What You Need to Know About Outdoor Wood Burners
Outdoor wood burners can be an efficient and cost-effective method of heating homes and businesses. They also help to reduce dependence on fossil fuels that are non-renewable and aid in a sustainable energy strategy.
Well-seasoned wood is essential for efficient burning. Wood that is not seasoned or green has a higher moisture content and can cause creosote buildup which reduces performance.
Efficient
Outdoor wood burners have been in use for many years. They are an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly way of heating your home. The typical design of OWBs encourages a slower, cooler fire which leads to less efficient combustion and a higher amount of smoke and creosote. These unburned fuels could cause health issues and fire hazards. They also degrade the environment.
Additionally the visible smoke produced by OWBs could cause neighbors to voice their concerns and result in DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) enforcement actions. This kind of issue could negatively impact your property value and even cause your OWB being closed down.
Crown Royal Stoves offers a range of EPA Certified outdoor wood furnaces that are referred to as the Pristine Gasification Series that utilizes technology to increase the efficiency of combustion for a clean, smokeless burn. This is accomplished by using a negative pressure air system that pulls fresh hot, dry clean air in from the bottom of the boiler, and pushes it out through the chimney at a much higher rate than conventional outdoor wood boilers. This is achieved through a unique design that utilizes a multi-pass, water-filled heat exchanger constructed from 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
Properly utilized when properly used, the Pristine Series OWB has an 99% efficiency in combustion for a cleaner and smokeless fire. It uses less wood, and produces significantly less emissions than traditional OWBs. To further maximize your OWB's performance it is essential to burn clean, seasoned, dry wood. It is recommended that you get your wood seasoned for a period of six months or a year prior to burning it. This will result in a more efficient and cleaner burn.
You can increase the efficiency of your wood-burning stove by executing each 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 stick for removing creosote to your stove every time you fill it up, you can dramatically reduce the amount of creosote that you use. This product is available from Wisconsin Wood Furnace.
Clean
The soot particles that are left behind after burning wood can make a stove appear very dirty. They are difficult to get rid of so make sure you remove any buildup from the glass of your stove immediately. In the event that the soot is not removed, it will get harder and become more difficult to get off. Using the right cleaners for the job is crucial, but also be sure you're not damaging the surface of the glass with anything that might scratch it. This could result in a weak spot that will shatter the glass when it's exposed to high temperatures.
Make sure you let your wood stove cool completely before cleaning it. Also, make sure that the surrounding area is covered with newspaper. This will prevent the ash from spilling and staining surfaces.
Based on the quality of the wood you use, 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, but will create less creosote. This is the kind of material that is able to build up on your fireplace, reducing its efficiency and posing an opportunity for fire hazards. If you're using wood that's not seasoned, or just starting an outdoor fire fireplace, it's best to open the lower backdoor, and scoop out ashes into a noncombustible container each week.
A sediment flush should be carried out on your boiler every four years. This is a straightforward flush that takes five seconds from the drain valve on your boiler. wood burning stoves near me will get rid of any accumulation of sediment inside the system and ensure that your boiler is in good working condition.
Once you have done the sediment flush, it's now time to clean the exterior of your outdoor wood burner. Before you begin, it's important to cover the stove's perimeter with newspaper. It is also advisable to wear protective eyewear and gloves. Also, you should have a ash canister made of metal as well as a scraping tool and a shovel. To safeguard the refractory, you must lay down a cloth to shield it as you scrape away ash and coal deposits.
Simple to Operate
Outdoor wood boilers (also called outdoor furnaces and outdoor wood hydronic heating systems or outdoor wood heaters) are often misunderstood in spite of their acclaim. They were one of the "it" trends of the 1990s, as were hairstyles for mullets. Contrary to the EPA's popular wood stoves which are designed to burn at constant, low temperatures, these heaters use more fire and emit more smoke when operating. This is why some local governments regulate or ban their use.
OWBs are great for heating homes with insulation levels that are high. Smoke that is thick and smoldering may be a nuisance for neighbors, which has led many OWBs to be shut down or even sued. For OWBs dry wood with 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. A moisture gauge will allow you to determine how long it takes for wood to dry.
In contrast dual-stage wood gasification boilers (OWGB) utilize three steps of process which makes use of the available energy in the wood, resulting in much less smoke. These kinds of furnaces are far more efficient than traditional OWBs and can be used with a greater variety of fuel. Wood gasification boilers need dry, seasoned wood. Most wood will season within a year, but oak and other species with a hardy structure can require two years or more to fully mature. This is because they have a lower amount of water and a higher density. This enables them to hold heat longer, thus increasing efficiency and reducing 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 don't 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. Outdoor wood burners are suitable for wood that has been properly "cured" or dried or. It can take a year or more for some types of wood. Use a moisture gauge prior to loading to check the amount of water contained in your wood.
During operation it is important to inspect the system periodically for creosote accumulation. Creosote is a byproduct from combustion that can build up in the chimney and flue in the event that it is not cleaned on a regular basis. It can be removed with a special creosote removal product that is poured into the fire. Regular cleaning of the chimney and flue will remove dangerous creosote buildup and improve efficiency.
To attain 99% efficiency in combustion, Crown Royal Stoves designed a brand new air flow technique called Negative Pressure Gasification. Our EPA certified Pristine Series outdoor wood furnaces utilize this technology to pull air from the bottom, pushing all the gasses into an insulated water surrounded secondary combustion chamber, which is easy-clean turbines for a smokeless and pollutant-free burn.