Why use a wood-burning heater:
A wood-burning heater builds on the idea of having a natural fireplace. Wood-burning space heaters are also sometimes called wood-burning stoves. This is an economical way of heating a localized space. With improvements in home insulation, it has now become possible for a wood-burning stove to heat an entire room if it is centrally located in the house. These stoves can easily heat one or two rooms. Coupled with a wood-burning stove blower, the warm air generated by the stove can be circulated within the house. Wood stove blowers also have an added advantage of being able to create a chimney draft that sucks up the soot generated by burning wood out of the house.
Fueling a wood-burning stove:
Wood-burning stoves are designed to burn only seasoned or mature wood in your stove. One should avoid burning pressed wood or other scraps, as they can release toxic fumes and spoil the stove. The efficiency of a wood stove is determined by two factors: the combustion efficiency, which determines how efficiently wood is being burnt, and how much of the heat goes up the flue. The installation of the wood heater also plays a role in determining the efficiency of the heater. The location of the heater, the efficiency of the unit’s flue, and the capacity of the heater are factors that determine a heater’s efficiency.
Types of wood-burning stoves:
There are various types of wood-burning heaters. These range from ventless gas logs to pellet stoves.
Ventless gas stoves:
Ventless gas logs are not considered an efficient source of heat—being only 10% efficient. However, the charm of using a ventless gas log is its resemblance of a natural fireplace with logs burning. The cost of operating these stoves is the cost of natural gas used that is piped to your home.
Pellet stoves:
Pellet stoves are modern variations of the traditional wood stove. These are convective heaters that do not get hot to touch, which makes them kid friendly. These stoves integrate some electrical elements into the stove to boost the efficiency of the stove. These stoves are fuelled by wood pellets which are made from the waste products derived from compressed wood. The pellet stove has a fan that blows air onto the pellets to aid combustion. These stoves are equipped with heat exchangers that extract heat from the exhaust air and blow warm air into the room to heat it. The rate of combustion of a pellet stove can be controlled manually or by using a wall-mounted thermostat. Of all the wood heating options, pellet stoves are considered to be the most efficient and least polluting.
Wood stoves:
Wood stoves are high-maintenance heaters. Wood stoves with catalytic converters require constant vigilance. Catalytic converters ensure that the volatile gases that are produced when wood burns are burned out completely at lower temperatures. The catalytic converter helps in complete smoke combustion. The stoves require surface-mounted thermometers to monitor internal temperatures, which will help you identify when additional wood is required. The thermometer also helps you judge when to open and close the catalytic converter’s damper provided in the stove. Wood stoves should not be over-fired as it can damage the stove and the catalytic converter. For correct operation, stoves should have the minimum specified chimney height as specified by the manufacturer. A stainless steel class A insulated chimney is best suited for the purpose.
