Wood Burning Stoves
A wood-burning stove could be a wonderful addition to your home. You can pick from a variety of sizes and styles to suit your tastes. They can be mounted to an existing wall or stand on their own.
Modern wood stoves are compliant with the strict EU laws, commonly referred to as Ecodesign. Best wood burning stoves provide efficient combustion and emit low levels of carbon dioxide. Some are also DEFRA exempt and can burn briquettes, or other non-smokeless fuels.
What is a wood stove?
A wood stove is a self-standing heating appliance that burns firewood to generate radiant heat for your home. Wood burning stoves are used for a long time and are an eco-friendly alternative to heating your home with gas or oil. Modern stoves have many technological advances, and you can find various styles to suit your tastes. They work similar to fireplaces, however they produce more heat through the use of wood to generate radiant heating.
A top-quality stove will produce heat efficiently and be certified safe to use. The EPA label will inform you when the stove was made and what emission standards it meets. It's better to choose the latest model that has been tested, and is proven to be safe.
All wood-burning stoves release creosote gas as they burn however, modern stoves burn these vapors prior to them being able to escape into your home. They also burn fuel more efficiently, which can help prevent sooting or smoke problems in the chimney.
If you are buying wood stoves, you will need access to sufficient wood and storage space to ensure it is adequately stocked. You will also need an appropriate class A chimney to vent the stove and adequate clearance between your wood stove as well as the floors and walls surrounding it. You'll require that your chimney checked regularly and cleaned by a professional to maintain the integrity of your stove and chimney.
Wood smoke can trigger respiratory issues for everyone, but it is particularly dangerous to older adults, children and those suffering from respiratory ailments such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. You can protect your family and yourself from the negative health effects of wood smoke by limiting time spent in the rooms where the stove is running, using the recirculate function on the air conditioner and keeping doors shut.
Size
Wood burning stoves can provide an incredible feel of warmth and charm to your home. They are also energy efficient and can help you save money on your heating expenses. However, it's important to choose the right size stove. Too small and your stove will not be sufficiently heated If it's too large, you will be wasting fuel. Ask your installer for advice if you are unsure. They can carry out an assessment of your property and offer guidance on the ideal size stove for your home.
Stoves are rated on the basis of their nominal output in heat, shown as a figure of kW. This is a guideline for the maximum amount of heat they could produce, under testing conditions. You should never use this figure as a guideline when selecting a stove, however, because the actual amount of heat produced will vary depending on the type and the quality of the fuel you choose to use. You should also be aware of how the insulation of your home is and if it's draughty.
There are a variety of stoves on the market and each having a distinctive style and finish. Some are more traditional with rustic features and a simple colour scheme, whereas others are more modern, featuring clear lines with large glass windows as well as innovative shapes.
Ecodesign is the standard the majority of modern stoves adhere to, which guarantees high efficiency and low emissions. If you want to make sure that your stove is Ecodesign compliant look for the ClearSkies logo. They're between 80 and 90 percent more efficient than older stoves and open fires. This can save you a lot of money on your energy bills, and is also an eco-friendly choice.
Efficiency
Wood burning stoves, when properly designed and used they can be very efficient heaters. Modern models have extremely low emissions and a kilowatt hour of heat can be supplied for a fraction of the price of electricity, gas or oil.
One of the most important factors in a stove's efficiency is its ability to generate a good flame that burns logs correctly and for the longest time possible. This helps to prevent a fire from 'going out' or producing a lot of smoke. Only using clean, kiln-dried logs from accredited British suppliers will help to increase the efficiency of your stove as will ensuring that you do not overload the firebox or overheat the capacity of the firebox.
Stoves are built with great care and designed to perform at their best. The best wood-burning stoves constructed from high-quality components and materials, and have closed fireboxes with insulated walls. The firebox should be kept at a constant temperature to ensure that the wood burns properly and the flue doesn't overheat.
Selecting the right size stove for your space is important to optimize the efficiency of your heating. A stove that's too large for the room is less efficient, and the stove that's too small can cause excessive smoke and overfire.
Eco-friendly wood-burning stoves are becoming more popular. They are a great way to reduce the dependence of your household on fossil fuels, and also provide warm, more comfortable heat. Wood is a renewable source of energy and is better for the environment than fossil fuels like coal or mineral.
It is essential to only use kiln dried wood that were harvested and grown sustainably. Avoid wet or treated timber such as waste wood, oiled wood, or pallet wood since they emit unpleasant odors and may cause damage to the stove and flue. Buying logs from a supplier that has the Defra approved 'Ready to Burn" logo will ensure that you get the highest-quality, dry, smokless, and carbon-neutral fuel for your stove.
Design
Wood burners come in many different styles and designs. Some are sleek, modern and others have a more traditional look. Some stoves are multi-fuel, while others are exclusively wood. The style of your stove will affect the type of heat it generates and how well it blends in with the overall aesthetic of your home.
In general when burning wood in a stove, it goes through two distinct processes which are combustion and Pyrolysis. Combustion occurs when hot wood is burnt and releases carbon monoxide and other byproducts that are released into the air. Pyrolysis occurs when wood is heated at an elevated temperature, which releases gases like hydrocarbons or carbon dioxide. The gases that are produced are burned in the firebox to produce carbon monoxide, and other byproducts.
Many newer wood stoves employ secondary combustion in the form of catalytic combustor which burns off the byproducts from primary combustion. This reduces smoke and other pollutants significantly. It also lets wood stoves function at lower temperatures, which means less wood is needed and an increased efficiency.
Older stoves that do not use secondary combustion are less efficient, and they're also more polluting since the materials that are not burned can escape through the flue. They are still popular because of their simplicity of use and the air they create.
Modern wood burners must be in compliance with a set emissions limits called Ecodesign. They are based on the minimum efficiency rating and lower maximum levels of carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. These are typically DEFRA certified and have the space beneath for stacking logs. Some models come with cleanAir technology that draws air into the unit to clear the glass and stop blackening or sooting.
Maintenance
Wood stoves require regular maintenance and care to perform at their best. Cleaning it frequently, removing ashes between fires and checking the gaskets is all part of this. Gaskets are used to ensure that the combustion process is airtight, and if they are damaged, it can lead to problems such as smoke leakage and decreased efficiency. It is also essential to sweep the chimney regularly to prevent fires in the chimney. This should be done twice every year at least, but it may be necessary to do so more often based on how often the stove is used.
Stoves are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are better suited to certain areas than others. For instance, a curving cylindrical design can be a sleek modern addition to any room while still providing warmth and a focal point. Colour is another factor that can influence maintenance, with lighter shades displaying more dirt and soot and darker shades obscuring staining better.
The grates, which are a metal plate in the bottom of the stove that holds the firewood, wears down with use, but can be easily replaced. If the grate has not been regularly cleaned, it may crack. The combustion chamber lining can also break or crack. Repeated opening and closing of the door may degrade the seals on the rope. Over time the glass can turn milky or scratched. However this isn't as easy to replace like a home window.
It is important that you only burn wood that has been properly prepared in your stove. Insufficiently seasoned logs will create more smoke and creosote. It is important to ensure that your stove is properly fueled by adjusting how much wood you add and ensuring that it doesn't overheat. This will ensure that the stove is properly fueled and reduce pollution levels.