These are the basic procedures in operating a wood-stove. As in anything else, skill will come with practice, and with skill comes efficient operation. The nice thing about operating a woodstove efficiently is that this is the safest mode of operation, too. Safety is basic to every step in heating with wood. Here are more [...]
A corn burning stove is one way to reduce your dependence on oil-generated heat. You may also qualify for tax credit when your purchase and install a non-traditional fuel stove to heat some or all of your home. You can even locate models of these appliances which can be used for cooking if you want [...]
Next we will deal with the problem of storing firewood. Dried properly, firewood can give off nearly twice as much heat as it can in its green (fresh-cut) state. This characteristic will vary according to the species of tree, but all woods burn better and hotter when seasoned, or air-dried. Wood seasoned one year will [...]
The long cylindrical metal tube that allows air and particulate (smoke particles) to escape are known as wood stove pipes. If you are going to buy a wood stove pipe then you have to go for the right one. Basically, there are two types, venting and vent free. You need to go with the best [...]
After acquiring a source of firewood, you have the problem of cutting and splitting it. This is another very dangerous link in the whole wood-heating chain, and it is made even more dangerous by the enormous capacity for destruction possessed by modern chain saws, cord wood saws, and mechanical log splitters (Fig. 1) Fig. 1. [...]
Nowadays, many people are interested in antique wood stoves. For many, antiques have always been extremely attractive and these are the few who never miss a chance to get an antique wood stove. However, it is important to mention that sometimes people only pay attention to design and visual appeal of a wood-burning device and [...]
The most practical consideration in choosing firewood, of course, is its availability (and if you have to pay for it, its price). Some parts of the country have quite limited choices in firewood, so you may have to take what you can get. But if there is a choice, then cut or buy the densest [...]
Continue reading about How to Choose The Best Wood For Your Fire
With an understanding of these basic characteristics of heat, we now turn to the phenomenon of combustion and observe what happens when we ignite a log of wood. It is important to understand combustion because the many types of woodstoves are made to take advantage of the various processes which occur in an actively burning [...]
Once the fuel is burning, the next task of a stove is to transfer as much heat as possible from the inside of the combustion chamber to the outside. This is also accomplished in a variety of ways and with varying degrees of efficiency. Most simply, the mass of the stove is allowed to radiate. [...]
Continue reading about What Design Factors Help your Wood Stove Provide Heat?
Heat and Its Control Perhaps no single factor is more important to man’s evolution than his learning how to generate and control heat. The ancient Greeks realized this and developed an elaborate myth about Prometheus, the fire-bearing Titan god who stole fire from the gods for the benefit of mankind. For the Romans, the Vestal [...]