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 non-renewable and aid in a sustainable energy strategy.
Wood that is well-seasoned is crucial for efficient burning. Green or unseasoned wood may have a higher moisture content that can cause creosote to build up and slow down performance.
Efficient
Outdoor wood burners have been around for many years. They are an energy-efficient and eco-friendly method to heat your home. However, the design of OWBs that encourages a slow, cooler fire that causes less combustion and a higher amount of smoke, creosote and particulates. These unburnt fuels can cause health issues as well as fire hazards and deteriorate the surrounding environment.
Additionally the visible plume of smoke that OWBs produce can cause neighbors to complain and result in DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) enforcement action. This type of public relations issue can be a significant impact on the value of your property, and could result in your OWB being shut down.
Crown Royal Stoves offers a range of EPA Certified outdoor wood furnaces that are referred to as the Pristine Gasification Series that utilizes technology to boost the efficiency of combustion to ensure a smokeless, clean burning. This is achieved by using a negative-pressure air system that draws in fresh, dry heated, filtered air from the bottom and then pushes it up the chimney faster than traditional outdoor wood boilers. This is achieved through an innovative design that makes use of an encapsulated, multi-pass heat exchanger constructed from 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
When used properly when properly used, when properly used, the Pristine Gasification Series OWB can reach an efficiency of 99% for a cleaner, smoke-free fire that consumes less wood and generates significantly fewer emissions than traditional OWBs. To further maximize your OWB's performance it is essential to burn clean, seasoned, dry wood. Seasoning your wood for six months or more prior to burning is recommended. It helps ensure a smoother energy efficient and efficient burn.
In addition to improving the efficiency of your wood stove, you can also improve its efficiency by performing an "dry burn" every week. This method reduces creosote which improves boiler efficiency and extends the lifespan of your boiler. By adding a creosote-removing stick to your stove every time you fill it up, you can dramatically reduce the amount of creosote that you need to 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 wood stove look very dirty. These are very hard to remove, so if you see any spots of soot build-up on the glass of your stove, wash them immediately. Any soot that is not eliminated will begin to harden, making it even more difficult to remove. Using the right cleaners for the job is crucial and you should also make sure you're not damaging the glass's surface by using anything that could scratch it. This could leave a weak spot that could shatter the glass when it's exposed to high temperatures.
Be sure to let your wood burner cool completely before cleaning it. Be sure that you cover the area surrounding it with newspaper. This will prevent the ash from spilling and staining surfaces.
Based on the quality of the wood you select, it can take up to one year for your stove to get properly and seasoned. Seasoned wood will not only burn better and will produce less creosote. This is the substance that accumulates on your fireplace, decreasing its effectiveness and creating a potential fire hazard. If you're using unseasoned wood or are just beginning an outdoor fire fireplace, you should open the lower backdoor and scoop the the ashes into a non-combustible container each week.
It is also recommended to perform an annual sediment flush on your boiler at a minimum every four years. This involves a simple five-second flush from the bottom drain valve on your boiler. This will remove any accumulation of sediment inside the system and keep your boiler in great functioning condition.
After you have cleaned the exterior of your fireplace outside it is time to clean it. Before you begin, make sure to cover the area around the stove with newspaper. Wearing protective eyewear and gloves is also a good idea. You should also have an ash container, a shovel ash container and scraping tools. You can make use of a cloth as shield to protect the refractory as you take off coal and ash deposits.
Simple to Operate
Despite their popularity (they were one of the 1990s' "it" trends, together with mullet hairstyles) outdoor wood boilers, referred to as outdoor furnaces or outdoor wood hydronic heaters, are still often misunderstood. These units are not the same as the well-known EPA wood stoves, which are made to burn low temperatures continuously. They use more fire and produce more smoke. This is the reason why local governments regulate or ban their use.
OWBs are best suited to homes that have high levels of insulation. Smoke that is thick and smoldering may cause annoyance to neighbors, which has led many OWBs to be shut down or sued. For OWBs dry wood with a lower moisture content is required to work properly. Using green or unseasoned wood can reduce efficiency, cause creosote accumulation and can cut down the life of the burner. Drying wood can take time and a moisture meter is a must for any homeowner.
In contrast dual-stage wood gasification boilers (OWGB) make use of three steps of process that makes use of more available energy from the wood and results in less smoke. These types of furnaces are far more efficient than conventional OWBs and can be used with a wider variety of fuel. Wood gasification boilers require dry well-seasoned wood. Most wood will season within a year, however oak and other species that are hardy may take two or more years to fully mature. They are less watery and have a larger mass. This allows them to hold heat for longer, thus increasing efficiency and reducing pollution. The EPA "Burn Wise" website and Cornell Cooperative Extension are great sources for homeowners to learn how to burn wood efficiently to minimize air pollution.
Low Maintenance
Modern outdoor wood stoves are engineered to be eco-friendly. outside wood burners to indoor wood stoves that produce significant smoke, modern outdoor furnaces burn cleanly without the release of excessive carbon monoxide or heat. They also use 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 forgiving when it comes to the moisture content of the wood. Outdoor wood burners are suitable for wood that has been properly "cured" or dried or. It can take a year or more for some types of wood. Make modern wood burner of a moisture meter prior to loading to measure the amount of water present in your wood.
In the course of operation, it is crucial to check the system regularly for the accumulation of creosote. Creosote, which is a byproduct of combustion, can accumulate in the chimney and flue if they aren't cleaned regularly. It can be eliminated using a creosote removal solution that is poured into the fire. Regularly cleaning the chimney and flue will eliminate dangerous creosote accumulations and improve efficiency.
In order to attain 99% efficiency in combustion, Crown Royal Stoves designed a new air flow technology known as Negative Pressure Gasification. This technology is utilized in our EPA certified Pristine Series Outdoor Wood Furnaces to draw air upwards from the bottom and force all the gases through an insulated secondary combustion chamber which is surrounded by water, with easy-to-clean turbines. The result is a smokeless & pollutant free burn.