What You Need to Know About Outdoor Wood Burners

Outdoor wood burners are an affordable way to heat homes and businesses. They also reduce dependence on fossil fuels that are non-renewable and help in implementing a sustainable energy strategy.

A well-seasoned wood is vital for efficient burning. Green or unseasoned wood has a higher moisture content and may cause creosote buildup which reduces performance.


Efficient

Outdoor wood burners (OWBs) have been around for many years and provide an eco-friendly and energy efficient way to heat your home. However, the standard design of OWBs, which promotes a slow, cooler fire that results in poor combustion and more smoke, creosote, and particulates. Unburned fuels can lead to health problems, fire hazards, and cause harm to the environment around it.

Additionally the visible smoke that OWBs emit could cause neighbors to voice their concerns and could lead to DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) enforcement actions. This kind of problem can have a negative impact on the value of your property, and may result in your OWB being closed down.

Crown Royal Stoves offers a line of EPA Certified outdoor wood furnaces called the Pristine Gasification Series that utilizes technology to increase the efficiency of combustion for a clean, smokeless combustion. This is accomplished by using the negative pressure air system that draws fresh, dry, hot clean air in from the bottom of the boiler and pushes it out of the chimney at a higher rate than conventional outdoor wood boilers. This is accomplished through an innovative design that makes use of an encapsulated, multi-pass heat exchanger constructed from 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.

If properly utilized properly, the Pristine Series OWB achieves a 99% combustion rate for a smoke-free and cleaner fire. It uses less wood and produces a lot less emission than traditional OWBs. It is crucial to burn dry, clean and seasoned wood to increase the performance of your OWB. Seasoning top wood burning stoves for six months or a year prior to burning is recommended. This will ensure a more efficient and more efficient burn.

You can boost the efficiency of your wood-burning stove by performing a weekly "dry burn". This method eliminates creosote buildup, keeps your boiler in good condition and extends its life span. By adding a stick for removing creosote to your stove every time you fill it up, you can drastically reduce the amount of creosote that you need to use. This product is available from Wisconsin Wood Furnace.

Clean

The soot particles left on the stove after burning wood may make a wood stove look very dirty. They are difficult to remove so make sure you remove any buildup from the glass of your stove as soon as you notice it. Otherwise the soot will become harder and more difficult to remove. It's important to use the right cleaners, but you should also be careful not to scratch the glass with anything that may scratch it. This could leave a weak spot that could break the glass if it's exposed to high temperatures.

Be sure to allow your wood burner to cool completely before cleaning it. Also, ensure that the surrounding area is covered with newspaper. This will stop any ash spillage that can cause stains and marks on surfaces.

It could take up to one year for the seasoning of your stove to be complete, based on the quality of the wood you select. Seasoned wood will not only burn better and last longer, but it will also produce less creosote. This is the material which is able to build up on your fireplace, reducing its efficiency and creating the potential for a fire hazard. If you're using unseasoned wood or just making a fresh fire in your outdoor wood burner the best thing to do is open the lower back door and scoop the ashes into a non-combustible container every week.

A sediment flush is recommended on your boiler every four years. This is a straightforward flush that takes five seconds from the bottom drain valve on your boiler. This will get rid of any sediments that have accumulated in the system and keep your boiler working well.

After you have cleaned the exterior of your outdoor fireplace it is time to clean it. Before you begin, it's crucial to cover the stove's perimeter with newspaper. Wearing protective gloves and eyewear is an excellent idea. Also, you should have a shovel, a metal ash container and an instrument for scraping. You can use a cloth for a shield to protect the refractory while you remove ash and coal deposits.

Easy 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. Unlike their cousin the EPA's popular wood stoves that are designed to burn at constant, low temperatures, these units use more fire and generate more smoke when operating. Some local governments restrict or ban their use.

OWBs are great to heat homes with insulation levels that are high. Smoke that is thick and smoldering can also cause annoyance to neighbors, which has led many OWBs to be shut down or even sued. For OWBs dry wood with lower moisture content is needed to function properly. The use of unseasoned or green wood reduces efficiency, leads to creosote accumulation and can cut down the life of the burner. A moisture gauge will allow you determine the time it takes for wood to dry.

In contrast, dual-stage wood gasification boilers (OWGB) utilize a three step process that makes use of more available energy from the wood and results in much less smoke. These kinds of furnaces are far more efficient than conventional OWBs and can be used with a wider range of fuel. Wood gasification boilers need dry and seasoned wood. The majority of wood will be seasoned within a year, however oak and other hardy species can require two years or more to fully mature. This is because they have a lower volume of water and a greater density. This allows them to retain heat for longer, thereby increasing efficiency and reduce pollution. The EPA's "Burn Wise" website and Cornell Cooperative Extension can help homeowners learn more about burning wood efficiently to minimize air pollution.

Low Maintenance

Modern outdoor wood furnaces are constructed with the environment in mind. Contrary to indoor wood stoves that produce significant smoke Modern outdoor furnaces burn cleanly without the creation of excessive heat or carbon monoxide. They also require less wood to generate the same amount heat as traditional stoves.

Outdoor wood burners require less maintenance and are more forgiving of wood moisture content than wood burning stoves for indoor use. Outdoor wood burners are only suitable for wood that has been properly "cured" or seasoned. Certain kinds of wood can take up to a year. Make use of a moisture meter prior to loading to measure the amount of water present in the wood.

When the system is in operation, it is important to regularly check the system for the build-up of creosote. Creosote is an byproduct of combustion that can build up in the flue and chimney if it is not cleaned frequently. It can be removed using a creosote removal solution that is poured into the fire. Regularly cleaning the chimney and flue will help eliminate dangerous creosote accumulations, and increase efficiency.

In order to attain 99% efficiency in combustion, Crown Royal Stoves designed a new air flow technology known as Negative Pressure Gasification. This technology is employed in our EPA certified Pristine Series Outdoor Wood Furnaces to draw air from the bottom and push all gases through an insulated secondary combustion chamber surrounded by water with easy-to-clean turbulators. The result is a smokeless, pollution-free burning.