What You Need to Know About Outdoor Wood Burners
Outdoor wood burning stoves can be an efficient and cost-effective method of heating homes and businesses. click through the following article reduce the dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels and contribute to a resilient energy strategy.
Well-seasoned wood is essential for efficient burning. Unseasoned or green wood can contain more moisture, which can cause creosote to build up and slow down performance.
Efficient
Outdoor wood burners (OWBs) have been around for many years and are an extremely energy efficient and environmentally friendly method to heat your home. The typical design of OWBs encourages the slowing of the fire, making it cooler which results in less efficient combustion, and more smoke and creosote. These unburned fuels can cause health problems, fire hazards and degrade the environment.
Moreover, the visible smoke plume that OWBs emit could cause neighbors to voice their concerns and result in DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) enforcement actions. This kind of public relations issue can have a serious impact on the value of your property and may even result in your OWB being shut down.
Crown Royal Stoves offers a range of EPA Certified outdoor wood furnaces known as the Pristine Gasification Series that utilizes technology to maximize combustion efficiency for a clean, smokeless burning. This is accomplished by using an air system that is negative pressure that draws fresh hot, dry clean air in from the bottom of the boiler, and pushes it out through the chimney at a much greater rate than traditional outdoor wood boilers. This is accomplished by a unique design that utilizes a multi-pass, water-filled heat exchanger constructed from 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
If properly used when properly used, when properly used, the Pristine Series OWB has an 99% efficiency in combustion for a cleaner and smokeless fire. It consumes less wood, and produces significantly less emissions than traditional OWBs. It is important to burn dry, clean, and seasoned wood in order to enhance the performance of your OWB. The process of preparing your wood for 6 months or more prior to burning is recommended and will ensure a more efficient, more energy efficient burn.
In addition to improving the efficiency of your wood burner it is also possible to increase its efficiency by performing the "dry burn" every week. This method reduces creosote, increases boiler efficiency and prolongs the life of your boiler. In addition, by adding a creosote removal stick every time you fill your stove, you can significantly reduce the amount creosote used. The product is available through Wisconsin Wood Furnace.
Clean
The soot particles that are left in the aftermath of burning wood can make a wood stove look very dirty. They are difficult to get rid of, so remove any buildup from your stove's glass immediately. Soot that is not removed will become hard and make it more difficult to remove. Using the right cleaners for the job is essential however, you must also ensure that you're not damaging the surface of the glass by using anything that could scratch it. This could result in an area of weakness that could shatter glass when exposed to extreme temperatures.
Be sure to let your wood burner cool completely before cleaning it. Also, be sure that the area around it is covered with newspaper. This will prevent the ash from spreading and staining surfaces.
Based on the quality of the wood you select, it can take up to one year for your stove to become properly well-seasoned. The wood that is seasoned will not only burn more efficiently and last longer, but it will also produce less creosote. This is the substance that gets accumulated on your chimney, decreasing its efficiency and creating the risk of fire. If you're using unseasoned wood or are just beginning a new fire in your outdoor wood burner the best thing to do is to open up the back door to the lower part and scoop the ashes into a non-combustible bin every week.
It is also recommended to perform a sediment flush on your boiler at least once every four years. This involves a simple five-second flush from the drain valve of your boiler. This will eliminate any sediment that has built up inside the system and keep your boiler in great functioning condition.
After you have cleaned the exterior of your fireplace outside it is time to clean it. Before starting, it's crucial to cover the floor around the stove with newspaper. It is also beneficial to wear gloves and protective eyewear. Also, you should have a shovel, a metal ash container and a scraping tool. You can make use of a cloth as an insulator to protect the refractory as you remove ash and coal deposits.
Easy to Operate
Outdoor wood boilers (also called outdoor furnaces and outdoor wood hydronic heating systems or outdoor wood heaters) are often misunderstood, despite their popularity. They were one of the "it" trends of the 1990s, alongside hairstyles for mullets. They are not the same as the well-known EPA wood stoves, which are designed to burn low temperatures and continuously. They have an increased rate of burning and generate more smoke. Certain local governments restrict or ban their use.
OWBs work best for homes that have high levels of insulation. The visible, smoldering smoke can also be a source of complaints from neighbors and has led to many OWBs being shut-down or sued in the past. In order for OWBs to operate properly they must be operated using dry wood with a low moisture content. The use of unseasoned or green wood can reduce efficiency, cause creosote accumulation and can reduce the lifespan of the burner. A moisture meter will help you to determine how long it takes for wood to dry.
Dual-stage wood gasification (OWGB) boilers, on the other hand utilize a three-step process which makes use of the energy available in the wood. This means less smoke. These kinds of furnaces are far more efficient than conventional OWBs and can be used with a larger range of fuel. Wood gasification boilers require dry and seasoned wood. The majority of wood will mature within the course of a year. Oak and other hardy trees can take up to two years. This is because they have less amount of water and a higher density. This allows them to retain heat for longer, thereby increasing efficiency and decreasing pollution. The EPA's "Burn Wise" website and Cornell Cooperative Extension can help homeowners learn more about how to burn wood efficiently, thereby reducing pollution to the air.
Low Maintenance
Modern outdoor wood furnaces are constructed with the environment in mind. Contrary to indoor wood stoves that produce significant smoke Modern outdoor furnaces burn efficiently and without the production of excessive heat or carbon monoxide. They also use less wood to generate the same amount heat as traditional stoves.
Outdoor wood burners require significantly less maintenance than indoor wood burners and are more accommodating in regards to the moisture content of the wood. However outdoor wood burners can only be used with properly treated or "cured" wood. Certain types of wood may take up to a year. Make use of a moisture meter prior to loading to check the amount of water in your wood.
During operation, it is necessary to regularly check the system for creosote build up. Creosote is an byproduct of combustion that can build up in the flue and chimney if it is not cleaned frequently. It can be removed using the use of a special creosote remover that is poured into the flame. Regularly cleaning the flue and chimney will eliminate dangerous creosote buildup and improve efficiency.
Crown Royal Stoves developed a new airflow technique called Negative Pressure Gasification to attain 99% efficiency in combustion. This technology is employed in our EPA certified Pristine Series Outdoor Wood Furnaces to draw air from the bottom and push all the gases through an enclosed secondary combustion chamber that is surrounded by water with easy-to-clean Turbulators. The result is a smokeless, pollutant free combustion.