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How Wood Burning Stoves Work
Wood Burning Stoves
Introduction:
Wood stoves come in many
different varieties to accommodate homeowner needs.
There are basically two different types, the free
standing wood stove and the fireplace insert which
slides into the opening of a fireplace. Woods
stoves can also be further categorized by the type
of wood they burn. Some burn logs and others burn
wood pellets. The wood pellet stove is quite
popular as they burn cleaner and are easier to
maintain that regular wood stoves. There big
drawback is that they need a constant source of
electric power to operate.
Free standing or stand-alone woodstoves and
fireplace inserts are made from different
thicknesses of metal, usually steel and in some
cases cast iron. Cast iron stoves are the most
expensive. Others are made with a steal frame with
soapstone panels on the sides and top. A chimney is
required for all wood burning stoves.
Fireplace inserts are metal wood stoves that are
made to slide into the fireplace. The fireplace
chimney works as the wood stove's exhaust. They are
fairly easy to install however, before installing
one the fireplace chimney should be inspected and
cleaned, especially in older homes.
Pellet burning stoves burn small nodules of pulped
wood and other materials that have been shaped into
pellets. They are usually made from recycled waste
wood products. They burn at the same temperature
and speed as solid wood, although wood pellets do
not create the flame or scent as real wood logs.
Some pellet woodstoves have a timer that can be set
to automatically add more pellets. Others have a
sensor that determines when more pellets are
required.
Wood burning stoves and fireplaces have a damper
installed in the stove pipe that leads to the
chimney. These
dampers let the hot waste products from the wood
burning and smoke to escape into the chimney when
it is in the open position. Dampers should always
be opened when a fire is burning or the wood stove
will not burn. After a fire has been establish the
damper can be partially closed to regulate the
burning. If left open when the fire is out warm air
from the house can escape up the chimney wasting
energy.
Most modern wood burning stoves come with glass
doors and often incorporate heat shields. If the
stove has a glass door it is placed at the front of
the stove. The door can control how much radiant
heat enters the room by leaving it partially open.
If the room becomes too warm, it can be cooled by
closing the door so the heat will be forced to rise
out the chimney.
Some free standing and fireplace insert stoves are
built with heat circulation fans and ducts. The
fans pull air from the room, warm it and send it
back out into the room.
The ideal modern wood stove is an air tight wood
stove that has a by-pass feature that permits
re-burning of the gases generated by the wood fire.
These stoves are very efficient and most have
approximately a 70% efficiency rating. The older
wood stoves did not have this feature and were
terribly inefficient at approximately 35%
efficiency. This difference of efficiency makes a
big difference on how much heat the stove produces,
the rate of wood burn and the cleanliness of the
escaping smoke and gasses.
Most local towns and counties have air quality
regulations regarding outdoor burning which applies
to wood burning stoves. Before purchasing a wood
stove insure it is in compliance with local air
quality regulations. Related articles:
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