BY Adam Wasch, Energy Outreach Consultant for CCHRC and UAF CES
Energy Focus: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner December 25th, 2008, Section A3
Holiday quiz. What is the Yule Log? (A) A French-inspired pastry. (B) The Great Ashen Fagot of German yore. Or, (C) A film loop of logs burning in a fireplace broadcast on TV. Well, personally, I was thinking of the film. It used to be broadcast on Christmas Eve in the New York City area until the late 1980s. There, within the vacuum of television, the fire burned cleanly in thousands of tenement buildings late into the urban night. No wood to carry, no ashes to scoop. Your fire at home may be warmer, but I doubt it’s more efficient.
In tribute to the Yule Log, below is a top ten list of things you can do to ensure you’re burning wood as cleanly and efficiently as possible in your woodstove. The lower your woodstove’s emissions, the more efficient the stove is at using all the available fuel. Consequently, the less wood you’ll need to burn. Not as clean as the Yule Log, but wise burning habits will save you money, reduce the risk of chimney fires, and benefit air quality.
- Dry wood. Probably too late this year, but try for next. Green or wet wood (anything over 20 percent moisture content) saps your stove of heat and creates excessive creosote, which contributes to the risk of chimney fires. It takes at least six months for split and properly stacked wood to dry. Rounds don’t count, especially if they are birch. Birch bark is virtually impermeable, so splitting is essential.
- Good draft. Fires love a good supply of air. It’s best if your stove uses a closed combustion system, which draws air directly from the outdoors, but ensuring your chimney stack is sized correctly and free of creosote build-up will help your fire to burn hot and clean.
- Use kindling. The key to a hot, clean fire is getting the firebox and chimney up to temperature as fast as possible. Cool stoves and other metal prevent fires from burning completely and waste heat while making excessive emissions. Using kindling or newspaper to rapidly start larger logs saves time and will make your burns more efficient.
- Burn in cycles. Allow each load of wood to burn down to coals before adding more logs. Rake the coals into a mound by the air inlet of the stove and add another full load of wood toward the rear of the stove, laying one log on top of the coals.
- Keep door closed. Unless you’ve just started a fire, keep the door to your wood stove closed. This will actually help ensure proper air flow and keep sparks, hot embers, and smoke from entering the room.
- Proper ash handling. When the wood and coals have burned completely down to a fine white ash and has begun to fill the floor of your stove, scoop the ash into a sturdy metal bucket with a tight-sealing lid. This will ensure any still-burning embers are snuffed out. Be sure the bucket is placed where it cannot cause damage or catch other items on fire. Store the bucket on a stone or brick tablet, outside if possible.
- Be safe. In addition to regularly sweeping your chimney, keep fire extinguishers on hand. Install smoke detectors in each room. And, importantly, install carbon monoxide detectors. Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless gas that can kill you as you sleep if your stove emission system malfunctions.
- Upgrade. Newer stoves are rated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for efficiency. An EPA-certified wood stove burns wood efficiently, releasing 60 percent to 80 percent less smoke up the chimney.
- Get an inspection. Local professionals are available to inspect your stove. They can confirm it was installed correctly, has the proper clearances, is operating to specifications, and that your chimney is clean and exhausting safely. Quality inspectors can be found through the National Fireplace Institute, which is a non-profit certification agency that conducts nationwide education and testing of hearth professionals.
- Only burn wood. Resist the temptation to burn gift wrapping, marshmallow peeps, and your ex’s old love letters. It may be cathartic, but papers and other refuse often contain chemical additives and other impurities that contribute to poor burns and can clog up your stove and chimney stack.
May the final days of 2008 and the whole of 2009 bring health and joy. Happy holidays from CCHRC and CES.
Adam Wasch promotes energy awareness for the Cooperative Extension Service (CES) and the Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC). For questions or comments please contact CCHRC at (907) 457-3454