|
Guide to Woodburning
Dry seasoned firewood gives you the most heat. With todays
high gas prices heat from your fireplace is very important. If at
all possible remove the bark from the firewood before
burning. The bark produces more ash than the log itself. By
removing the bark you create less ash and less clean-up after
the fire, put the bark to use in your garden as mulch.
Understanding combustion: as firewood burns, it goes through
three phases:
Water: freshly cut firewood logs contain about 50% water.
Allow the firewood to season (air dry over the hot summer,
wood is well seasoned after 9 to 18 months) reducung the
water volume. Seasoned firewood contains about 20% of the
weight is water. As the wood is heated in the firebox or wood
stove this water boils off, consuming heat energy in the
process. The wetter the wood, the more heat is needed to
boil off the water giving you less heat in your home. That is
why wet wood hisses and sizzles while dry wood ignites and
burns easily producing heat.
Smoke: As the firewood heats up above the boiling point of
water, it starts to smoke. The hydrocarbon gases and tars that
make up the smoke are combustible if the temperature is high
enough and oxygen is present. A good fire produces very little
smoke and more flames. Stack your wood on the fire in a
criss cross allowing combustable air to feed the fire. When the
smoke burns, it makes the bright flames that are characteristic
of wood combustion. If the smoke does not burn in the
firebox, it may condense in the chimney, forming creosote and
possibly chimney fires.
Charcoal: As the fire progresses and most of the
hydrocarbons have vaporized, charcoal remains. Charcoal is
almost 100% carbon and burns with very little flame or
smoke. Charcoal is a good fuel that burns easily and cleanly
when enough oxygen is present. Of the total energy content of
the wood you burn, about half is in the form of smoke, and
half is charcoal. The challenge in burning wood efficiently is to
burn off the smoke before it leaves the firebox. The rest of the
suggestions in this fact sheet will help you to get more heat
from your wood, and reduce creosote deposits and air
pollution.
Preparing Firewood: It takes 9 to 18 months for wood to
properly season after it has been cut to length and split. Wood
dries 10 times as fast through the end grain as it does through
tangential sides. Splitting into smaller pieces will further speed
drying. Dry, seasoned wood will ignite and burn much easier
and cause fewer problems with condensation and creosote.
Green or improperly seasoned wood will be free of checking
and cracks on the ends, will feel "heavier" and may even feel
moist to the touch. Often it will give off more of an odor than
dry wood. When it burns it will often sizzle and pop, and give
off steam. It is not recommended for burning in a factory-built
fireplace. Firewood should be split and stacked under cover
in the early spring to be ready for burning in the fall. After
drying in the summer sun and warm winds, the wood should
be below 20% moisture content. A piece of dry firewood has
large cracks or checks in the end grain. Look for these when
judging the quality of firewood. Hardwoods and softwoods
are chemically similar—the difference is density. Hardwoods,
being more dense produce a longer-lasting fire.
Starting or Rekindling the Fire: When starting a fire, use plenty
of crumpled newspaper and kindling. As a guide, fill the
firebox completely with loosely crumpled newspaper and hold
it down with at least ten pieces of finely-split dry kindling.
Softwoods make the best kindling. Find out where the
combustion air enters the firebox of your stove and light the
fire there so that the fire gets plenty of air. Open the air inlets
fully.
Use dry, split kindling, fatwood or newspaper to start the fire.
Use a separate piece of newspaper formed into a torch and lit
at one end to warm the flue, once the damper is opened
When draft is established, light the kindling Once the kindling
is burning, add pieces of larger wood. Be careful not to
smother the fire with pieces that are too large Do not overload
the firebox Burn fires of reasonable size Do not burn garbage
or waste materials, especially highly flammable materials such
as gift wrappings or evergreen boughs Never use flammable
liquids to start a fire.
Burn Dry Wood Because:
It gives up to 25% higher efficiency
It produces fewer creosote deposits
It ignites faster and smokes less
It is lighter to carry.
Fireplace Accessories
|
|
|
