What You Need to Know About Outdoor Wood Burners
Outdoor wood burners are an economical solution to heat homes and businesses. They also help reduce the dependence on fossil fuels that are not renewable and help in implementing a sustainable energy strategy.
Well-seasoned wood is essential for efficient burning. Green or unseasoned wood has higher moisture content and may cause creosote buildup which reduces performance.
Efficient
Outdoor wood burners (OWBs) have been around for years and provide an green and efficient method to heat your home. However, the typical design of OWBs, which encourages the slow and cooler burning that causes poor combustion and more smoke, creosote and particulates. These unburnt fuels can cause health issues, fire hazards, and affect the environment around them.
Moreover, the visible plume of smoke that OWBs produce could cause neighbors to voice their concerns and could lead to DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) enforcement action. This kind of public relations issue could have a serious impact on the value of your property and may even lead to your OWB being shut down.
Crown Royal Stoves has a line of outdoor wood furnaces that are EPA Certified. The Pristine Gasification Series utilizes technology to maximize combustion efficiency and create a smokeless, clean burn. This is achieved through a negative pressure air system which pulls fresh dry heated, filtered, and heated air from the bottom, and then pushes it through the chimney at a much faster rate than traditional outdoor wood boilers. This is achieved by an innovative design that utilizes a multi-pass water-filled heat exchanger constructed of 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
Properly utilized properly, When properly used, the Pristine Series OWB has an efficiency of 99% for a cleaner and smokeless fire. It requires less wood, and produces significantly less emissions than traditional OWBs. It is crucial to burn only clean, seasoned and dry wood to increase the performance of your OWB. Seasoning your wood for six months or more prior to burning is recommended. This helps ensure a better and more efficient burn.
You can improve the efficiency of your wood-burning stove by performing every week a "dry burn". This method lowers the amount of creosote in your home, increases boiler efficiency and prolongs the life of your boiler. By adding a creosote-removing stick to your stove every time you fill it up, you can dramatically reduce the amount of creosote that you need to use. This product is available through Wisconsin Wood Furnace.
Clean
A wood-burning stove could become very dirty from burnt soot particles. They are difficult to clean and therefore, you must clean any buildup that may be on your stove's glass immediately. Soot that is not removed will become hard, making it even more difficult to remove. Using the right cleaners for the job is vital however, you must also ensure that you're not damaging the surface of the glass with anything that could scratch it. This could leave an area of weakness that could break the glass if it's exposed to extreme temperatures.
Before you begin cleaning your wood burner you must ensure that it is unlit and completely cool. Be sure you cover the area surrounding it with newspaper. This will prevent any ash spillage that could stain and mark surfaces.
Depending on the quality of the wood that you use, it can take up to an entire year for your stove to get properly and seasoned. The wood that has been treated with a seasoned finish will not only burn more efficiently, but will also produce less creosote. This is the material that builds up on your chimney, which reduces efficiency and posing an hazard for fire. If you are using unseasoned wood or are just making a fresh fire in your outdoor wood burner, the best thing to do is open the back door to the lower part and scoop ashes out into a non-combustible bin every week.
A sediment flush should be carried out on your boiler every four years. This is a simple flush that takes five seconds from the bottom drain valve on your boiler. This will get rid of any sediment that has built up inside the system, and will keep your boiler in top functioning condition.
After you have cleaned the exterior of your fireplace outside It is now time to clean it. Before you begin, make sure to cover the stove's area with newspaper. It is also helpful to wear gloves and protective eyewear. You should also have a ash canister made of metal as well as a scraping tool and shovel. You can use a cloth as a shield to protect the refractory while you take off coal and ash deposits.
small wood burning stove to operate
Despite their popularity (they were among the 1990s' "it" trends, as were mullet haircuts) outdoor wood boilers, also referred to as outdoor furnaces or outdoor wood hydronic heaters are frequently misunderstood. Contrary to the EPA's popular wood stoves which are designed to burn at constant, low temperatures, these units use more fire and emit more smoke when operating. This is why some local governments regulate or ban their use.
OWBs are best used to heat homes with insulation levels that are high. The smoldering, dense visible smoke is also a cause of complaint with neighbors and has led to numerous OWBs being shut down or being sued in the past. To allow OWBs to operate properly they should be operated with dry wood with low moisture content. Unseasoned or green wood can decrease efficiency, cause creosote to accumulate and decrease the life of the burner. A moisture meter can help you determine the time it takes for wood to dry.
Dual-stage wood gasification (OWGB) boilers are, on the other hand utilize a three-step process that utilizes more of the energy available in the wood. This results in 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, well-seasoned firewood. The majority of wood will season within the course of a year. Oak and other hardy trees could take as long as two years to mature. This is due to less amount of water and a higher density. This allows them to hold heat for longer, increasing efficiency and reducing pollution. The EPA's "Burn Wise" website and Cornell Cooperative Extension can help homeowners learn more about burning wood efficiently, thereby reducing pollution to the air.
Low Maintenance
Modern outdoor wood stoves have been designed to be eco-friendly. Modern outdoor wood furnaces do not emit excessive heat or CO2. They also burn cleaner than indoor wood stoves. They also require less wood to generate the same amount of heat as traditional stoves.
Outdoor wood burners require less maintenance and are more accepting of moisture content in wood than wood burning stoves that are indoor. However outdoor wood burners can only be used with properly prepared or "cured" wood. This can take a year or more for some types of wood. Use a moisture meter before loading to determine the amount of water present in the wood.
During operation it is important to examine the system on a regular basis to check for accumulation of creosote. Creosote is a byproduct from combustion and can build up in the flue and chimney if it is not cleaned on a regular basis. It can be removed using the use of a special creosote remover that is poured into the fire. Regular cleaning of the flue and chimney will eliminate dangerous creosote accumulations, and increase efficiency.
To attain 99% efficiency in combustion, Crown Royal Stoves designed a new air flow technology known as Negative Pressure Gasification. This technology is used in our EPA certified Pristine Series Outdoor Wood Furnaces to pull air up from the bottom and force all the gases through an sealed secondary combustion chamber, surrounded by water with easy-to-clean turbines. The result is a smokeless, pollutant free combustion.