As a renewable natural resource wood has become a popular alternate fuel of choice for many environmentally conscious people. The cost of energy has also driven many people to supplement their home heating with wood.
Wood stoves have been in use since the 1800's and were the many source of heat for a home. Many wood stoves were also used for cooking and heating water. With a small firebox these units were invaluable for heating, cooking and boiling water.
Fireplaces were also common in older homes but more as a decoration than a necessity as was the wood stove. Older fireplaces were very inefficient as most of the heat went up the chimney.
Cutting and splitting wood can be hard work and you will need a large area to store and season your firewood. Moving wood into the home is a continual chore and wood may contain fungi or insects. Buying wood can eat up any savings you were anticipating by using wood as an alternate energy source.
Most insurance companies now require you to have your wood stove or fireplace inspected by a WETT Certified inspector. This will ensure you installation complies with the Manufactures installation instructions, the local Building Code and CSA or ULC standards.
Your chimney, whether masonry brick or stainless steel, is an important part of your wood stove or fireplace installation. Your chimney has to be high enough to ensure you have a good draft to prevent smoke from filling your home. A well constructed chimney will be a straight as possible with the least amount of elbows, which will allow your wood stove or fireplace to perform at its peak efficiency.
It is important to burn properly seasoned wood in your wood burning unit. Creosote can build up when burning wet wood and this can lead to a possible chimney fire and even the loss of your home. As much as half the weight of freshly cut logs can be water. This water content must be reduced to 15 to 20 per cent before the wood can burn efficiently. How you process and store the wood is critical to achieving this moisture reduction goal.
To help in building proper fires you should split the wood into a variety of sizes for convenient fire building and maintenance. Large pieces are fine for large fires in cold weather but smaller pieces are needed in mild weather and for fast ignition of new fires or fires rekindled from coals.
Wood stoves have been in use since the 1800's and were the many source of heat for a home. Many wood stoves were also used for cooking and heating water. With a small firebox these units were invaluable for heating, cooking and boiling water.
Fireplaces were also common in older homes but more as a decoration than a necessity as was the wood stove. Older fireplaces were very inefficient as most of the heat went up the chimney.
Cutting and splitting wood can be hard work and you will need a large area to store and season your firewood. Moving wood into the home is a continual chore and wood may contain fungi or insects. Buying wood can eat up any savings you were anticipating by using wood as an alternate energy source.
Most insurance companies now require you to have your wood stove or fireplace inspected by a WETT Certified inspector. This will ensure you installation complies with the Manufactures installation instructions, the local Building Code and CSA or ULC standards.
Your chimney, whether masonry brick or stainless steel, is an important part of your wood stove or fireplace installation. Your chimney has to be high enough to ensure you have a good draft to prevent smoke from filling your home. A well constructed chimney will be a straight as possible with the least amount of elbows, which will allow your wood stove or fireplace to perform at its peak efficiency.
It is important to burn properly seasoned wood in your wood burning unit. Creosote can build up when burning wet wood and this can lead to a possible chimney fire and even the loss of your home. As much as half the weight of freshly cut logs can be water. This water content must be reduced to 15 to 20 per cent before the wood can burn efficiently. How you process and store the wood is critical to achieving this moisture reduction goal.
To help in building proper fires you should split the wood into a variety of sizes for convenient fire building and maintenance. Large pieces are fine for large fires in cold weather but smaller pieces are needed in mild weather and for fast ignition of new fires or fires rekindled from coals.
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Chimney fires can be prevented by having a Certified Wett Inspection in Barrie, Alliston or Orillia. Your insurance company will require a Certifed Inspection. Visit Certified Wett Inspector for Barrie, Alliston or Orillia for all your needs.
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