What You Need to Know About Outdoor Wood Burners
Outdoor wood burners are a cost-effective method of heating homes and businesses. They also help reduce the dependence on fossil fuels that are non-renewable and help in implementing a sustainable energy strategy.
To ensure efficient burning it is essential to use wood that has been well-seasoned. Wood that is not seasoned or green may have a higher moisture content that can create creosote and decrease performance.
Efficient
Outdoor wood burners have been in use for a long time. They are an energy-efficient and eco-friendly method to heat your home. The design of OWBs encourages the slowing of the fire, making it cooler which results in less efficient combustion, and more smoke and creosote. These unburnt fuels can cause health problems and fire hazards, as well as affect the environment around them.
Moreover the visible smoke plume that OWBs generate can cause neighbors to complain. This may result in DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation), taking enforcement action. This kind of public relations issue can have a serious impact on the value of your property and could result in your OWB being shut down.
Crown Royal Stoves has a line 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 done with a negative-pressure air system which pulls in fresh dry heated, filtered air from the bottom and then pushes it through the chimney faster than traditional outdoor wood boilers. This is accomplished by an innovative design that makes use of a multi-pass, water filled heat exchanger made from 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
When used properly, when properly used, the Pristine Gasification Series OWB can achieve the highest efficiency of combustion, which is 99% to create a cleaner, smokeless fire that uses less wood and produces less emissions than traditional OWBs. To maximize wood burning stove in conservatory of your OWB it is essential to burn dry, clean, and seasoned wood. The process of preparing your wood for 6 months or a year prior to burning is recommended. It 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 technique eliminates creosote buildup, keeps your boiler efficient and extends its lifespan. By adding a creosote-removing stick to your stove each time you fill it up, you can drastically reduce the amount of creosote you need to use. This product is available from Wisconsin Wood Furnace.
Clean
The soot particles that are left behind after burning wood can make a wood stove look very dirty. They are difficult to remove so make sure you remove any buildup from the glass of your stove immediately. If the soot isn't removed, it will harden, making it even more difficult to remove. Using the right cleaners for the job is crucial, but also be sure you're not damaging the glass's surface with anything that could scratch it. This could cause an area of weakness that could shatter glass when exposed high temperatures.
Make sure you let your wood burner cool completely before cleaning it. Also, make sure that the area around it is covered with newspaper. This will prevent any spillage of ash which can cause stains and marks on surfaces.
Based on the quality of the wood that you choose to use, it could take up to an entire year for your stove to get properly well-seasoned. The wood that is properly seasoned will not only burn more efficiently, but will also produce less creosote. This is the substance that gets accumulated on your chimney, decreasing its efficiency and creating an hazard for fire. If you're using unseasoned wood or are just starting a new fire in your outdoor wood burner the best thing you can do is to open the back door to the lower part and scoop out the ashes into a non-combustible bin every week.
It is also recommended to perform an annual sediment flush on your boiler at least once every four years. This is a quick five-second flush from the bottom drain valve of your boiler. This will remove any accumulation of sediment inside the system, and will keep your boiler in great functioning condition.
After you have cleaned the exterior of your fireplace outside, it is time to clean it. Before starting, it's crucial to cover the floor around 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 scraping tools. You can use a cloth as a shield to protect the refractory as you scrape away coal and ash deposits.
Easy to operate
Despite their popularity (they were among the 1990s' "it" trends, as were mullet haircuts) outdoor wood boilers, also known as outdoor furnaces or outdoor wood hydronic heaters, are frequently misunderstood. Unlike their cousin the EPA's popular wood stoves, which are designed to burn at low, constant temperatures, these boilers have a higher fire rate and emit more smoke when operating. This is why a few local governments regulate or ban their use.
OWBs are best used to heat homes with insulation levels that are high. The visible, smoldering smoke can also be a source of complaints from neighbors and has led to many OWBs being shut down or being sued in the past. To allow OWBs to function properly, they should be operated with dry wood with low moisture content. Wood that is not seasoned or green can reduce efficiency, cause creosote build-up, and shorten the lifespan of the burner. A moisture meter will help you determine how long it takes for wood to dry.
Dual-stage wood gasification (OWGB) boilers however, use a three-step process which makes use of the energy in the wood. This results in less smoke. These furnaces are more efficient than traditional OWBs, and can be used for a wide range of fuels. Wood gasification boilers need dry and seasoned wood. The majority of wood can be seasoned within the course of a year. Oak and other tough trees can take as long as two years to mature. They are less watery and have a larger mass. This enables them to hold heat longer, increasing efficiency and reduce pollution. The EPA "Burn Wise' website and Cornell Cooperative Extension are great resources for homeowners to learn how to efficiently burn wood to reduce pollution to the air.
Low Maintenance
Modern outdoor wood furnaces have been designed with the environment in mind. Contrary to indoor wood stoves that produce significant smoke modern outdoor furnaces burn cleanly and without the release of excessive heat or carbon monoxide. They also use less wood to produce the same amount heat as traditional stoves.
Outdoor wood burners require significantly less maintenance than indoor wood burners and are more accommodating when it comes to the moisture content of the wood. Outdoor wood burners are suitable for wood that has been properly "cured" or seasoned. Some types of wood can last for up to a year. It is important to use a moisture meter to check the water content of your wood prior to loading.
In the course of operation, it is crucial to examine the system on a regular basis for creosote accumulation. Creosote, which is a byproduct of combustion, can accumulate in the flue and chimney if they are not cleaned regularly. It can be eliminated using a creosote removal solution that is poured into the fire. Regular cleaning of the flue and chimney will eliminate dangerous creosote, and boost 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 employed in our EPA certified Pristine Series Outdoor Wood Furnaces to draw air upwards from the bottom and push all the gases through an insulated secondary combustion chamber which is surrounded by water, with easy-to-clean turbulators. The result is a smokeless & pollution-free burn.