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7 Things You'd Never Know About Woodburning Stove
How to Properly Operate a Woodburning Stove

Wood stoves are a great option to heat your home. They're also inexpensive. However, the smoke they produce can also be harmful to your health. It is important to know how these appliances function and to operate them properly.

Modern stoves utilize secondary or catalytic combustion to control emissions. Older stoves and open flames emit 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 most straightforward way to think of the firebox is that it's a box-like combustion chamber with walls and a door. Most fireplaces have an already-built metal or the masonry fireboxes. The type of firebox you choose will depend on your preferences as well as the kind of fireplace you own.

Most wood-burning fireplaces make use of a constant flow of air to create the flame and burn fuel. Fresh air is pumped into the stove via dampers that can be adjusted within the doors. This lets the fuels burn properly and reduces the harmful gases produced by incomplete or unburnt burning. The exhaust gases are transported through the chimney and safely out of your home.

Modern stoves with catalytic second combustion use a special catalyst to reburn unburnt gases to produce additional warmth. This produces a cleaner and less polluting exhaust than traditional wood stoves with no secondary combustion. try what she says -catalytic wood stoves are also available however they are generally less efficient than stoves with secondary combustion that is catalytic.

Some wood-burning fireplaces come with backboilers, which can be used for space heating and water heating. These are referred to as "combination" or "hybrid" stoves and have been in use since the early 20th century.

Wood burning stoves should only be lit with seasoned wood. Freshly cut (green) wood has a high content of moisture, which can cause low flue temperatures and a lot of creosote buildup 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 looking for an expert to look over your wood-burning stove or make any firebox repairs, make sure the chimney professional you choose is CSIA certified and provides customer testimonials on their website. It's also important to inquire about their pricing and what kind of work they perform.

The ventilation pipe

Ventilation is required for wood stoves to remove fumes and keep the house healthy and warm. Venting helps eliminate carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and excess moisture from the combustion process. It also helps reduce the impact of heat loss and air pollution outside. Gas, wood and pellet stoves have different requirements for venting to accommodate the ways they function. Properly maintaining the stove's venting system annually is critical to ensure safety and efficiency.

The ventilation system is comprised of the firebox, the ventilation pipe and the chimney. The chimney and the ventilation pipe are used in conjunction to create draft, drawing smoke from the stove through the fireplace and into the outside air. The differences in densities and temperature between the hot wood smoke and cold outside air creates draft. The higher the temperature, more smoke will rise through the ventilation pipe and chimney.

Most modern wood stoves have been certified as low-emission units by the EPA. They produce far less pollutants than older models, which contribute to global heating and other environmental issues. Most newer stoves also have built-in pollution controls to limit how much they release while ensuring the emissions are disposed of in an efficient manner.

Older stoves with open flues produce more carbon dioxide. This is a poisonous gas that is toxic and cannot be escaped into your home. This can happen if your chimney is not clean or if there is not enough ventilation, which is why it is important to install carbon monoxide detectors in your home.


Find the distance between the chimney's opening in the wall or ceiling and the place where the wood stove is on the floor. Multiplying this distance by 2 will give you the minimum length of stovepipe you require. You can choose a single-wall or a double-wall stovepipe but you must allow for the proper clearance from burning combustibles.

The vents for the stove's air should be adjusted when it first starts to light up, until a good flame is established within the stove and its combustion process has stabilised. 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 fail.

The chimney

The chimney is a complex system that requires attention and care. The chimney is comprised of many important components which are all essential to ensure the safe and efficient operation of your stove.

The firebox, ventilation pipe and chimney work together to release the gases from combustion produced by your woodburning fireplace to the outside. This process is critical to avoiding harmful emissions and reducing carbon dioxide levels within your home. To achieve this the chimney and flue should be hot enough to move the gases from the fireplace without cooling. This can be accomplished by using a wood-burning stove that has a high heat output and by adding new logs frequently to the fire.

Modern woodburning stoves are taller chimney than older systems to improve the drafting effect. This can be a problem if your chimney height exceeds the maximum allowed for your area. If this occurs the chimney could compete with the house stack for draft, causing gases to cool before they exit. This can impede the gas flow and cause creosote buildup, which poses a potential fire hazard.

One of the most common errors that homeowners make is to open and close the fireplace door too often, which can negatively impact the combustion. It is essential to keep the fireplace door closed whenever possible, and only open it when you are required to add additional firewood or ash. The door shouldn't be left open for too long. This allows hot air from the stove to escape, making the wood cooler and harder to light.

Another mistake that many make is to use different types of combustibles in their woodburning stoves. This can result in higher emissions, or even a chimney fire. Woodburning stoves are designed and optimized for burning firewood. They are not suitable for other combustion products.

The flu

To ensure that the airflow is proper, woodburning stoves require an exhaust pipe that is the proper size. The flue should be at least 25% larger than the stove pipe that connects the chimney and stove to allow for adequate smoke passage. Additionally the stove must be installed on a hearth that is made of a non-combustible substance and is clear and unobstructed space in the front of the fireplace opening.

Modern stoves have a catalytic combustion system that reduces the amount of harmful byproducts that get released into the chimney. This feature is also able to increase the efficiency of a wood stove by burning a fire that generates more heat and emits less. Using other types of combustibles, other than firewood however, could cause issues like lower efficiency and more emission levels.

It is important to use seasoned or dry wood when burning wood in your fireplace or stove. 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 fire in the chimney.

Another way to prevent a fire in your chimney is to have a professional inspect and clean your flue system on a regular basis. This includes the stovepipe, chimney and the chimney itself.

A dirty stove and flue system could result in a poor chimney draft which could result in carbon monoxide being released into your home. This can be dangerous for your family and should never be allowed to happen.

It is a good idea to have your chimney and stove swept by a professional once a year. This will help keep the chimney and stove working efficiently.

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