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Woodstoves are one of the most pleasant and traditional ways to heat a home. What can be nicer then the smell of burning wood as your wood stove gently burns away. However, when it comes to used wood stoves there are a couple of facts that you have to be aware of before you get started. Follow these tips and you’ll be snug in your home with your used wood stove or used wood stoves in no time.
It is important that any wood stoves you install is burning efficiently. This does not only mean that the stove will last longer and will require less cleaning and maintenance, it also saves on air pollution and can significantly reduce your heating costs. Good used wood stoves will make very little smoke if any, and all you should see from your chimney are heat waves. If you are seeing dark smoke, then it is a sure sign that something is wrong. Most states require wood stoves to be certified with state or US Environmental Protection Agency. This will ensure that air quality regulations are adhered to. If you are buying used wood stoves, then you must make certain that the stoves have certification labels. You will not be able to install the stove in your home without this label. You can call your local building department for more information on this. Often, when people are selling their used wood stoves through a classified, they will not be aware of the used wood stoves certification requirements and will not check to see if the used wood stoves are certified or not. Best to make sure you check before you buy, though. Despite their traditional image, wood smoke from used wood stoves contains many harmful and cancer causing toxins. Children, old people and those with asthma can suffer terribly from the effects of wood smoke if used wood stoves are not operating properly. Therefore, follow these steps to burn wood smartly in your used wood stove and avoid the most common problems associated with used wood stoves. · Keep your fires small and hot. You want your stove to burn everything in it, and this requires a hot fire. This means providing enough oxygen to keep the fire burning high.
· Do not reduce the air supply to keep your fire gently burning over night. This does not save fuel and causes the wood to burn inefficiently causing a lot of smoke.
· Don’t burn green wood. It takes a year to season wood which means each year you should be storing your wood off of the ground, and under a cover a year in advance if possible. Burning green wood produces less heat and causes a lot of creosote to build up in your chimney requiring frequent cleaning. Buying your wood will also help.
· Don’t burn your garbage in used wood stoves. This creates a lot of pollution and can also ruin your stove with residues that will last for years inside.
· Check for smoke. You should not see any black smoke coming from the chimney, only heat waves. If you see smoke, then check with the above steps again.
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