What You Need to Know About Outdoor Wood Burners
Outdoor wood burners can be an efficient and cost-effective method of heating homes and businesses. They also reduce the dependence on fossil fuels that are non-renewable and help to create a more resilient energy strategy.
Well-seasoned wood is essential for efficient burning. Unseasoned or green wood has a higher moisture content and may cause creosote buildup which reduces performance.
Efficient
Outdoor wood burners have been in use for a long time. They are a cost-effective and eco-friendly method of heating your home. However, the standard design of OWBs, which encourages the slow and cooler burning, results in less combustion and a higher amount of smoke, creosote, as well as particulates. These unburnt fuels can cause health problems as well as fire hazards and deteriorate the surrounding environment.
Additionally, the visible plume of smoke produced by OWBs can make neighbors angry and could lead to DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) enforcement actions. This type of public relations issue can have a serious impact on the value of your property and may even lead to 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 maximize combustion efficiency for a clean, smokeless combustion. This is done with a negative-pressure air system that pulls fresh, dry heated, filtered, and heated air from the bottom and then pushes it out through the chimney much faster than traditional outdoor wood boilers. This is accomplished by the unique design of a multi-pass, water filled heat exchanger made from 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
If properly used properly, When properly used, the Pristine Series OWB achieves a 99% combustion rate for a cleaner and smoke-free fire. indoor wood burner requires less wood, and produces a lot less emission than traditional OWBs. It is crucial to use dry, clean, and seasoned wood in order to enhance the performance of your OWB. The process of preparing your wood for 6 months or a year prior to burning is recommended. This helps ensure a better, more energy efficient burn.
In addition to maximizing the efficiency of your wood stove, you can also improve its efficiency by executing a "dry burn" every week. This method eliminates creosote accumulation, makes your boiler efficient and extends its lifespan. By adding a stick for removing creosote to your stove every time you fill it, you can dramatically reduce the amount of creosote you need to use. This product is available from Wisconsin Wood Furnace.
Clean
A wood-burning stove can be extremely dirty due to burned soot particles. They are difficult to get rid of so make sure you clean any buildup that may be on your stove's glass immediately. Soot that is not removed will become hard, making it even more difficult. It is crucial to select the right cleaners however, you should be careful not to scratch the glass with anything that may scratch it. This could leave a weak spot that could shatter the glass when it's exposed to high temperatures.
Be sure to allow your wood burner to cool completely before cleaning it. Also, ensure that the surrounding area is covered with newspaper. This will prevent the ash from leaking and staining surfaces.
It could take up to one year for the seasoning process of your stove to be completed, based on the quality of the wood you choose to use. The wood that has been properly seasoned will not only burn more efficiently, but also produce less creosote. This is the substance that builds up on your fireplace, reducing its efficiency and creating the potential for a fire hazard. If you're using unseasoned wood, or just starting a new fire in your outdoor wood burner, the best thing to do is to open up the lower back door and scoop the ashes into a non-combustible container each week.
You should also perform an annual sediment flush on your boiler at a minimum every four years. This is a simple five second flush from the bottom drain valve on your boiler. This will remove any sediment that has built up within the system and help ensure that your boiler is in good operating condition.
Once you have done the sediment flush, it's time to clean the outside of your outdoor wood burner. Before starting, it's important to cover the floor around the stove with newspaper. It is also advisable to wear protective eyewear and gloves. You should also have an shovel, a metal container for ash and a scraping tool. To safeguard the refractory, you must lay a cloth on it to protect it from damage as you scrape away coal and ash deposits.
Easy to Operate
Outdoor wood boilers (also called outdoor furnaces, 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, as were hairstyles for mullets. Unlike their cousin the EPA's popular wood stoves which are designed to burn at constant, low temperatures, these units use more fire and emit more smoke when operating. This is why a few local governments regulate or ban their use.
OWBs work best for homes with high levels of insulation. The smoldering, visible smoke is also a source of complaint with neighbors, and has led to numerous OWBs being shut down or being sued in the past. To allow OWBs to operate properly they must be operated using dry wood that has a low moisture content. Utilizing unseasoned or green wood decreases efficiency, causes creosote to build up and may cut down the life of the burner. A moisture meter can help you determine how long it takes for wood to dry.
Dual-stage wood gasification (OWGB) boilers are, on the other hand they employ a three-step procedure that makes use of more energy available in the wood. This means less smoke. These furnaces are more efficient than conventional OWBs, and can be used for many different fuels. Wood gasification boilers require dry, seasoned wood. The majority of wood will mature in the course of a year. Oak and other hardy trees may take up to two years. They are less watery and have a denser mass. This enables them to hold 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, thereby reducing air pollution.
Low Maintenance
Modern outdoor wood stoves are engineered to be environmentally friendly. Contrary to indoor wood stoves that produce significant smoke, modern outdoor furnaces burn cleanly and without the release 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 tolerant of wood moisture content than wood burning stoves that are indoor. However, outdoor wood burners can only be used with properly prepared or "cured" wood. This could take a whole year or more for some kinds of wood. It is important to make use of a moisture meter to measure the amount of water of your wood before loading.
In the course of operation, it is crucial to inspect the system periodically for the accumulation of creosote. Creosote is an byproduct of combustion and can accumulate in the flue and chimney if it is not cleaned frequently. It can be eliminated by pouring a creosote-removing product into the fire. Regular cleaning of the chimney and flue will eliminate dangerous creosote accumulations and improve efficiency.
To attain 99% efficiency in combustion, Crown Royal Stoves designed a brand new air flow technique called Negative Pressure Gasification. Our EPA certified Pristine Series outdoor wood furnaces utilize this technology to pull air from the bottom, directing all gasses through an insulated water surrounded secondary combustion chamber, which is easy-clean turbulators for a smokeless & pollution-free combustion.