Why a Wood Burning Stove Should Be Properly Sized and Installed
Wood stoves can be an excellent, safe method of heating your home. A wood stove should be installed and sized correctly to ensure maximum efficiency.
Do not open and shut the door to the wood stove often as this can create an atmosphere that draws smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the room.
Energy Efficiency
A wood burning stove utilizes radiant heat to warm your home instead of relying on hot air being blown in through the home's ventilation system. This is more efficient way of heating since it gives radiant warmth that radiates from all sides of the stove, warming your entire home rather than just one central area.
Modern wood stoves are designed to be as energy efficient as is possible. Manufacturers are required to meet increasingly stringent requirements in regards to emissions, and the best method to do this is by making their stoves more efficient. Our stoves have an efficiency rating of 70% or greater. This means that a greater proportion of the heat produced will be used to heat your home instead of being lost to the chimney.
Another benefit of using a wood burning stove is that it gives you a completely independent heat source. A wood burner can provide warmth during a power cut or gas shortage, provided you have enough logs stored.
Wood burning stoves are also a more reliable heating option than other types of heaters, since they don't require electricity or oil to run. This is particularly important in remote areas where other energy sources are susceptible to disruption for a long time.
A high-quality log burner will operate at around 80% efficiency which means that a substantial percentage of the heat produced is used to warm your home. This is an enormous improvement over older stoves which typically operate at less than 20% efficiency. This is one of the reasons why a new stove would be a good investment.
A catalytic wood stove will re-burn any unburned gas and smoke that leave the firebox via secondary combustion, further increasing efficiency. Non-catalytic wood stoves are also becoming more popular, since they don't require costly catalyst technology in order to attain the same level of efficiency. They can also be purchased at a cheaper prices. This is particularly beneficial for those who want to reduce their carbon footprint and save money on fuel costs.
Clean Burning
A wood stove burns wood and generates heat, but it also releases particulates and gases into the air. This can result in poor air quality in some areas and affect our health. This is why it is crucial to use clean burning technology in your wood stove.
If you own a brand modern, brand new wood stove with Clean burn technology, it drastically reduces airborne dust and particulate emissions. Modern wood burning stoves will not only make your home healthier, but you can also save money as you will get more heat from each log.
Today's ECO design stoves meet one of the strictest requirements in the world when it comes to emissions from particles - they are allowed to release no more than 5 grams per kilogram of wood burned. At Jotul we have more ambitious goals - we'd like to offer you the absolute highest quality in terms of the climate and your health. We've come up with a solution that is technological, which means our wood stoves contain less than half of the legal requirement and in some instances less than 1 grams!
Modern stoves offer a variety of ways to maximize the efficiency of the combustion of wood. It is essential to monitor the air flow and then only slow the airflow after the fire is hot and established - otherwise you could end up killing the fire.
Cleaner stoves produce less creosote. This sticky substance can create serious fire hazards. A lower level of creosote production could reduce time and cost in chimney sweeping.
The pre-heated tertiary air in our wood stoves is another key factor in their superior performance. This is an additional level of air that is introduced above the fuel load, and assists in ensuring that all particles are completely ignited. This is the reason for a significant portion of the performance that is superior in our new stoves, including the Defra-approved Hi-Flame Graphite 5
Always ensure that you only use your wood stove in areas where it's legal. Smoke from wood stoves is not only hazardous to those who live in the immediate area, but can be transported long distances and cause poor air quality for communities living in the vicinity.
Eco-Friendly
Wood burners offer a low-carbon alternative to stoves that burn fossil fuels. They absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release it when they are burnt as part of a closed CO2 cycle. This process is less damaging to the environment than releasing CO2 into the air by using gas, oil, or electricity for heating at home.
Modern stoves are more efficient than previous models. This means you can heat up your home with less wood. Some models are so efficient that they release virtually no smoke, generate less ash, and require 70% less logs than traditional stoves. Newer EPA certified stoves also come with safety features like an automatic shut off to avoid overheating.
Alongside being a great source of heat, eco-friendly stoves are an excellent way to save money on your energy bills. The cost of electricity and gas seem to be increasing year after year. With a wood-burning stove, you can manage your heating needs and cut out the middlemen.
You can also make use of recycled wood or salvaged wood to make your stove even more green. Many people collect wood from construction projects that could otherwise be thrown away or disposed of. But, it's important to make sure it's completely dry before burning. This is especially important if you reside in a zone of smoke control where the use of damp or wet wood is a crime.
The green aspect of a wood-burning stove is reflected in the fact that it is a renewable energy source. If you purchase your wood from a sustainable forest then one tree will be planted for each one that is removed to be used which helps counteract the deforestation caused by fossil fuel production.
Although wood-burning stoves produce less emissions than other stoves, they do produce fine particulate pollutants. These are tiny, toxic particles that can travel deep into your lungs and are extremely harmful to your health. HETAS, an independent standards body for heating appliances has pushed for an effort to improve wood stoves to lessen the air pollution as much as they can. Many manufacturers have developed eco-friendly wood burning stoves that are compliant with the most recent standards.
Cooking
Wood stoves are safe if used in a safe manner. However, if you're not familiar with wood burning, it's best to have a professional check your fireplace and ventilation system to ensure that they're working correctly. Modern wood burners include a chimney and a firebox that work together to draw fresh air in and let smoke out. The chimney and the ventilation pipe work to control the amount of creosote (a volatile organic compound) that is created when wood is burned. The accumulation of creosote in the chimney could result in a reduction in effectiveness and even a fire hazard It is therefore essential to keep your stove in good condition.
The crackle of the fire and the smell of burning wood create a warm atmosphere that can transport you back to simpler days. Additionally, cooking on a wood burning stove adds a distinct flavor that cannot be replicated using gas or electric stoves. The smoky taste of roasted meats and soups that are hearty give meals a unique and memorable taste that can't be achieved with other methods of cooking.
It is also widely known that cooking with a wood-burning stove is healthier than other forms of cooking. For example, if you roast vegetables or meats in your wood-burning stove, the heat of the flames helps keep nutrients that are lost when cooking food for prolonged periods of time.
Many people prefer using wood-burning stoves as an alternative to gas or electricity to heat their home. It is a reliable method of heating that is particularly beneficial during power outages or in areas where fossil fuels are limited. Furthermore, the majority of people find that a wood stove is a more cost-effective way to heat their homes, as opposed to buying and installing a traditional gas or electric stove. It is also more eco friendly because wood is a renewable resource and releases less CO2 into the atmosphere when it is burned correctly.