What You Need to Know About Outdoor Wood Burners
Outdoor wood burners are an affordable way to heat homes and businesses. They also help reduce the dependence on fossil fuels that are non-renewable and help to create a more resilient energy strategy.
A well-seasoned wood is vital for efficient burning. Green or unseasoned wood may have a higher moisture content, which can cause creosote to build up and decrease performance.
Efficient
Outdoor wood burners (OWBs) have been around for many years and provide an eco-friendly and energy efficient method to heat your home. The typical design of OWBs encourages a slower, cooler fire which results in poorer combustion and a higher amount of smoke and creosote. Unburned fuels can cause health issues as well as fire hazards, and can also harm the environment.
Additionally, the visible smoke produced by OWBs could cause neighbors to voice their concerns and could lead to DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) enforcement action. This type of public relations issue could cause serious damage to the value of your property, and could even 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 improve the efficiency of combustion and provide smokeless, clean burning. This is achieved by using a negative pressure air system that pulls fresh, dry, hot clean air in from the bottom of the boiler and pushes it out through the chimney at a much more rapid rate than traditional outdoor wood boilers. This is accomplished through an innovative design that utilizes an incredibly efficient multi-pass water-filled heat exchanger made of 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
When used properly when properly used, when properly used, the Pristine Gasification Series OWB can reach a 99% combustion efficiency for a cleaner, smoke-free fire that uses less wood and generates significantly less emissions than traditional OWBs. It is crucial to burn only clean, seasoned and dry wood to increase the performance of your OWB. The process of preparing your wood for 6 months or more prior to burning is recommended and helps ensure a better, more energy efficient burn.
You can boost the efficiency of your wood-burning stove by executing every week a "dry burn". This method reduces creosote, increases boiler efficiency and extends the life of your boiler. In addition by putting in a creosote remover stick each time you load your stove, you can drastically cut the amount of creosote that you use. This product is available through Wisconsin Wood Furnace.
Clean
A wood-burning stove could be extremely dirty due to burned soot particles. They are extremely difficult to shift If you notice any areas of build up on the glass of your stove, clean them immediately. If not, the soot will begin to become harder and more difficult to remove. Using the right cleaning products for the job is vital and you should also make sure you're not damaging the glass's surface with anything that could scratch it. This could lead to a weak spot that can shatter glass when exposed to extreme temperatures.
Be sure to let your wood burner cool completely before cleaning it. Also, ensure that the area around it is covered with newspaper. This will stop any spillage of ash that can stain and mark surfaces.
Depending on the quality of the wood you choose to use, it could take up to an entire year for your stove to become properly and seasoned. The wood that has been seasoned will not only burn more efficiently, but will also produce less creosote. This is the substance that builds up on your fireplace, decreasing its efficiency and posing the potential for a fire hazard. If you're using unseasoned wood, or just starting a fire in your outdoor fireplace, it's best to open the lower backdoor and scoop out the ashes into a non-combustible container each week.
A sediment flush should be performed on your boiler every four years. This is a straightforward flush lasting five seconds from the bottom drain valve on your boiler. This will eliminate any accumulation of sediment within the system and help keep your boiler in great operating condition.
Once you've completed the sediment flush, it's time to clean the exterior of your outdoor wood burner. Before you begin, make sure to cover the stove's area with newspaper. It is also helpful to wear gloves and protective eyewear. You should also have a shovel, a metal ash container and an instrument for scraping. You can use a cloth for an insulator to shield the refractory from damage while you scrape away coal and ash deposits.
Easy to operate
Despite their popularity (they were among the 1990s' "it" trends, together with mullet hairstyles) outdoor wood boilers, also known as outdoor furnaces or outdoor wood hydronic heaters are frequently misunderstood. In contrast to their EPA-approved counterparts, popular wood stoves which are designed to burn at constant, low temperatures, these units use a higher fire rate and generate more smoke when they operate. Some local governments limit or ban their use.
wood burners near me are best used to heat homes with high insulation levels. The smoldering, dense visible smoke is also a cause of complaints from neighbors and has resulted in many OWBs being shut down or sued in the past. For OWBs dry wood with a lower moisture content is needed to perform effectively. Wood that is not seasoned or green can decrease efficiency, cause creosote to build up and reduce the life of the burner. Drying wood can take time and an instrument to measure moisture is essential for every homeowner.
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 less smoke. These kinds of furnaces are much more efficient than traditional OWBs and can be used with a greater variety of fuel. Wood gasification boilers require dry and well-seasoned firewood. Most wood can be seasoned within a year, however oak and other hardy species may take two years or more to fully season. This is due to less water content and denser mass. This lets them store heat for longer, thereby increasing efficiency and reducing pollution. The EPA's "Burn Wise" website and Cornell Cooperative Extension can help homeowners learn more about how to burn wood efficiently, thereby reducing pollution to the air.
Low Maintenance
Modern outdoor wood furnaces have been designed with the environment in mind. Contrary to indoor wood stoves that generate significant smoke modern outdoor furnaces burn cleanly and without the creation of excessive carbon monoxide or heat. They also require less wood to generate the same amount of heat as traditional stoves.
Outdoor wood burners require less maintenance and are more forgiving of wood moisture content than indoor wood burning stoves. However, outdoor wood burners can only be used with properly treated or "cured" wood. Certain types of wood may last for up to a year. Make use of a moisture meter prior to loading to check the amount of water present in the wood.
When the system is in operation, it is essential to regularly check the system for creosote build up. Creosote is a byproduct of combustion and can accumulate in the flue and chimney if it is not cleaned on a regular basis. It can be removed by pouring a creosote removal product into the fire. Regularly cleaning the flue and chimney will help eliminate dangerous creosote accumulations, and increase efficiency.
Crown Royal Stoves developed a new airflow technology known as Negative Pressure Gasification to ensure 99% efficiency in combustion. Our EPA certified Pristine Series outdoor wood furnaces make use of this technology to draw air from the bottom, forcing all gasses through an insulated, water-surrounded secondary combustion chamber with easy-clean turbulators for a smokeless & pollution-free burn.