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 non-renewable and contribute towards a resilient energy strategy.
For efficient combustion, it is important to use seasoned wood. Green or unseasoned wood may have a higher moisture content that can cause creosote to accumulate and slow down performance.
Efficient
Outdoor wood burners (OWBs) have been around for years and provide an energy efficient and environmentally friendly method to heat your home. However, the standard design of OWBs, which promotes an unsteady, cooler fire which results in poor combustion and more smoke, creosote and particulates. These unburned fuels can cause health problems, fire hazards and degrade the environment.
Additionally the visible smoke plume that OWBs produce can make neighbors angry and could lead to DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) enforcement action. This kind of public relations issue can cause serious damage to the value of your property, and could result in your OWB being shut down.
Crown Royal Stoves has a range of outdoor wood furnaces that are EPA Certified. The Pristine Gasification Series makes use of technology to maximize combustion efficiency and create an unburned, clean and smoke-free. This is achieved by using a negative-pressure air system that draws in fresh, dry heated, filtered, and heated air from the bottom, and then pushes it through the chimney faster than traditional outdoor wood boilers. This is achieved by a unique design which uses an incredibly efficient multi-pass water-filled heat exchanger made of 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
When properly used, when used correctly, the Pristine Gasification Series OWB can reach the highest efficiency of combustion, which is 99% to create a cleaner, smokeless fire that requires less wood and produces significantly less emissions than traditional OWBs. To maximize the effectiveness of your OWB it is crucial to only burn dry, clean, seasoned wood. The process of preparing your wood for 6 months or a year prior to burning is recommended and helps ensure a better energy efficient and efficient burn.
In addition to maximizing the performance of your wood burner, you can also improve the efficiency of your wood burner by performing a "dry burn" every week. This technique reduces creosote, increases boiler efficiency and prolongs the life of your boiler. By adding a stick for removing creosote to your stove each time you fill it up, you can drastically reduce the amount of creosote you use. This product is available from Wisconsin Wood Furnace.
Clean
A wood-burning stove could become very dirty from burnt soot particles. These are very hard to shift so if you notice any areas of build up on the glass of your stove, clean them right away. If not, the soot will begin to get harder and become more difficult to get rid of. Using the right cleaners for the job is crucial however, you must also ensure that you're not damaging the surface of the glass with anything that might scratch it. This could leave an area of weakness that could shatter the glass when it's exposed to high temperatures.
Make sure you allow your wood burner to cool completely before cleaning it. Also, make sure that the surrounding area is covered with newspaper. This will prevent the ash from leaking and staining surfaces.
Based on the quality of the wood you choose to use, it could take up to an entire year for your stove to get properly and seasoned. The wood that is seasoned will not only burn more efficiently and will produce less creosote. This is the kind of material that accumulates on your chimney, decreasing its effectiveness and creating the risk of fire. If you are using unseasoned wood or just beginning a new fire in your outdoor wood burner the best thing you can do is to open up the lower back door and scoop the ashes into a non-combustible bin every week.
A sediment flush is recommended on your boiler every four years. It is a simple flush lasting five seconds from the bottom drain valve on your boiler. This will eliminate any accumulation of sediment inside the system, and will keep your boiler in top working condition.
After you have cleaned the outside of your fireplace that is outside, it is time to clean it. Before beginning, it is crucial to cover the floor area surrounding the stove with newspaper. Wearing protective eyewear and gloves is also a good idea. Also, you should have an ash container, a shovel ash container and a scraping tool. To protect the refractory you need to lay a cloth on it to shield it as you scrape away ash and coal deposits.
Easy to Operate
Outdoor wood boilers (also known as outdoor furnaces or 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, along with mullet hairstyles. They're not the same as the well-known EPA wood stoves, which are designed to burn at low temperatures continuously. They use a higher rate of combustion and generate more smoke. This is the reason why local governments have a policy of regulating or banning their use.
OWBs are ideal to heat homes with a high insulation level. Smoke that is dense and smoldering can also be a nuisance for neighbors, which has led many OWBs to be shut down or sued. To allow OWBs to function properly, they must be operated using dry wood that has low moisture content. large wood burner or unseasoned wood can decrease efficiency, cause creosote to build up and reduce the life of the burner. Drying wood takes time and a moisture meter is essential for every homeowner.
Dual-stage wood gasification (OWGB) boilers, 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 furnaces are more efficient than conventional OWBs, and can be used to fuel various fuels. Wood gasification boilers need dry, seasoned wood. The majority of wood can be seasoned over the course of a year. Oak and other tough trees may take up to two years to mature. freestanding wood burner are less watery and have a larger mass. This allows them retain heat for longer, increasing efficiency and decreasing pollution. The EPA's "Burn Wise" website and Cornell Cooperative Extension can help homeowners understand how to burn wood efficiently, thereby reducing pollution to the air.
Low Maintenance
Modern outdoor wood stoves are designed to be environmentally friendly. Modern outdoor wood furnaces don't generate excessive CO2 or heat. They also burn cleaner than indoor wood stoves. They also require less wood to produce the same amount of heat as traditional stoves.
Outdoor wood burners require less maintenance and are more forgiving of wood moisture content than wood burning stoves that are indoor. Outdoor wood burners are suitable for wood that has been properly "cured" or seasoned. This can take a year or more for some types of wood. Use a moisture gauge prior to loading to determine the amount of water contained in your wood.
When the system is in operation, it is important to regularly check the system for the accumulation of creosote. Creosote is a byproduct from combustion that can build up in the flue and chimney if it is not cleaned regularly. It can be removed using a creosote removal solution that is poured into the fire. Regular cleaning of the chimney and flue will remove dangerous creosote and increase efficiency.
To attain 99% efficiency in combustion, Crown Royal Stoves designed an innovative air flow technology known as Negative Pressure Gasification. This technology is used in our EPA certified Pristine Series Outdoor Wood Furnaces to draw air from the bottom and force all gases through an sealed secondary combustion chamber, that is surrounded by water and easy-to-clean turbines. The result is a smokeless & pollution-free combustion.