What You Need to Know About Outdoor Wood Burners
Outdoor wood burners are an economical solution to heat homes and businesses. They also reduce the dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels and contribute to a resilient energy strategy.
A well-seasoned wood is vital for efficient burning. Unseasoned or green wood can have a higher moisture content, which can cause creosote to accumulate and reduce performance.
Efficient
Outdoor wood burners (OWBs) have been around for many years and offer a very energy efficient and environmentally friendly way to heat your home. However, the typical design of OWBs, which promotes a slow, cooler fire, results in poor combustion and more smoke, creosote and particulates. These unburned fuels could lead to health problems as well as fire hazards, and can also harm the environment.
Additionally, the visible smoke produced by OWBs could cause neighbors to voice their concerns and lead to DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) enforcement action. cast iron wood burning stove of issue could negatively impact your property value and even lead to 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 increase the efficiency of combustion to ensure a smokeless, clean combustion. This is accomplished with a negative-pressure air system that pulls in fresh, dry heated, filtered, and heated air from the bottom and then pushes it out through the chimney much faster than traditional outdoor wood boilers. This is achieved through a unique design that utilizes an encapsulated, multi-pass heat exchanger made from 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
If properly used correctly, when properly used, the Pristine Gasification Series OWB can achieve a 99% combustion efficiency to create a cleaner, smokeless fire that uses less wood and produces significantly fewer emissions than traditional OWBs. To enhance the performance of your OWB it is essential to only burn dry, clean, seasoned wood. It is recommended to prepare your wood for a period of six months or a year before burning it. This will ensure an efficient and clean burn.
You can improve the efficiency of your wood-burning stove by executing every week a "dry burn". This method helps to eliminate creosote buildup, keeps your boiler in good condition and extends its life span. Lastly, by adding a creosote-removing stick every when you load your stove, you will be able to dramatically reduce the amount of creosote used. The product is available through Wisconsin Wood Furnace.
Clean
A wood-burning stove can become very dirty from burnt soot particles. They are difficult to get rid of, so clean any buildup on the glass of your stove as soon as you notice it. Otherwise the soot will get harder and become more difficult to get off. It's important to choose the right cleaner however, you must be careful not to scratch the glass by using anything that can scratch it. This could leave a weak spot that could break the glass when exposed to extreme temperatures.
Before you begin cleaning your wood burner you must ensure that it's not lit and completely cool. Make sure you surround it with newspaper. This will prevent any ash spillage that could stain and mark surfaces.
Based on the quality of the wood you select, it can take up to one year for your stove to become properly seasoned. Seasoned wood will not only burn more efficiently and last longer, but it will also produce less creosote. This is the material that gets accumulated on your chimney, decreasing its efficiency and posing a fire hazard. If you are using unseasoned wood, or just starting a new fire in your outdoor wood burner the best thing you can do is to open up the back door to the lower part and scoop ashes out into a non-combustible container each week.
A sediment flush is recommended on your boiler every four years. This involves a simple five-second flush from the bottom drain valve of your boiler. This will remove any debris that has accumulated within the system and help keep your boiler in great operating condition.
Once you have done the sediment flush, it's time to clean the exterior of your outdoor wood burner. Before beginning, it is important to cover the floor area surrounding the stove with newspaper. Wearing protective gloves and eyewear is also a good idea. You should also have a metal ash container as well as a scraping tool and shovel. You can use a cloth as shield to protect the refractory as you take off coal and ash deposits.
Simple to operate
Outdoor wood boilers (also called outdoor furnaces, outdoor wood hydronic heating systems, or outdoor wood heaters) are often misunderstood in spite of their popularity. They were among the "it" trends of the 1990s, as were mullet hairstyles. These units are not like the popular EPA wood stoves, which are made to burn at low temperatures continuously. They have more fire and generate more smoke. This is why a few local governments have a policy of regulating or banning their use.
OWBs work best in homes that have high levels of insulation. Smoke that is thick and smoldering can also be a nuisance for neighbors, which has led many OWBs to be shut down or sued. For OWBs dry wood that has lower moisture content is needed to perform properly. Wood that is not seasoned or green can reduce efficiency, cause creosote to build up and reduce the life of the burner. Drying wood takes time, and a moisture meter is a must for any homeowner.
Dual-stage wood gasification (OWGB) boilers, on the other hand they employ a three-step procedure that utilizes more of the energy contained in the wood. wood burning stove in conservatory results in less smoke. These furnaces are more efficient than traditional OWBs, and can be used for various fuels. Wood gasification boilers need dry, seasoned wood. The majority of wood will mature within the course of a year. Oak and other hardy trees could take as long as two years. They are less watery and have a greater density. This lets them store heat for longer, thereby increasing efficiency and reduce pollution. The EPA "Burn Wise' website and Cornell Cooperative Extension are great sources for homeowners to learn how to burn wood efficiently to minimize pollution to the air.
Low Maintenance
Modern outdoor wood stoves are engineered to be eco-friendly. Modern outdoor wood furnaces do not produce excessive heat or CO2. They also burn more efficiently than indoor wood stoves. They also require less wood to produce the same amount of heat as traditional stoves.
Outdoor wood burners also require significantly less maintenance than indoor wood burners, and are more tolerant when it comes to the moisture content of the wood. However outdoor wood burners should only be used with properly prepared or "cured" wood. Certain kinds of wood can take up to a full year. It is crucial to utilize a moisture gauge to check the water content of your wood before loading.
When the system is in operation, it is important to regularly check the system for the accumulation of creosote. Creosote, which is a byproduct of combustion, can build up in the flue and chimney if they aren't cleaned regularly. It can be removed by pouring a creosote removal product into the fire. Regular cleaning of the flue and chimney will help eliminate dangerous creosote accumulations, and increase efficiency.
To attain 99% efficiency in combustion, Crown Royal Stoves designed a brand new air flow technique called Negative Pressure Gasification. This technology is employed in our EPA certified Pristine Series Outdoor Wood Furnaces to draw air upwards from the bottom and force all gases through an insulated secondary combustion chamber that is surrounded by water and easy-to-clean Turbulators. The result is a smokeless and pollutant free combustion.