What You Need to Know About Outdoor Wood Burners
Outdoor wood burning stoves can be an efficient and cost-effective method of heating homes and businesses. They also help reduce the dependence on fossil fuels that are not renewable and contribute towards a resilient energy strategy.
Wood that is well-seasoned is crucial for efficient burning. Unseasoned or green wood has a higher moisture content and can create creosote that can reduce performance.
Efficient
Outdoor wood burners (OWBs) have been around for many years and provide an energy efficient and environmentally friendly method to heat your home. The typical design of OWBs favors a slower, cooler fire which leads to less efficient combustion, and more smoke and creosote. Unburned fuels can lead to health problems, fire hazards, and deteriorate the surrounding environment.
Moreover the visible smoke plume OWBs generate can cause neighbors to complain. This could result in DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) and taking enforcement actions. This type of public relations issue could be a significant impact on the value of your property and may 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 uses technology to maximize combustion efficiency and produce an unburned, clean and smoke-free. This is accomplished by using a negative-pressure air system that draws in fresh, dry, heated, filtered air from the bottom and pushes it out through the chimney much faster than traditional outdoor wood boilers. This is accomplished by the unique design of an encapsulated, multi-pass heat exchanger made of 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
Properly utilized properly, when properly used, the Pristine Series OWB can achieve an efficiency of 99% for a cleaner and smokeless fire. It uses less wood, and produces a lot less emission than traditional OWBs. It is important to burn dry, clean, and seasoned wood in order to enhance the performance of your OWB. It is recommended that you prepare your wood for a minimum of six months or one year before burning it. This will ensure a more efficient and cleaner burn.
In addition to improving the efficiency of your wood burner it is also possible to increase its efficiency by performing an "dry burn" every week. This method lowers the amount of creosote in your home which improves boiler efficiency and extends the lifespan of your boiler. In addition by putting in a creosote removal stick every time you fill your stove, you will be able to drastically cut the amount of creosote used. The product is available through Wisconsin Wood Furnace.
Clean
The soot particles that are left on the stove after burning wood may make a stove appear very dirty. These are very hard to move If you notice any spots of soot build-up on the glass of your stove, wash them right away. Otherwise the soot will harden and be even more difficult to get rid of. It is crucial to use the right cleaners however, you should avoid damaging the glass surface by using anything that can scratch it. This could lead to a weak point that will shatter glass when exposed extreme temperatures.
Before you begin cleaning your wood burner you should make sure that it is unlit and completely cool. Be sure to cover the area surrounding it with newspaper. This will prevent the ash from leaking and staining surfaces.
Depending on the quality of the wood that you use, it can take up to a year for your stove to get properly seasoned. The wood that is seasoned will not only burn better, but will create less creosote. This is the substance that is able to build up on your fireplace, reducing its effectiveness and creating the potential for a fire hazard. If you're using wood that's not seasoned, or just starting a fire in your outdoor fireplace, it's recommended to open the lower backdoor and scoop the all the ashes into a nonflammable container each week.
A sediment flush should be carried out on your boiler every four years. This is a straightforward flush that takes five seconds from the bottom drain valve on your boiler. This will get rid of any debris that has accumulated 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 beginning, it is important to cover the floor surrounding the stove with newspaper. It is also advisable to wear protective eyewear and gloves. Also, you should have a ash canister made of metal, a scraping tool and a shovel. You can use a cloth for a shield to protect the refractory as you scrape away coal and ash deposits.
Easy to operate
Despite their popularity (they were one of the 1990s' "it" trends, as were mullet haircuts) outdoor wood boilers, also known as outdoor furnaces or outdoor wood hydronic heaters are still often misunderstood. In Wood Burning Stoves to their EPA-approved counterparts, popular wood stoves that are designed to burn at constant, low temperatures, these units use a higher fire rate and emit more smoke when they operate. Certain local governments restrict or prohibit their use.
OWBs work best in homes with high levels of insulation. Smoke that is thick and smoldering can also be a nuisance for neighbors, resulting in many OWBs to be shut down or even sued. To ensure that OWBs to function properly, they must be operated using dry wood that has a low moisture content. Unseasoned or green wood will reduce efficiency, causing creosote to accumulate, and shorten the lifespan of the burner. Drying wood takes time and an instrument to measure moisture is a must for any homeowner.
In contrast, dual-stage wood gasification boilers (OWGB) utilize three steps of process that makes use of more available energy in the wood and results in less smoke. These types of furnaces are much more efficient than conventional OWBs and can be used with a wider variety of fuel. Wood gasification boilers require dry well-seasoned and well-seasoned firewood. The majority of wood will mature over the course of a year. Oak and other hardy trees can take as long as two years to mature. They are less water-based and have a denser mass. This allows them retain 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 burning wood efficiently, thereby reducing air pollution.
Low Maintenance
Modern outdoor wood stoves have been designed to be eco-friendly. Unlike indoor wood burners that produce significant smoke Modern outdoor furnaces burn efficiently and without the creation of excessive heat or carbon monoxide. They also require less wood to produce the same amount heat as traditional stoves.
Outdoor wood burners also require less maintenance than indoor wood burners, and are more tolerant in regards to the moisture content of the wood. However, outdoor wood burners can only be used with properly prepared or "cured" wood. This can take a year or more for certain kinds of wood. It is important to utilize a moisture gauge to check the water content of your wood prior to loading.
In the course of operation, it is necessary 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 frequently. It can be removed with a creosote removal solution that is poured into the flame. Regular cleaning of the chimney and flue will eliminate dangerous creosote, and boost efficiency.
Crown Royal Stoves developed a new airflow technique called Negative Pressure Gasification to achieve 99% combustion efficiency. This technology is used 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 turbulators. The result is a smokeless, pollutant free burn.