How to Maintain a Woodburning Stove

A wood-burning stove is a reliable and effective method of heating the home. But, it's essential to maintain your stove to ensure the best performance.

Tip: Choose seasoned wood with low moisture content. This will allow for a longer burn time and a higher heat output.

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

How They Work

As the name suggests woodburning stoves burn wood in order to generate heat. The fire is contained within an aluminum and glass body that helps to maintain a constant temperature within the home. It also acts as an obstruction to smoke from entering the living room.

The main way that stoves manage the process of combustion is by regulating the quantity of air they allow into the fire. This is accomplished by opening and closing one or more air vents.

Modern stoves utilize catalytical or non-catalytical technology to control this. Catalytic stoves have an catalytic convertor designed to reburn the gases that are generated during primary combustion to ensure they do not escape from the room. Non-catalytic stoves, on the other hand, do not contain a catalyst and rely solely on secondary combustion to take place within the firebox to minimize emissions.

It is recommended to only burn seasoned firewood in your fireplace that burns wood. This means that it should have a moisture level of below 20 per cent and this will allow the fire to burn more efficiently. This will decrease the amount of smoke and harmful pollutants that are released through the flue. It will also stop the glass of your stove from becoming blackened by creosote. Creosote is the by-product of burning wood and can accumulate over time.

The use of wood that is seasoned will reduce emissions and save the cost of heating. It generates more heat per unit of fuel. This is because the surface area of the wood that is drier is larger and generates more heat per unit.

Smoke from wood can be harmful to anyone, however it is particularly harmful to children and adults with weak lungs. It can also cause irritation to people with lung conditions like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). If you reside in an area designated as a smoke control zone, it is essential to ensure that your stove is seasoned and installed with an appropriate chimney that meets the requirements for the area.

Burning Wood

Woodburning stoves provide a clean, renewable heat that is an excellent option to keep the house warm during power cuts. They also reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels like oil and gas, which are harmful to the environment.

Modern woodburning stoves operate more efficiently than older models and are designed to avoid creosote build-up however, it is important to monitor the process of combustion. Creosote is a potentially dangerous result of incomplete combustion, can clog the chimney and cause it to become less efficient. It also creates the risk of fire. Using wood that is seasoned will help keep creosote levels low and can reduce the cost of logs, as well as helping avoid the need for professional cleaning services.

There are stoves that can burn wood and coal giving you the option of carbon-neutral energy sources. It is important to remember that coal is not a climate friendly fuel, and there are concerns about the way it is mined.

It is best to choose a Defra-approved stove, preferably one that is Ecodesign ready. These will meet the latest emission regulations. The UK building regulations have specific rules for how the flue is installed, the size of hearth and the distance the stove can be from combustible substances It is therefore advisable to consult one of our stove experts before buying a stove.

Other combustibles such as paper and rubbish should not be used in woodburning stoves, as they could cause more pollution, and 5829186 at worst, an explosion in the chimney and, at best, make them operate less efficiently. This is due to the fact that other combustibles have different density characteristics than firewood, so they burn at a lower temperature and produce more particles.

It is essential to only use seasoned, split, and dried firewood. This will burn more efficiently. Wet or damp wood produces lots of smoke as well as generating more pollutants. It is recommended to also make use of a top-quality stove pipe to ensure that the temperatures of the flue are sufficient and that it is installed correctly.

Emissions

Wood-burning stoves produce a myriad of gasses and particles. They release a lot of fine particulate (PM2.5) that can enter the lungs, penetrate the bloodstream and potentially damage the heart, 5829186 liver, and brain. However they also produce carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and carcinogenic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs. Based on the type of fuel they are burning, some release out toxic metals such as mercury and arsenic.

There have been several attempts in the US to regulate how much wood-burning stoves emit pollution with different degrees of success. In 1988, the Environmental Protection Agency set emissions guidelines that essentially restricted the amount of pollution that new stoves could release. Since the time, there have been two changes to the regulations. The latest one in 2015 requires that all units whether catalytic or not, release less than 4 grams of pollutants every hour.

These strict rules led to a major shake-up of the industry, forcing hundreds of smaller manufacturers out of business. However, they also sparked an effort to create efficient stoves that could last and produced lower emissions than conventional models. Stove designers analyzed and studied combustion air flows, baffles combustion chamber shapes, insulating materials, and recirculation systems to improve their products. They eventually succeeded.

The emission levels are mostly influenced by the moisture content of the wood that's burned. The greater the moisture content, the more emissions a stove can produce. Therefore, the best method to reduce emissions is to use well-seasoned firewood that has been properly dried for 6-8 months.

According to numerous studies that compare pollution from exhaust only wood-burning stoves can cause as much particle pollution as 15 diesel vehicles. These tests were not scientifically based. However these studies fail to consider that around half of car's particle pollution comes from the brakes, engine and tyres instead of its exhaust.

Ten blue states are pushing on the EPA to review their carbon emissions as well as guidelines on air quality for wood-burning stoves. The attorney generals of New York, Washington, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, www.5829186.Xyz California, Alaska, Oregon and Vermont have announced plans to suit the EPA for allowing high-emitting stoves to be sold and installed in homes across the nation.

Maintenance

While woodburning stoves are very efficient in heating homes but they can be difficult to maintain. A stove needs to be cleaned on a regular basis to ensure that it looks and is operating properly. A dirty stove may impact the health of its occupants and the amount of heat it produces. Cleaning the stove is not the only maintenance task that needs to be carried out to keep it functioning properly.

Cleaning the interior and exterior of a stove is easy to do. It is recommended to clean your stove every week or on a fortnightly basis, depending on how frequently it is used. It is also a good idea to empty the firebox of ash every time the stove is used. Spread newspaper on the floor before scooping ashes from the stove, and wear gloves to protect your hands. Use a metal container instead of a bucket to prevent the rusting.

Keeping the flue and chimney clean is also essential. It is recommended to employ an experienced chimney sweeper once or twice per year to thoroughly clean the stove and chimney. This will help prevent the buildup of creosote and decrease the risk of chimney fires.

A chimney must be examined for cracks in the flue liner and the masonry, excessive creosote deposits or bird nests, as well as other debris. A professional chimney sweep will be able to repair these problems and restore a safe, working chimney.

Over time, the glass of the wood-burning stove will become clouded and smudged with soot. A mixture of ammonia and water can be sprayed over the glass and then wiped with a clean cloth until it is clear. Avoid scratching the glass, www.5829186.xyz because this could cause it to cause it to shatter and weaken when hot.

Paint that is heat-resistant can be used to re-paint woodburning fireplace if the paint begins to chip. These paints can be purchased at most wood stove retailers and come in a wide selection of colors.