What You Need to Know About Outdoor Wood Burners
Outdoor wood burners are a cost-effective method of heating homes and businesses. They also reduce dependence on fossil fuels that are not renewable and help in implementing a sustainable energy strategy.
For efficient combustion, it is important to use wood that has been well-seasoned. Wood that is not seasoned or green has higher moisture content and may cause creosote that can reduce performance.
Efficient
Outdoor wood burners (OWBs) have been around for years and are an extremely green and efficient method of heating your home. However, the standard design of OWBs that encourages a slow, cooler fire that causes less combustion and a higher amount of smoke, creosote and particulates. These unburned fuels can lead to health problems and fire hazards. They also degrade the environment.
Moreover, the visible smoke plume OWBs create could cause neighbors to voice their concerns. This could result in DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) taking enforcement action. This kind of issue could have a negative impact on the value of your property, and may cause your OWB being closed.
Crown Royal Stoves offers a line of EPA Certified outdoor wood furnaces called the Pristine Gasification Series that utilizes technology to maximize combustion efficiency for a clean, smoke-free burning. This is achieved by using a negative pressure air system that pulls fresh, dry, hot, filtered air in from the bottom of the boiler and then pushes it out through the chimney at a much higher rate than conventional outdoor wood boilers. This is accomplished through an innovative design that utilizes a multi-pass water filled heat exchanger made of 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
If properly utilized, when properly used, the Pristine Series OWB has an 99% efficiency in combustion for a smoke-free and cleaner fire. It consumes less wood, and produces significantly fewer emission than traditional OWBs. It is essential to burn clean, seasoned and dry wood to increase the performance of your OWB. Seasoning your wood for six months or more prior to burning is recommended and helps ensure a smoother energy efficient and efficient burn.
You can improve the efficiency of your wood-burning stove by performing every week a "dry burn". This method helps to eliminate creosote buildup, keeps your boiler efficient and extends its life span. Additionally by adding a creosote remover stick each time you load your stove, you can dramatically reduce the amount of creosote used. This product is available through Wisconsin Wood Furnace.
Clean
The soot particles left in the aftermath of burning wood can make a stove look very dirty. They are difficult to remove so make sure you clean any buildup on the glass of your stove as soon as you notice it. Soot that is not removed will become hard and make it more difficult. It is crucial to select the right cleaners, but you should also be careful not to scratch the glass with anything that may scratch it. This could lead to an area of weakness that could shatter glass when exposed to extreme temperatures.
Before you begin cleaning your wood stove, you should make sure that it is not lit and completely cool. Be sure you protect the area around it with newspaper. This will prevent any spillage of ash that can cause stains and marks on surfaces.
Based on the quality of the wood you select, it can take up to a year for your stove to get properly and seasoned. The wood that is properly seasoned will not only burn more efficiently, but also produce less creosote. This is the kind of material that builds up on your fireplace, decreasing its efficiency and posing an opportunity for fire hazards. If you are using unseasoned wood or just beginning a new fire in your outdoor wood burner the best thing to do is to open up the back door to the lower part and scoop ashes out into a non-combustible container every week.
It is also recommended to perform a sediment flush on your boiler at least once every four years. It is a simple flush that takes five seconds from the bottom drain valve on your boiler. This will remove any sediment that has built in the system and ensure that your boiler is operating well.
After you have cleaned the outside of your fireplace that is outside it is time to clean it. Before you begin, make sure to cover the stove's perimeter with newspaper. It is also advisable to wear protective eyewear and gloves. You should also have a shovel, a metal container for ash, and a scraping tool. To safeguard the refractory, you should lay down a cloth to protect it while you scrape away coal and ash deposits.
Easy to Operate
Outdoor wood boilers (also called outdoor furnaces or outdoor wood hydronic heating systems, or outdoor wood heaters) are often misunderstood despite their popularity. They were one of the "it" trends of the 1990s, along with mullet hairstyles. Unlike their cousin the EPA's popular wood stoves, which are designed to burn at low, constant temperatures, these heaters use an increased fire rate and emit more smoke when they operate. Certain local governments restrict or ban their use.
OWBs are ideal to heat 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 operate properly they must be operated using dry wood that has low moisture content. The use of unseasoned or green wood decreases efficiency, causes creosote accumulation and can cut down the life of the burner. Drying wood can take time and the use of a moisture gauge is essential for every homeowner.
Dual-stage wood gasification (OWGB) boilers are, on the other hand they employ a three-step procedure which makes use of the energy contained in the wood. This results in less smoke. These furnaces are more efficient than traditional OWBs and can be used for a wide range of fuels. Wood gasification boilers require dry and seasoned firewood. The majority of wood will season within a year. Oak and other hardy trees could take up to two years to mature. They are less watery and have a larger mass. This lets them store heat for longer, thereby increasing efficiency and decreasing pollution. second hand wood burner and Cornell Cooperative Extension are great sources for homeowners to understand how to burn wood efficiently to minimize air pollution.
Low Maintenance
Modern outdoor wood stoves have been designed to be environmentally friendly. Modern outdoor wood furnaces do not emit excessive heat or CO2. They also burn more efficiently 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. However outdoor wood burners should only be used with properly seasoned or "cured" wood. Certain types of wood may take up to a year. It is essential to utilize a moisture gauge to check the water content of your wood before loading.
In the course of operation, it is essential to regularly check the system for the build-up of creosote. Creosote is a byproduct from combustion and can accumulate in the flue and chimney when it is not cleaned regularly. It can be eliminated using a creosote removal solution that is poured into the flame. Regular cleaning of the chimney and flue will eliminate dangerous creosote and improve efficiency.
To achieve 99% combustion efficiency, Crown Royal Stoves designed a brand new air flow technique called Negative Pressure Gasification. Our EPA certified Pristine Series outdoor wood furnaces make use of this technology to draw air from the bottom, directing all the gasses into an insulated water-surrounded secondary combustion chamber with easy-clean Turbulators to ensure a smoke-free and pollution free burn.