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 contribute to a resilient energy strategy.
A well-seasoned wood is vital for efficient burning. Wood that is not seasoned or green has a higher moisture content and may cause creosote accumulation, which can affect performance.
Efficient
Outdoor wood burners (OWBs) have been around for years and offer a very energy efficient and environmentally friendly method of heating your home. However, the design of OWBs, which encourages a slow, cooler fire which causes less combustion and a higher amount of smoke, creosote, and particulates. Unburned fuels can cause health issues and fire hazards. They also degrade the environment.
Moreover the visible smoke that OWBs emit can cause neighbors to complain and lead to DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) enforcement actions. This kind of problem can negatively impact the value of your property, and may cause your OWB being closed down.
Crown Royal Stoves has a range of outdoor wood furnaces that are EPA Certified. The Pristine Gasification Series utilizes technology to increase the efficiency of combustion and provide smokeless, clean burning. This is achieved through a negative pressure air system that draws fresh dry, heated, filtered air from the bottom, and then pushes it out through the chimney faster than traditional outdoor wood boilers. This is accomplished through an exclusive design that uses a multi-pass water-filled heat exchanger made of 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
When properly used when properly used, when used correctly, cast iron wood burner can reach a 99% combustion efficiency to create a cleaner, smokeless fire that uses less wood and generates significantly fewer emissions than traditional OWBs. To enhance the effectiveness of your OWB, it is important to only burn dry, clean, and seasoned wood. It is recommended that you season your wood for a minimum of six months or one year before burning it. This will ensure an efficient and clean burn.
You can increase the efficiency of your wood-burning stove by executing every week a "dry burn". This technique eliminates creosote accumulation, makes your boiler running efficiently and increases its life span. In addition by adding a creosote removal stick each time you load your stove, you will be able to drastically cut the amount of creosote that you use. This product is available through Wisconsin Wood Furnace.
Clean
The soot particles that are left on the stove after burning wood may make a wood stove look very dirty. They are difficult to get rid of, so clean any buildup on the glass of your stove immediately. Any soot that is not eliminated will begin to harden, making it even more difficult to remove. Using the right cleaning products for the job is essential and you should also make sure you're not damaging the glass's surface with anything that might scratch it. This could leave an area of weakness that could shatter the glass when it's exposed to extreme temperatures.
Make sure you let your wood stove cool completely before cleaning it. Be sure to cover the area surrounding it with newspaper. This will stop any spillage of ash that can cause stains and marks on surfaces.
It could take as long as one year for the seasoning process of your stove to be complete, based on the quality of wood you choose to use. Wood that is properly seasoned will not only burn more efficiently, but will create less creosote. This is the material that accumulates on your chimney, reducing efficiency and creating an hazard for fire. If you're using unseasoned wood or just beginning a new fire in your outdoor wood burner the best thing you can do is to open the lower back door and scoop out the ashes into a non-combustible container every week.
You should also do an annual sediment flush on your boiler at least every four years. This is a straightforward flush that takes five seconds from the drain valve on your boiler. This will remove any sediments that have accumulated in the system and keep your boiler working well.
After you have cleaned the exterior of your outdoor fireplace, it is time to clean it. Before you begin, it's crucial to cover the floor area surrounding the stove with newspaper. Wearing protective gloves and eyewear is an excellent idea. You should also have an ash container, a shovel container for ash, and a scraping tool. You can use a cloth as 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, along with mullet haircuts) outdoor wood boilers, referred to as outdoor furnaces or outdoor wood hydronic heaters, are often misunderstood. Contrary to the EPA's popular wood stoves that are designed to burn at low, constant temperatures, these boilers have an increased fire rate and generate more smoke when they operate. Certain local governments restrict or prohibit their use.
OWBs work best in homes with a high level of insulation. The smoldering, dense visible smoke is also a source of complaint with neighbors and has led to many OWBs being shut down or sued in the past. For OWBs dry wood that has less moisture content is required to perform effectively. Green or unseasoned wood can reduce efficiency, cause creosote build-up, 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) make use of a three step process that makes use of more available energy in the wood and results in much less smoke. These furnaces are more efficient than conventional OWBs, and can be used to fuel various fuels. Wood gasification boilers require dry, seasoned wood. Most wood can be seasoned within a year, however oak and other species with a hardy structure could take two years or more to fully season. This is because they have less amount of water and a higher density. This enables them to hold heat longer, thus increasing efficiency and reducing pollution. The EPA "Burn Wise" website and Cornell Cooperative Extension are great sources for homeowners to understand how to efficiently burn wood in order minimize air pollution.
Low Maintenance
Modern outdoor wood stoves are designed to be eco-friendly. Contrary to indoor wood stoves that produce significant smoke modern outdoor furnaces burn cleanly and without the creation of excessive carbon monoxide or heat. They also use less wood to generate the same amount heat as traditional stoves.
Outdoor wood burners also require significantly less maintenance than indoor wood burners and are more forgiving in regards to the moisture content of the wood. However outdoor wood burners should only be used with properly seasoned or "cured" wood. This could take a whole year or more for some types of wood. It is crucial to utilize a moisture gauge to determine the amount of water of your wood prior to loading.
During operation it is important to inspect the system periodically to check for accumulation of creosote. Creosote, a by-product of combustion, can build up in the chimney and flue if they are not cleaned regularly. It can be eliminated using a special creosote removal product that is poured into the fire. Regularly cleaning the flue and chimney will remove dangerous creosote buildup and improve efficiency.
To attain 99% efficiency in combustion, Crown Royal Stoves designed a new air flow technology known as Negative Pressure Gasification. This technology is used in our EPA certified Pristine Series Outdoor Wood Furnaces to pull air up from the bottom and force all gases through an enclosed secondary combustion chamber that is that is surrounded by water and easy-to-clean turbines. The result is a smokeless & pollutant-free combustion.