Wood Burning Stove Efficiency and Safety

Fireplaces may be a wonderful romantic idea and attractive feature but realistically they are relatively inefficient in heating your home unless the wood stove is installed by a certified professional properly. Fortunately there are ways you can ensure your wood stove provides efficient heat and prevents smoke pollution. Wood smoke is total waste and any smoke that comes out of your wood stove will collect in your chimney and either become creosote or will become air pollution. A wood stove that is incorrectly installed will be a threat to the environment, result in smoke inhalation, and have a higher maintainable cost. Using fireplace inserts can help to deliver heat into your home by minimizing heat loss. They slip inside the fireplace covering the opening and a liner made of stainless steel stretches to the chimney opening. The biggest danger is that a badly installed wood stove can be a threat to you and your family by causing a fire in your home. A certified EPA wood stove with fireplace inserts offers an energy efficient heating system for your home with a lot less smoke. Your chimney will only release a small thin line of smoke keeping pollution to a minimum.

Safety Points discussed Below: • How bad installation will effect heat efficiency • Guide to building an effective fire. • Safety when using your wood stove.

Efficient and safe wood burning

First of all safe installation is paramount to ensure a safe performance. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) recommend that your wood stove is properly installed by a certified technician. They will follow the guides required by the manufacturer and ensure all required building codes have been met. • The correct clearances are between combustible substances, the stove and the chimney. • Protection for floors made from combustible substances. • Correct building of the wood stove and it's venting system. These things may be over looked by someone who is not a professional, and errors may not be noticed for some time and could cause a fire.

A professional certified technician will also know how to install your wood stove and it's equipment to get the best out of the heat distribution. The chimney itself must be fitted by a professional as this controls the burning process and can be the decider of whether your stove will burn effectively or fail. A professional will make the following decisions: • Ensure the correct sizing of flues • Correspond with the code in height requirements. • Correct location away from cold (inside the house if possible) • Correct configuration

When a venting system is installed professionally the correct draft will slow down the consumption of wood, therefore producing more effective heat resulting in less maintenance. To find a certified professional use sources like the NFI which is a certification institute, a nationwide educator and tester of professionals. .

Tips for building an effective fire.

Once your wood stove has been professionally installed you need to build an effective fire. Using the right firewood and some practice tips will help you on your way.

• Properly season wood outside during the summer months before using it. When it's ready to burn it will make a hollow noise when hit together with another piece of wood, it will be darker in color and will have cracks in the grain on the end. • Keep the wood outdoors with the top covered over and raised off the ground. • Only burn seasoned wood that is dry and has been split correctly. • Start a fire with newspaper and dry kindling • Fires should burn bright and hot • Allow the fire to burn to coals, then form a mound towards the door of the stove. • To add to the fire use 3 pieces one at a time, placing behind the mound of coals. • Don't build large fires in milder weather • Remove the coals into a fireproof container and store outside

Safely using your wood stove

If you smell smoke in your home then your wood stove is not working properly. By using an EPA approved wood stove you will burn wood more efficiently and release up to 60 – 80 percent less smoke from the chimney. The safety starts with the installation. Follow the EPA's recommendations and use a certified technician.

An older stove will start to collect creosote in the chimney. Creosote is a combustible substance left behind when wood residue is not fully burned. Creosote can start a fire in your chimney and result in injury, home damage and death. The EPA and officials from the fire dept highly recommend having a yearly maintenance inspection and professional clean. To get a list of recommended chimney sweeps then contact the Chimney Safety Institute of America.

• Keep all household flammables a safe distance from your wood stove – books, furniture, cushions, drapes, carpets. • Newspaper should be clean and kindling must be dry before you start your fire. • NEVER USE KEROSENE, GASOLENE OR ANY FIRE INDUCER. • Do not use damp or unseasoned wood • If you choose to buy your wood use 100% compressed sawdust logs. • Small hot fires are more efficient than larger smoldering fires • Make sure the doors to your stove are closed apart from when loading, stoking or cleaning • Remove the coals on a regular basis, storing outside in a fireproof container • Buy a fire extinguisher and keep it in an easy obtainable place.

Save yourself some money and contact your local tree cutters and ask them to bring you wood. This will help to reduce landfill and save the tree cutters traveling to a dumping site and money on dumping costs. Save heat and bills by improving the insulation in your home. Start by sealing gaps, and install weather proof doors and windows. If you smell smoke in your home, open windows and shut down your stove. Very carefully check the chimney area and the flue is open, then call a professional.