10 Wood Stove Burning Related Projects To Expand Your Creativity
EPA-Certified Wood Stoves May Not Meet Your Health and Safety Standards
Many communities have provided financial incentives to replace old wood stoves with EPA certified models that emit less pollution. Undark discovered that some of the more recent stoves may not be up to EPA standards.
In the current climate of high energy costs, cities are trying to cut down on wood combustion, particularly in areas where air quality is low. Here are 10 ways to improve the indoor air quality and extract more heat of each log.
Efficiency
Wood stove burning is one of the most efficient ways to heat your home. Modern EPA certified wood stoves burn logs extremely quickly and produce less creosote than previous models. This allows you to burn more energy into your fire and reduce your heating expenses by up to 30%. The efficiency of wood stoves grows over the lifetime of the stove if you use only wood that is seasoned.
Older wood stoves usually have efficiency of 50 percent or less. This means that a significant portion of the potential energy in the fire is lost when smoke and carbon monoxide are released into the air. Modern stoves can achieve efficiency of 85 percent or greater, which is comparable to the efficiency of oil and gas furnaces.
Wood stoves can be made more efficient by controlling airflow as well as the fuel and combustion processes. Wood stoves with controlled airflow can slow down the speed at which the fire moves through wood, allowing gas produced to remain hot and burn completely.
Additionally modern wood stoves can recycle the waste products of incomplete combustion into a new one that burns more efficiently. This process, referred to as Reburn, can improve the efficiency of wood stoves by up to 10 percent.
Wood is also carbon neutral, which is another advantage. The trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while growing and release oxygen in return when they burn. Wood is a resource that is sustainable for the environment, especially when it is sourced from local woodlands, which are managed in a way that encourages healthy tree growth.
Cleanliness
With 8.8 million households using wood stoves in the United States, cleaning and maintenance are an important element of keeping your home warm. A dirty flue pipe or stove can cause carbon monoxide and fire dangers. Clean chimneys, stoves and flue pipes are more efficient.
The most commonly-asked task with cleaning your wood stove is emptying the ashes. Wear protective gloves and wait until the stove has cool down. Select a metal container big enough to accommodate all the ashes, and then dump them in a safe place away from anything that might cause a fire. Alternately, www.913875.Xyz you can add the ashes to your compost for an excellent addition to your garden.
While the ashes have been removed from the stove, sweep the floor to eliminate dust. It is important to leave at least 3 feet of space between your wood stove and any other combustible objects such as curtains, pillows or toys. This prevents the fire from getting out of control and burning these things.
A clear glass door on the inside of your stove will let you see the dancing flames and it can also assist you in determining the best time to start a fresh fire. Make sure that you have glass cleaner in your kitchen to get rid of any smudged or tarred areas that might be present. If the glass is very filthy you can use newspaper dipped in ash and water to clean it. Avoid scratching the glass since this could cause it to shrink and break when heated.
Creosote accumulation on the inside of your flue is the primary cause of chimney fires. A tiny amount of creosote could cause a fire in a chimney. Clean your flue often particularly if you are burning pine or other soft woods that produce more creosote than other types of wood.
To ensure that creosote-free vapors do not enter your home, you should only burn dry and seasoned wood that has been split in half or smaller. Also, do not burn fake wood or trash in your wood stove.
Safety
Wood stove burning can produce very toxic gases, including carbon monoxide and particulates. These toxins enter the home and could have adverse health effects on children, elderly adults or people suffering from respiratory ailments such as asthma or COPD. As time passes exposure to wood smoke may cause lung damage and heart disease.
To prevent these risks, it is essential to follow the proper wood stove burning practices. This includes ensuring the stove is working properly and has enough power to heat the size and layout of the room. Only dry, well-seasoned and dry woods should be burnt in the stove. The moisture content should be below 20%. If the moisture content is higher it will burn faster and produce a more smoky fire that has more creosote building up on the chimney vent pipe walls.
Another important aspect of safety is ensuring that the stove is operating at a high draw by monitoring the amount of air flowing through the firebox and the chimney. Modern stoves come with various ways to regulate the flow of air and the owner's manual includes procedures. The highest heating efficiencies can be achieved when control of the air flow is properly used.
The chimney and flue pipe must be free of all combustible material, such as drapes, paper or trash. The fires that occur in wood stoves are usually caused by insufficient clearance between combustibles wood-burning appliances and combustibles.
Keep children away from wood stoves when the fire is burning or when the ashes are being removed. Children are naturally curious, and they may touch the hot surfaces on the wood stove or put their hands in the flame. It is recommended to put up a child-proof gate around the fireplace or use a fireplace screen. In addition, it is essential to check the fireplace regularly and wood stove for signs of wear and tear.
It is also important to ensure that your stove and chimney are professionally inspected at least every year to ensure there is no creosote buildup, bird nests, and other issues that could affect the safety of your stove. This will help prevent fires and 913875.xyz health hazards, and will also lessen the need for smoke or CO2 remediation services.
Maintenance
While wood stoves are a great way to save money on heating bills, they do require some additional maintenance. If you don't take care of the required maintenance on your wood stove, it can cause a fire that escapes the flue, a risky chimney fire, or an unintentional house fire. In addition to sweeping the chimney and cleaning the stove, you must to sweep and clean the surfaces in the stove and flue. Keep an extinguisher on hand and test it frequently. It is also a good idea to put smoke detectors around the house particularly in the room with the stove.
As a rule you should clean the stove and chimney once a year. Cleaning schedules should be adjusted in accordance with how frequently the stove is used. It is possible to clean it more often in winter. Use only dry and seasoned wood to burn in the stove. Avoid using lots of oil or kerosene for starting the fire. These fuels can release toxic gasses and pose a danger to your health.
During your regular cleaning and maintenance, be sure to examine the gaskets on your doors. They are usually made of rope-like braids that may become degraded with repeated opening and closing. If you find that the gasket is loose and you need to replace it, Www.913875.xyz buy a fiberglass gasket and some gasket cement to fix it. Likewise, 913875 the hinges on these doors should be inspected as well.
Chimneys and flues must be inspected to ensure they are free of creosote accumulation and obstructions. During this inspection, look for cracks in the chimney liner as well as any other signs of damage. Stovepipes should also be examined, and Www.913875.xyz any dents should be fixed.
It is important to clean the glass door of your wood stove. You can do this by mixing water and ammonia. The solution is then wiped onto the glass using an abrasive or sponge. For tougher staining, leave the solution in place for a few minutes before wiping the glass again.