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How to Properly Operate a Woodburning Stove Wood stoves are a great way to heat your home. They're also inexpensive. However, the smoke they release can be harmful to your health. It is essential to understand how these appliances operate and how to use them safely. Modern stoves employ secondary or catalytic combustion to limit emissions. But older open fires and stoves create 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 firebox is considered a combustion chamber with walls and an enclosure. Most fireplaces have prefabricated metal or a brick firebox. The kind of firebox you select will depend on your personal preferences and the type of fireplace you have. The majority of wood-burning stoves utilize an air flow that is constant to produce the flame and burn the fuel. Fresh air is drawn into the stove through dampers that can be adjusted inside the doors. This allows the fuels to burn correctly, and also reduces the toxic gases that are produced by incomplete or unburnt combustion. The exhaust gases will then be drawn up the chimney and safely away from your home. wood burning fire with catalytic second combustion employ a special catalyst that allows the unburned gasses to produce additional heat. This results in a much more clean and less polluting exhaust than traditional wood stoves with no secondary combustion. Modern wood stoves that are not catalytic are available, but these are typically less efficient than those that have catalytic second combustion. Certain wood-burning stoves come with backboilers that are used to heat water, in addition to space heating. These are referred to as “combination” or “hybrid” stoves and have been around 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 content of moisture that can lead to low flue temperatures and a lot of creosote buildup in the chimney. This can cause chimney fires, which can harm your stove or be hazardous to the health of your family members. If you're looking for a professional who can inspect your wood-burning stove or do firebox repairs, ensure that the chimney expert you hire is certified by CSIA certification and provides testimonials from their customers on their website. You can inquire about their prices and the kind of work they do. The pipe for ventilation Ventilation is required for wood stoves to help eliminate fumes and keep the house healthy and warm. Ventilation is essential to remove carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide from the combustion process. It also helps reduce the amount of air pollution and heat loss outside. Gas, pellet and wood stoves have different venting requirements to accommodate the different ways they function. It is crucial to keep the stove's venting system on annually to ensure safety and efficiency. The ventilation system is comprised of the firebox, the ventilation pipe and chimney. The chimney and the pipe are used together to create draft that draws smoke from the stove out through the fireplace. The differences in temperature and densities between the hot wood smoke and cold outside air creates draft. The greater the temperature of the smoke, the more it is able to rise up the chimney and vent pipe. Modern wood stoves are EPA-certified low-emission units. This means that they produce significantly less pollution than older models, which contribute to global warming and other environmental issues. The majority of modern stoves come with pollution controls built-in to limit how much they release while ensuring the carbon emissions are burned in an efficient manner. Older stoves with open flues emit much more carbon dioxide, which is poisonous gas that should not be allowed to escape into the home. This could happen if the chimney isn't clean or if there is not enough ventilation, which is why it is important to install carbon monoxide detectors within your home. Measure the distance between the opening of the chimney in the ceiling or wall and the place where the wood stove is located on the floor. Divide this measurement by two to find the minimum length of stovepipe that you require. You can use single-wall or double-wall stovepipes and account for proper clearances from combustibles for either type. When the stove first starts to burn, adjust the air vent until a proper flame has been established and combustion process is stable. It is also a good idea to avoid using briquettes of wood in the stove, because they are not logs, and could contain volatile chemicals that could cause the air vent to fail and cause a hazardous situation. The chimney The chimney might not be something that homeowners think about a lot to, but it's an intricate system that requires careful attention. From top to bottom the chimney is comprised of a variety of essential components each of which is crucial to ensuring that your stove operates effectively and safely. The wood-burning stove's combustion gases are emitted to the outside by the firebox, the vent pipe, and the chimney. This is crucial to reduce carbon dioxide levels and to prevent harmful emissions. To accomplish this, the flue and chimney must be hot enough to move the gases from the fireplace without cooling. This is accomplished by using a woodburning stove that has a high heat output and by frequently adding new logs to the fire. Modern woodburning stoves are taller chimney than older models to enhance the drafting effect. However, this could have disadvantages if the height of your chimney exceeds the maximum allowed for your location. In this scenario the chimney may compete with the house's stack for airflow, causing the gases to cool before leaving. This can result in a decrease in the flow of gas and a buildup on creosote. One of the most frequent mistakes homeowners make is to open and close the fireplace door too often which can adversely affect combustion. It is crucial to keep the door of your fireplace as shut as you can and only open it to add firewood or ash. The door that is left open for too long permits the hot air to escape from the stove, causing the logs to cool and more difficult to light. It also releases unburned volatile compounds into the room. Another common error that people make is to use different kinds of combustibles inside their woodburning stove, which could result in higher emissions or even chimney fire. The fact is that woodburning stoves are built and optimized to burn wood, not other types of combustibles. The flu To ensure that the airflow is proper, a woodburning stove needs a flue that is the correct size. Usually, the size of the flue should be at 25 percent larger than the stove pipe (which connects the stove to the chimney) to ensure adequate room for smoke circulation. Additionally the wood stove should be installed on an open hearth made of non-combustible materials and has a clear, unobstructed area in the front of the opening for the fireplace. Modern stoves come with an engineered combustion system that reduces the amount harmful byproducts that get released into the chimney. This feature is also able to increase the efficiency of wood stoves by burning a fire that produces more heat and less polluting. Using other types of combustibles than firewood, however, can cause problems with lower efficiency and more emission levels. When burning wood in a stove or fireplace it is crucial to use dried or seasoned wood. If your wood is not dry or seasoned, it will emit high levels of creosote and water vapor into the chimney. This can result in low flue temperatures, and even a chimney fire. Another way to avoid a fire in your chimney is to have a professional inspect and clean your flue system on a regular basis. This should include the stovepipe, chimney and the chimney itself, to ensure all are in good shape. A dirty flue and stove can result in a poor chimney draft that could result in carbon monoxide being released into your home. This can be dangerous to your family members and you should not let it happen. A good guideline is to hire an experienced chimney sweep clean your chimney and stove once per year. This will help keep the chimney and stove working efficiently.