What You Need to Know About Outdoor Wood Burners
Outdoor wood burners can be an economical solution to heat homes and businesses. They also help to reduce dependence on fossil fuels that are not renewable and help to create a more resilient energy strategy.
A well-seasoned wood is vital for efficient burning. Wood that is not seasoned or green 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 are an extremely eco-friendly and energy efficient method to heat your home. The typical design of OWBs promotes the slowing of the fire, making it cooler which leads to less efficient combustion, and more smoke and creosote. Unburned fuels can lead to health issues as well as fire hazards and affect the environment around them.
Additionally the visible plume of smoke that OWBs produce could cause neighbors to voice their concerns and lead to DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) enforcement actions. This kind of issue could negatively impact your property value and even lead to your OWB being shut down.
Crown Royal Stoves offers a line of EPA Certified outdoor wood furnaces known as the Pristine Gasification Series that utilizes technology to boost the efficiency of combustion for a clean, smokeless combustion. This is achieved by using a negative-pressure air system that draws in fresh dry heated, filtered air from the bottom and pushes it through the chimney at a much faster rate than traditional outdoor wood boilers. This is accomplished through an exclusive design that uses a multi-pass water-filled heat exchanger made from 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
If properly used correctly, when properly used, the Pristine Gasification Series OWB can achieve the highest efficiency of combustion, which is 99% for a cleaner, smokeless fire that uses less wood and generates significantly less carbon dioxide than traditional OWBs. To enhance the effectiveness of your OWB it is essential to burn only dry, clean, seasoned wood. 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 a weekly "dry burn". This method lowers the amount of creosote in your home which improves boiler efficiency and extends the lifespan of your boiler. Lastly, by adding a creosote-removing stick every time you fill your stove, you will be able to significantly reduce the amount creosote that you use. This product is available from Wisconsin Wood Furnace.
Clean
The soot particles that are left in the aftermath of burning wood can make a stove look very dirty. They are difficult to clean and therefore, you must remove any buildup from your stove's glass immediately. In the event that the soot is not removed, it will get harder and become more difficult to get rid of. It is essential to choose the right cleaner however, you must avoid damaging the glass surface by using anything that can scratch it. This could result in an area of weakness that could shatter glass when exposed high temperatures.
Before you begin cleaning your wood burner, you must ensure that it is not lit and completely cool. Make sure to surround it with newspaper. This will stop the ash from spilling and staining surfaces.
It could take up to one year for the seasoning process of your stove to be complete, based on the quality of the wood you select. The wood that is seasoned will not only burn better, but will create less creosote. This is the kind of material that accumulates on your chimney, decreasing its efficiency and posing a fire hazard. If you're using unseasoned wood or are just making a fresh fire in your outdoor wood burner the best thing to do is open the back door to the lower part and scoop ashes out into a non-combustible bin every week.
You should also do a sediment flush on your boiler at least once every four years. This involves a simple five-second flush from the drain valve of your boiler. This will remove any sediments that have built in the system and ensure that your boiler is operating well.
After you have cleaned the exterior of your fireplace outside It is now time to clean it. Before you begin, it's important to cover the floor area surrounding the stove with newspaper. It is also advisable to wear gloves and protective eyewear. You should also have a shovel, a metal ash container and an instrument for scraping. You can make use of a cloth as shield to shield the refractory from damage while you take off coal and ash 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 despite their acclaim. They were among 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 constant, low temperatures, these units use more fire and produce more smoke when they operate. This is why a few local governments regulate or ban their use.
OWBs are ideal to heat homes with insulation levels that are high. The smoldering, dense visible smoke can also be a source of complaint with neighbors and has led to many OWBs being shut down or sued in the past. To ensure that OWBs to function properly, they must be operated using dry wood with low moisture content. Utilizing unseasoned or green wood can reduce efficiency, cause creosote to build up and may shorten the life of the burner. Drying wood takes time and an instrument to measure moisture is a must for the homeowner.
In contrast dual-stage wood gasification boilers (OWGB) employ three steps of process which makes use of the available energy in the wood, resulting in much less smoke. These furnaces are more efficient than traditional OWBs, and can be used for various fuels. Wood gasification boilers require dry and seasoned wood. The majority of wood will season in the course of a year. Oak and other tough trees could take as long as two years. This is because they have lower water content and denser mass. This allows them to retain heat 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 to minimize air pollution.
Low Maintenance
Modern outdoor wood stoves are engineered to be eco-friendly. In contrast to indoor wood burners which emit significant smoke, modern outdoor furnaces burn efficiently and without the production of excessive carbon monoxide or heat. They also require less wood to generate the same amount of heat as traditional stoves.
Outdoor wood burners also require significantly less maintenance than indoor wood burners, and are more tolerant when it comes to the moisture content of the wood. However outdoor wood burners should only be used with properly treated or "cured" wood. Some types of wood can take up to a year. Use try this out before loading to determine the amount of water in the wood.
In the course of operation, it is crucial to check the system regularly for creosote accumulation. Creosote is a byproduct from combustion that can build up in the flue and chimney in the event that it is not cleaned on a regular basis. It can be removed with a creosote removal solution that is poured into the fire. Regular cleaning of the chimney and flue will eliminate dangerous creosote buildup and improve 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 employ this technology to pull air from the bottom, pushing all the gasses into an insulated water-surrounded secondary combustion chamber that is easy to clean turbines for a smokeless and pollution free burn.