What You Need to Know About Outdoor Wood Burners
Outdoor wood burning stoves can be an economical solution to heat homes and businesses. They also help reduce dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels and help to create a more resilient energy strategy.
To ensure efficient burning it is essential to use wood that has been well-seasoned. Green or unseasoned wood may have a higher moisture content which can cause creosote to accumulate and slow down performance.
Efficient
Outdoor wood burners (OWBs) have been around for many years and are an extremely eco-friendly and energy efficient method of heating your home. However, the typical design of OWBs, which promotes a slow, cooler fire that causes less combustion and a higher amount of smoke, creosote and particulates. Unburned fuels can lead to health problems and fire hazards, as well as deteriorate the surrounding environment.
Furthermore the visible plume of smoke that OWBs produce can cause neighbors to complain and lead to DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) enforcement actions. This type of issue can negatively impact your property value and even cause your OWB being closed down.
Crown Royal Stoves offers a line of EPA Certified outdoor wood furnaces known as the Pristine Gasification Series that utilizes technology to increase the efficiency of combustion for a clean, smokeless burning. This is achieved through an air system that is negative pressure that draws fresh, dry, hot, filtered air in from the bottom of the boiler and then pushes it out through the chimney at a greater rate than traditional outdoor wood boilers. This is achieved through a unique design that utilizes a multi-pass, water filled heat exchanger made of 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
When used properly, when properly used, the Pristine Gasification Series OWB can attain an efficiency of 99% for a cleaner, smoke-free fire that uses less wood and generates significantly less emissions than traditional OWBs. It is crucial to burn dry, clean and seasoned wood in order to enhance the performance of your OWB. Seasoning your wood for 6 months or more prior to burning is recommended. It will ensure a more efficient and more efficient burn.
You can improve the efficiency of your wood-burning stove by performing every week a "dry burn". This method reduces creosote which improves boiler efficiency and extends the life of your boiler. By affixing a creosote-removing stick to your stove each time you fill it up, you can dramatically reduce the amount of creosote that you use. This product is available through Wisconsin Wood Furnace.
Clean
The soot particles that are left in the aftermath of burning wood can make a stove look very dirty. They are difficult to get rid of, so remove any buildup from your stove's glass immediately. If the soot isn't removed, it will become hard, making it even more difficult to remove. It's important to use the right cleaners however, you should avoid damaging the glass surface by using anything that can scratch it. This could result in an area of weakness that could shatter glass when exposed high temperatures.
Be sure to let your wood stove cool completely before cleaning it. Also, ensure that the area around it is covered with newspaper. This will stop the ash from spilling and staining surfaces.
Depending on the quality of the wood that you select, it can take up to one year for your stove to become properly well-seasoned. The wood that is seasoned will not only burn better and last longer, but it will also produce less creosote. This is the substance that accumulates on your fireplace, reducing its efficiency and creating a potential fire hazard. If you're using unseasoned wood, or just starting a new fire in your outdoor wood burner, the best thing to do is to open the back door to the lower part and scoop ashes out into a non-combustible container every week.
It is also recommended to perform a sediment flush on your boiler at a minimum every four years. This is a quick five-second flush from the drain valve on your boiler. This will get rid of any sediment that has built up in the system, and will ensure that your boiler runs well.
Once you've completed the sediment flush, it's time to clean the outside of your outdoor wood burner. Before you begin, it's crucial to cover the floor area around the stove with newspaper. It is also advisable to wear protective eyewear and gloves. Also, you should have a metal ash container as well as a scraping tool and a shovel. To protect the refractory you should lay down a cloth to protect it from damage as 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, also referred to as outdoor furnaces or outdoor wood hydronic heaters are still often misunderstood. Unlike their cousin the EPA's popular wood stoves that are designed to burn at low, constant temperatures, these heaters use an increased fire rate and produce more smoke when they operate. This is the reason why local governments regulate or ban their use.
OWBs work best for homes that have high levels of insulation. Smoke that is thick and smoldering can also be a nuisance to neighbors, which has led many OWBs to be shut down or even sued. To ensure that OWBs to function properly, they must be operated using dry wood with a low moisture content. Using green or unseasoned wood reduces efficiency, leads to creosote build up and can shorten the life of the burner. Drying wood takes time, and the use of a moisture gauge is essential for every homeowner.
Dual-stage wood gasification (OWGB) boilers are, on the other hand, use a three-step process that makes use of more energy contained in the wood. This means less smoke. These furnaces are more efficient than conventional OWBs, and can be used to fuel a wide range of fuels. Wood gasification boilers require dry and well-seasoned firewood. Most wood can be seasoned within a year, however oak and other species with a hardy structure could require two years or more to fully mature. contemporary wood burning stoves are less water-based and have a greater density. This allows them to retain heat for longer, thereby increasing efficiency and decreasing pollution. The EPA "Burn Wise' website and Cornell Cooperative Extension are great sources for homeowners to understand how to burn wood efficiently in order minimize air pollution.
Low Maintenance
Modern outdoor wood stoves are engineered to be environmentally friendly. Unlike indoor wood burners that produce 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 accepting of the moisture content of wood than indoor wood burning stoves. However, outdoor wood burners can only be used with properly treated or "cured" wood. Certain kinds of wood can last for up to a year. Make use of a moisture meter prior to loading to check the amount of water contained in your wood.
In the course of operation, it is necessary to periodically inspect the system for creosote build up. Creosote is an byproduct of combustion that can build up in the flue and chimney in the event that it is not cleaned regularly. It can be eliminated by pouring a creosote removal product into the fire. Regularly cleaning the flue and chimney will remove dangerous creosote accumulations and improve efficiency.
To attain 99% efficiency in combustion, Crown Royal Stoves designed an innovative air flow technology known as Negative Pressure Gasification. This technology is used in our EPA certified Pristine Series Outdoor Wood Furnaces to draw air from the bottom and push all gases through an enclosed secondary combustion chamber that is surrounded by water with easy-to-clean Turbulators. The result is a smokeless and pollutant-free burn.