What You Need to Know About Outdoor Wood Burners
Outdoor wood burners can be a cost-effective solution for heating homes and businesses. They also reduce the need for nonrenewable fossils fuels and contribute towards a resilient energy strategy.
To ensure efficient burning it is essential to use wood that has been well-seasoned. Unseasoned or green wood has a higher moisture content and may cause creosote that can reduce performance.
Efficient
Outdoor wood burners (OWBs) have been around for many years and offer a very eco-friendly and energy efficient method to heat your home. However, the standard design of OWBs, which promotes a slow, cooler fire, causes less combustion and a higher amount of smoke, creosote, and particulates. Unburned fuels can cause health issues and fire hazards. They also degrade the environment.
Furthermore, the visible smoke plume that OWBs emit can make neighbors angry and lead to DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) enforcement actions. This kind of issue could have a negative impact on the value of your property, and may result in your OWB being shut down.
Crown Royal Stoves offers a line of EPA Certified outdoor wood furnaces called the Pristine Gasification Series that utilizes technology to increase the efficiency of combustion for a clean, smoke-free burn. This is achieved by using a negative-pressure air system which pulls in fresh dry heated, filtered, and heated air from the bottom, and then pushes it up the chimney faster than traditional outdoor wood boilers. This is accomplished by a unique design which uses an incredibly efficient multi-pass water-filled heat exchanger constructed of 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
When properly utilized when properly used, When properly used, the Pristine Series OWB can achieve an 99% efficiency in combustion for a cleaner and smokeless fire. It uses less wood, and produces a lot less emission than traditional OWBs. To further maximize your OWB's performance it is crucial to burn only clean, seasoned, dry wood. Seasoning your wood for six months or more prior to burning is recommended. It helps ensure a smoother and more efficient burn.
In addition to improving the efficiency of your wood burner, you can also improve the efficiency of your wood burner by performing a "dry burn" every week. This method eliminates creosote buildup, keeps your boiler efficient and extends its life span. By adding a stick for removing creosote to your stove each time you fill it, you can dramatically reduce the amount of creosote that you need to use. This product is available from Wisconsin Wood Furnace.
Clean
A wood-burning stove could be very dirty due to burnt soot particles. They are difficult to remove so make sure you clean any buildup that may be on the glass of your stove as soon as you notice it. If the soot isn't removed, it will harden, making it even more difficult to remove. Using the correct cleaners for the job is vital however, you must also ensure that you're not damaging the surface of the glass with anything that might scratch it. This could leave a weak spot that could break the glass when exposed to extreme temperatures.
Before you begin cleaning your wood stove, you must ensure that it is not lit and completely cool. Make sure small wood burning heater cover the area surrounding it with newspaper. This will prevent the ash from spreading and staining surfaces.
Based on the quality of the wood that you use, it can take up to a year for your stove to get properly and seasoned. The wood that has been properly seasoned will not only burn more efficiently, but also produce less creosote. This is the substance that gets accumulated on your chimney, reducing efficiency and creating an hazard for fire. If you're using unseasoned wood, or just beginning a new fire in your outdoor wood burner the best thing to do is to open the lower back door and scoop ashes out into a non-combustible bin every week.
A sediment flush should be performed on your boiler every four years. This is a straightforward flush that takes five seconds from the drain valve on your boiler. This will get rid of any debris that has accumulated within the system and help keep your boiler in top functioning condition.
After you've completed the sediment flush, it's time to clean the exterior of your outdoor wood burner. Before starting, it's essential to cover the floor around the stove with newspaper. It is also advisable to wear protective eyewear and gloves. You should also have a ash canister made of metal along with a scraping tool as well as a shovel. To safeguard the refractory, you need to lay a cloth on it to shield it as you scrape away coal and ash deposits.
Easy 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. Unlike their cousin the EPA's popular wood stoves which are designed to burn at constant, low temperatures, these units use a higher fire rate and produce more smoke when operating. This is why a few local governments have a policy of regulating or banning their use.
OWBs are best used for heating homes with insulation levels that are high. Smoke that is dense and smoldering could be a nuisance for neighbors, resulting in many OWBs to be shut down or sued. To ensure that OWBs to function properly, they must be used with dry wood with a low moisture content. Green or unseasoned wood can reduce efficiency, cause creosote to build up, and shorten the lifespan of the burner. Drying wood can take time and a moisture meter is a must for the homeowner.
Dual-stage wood gasification (OWGB) boilers, on the other hand, use a three-step process which makes use of the energy available in the wood. This means less smoke. modern wood burning stove are more efficient than traditional OWBs and can be used to fuel a wide range of fuels. Wood gasification boilers need dry, seasoned wood. The majority of wood can be seasoned within the course of a year. Oak and other tough trees could take up to two years. They are less water-based and have a denser mass. This lets them store heat longer, thus increasing efficiency and reducing pollution. The EPA "Burn Wise' website and Cornell Cooperative Extension are great sources for homeowners to understand how to burn wood efficiently in order minimize air pollution.
Low Maintenance
Modern outdoor wood stoves are engineered to be eco-friendly. Modern outdoor wood furnaces don't produce 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 also require less maintenance than indoor wood burners, and are more tolerant in regards to the moisture content of the wood. Outdoor wood burners are only suitable for wood that has been properly "cured" or dried or. Some types of wood can last for up to a year. It is crucial to utilize a moisture gauge to determine the amount of water of your wood prior to loading.
When operating, it is essential to check the system regularly for creosote accumulation. Creosote is a byproduct of combustion and can accumulate in the flue and chimney if it is not cleaned frequently. It can be removed by pouring a creosote removal product into the fire. Regular cleaning of the chimney and flue will eliminate dangerous creosote, and boost efficiency.
Crown Royal Stoves developed a new airflow technology known as Negative Pressure Gasification to attain 99% efficiency in combustion. This technology is used in our EPA certified Pristine Series Outdoor Wood Furnaces to draw air upwards from the bottom and push all gases through an enclosed secondary combustion chamber that is which is surrounded by water, with easy-to-clean Turbulators. The result is a smokeless & pollutant free burning.