15 Shocking Facts About Woodburning Stove That You Didn't Know How to Properly Operate a Woodburning Stove

Wood stoves are a fantastic option to heat your home. They're also cheap. However, the smoke they produce can also be harmful to your health. It is important to know how these appliances work and how to use them properly.

Many modern stoves rely upon secondary or catalytic combustion to control their emissions. Older stoves and open flames release high levels of particulates.

The firebox

The firebox is the heart of any fireplace system. It's where you create a fire to heat your home and provide ambiance. It's a simple concept, but there are many important details that must be accounted for to keep your wood burning stove safe and efficient.

The simplest way to think about the firebox is to think of it as an open-air combustion chamber that has walls and an entrance. Most fireplaces come with an already-built metal firebox or a masonry firebox. The type of box you choose will depend on your preferences and the type of fireplace you have.

Most fireplaces with wood burning make use of a constant flow of air to create the fire and burn fuel. Fresh air is drawn into the stove through dampers that can be adjusted inside its doors. This allows the fuels to be burned correctly, and also reduces the toxic gases produced by burning that is not complete or properly burned. The exhaust gases will then be drawn up the chimney, and then safely away from your home.

Modern stoves with catalytic second combustion employ a special catalyst that reburns unburned gases to produce additional warmth. This produces a cleaner and less polluting smoke than traditional wood stoves that do not have secondary combustion. Modern non-catalytic stoves are also available, but they're usually less efficient than stoves with catalytic secondary combustion.

Some fireplaces with wood burning have backboilers that can be used for space heating or water heating. These are referred to as "combination" or "hybrid" stoves and have been in use since the early 20th century.

Wood burning stoves should be used with seasoned wood. Freshly cut (green) wood has an extremely high moisture content, which can cause low flue temperatures and excessive creosote build-up in the chimney. This could lead to chimney fires that destroy the stove, and could be harmful to your family's health.

If you're in search of an expert who can examine your wood-burning stove, or make repairs to your firebox, make sure that the chimney professional you hire is certified by the CSIA certification and provides customer testimonials on their site. Find out their rates and the type of work they do.

The pipe for ventilation

Ventilation is required for wood stoves to help remove fumes and keep the house healthy and warm. Ventilation is essential to remove carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide from the process of combustion. It also helps reduce the impact of air pollution and heat loss to the outdoors. Gas, pellet and wood stoves have different requirements for venting to adapt to the way they function. It is important to maintain the stove's venting system on an every year to ensure safety and efficiency.

wood burning stove sale is comprised of the firebox, the vent pipe and chimney. The chimney and the vent pipe are used in conjunction to create draft, which draws smoke from the stove through the fireplace to the outside air. The difference in temperature and densities of the hot wood smoke and the cold outside air creates draft. The higher the temperature, the more smoke can rise through the ventilation pipe and chimney.


Modern wood stoves are certified by the EPA as low-emission units. This means that they emit far fewer pollutants than older models, and contribute to global warming as well as other environmental concerns. The majority of modern stoves come with pollution control systems that reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released while ensuring that they are burned efficiently.

Older stoves with open flues produce more carbon dioxide. It is a poisonous, toxic gas and it cannot be escaped into your home. This could happen if the chimney is not clean or if there is not enough ventilation. It is essential to install carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

Before installing a brand new or used wood stove, take note of the distance from the point where the stove is on the floor to the chimney opening on the wall or ceiling. Multiplying this distance by 2 will give you the shortest length of stovepipe you will require. You can use a single-wall or a double-wall stovepipe but you must ensure proper clearance from the combustibles.

The stove's air vent should be adjusted when it first starts to light up, until a good flame is created in the stove and its combustion process has stabilized. It is also a good idea to avoid using wood briquettes in the stove, as they are not logs and may contain volatile chemicals that can cause the air vent to malfunction and create a dangerous situation.

The chimney

The chimney might not be something that homeowners pay a lot of attention to, but it's a complex system that requires careful attention. The chimney is comprised of numerous important parts that are essential to ensure the safe and efficient operation of your stove.

The wood burning stove's combustion gases are emitted outwards through the firebox, the ventilation pipe, and the chimney. This is essential to reduce carbon dioxide levels and prevent harmful emissions. To accomplish this, the chimney and flue need to be sufficiently hot to carry the gases out of the fireplace, without cooling. This is achieved by using a woodburning stove that has an extremely high heat output, and by regularly adding new logs to the fire.

Modern woodburning stoves are built to work with a chimney that's taller than older models in order to get a better drafting effect. This could be a problem in the event that your chimney's height exceeds the maximum for your location. In this case the chimney may compete with the stack of your house for airflow, causing gases to cool before leaving. This could impede the flow of gases and create creosote buildup which could pose a fire hazard.

The most common error homeowners make is to open the fireplace door and close it frequently. This can negatively affect the combustion. It is essential to keep the door shut whenever possible, and only open it when you need to add more ash or firewood. The door that is left open for too long can allow hot air to escape from the stove, causing the logs to cool and harder to light, and releases volatile compounds that are not burned into the room.

Other types of combustibles could produce higher emissions or an explosion in a chimney. The truth is that woodburning stoves are designed and optimised to burn firewood, not other types of combustibles.

The flu

To ensure that the airflow is proper, woodburning stoves require an exhaust pipe that is the correct size. Typically, the size of the flue must be at least 25 percent greater than the stove pipe (which connects the stove to the chimney) to ensure adequate room for smoke passage. In addition the wood stove should be installed on a hearth that is made of non-combustible materials and is clear and unobstructed area in front of the fireplace opening.

Modern stoves come with an element called catalytic combustor, which can reduce the amount of harmful by-products which are released into the chimney. This feature can help increase the efficiency of wood stoves by burning a flame which generates more heat while releasing less pollution. However, using other types of combustibles, like coal, could cause issues, including lower efficiency and more emissions.

It is important to use dry or seasoned wood when you are burning wood in your fireplace or stove. If your wood isn't dry or seasoned it will release high levels of creosote and water vapour into the chimney. This can result in low flue temperatures and possibly a chimney fire.

A professional can also assist you in avoiding an explosion in your chimney by regularly inspecting and cleaning the flue system. This includes the stovepipe, the chimney and the chimney itself.

A dirty flue and stove could result in an unclean chimney draft that could release carbon monoxide into your home. This could be hazardous for your family and should never be allowed to occur.

A good rule of thumb is to have a professional chimney sweep sweep your stove and chimney every year. This will help keep your chimney and stove in good order.