewood as this will be more efficient in burning. Wet or damp wood can produce plenty of smoke as well as producing more pollutant. It is also recommended to make use of a top quality stove pipe to ensure that the flue temperature is high enough and that it is installed correctly.

Emissions

Woodburning stoves emit a myriad of gases and particles. Mostly they produce fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which is small enough to pass through the lungs and get into the bloodstream, which could harm the heart, liver and brain. They also produce carcinogenic substances such as polycyclic aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) as well as nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. Depending on the kind of fuel they're burning, some can even release out toxic metals such as mercury and arsenic.

In the US, there have been a number of attempts to regulate how much pollution woodburning stoves produce with varying levels of success. In 1988 the Environmental Protection Agency established emission guidelines that regulated the amount of pollution new stoves were permitted to release. Since then, there have been two modifications to the guidelines. The most recent revision in 2015 requires that all units whether catalytic or not, release no more than 4 grams of pollutants every hour.

These strict regulations caused a major shake-up in the industry, forcing hundreds of smaller companies out of business. However, they also sparked the development of efficient stoves that could last and could produce lower emissions than conventional models. To improve their products, stove designers looked at and analysed combustion flow baffles, combustion chamber shapes. They also looked into insulating materials and Recirculation systems. They eventually succeeded.

Emissions are mostly dependent on the moisture content of the wood that's burned. The higher the moisture content, the more harmful emissions the stove can produce. The best way to reduce the amount of emissions is by using seasoned firewood which has been properly dried over a time of 6-8 months.

According to numerous studies, comparing exhaust-related particle pollution only, a woodburning stove can create as much particle pollution as 15 diesel vehicles. These tests were not scientifically based. These studies fail to take into account that the majority of the particle pollution that cars emit comes from its brakes, engine, and tyres, rather than its exhaust.

Ten blue states have been pushing on the EPA to review its carbon emissions and guidelines for air quality for wood-burning stoves. The attorney generals of New York, Washington, www.913875.Xyz Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, California, Alaska, Oregon and Vermont have announced plans to sue the EPA for continuing to allow high-emitting stoves to be installed in homes across the nation.

Maintenance

Wood burning stoves are efficient at heating homes but can be a challenge to maintain. A stove needs to be cleaned regularly to keep it looking and operating efficiently. A dirty stove may affect the health of those who use it and the amount of heat it generates. Cleaning the stove isn't the only maintenance task that must be done to keep it running smoothly.

Cleaning the exterior and interior of a stove is easy to do. It is recommended to clean a stove on a weekly or biweekly basis based on the frequency it is used. It is also recommended to remove the firebox of ash each time the stove is used. Spread an old newspaper over the floor prior to scooping the ashes from the stove, and then wear gloves to protect your hands. Use a metal container instead of a bucket to prevent rusting.

Cleaning the chimney and flue clean is equally important. A professional chimney sweep should be hired at least once or twice per year to clean the chimney and stove thoroughly. This will stop the buildup of creosote and reduce the risk for chimney fires.

A chimney should also be examined for creosote buildup and cracks, bird nests and other detritus. A professional chimney sweep will be capable of repairing these issues and restore a safe, functional chimney.

Over time, the glass of a wood-burning stove may be clouded and stained with soot. Spray an ammonia-based mixture and water on the glass, and wipe it off with a clean cloth. It is advised to avoid scratching the glass as this could weaken it and cause it to shatter when it gets hot.

Paint that is heat resistant can be used to re-paint a woodburning fireplace in case the paint starts to chip. These paints are generally available at places where wood stoves are sold and are available in various colors.