What You Need to Know About Outdoor Wood Burners
Outdoor wood burners are 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 help in implementing a sustainable energy strategy.
A well-seasoned wood is vital for efficient burning. Green or unseasoned wood has higher moisture content and may cause creosote accumulation, which can affect performance.
Efficient
Outdoor wood burners have been around for a long time. They are an energy efficient and green method of heating your home. However, the typical design of OWBs, which promotes the slow and cooler burning that results in poor combustion and more smoke, creosote, as well as particulates. These unburnt fuels can cause health issues and fire hazards, as well as deteriorate the surrounding environment.
Furthermore, the visible smoke plume OWBs produce could cause neighbors to voice their concerns. This may result in DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation), taking enforcement action. This kind of problem can negatively impact the value of your property and could cause 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 boost the efficiency of combustion to ensure a smokeless, clean burn. This is accomplished through a negative pressure air system that draws fresh, dry heated, filtered air from the bottom and pushes it out through the chimney at a much faster rate than traditional outdoor wood boilers. This is achieved through the unique design of an encapsulated, multi-pass heat exchanger made of 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
If properly used, when properly used, the Pristine Gasification Series OWB can reach a 99% combustion efficiency to create a cleaner, smokeless fire that requires less wood and produces significantly fewer emissions than traditional OWBs. To further maximize your OWB's performance it is essential to burn clean, seasoned, dry wood. Seasoning your wood for 6 months or more prior to burning is recommended. It helps ensure a better energy efficient and efficient burn.
In addition to improving the performance of your wood stove it is also possible to increase the efficiency of your wood burner by performing an "dry burn" every week. This method lowers the amount of creosote in your home which improves boiler efficiency and prolongs the life of your boiler. Additionally, by adding a creosote removal stick each when you load your stove, you can drastically cut the amount of creosote used. 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 remove and therefore, you must remove any buildup from the glass of your stove as soon as you notice it. If the soot isn't removed, it will become hard and make it more difficult to remove. It is crucial to select the right cleaners, but you should also avoid damaging the glass surface by using anything that can scratch it. This could cause a weak point that will break glass when exposed to high temperatures.
Before you begin cleaning your wood burner you should make sure that it is unlit and completely cool. Make sure to protect the area around it with newspaper. This will stop any spillage of ash that can stain and mark surfaces.
Depending on the quality of the wood that you use, it can take up to an entire year for your stove to be properly well-seasoned. The wood that is properly seasoned will not only burn more efficiently, but also produce less creosote. This is the substance that accumulates on your chimney, which reduces effectiveness and creating the risk of fire. If you're using unseasoned wood or just making a fresh fire in your outdoor wood burner the best thing you can do is open the lower back door 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 lasting five seconds from the drain valve on your boiler. This will get rid of any sediments that have accumulated up in the system and will ensure that your boiler runs well.
After you have cleaned the outside of your outdoor fireplace, it is time to clean it. Before you begin, make sure to cover the area around the stove with newspaper. It is also helpful to wear protective eyewear and gloves. Also, you should have a shovel, a metal container for ash, and a scraping tool. To safeguard the refractory, you should lay down a piece of cloth to shield it as you scrape away coal and ash deposits.
Simple to operate
Outdoor wood boilers (also known as outdoor furnaces and outdoor wood hydronic heating systems or outdoor wood heaters) are often misunderstood despite their acclaim. They were one of the "it" trends of the 1990s, alongside hairstyles with mullets. Contrary to the EPA's popular wood stoves which are designed to burn at low, constant temperatures, these units use more fire and generate more smoke when operating. This is why a few local governments regulate or ban their use.
OWBs work best for homes with a high level of insulation. The smoldering, visible smoke can also be a source of complaint with neighbors and has resulted in many OWBs being shut-down or being sued in the past. For wood heater stove fireplacesandstoves that has lower moisture content is needed to function effectively. Using green or unseasoned wood decreases efficiency, causes creosote accumulation and can reduce 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 utilize a three-step process that utilizes more of the energy contained in the wood. This means less smoke. These furnaces are more efficient than conventional OWBs, and are suitable for a wide range of fuels. Wood gasification boilers require dry well-seasoned and well-seasoned firewood. The majority of wood can be seasoned within a year. Oak and other hardy trees could take up to two years to mature. This is due to a lower amount of water and a higher density. This lets them store heat for 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 burn wood efficiently to minimize air pollution.
Low Maintenance
Modern outdoor wood stoves are designed to be environmentally friendly. Unlike indoor wood burners that generate significant smoke Modern outdoor furnaces burn cleanly and without the production of excessive heat or carbon monoxide. 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 moisture content in wood than wood burning stoves for indoor use. However, outdoor wood burners can only be used with properly prepared or "cured" wood. Certain kinds of wood can last for up to a year. It is crucial to make use of a moisture meter to check the water content of your wood prior to loading.
When operating, it is essential to examine the system on a regular basis for the accumulation of creosote. Creosote is a byproduct of combustion that can build up in the chimney and flue if it is not cleaned on a regular basis. It can be eliminated using the use of a special creosote remover that is poured into the flame. Regular cleaning of the flue and chimney will eliminate dangerous creosote, and boost efficiency.
To get 99% efficiency from combustion, Crown Royal Stoves designed a brand new air flow technique called Negative Pressure Gasification. Our EPA certified Pristine Series outdoor wood furnaces make use of this technology to draw air from the bottom, directing all of the gasses through an insulated water-surrounded secondary combustion chamber that is easy to clean turbulators for a smokeless & pollution free burn.