What You Need to Know About Outdoor Wood Burners
Outdoor wood burners can be a cost-effective solution for heating homes and businesses. They also help reduce dependence on fossil fuels that are non-renewable and contribute to a resilient energy strategy.
To ensure efficient burning, it is important to use wood that has been well-seasoned. Green or unseasoned wood may have a higher moisture content that can cause creosote to accumulate and slow down performance.
Efficient
Outdoor wood burners (OWBs) have been around for years and offer a very energy efficient and environmentally friendly method to heat your home. However, the standard design of OWBs, which promotes an unsteady, cooler fire that results in less combustion and a higher amount of smoke, creosote, and particulates. Unburned fuels can cause health problems and fire hazards. They also degrade the environment.
Moreover, the visible plume of smoke that OWBs produce can make neighbors angry and result in DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) enforcement actions. This kind of problem can affect your property value and even cause your OWB being shut down.
Crown Royal Stoves has a line of outdoor wood furnaces that are EPA Certified. The Pristine Gasification Series makes use of technology to maximize combustion efficiency and create a smokeless, clean burn. This is done with a negative-pressure air system which pulls in fresh, dry heated, filtered, and heated air from the bottom, and then pushes it through the chimney much faster than traditional outdoor wood boilers. This is accomplished by a unique design that utilizes a multi-pass, water-filled heat exchanger made of 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
If properly utilized when properly used, When properly used, the Pristine Series OWB has an efficiency of 99% for a smoke-free and cleaner fire. It consumes less wood, and produces a lot less emission than traditional OWBs. To enhance your OWB's performance it is essential to burn dry, clean, seasoned wood. The process of preparing your wood for 6 months or more prior to burning is recommended. This will ensure a more efficient and more efficient burn.
You can increase the efficiency of your wood-burning stove by performing each week a "dry burn". This method eliminates creosote buildup, keeps your boiler in good condition and extends its lifespan. Additionally by putting in a creosote removal stick each time you load your stove, you can drastically cut the amount of creosote you use. This product is available at Wisconsin Wood Furnace.
Clean
A wood-burning stove can be very dirty due to burnt soot particles. They are difficult to clean, so clean any buildup on the glass of your stove as soon as you notice it. Soot that is not removed will begin to harden and make it more difficult. Using the right cleaning products for the job is vital and you should also make sure you're not damaging the surface of the glass by using anything that could scratch it. This could lead to a weak spot that can shatter glass when exposed to extreme temperatures.
Be sure to let your wood stove cool completely before cleaning it. Also, make sure that the surrounding area is covered with newspaper. This will stop the ash from leaking and staining surfaces.
Depending on the quality of the wood you select, it can take up to an entire year for your stove to become properly well-seasoned. The wood that has been seasoned will not only burn more efficiently, but also produce less creosote. This is the material that builds up on your chimney, which reduces efficiency and posing a fire hazard. If you're using unseasoned wood or are just making a fresh fire in your outdoor wood burner the best thing to do is open the back door to the lower part and scoop out the ashes into a non-combustible bin every week.
A sediment flush should be carried out on your boiler every four years. This is a simple flush of five seconds from the bottom drain valve on your boiler. This will remove any sediments that have built up in the system, and will ensure that your boiler runs efficiently.
After you have cleaned the exterior of your fireplace that is outside it is time to clean it. Before beginning, it is crucial to cover the floor area surrounding the stove with newspaper. It is also advisable to wear gloves and protective eyewear. Also, you should have a ash canister made of metal along with a scraping tool as well as shovel. To safeguard the refractory, you need to lay down a cloth to shield it as you scrape away coal and ash deposits.
Easy to Operate
Outdoor wood boilers (also known as outdoor furnaces and outdoor wood hydronic heating systems, or outdoor wood heaters) are often misunderstood in spite of their popularity. They were among the "it" trends of the 1990s, along with hairstyles with mullets. These units are different from the popular EPA wood stoves, which are made to burn at low temperatures and continuously. They use a higher rate of fire and produce more smoke. This is why a few local governments regulate or ban their use.
OWBs are ideal to heat homes with a high insulation level. The visible, smoldering 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 with a lower moisture content is needed to perform properly. Unseasoned or shed wood burner can reduce efficiency, cause creosote build-up and reduce the life of the burner. Drying wood takes time and the use of a moisture gauge is a must for any homeowner.
Dual-stage wood gasification (OWGB) boilers, on the other hand they employ a three-step procedure which makes use of the energy in the wood. This means less smoke. These furnaces are more efficient than conventional OWBs, and can be used to fuel many different fuels. Wood gasification boilers require dry well-seasoned and well-seasoned firewood. The majority of wood will season within one year. Oak and other hardy trees may take up to two years. They are less water-based and have a greater density. This lets them store heat longer, increasing efficiency and reducing pollution. The EPA's "Burn Wise" website and Cornell Cooperative Extension can help homeowners understand how to burn wood efficiently in order to reduce pollution to the air.
Low Maintenance
Modern outdoor wood stoves are engineered to be environmentally friendly. Modern outdoor wood furnaces don't emit excessive heat or CO2. They also burn more efficiently than indoor wood stoves. They also require less wood to generate the same amount heat as traditional stoves.
Outdoor wood burners require less maintenance and are more accepting of moisture content in wood than wood burning stoves for indoor use. Outdoor wood burners are only suitable for wood that has been properly "cured" or seasoned. This could take a whole year or more for some kinds of wood. Use a moisture gauge prior to loading to measure the amount of water present in the wood.
During operation, it is essential to check the system regularly for creosote build up. Creosote, a by-product of combustion, can build up in the chimney and flue if they aren't cleaned regularly. It can be removed with the use of a special creosote remover that is poured into the fire. Regular cleaning of the flue and chimney can remove harmful creosote and increase efficiency.
Crown Royal Stoves developed a new airflow technology called Negative Pressure Gasification to attain 99% efficiency in combustion. This technology is employed in our EPA certified Pristine Series Outdoor Wood Furnaces to pull air up from the bottom and push all gases through an enclosed secondary combustion chamber that is surrounded by water with easy-to-clean turbines. The result is a smokeless & pollution-free burn.