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How to Properly Operate a Woodburning Stove Wood stoves are an affordable and cozy method to heat the home. But the smoke they emit can be harmful to health. It is essential to know how these appliances function and how to use them correctly. A lot of modern stoves rely on secondary or catalytic combustion to limit their emissions. But older stoves and open fires generate 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 firebox is considered an open-air combustion chamber with walls and a lid. Most fireplaces have either an already-built metal or brick fireboxes. The type of firebox you pick will depend on your preferences as well as the type of fireplace you own. Most fireplaces with wood burning use a constant air flow to create the fire and burn fuel. Fresh air is drawn into the stove through the adjustable dampers within the doors of the stove. wood burning fireplace allows the fuels to be burned properly and reduces the harmful gases produced by incomplete or unburnt combustion. The exhaust gases are then taken up by the chimney and safely out of your house. Modern stoves with catalytic second combustion employ a special catalyst to reburn the unburnt gasses to generate additional heat. This produces a cleaner and less polluting fume than traditional wood stoves with no secondary combustion. Modern non-catalytic stoves are also available, but they're typically less efficient than stoves that have secondary combustion catalytically. Certain wood-burning stoves come with backboilers that can be used to heat water as well as for space heating. These are referred to as “combination” or “hybrid” stoves and have been around since the beginning of the 20th century. Wood burning stoves should be burned with well-seasoned wood. Freshly cut (green) wood has a high content of moisture, which can cause low flue temperatures as well as excessive creosote build-up in the chimney. This can lead to chimney fires that cause damage to the stove, and they can be hazardous to your family's health. If you're looking for an expert to examine your wood burning stove or make any firebox repairs, make sure the chimney specialist you choose is CSIA certified and provides customer testimonials on their website. It's also important to ask about their rates and what type of work they do. The ventilation pipe Wood stoves require ventilation to eliminate the smoke from the combustion process and keep your home warm and healthy. Ventilation is required to remove carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide from the process of combustion. It also helps to reduce air pollution and heat loss to the outdoors. Wood, gas and pellet stoves all have distinct venting requirements. It is important to maintain the stove's venting system on every year to ensure security and efficiency. The ventilation system is made up of the firebox and the vent pipe. The chimney and ventilation pipe are used together to create a draft that draws smoke from the stove out through the fireplace. The differences in temperature and densities between the hot wood smoke and cold outside air creates draft. The higher the temperature of the smoke, the more it is able to rise up the chimney and vent pipe. The majority of modern wood stoves are EPA-certified low-emission units. This means they emit significantly less pollution than older models, and contribute to global warming as well as other environmental issues. Most modern stoves have built-in pollution control systems that reduce the amount of emissions, while ensuring that they are burned efficiently. Older stoves that have open flues create much more carbon dioxide, which is poisonous gas that should not be allowed to escape into the home. Carbon monoxide can be produced when your chimney is dirty or has inadequate ventilation. Installing carbon monoxide alarms inside your home is therefore essential. Before installing a new or used wood stove, determine the distance between the point where the stove is on the floor to the chimney opening on the ceiling or wall. Multiply this distance by two to calculate the length of stovepipe that you require. You can use either single-wall or a double-wall stovepipe but you must allow for the adequate clearance from combustibles. The stove's air vent should be adjusted when it first starts to light up and maintained until a stable flame has been established in the stove and its combustion process has stabilised. It is advised to stay clear of using wood logs in the stove because they may contain volatile chemicals which can cause the air vents to fail. The chimney The chimney might not be something that homeowners pay a lot of attention to, but it's an intricate system that requires careful attention. From top to bottom the chimney is made up of a number of important components, all of which are crucial to ensuring that your stove operates efficiently and safely. The wood-burning stove's combustion gases are emitted outwards through the firebox, the vent pipe and the chimney. This is crucial in preventing harmful emissions and reducing carbon dioxide levels in your home. To accomplish this, the flue and chimney should be hot enough to remove the gases from the fireplace without cooling. This is achieved by using a woodburning stove that has an extremely high heat output, and by regularly adding new logs to the fire. Modern wood-burning stoves have a higher chimney than older models to increase the effect of drafting. This can be a problem when the chimney's height is higher than the maximum height for your area. In this scenario the chimney could be competing with the house's stack for airflow, causing the gases to cool down before leaving. This can cause a restriction in the flow of gas and an accumulation of creosote. The most common error homeowners make is to open the fireplace door and close it often. This can adversely affect combustion. It's important to leave the fireplace door closed as much as possible and only open it when you need to add more firewood or ash. The door that is left open for too long can allow the hot air to escape from the stove, which causes the logs to become cooler and harder to light, and releases volatile compounds that are not burned into the room. Other types of combustibles can create higher emissions, or even the possibility of a chimney fire. Woodburning stoves were developed and optimised for burning firewood. They are not suitable for other types of combustibles. The flue To ensure proper air flow, a woodburning stove needs a flue that is the correct size. Typically, the size of the flue must be at 25 percent greater than the stove pipe (which connects the stove to the chimney) to ensure adequate room for smoke circulation. A wood stove should be placed on an uncombustible hearth that has a clear space in front of fireplace opening. Modern stoves have the feature of catalytic combustor, which can cut down on the amount of harmful by-products which are released into the chimney. This feature can increase the efficiency of wood stoves by burning a fire which produces more heat while releasing less pollution. Using other types of combustibles other than firewood however, can result in problems with lower efficiency and higher levels of emissions. It is essential to use seasoned or dry wood when you are burning wood in your fireplace or stove. If your wood isn't seasoned or dried, it will release a lot of water vapor to the chimney. This could lead to low flue temperatures, and even a chimney fire. A professional can also assist you in avoiding a fire in your chimney by regularly inspecting and cleaning the flue system. This should include the chimney, stovepipe and chimney itself to ensure that they are all in good working order. A unclean stove and flue system can result in a poor chimney draft which could release carbon monoxide into your home. This can be harmful to your family members and should never be allowed to happen. A good rule of thumb is to hire an experienced chimney sweep clean your chimney and stove every year. This will also help to keep the stove and chimney operating efficiently.