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How to Properly Operate a Woodburning Stove Wood stoves are an excellent option to heat your home. They're also affordable. However, the smoke they produce can also be harmful to health. It is important to know how these appliances function and how they operate. Modern stoves employ catalytic or secondary combustion to limit emissions. However, older stoves and open fires produce 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 simplest way to think about the firebox is to think of it as an open-air combustion chamber that has walls and doors. Most fireplaces come with prefabricated metal fireboxes or masonry firebox. The kind of firebox you select will depend on your preference as well as the type of fireplace you have. Most fireplaces with wood burning utilize a continuous flow of air to create the flame and burn fuel. Fresh air is pumped into the stove through dampers which can be adjusted inside the doors. This allows the fuel to be properly burned and also helps reduce the toxic gases produced by incomplete or unburnt combustion. The exhaust gases are drawn up through the chimney and safely out of your home. Modern stoves with catalytic second combustion make use of a specific catalyst to reburn the unburnt gasses to produce additional heat. This results in a much cleaner and less polluting exhaust than traditional wood stoves with no secondary combustion. Modern non-catalytic wood stoves are also available however they are generally less efficient than those that have catalytic second combustion. Certain wood-burning stoves come with a backboiler that can be used to heat water as well as for space heating. They are also known as “combination” or “hybrid” stoves and have been in use since the early 20th century. Wood burning stoves should only be operated with seasoned wood. Freshly cut wood (green) has an excessive amount of water. This can result in low flue temperatures, as well as excessive creosote accumulation in the chimney. This can lead to chimney fires that damage the stove, and can even be dangerous to your family's health. If you're in search of an expert to examine your wood-burning stove, or make any firebox repairs, make sure the chimney professional you choose is CSIA certified and provides reviews from their customers on their website. It's also important to ask about their rates and what kind of work they perform. The pipe for ventilation Wood stoves require ventilation to remove fumes from combustion and help keep your home warm and healthy. Venting carries away carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and excess moisture from the combustion process. It also helps to reduce the amount of air pollution and heat loss to the outdoors. Wood, gas and pellet stoves have different requirements for venting. Properly maintaining the stove's ventilation system on a regular basis is crucial to ensure safety and efficiency. The ventilation system consists of the firebox, the ventilation pipe and chimney. The chimney and the vent pipe are used in conjunction to create draft, which draws smoke from the stove through the fireplace to outside air. The difference in densities and temperature between the hot wood smoke and cold outside air creates draft. The more hot the temperature, the more smoke will rise through the ventilation pipe and chimney. The majority of modern wood stoves are certified as low-emission models by the EPA. They produce less pollution than older models which contribute to global warming and other environmental problems. Most modern stoves have built-in pollution control systems that limit the amount of carbon dioxide released while making sure that they burn efficiently. Older stoves with open flues produce a lot more carbon dioxide, which is poisonous gas that should not be allowed to escape into the home. Carbon monoxide can be a source when the chimney is dirty or has inadequate ventilation. Installing carbon monoxide alarms in your home is therefore essential. Find the distance between the opening of the chimney in the ceiling or wall and the spot where the wood stove is located on the floor. Multiplying this distance by 2 will give you the shortest length of stovepipe that you will require. You can use a single-wall or a double-wall stovepipe, but you must ensure the proper clearance from combustibles. When the stove first starts to burn then adjust the air vent until a good flame has been established and combustion process is stable. It is advised to stay clear of using wood logs in the stove since they could contain volatile chemicals that can cause the air vents to malfunction. The chimney The chimney is a complex system that requires attention and care. The chimney is made up of a variety of components that are essential to the safety and efficiency of your stove. The wood-burning stove's combustion gases are emitted to the outside by the firebox, the ventilation pipe, and the chimney. This is crucial to preventing harmful emissions and also reducing carbon dioxide levels within your home. To do this, the flue and chimney must be sufficiently hot to remove the gases from the fireplace without cooling. This is accomplished by using a woodburning stove that has an extremely high heat output, and by adding regularly new logs to the fire. Modern wood-burning stoves have a higher chimney than older systems to enhance the drafting effect. However, this may be a disadvantage in the event that the height of your chimney is higher than the maximum permitted for your particular location. In this situation the chimney may compete with the stack of your house for airflow, which causes gases to cool down before leaving. This can restrict the flow of gases and create a buildup of creosote, which poses a potential fire danger. One of the most frequent mistakes that homeowners make is to close and open the fireplace door too often which can adversely affect the combustion. It's important to leave the door shut whenever possible, and only open it when you need to add additional firewood or ash. The door should not be open for long. This lets hot air from the stove to escape, making the logs cooler and less likely to light. Another common mistake that people make is to use other types of combustibles in their woodburning stoves, which could result in more emissions or even a chimney fire. antique wood burning stove is that woodburning stoves are designed and optimised to burn firewood and not other types of combustibles. The flu To ensure proper air flow for a woodburning stove, it requires flues that are the proper size. Typically, the size of the flue should be at 25 percent greater than the stove pipe (which connects the stove to the chimney) to provide enough space for smoke circulation. In addition the stove must be placed on an open hearth made of a non-combustible material and has a clear, unobstructed area in the front of the fireplace opening. Modern stoves are equipped with catalytic combustion systems which reduces the amount of harmful byproducts that get released into the chimney. This feature is also able to improve the efficiency of wood stoves by burning a flame that produces more heat and less pollution. Making use of other types of combustibles than firewood, however, can result in problems like lower efficiency and higher emission levels. It is essential to use seasoned or dry wood when burning wood in your stove or fireplace. If the wood isn't properly seasoned or dried, it could emit a lot of water vapor into your chimney. This could result in low flue temperatures and even a chimney fire. Another way to avoid the possibility of a chimney fire is to have a professional examine and clean your flue system regularly. This includes the stovepipe, the chimney and the chimney itself. A dirty stove or flue system may lead to an unclean draft in your chimney, which can cause carbon monoxide to accumulate within your home. This could be hazardous to your family members and you should not let it happen. A good rule of thumb is to hire a professional chimney sweep sweep your stove and chimney once per year. This will help keep your stove and chimney in good working order.