Wood Burning Stove : Origin, Uses And Maintenance
Yes, there are so many modern heating systems nowadays. There are gas stoves, electric stoves, grillers, and toasters for cooking. But, if you want to add a little rustic charm to your indoors or kitchen, get yourself a wood burning stove.
Despite being an outdated fashion, surprisingly, more than 10.1 million wood burning stoves are used across homes in the US.
Whether you plan to set up an old-school kitchen or are just excited at the prospect of burning wood to warm your room, this can be a viable option.
So, if you want to know what these stoves are and how they work, this is the right article to learn from.
What Is A Wood Burning Stove?
wood burning stoves are heating appliances. These are self-contained designs that produce heat indoors through wood combustion. There are so many types of wood burning stoves out there. They vary in style, design, and size. But the key mechanism in all of these stoves is the same.
The stove has a body that contains the wood fire within. The stove is usually made of steel or iron. When the fire is burnt inside the stove, it transfers the heat to the surface, allowing you to cook using it or keep your home warm. The smoke from the fire leaves through the pipe and enters the chimney, making its way to the outside atmosphere.
Wood Burning Stoves: Origin
This necessary kitchen appliance came into existence during the 1500s in France. The origin of this appliance has its root in the Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine area of France. But the patent for the first wood burning cook-stove got created in 1557 in the city of Strasbourg.
The materials needed for the manufacturing of wood burners were rare. As a result, during their early origin period, the wood burning stove was an item of luxury. Once after two centuries, during the industrial revolution, iron was more available. This called for the mass production and use of wood burning stoves.
How Does Wood Burning Stove Work?
The mechanism used in wood burning stoves creates an enclosed environment for burning wood indoors. This way, users can control the airflow and the wood burning inside the stove for the necessary amount of temperature.
Compared to the open-fire burning method, wood burning stoves work more efficiently by holding the waste gas within the stove longer. It also works at a higher pressure and temperature. A process called secondary combustion allows the wood burners to create more heat inside an enclosed environment.
Also, the stove equips controllable air vents allowing users the efficiency to burn wood necessarily. Since you can restrict oxygen inflow, you can control the speed the wood burns off. This also allows you to control the temperature it creates.
Since the airflow is restricted, you can stop the fire from burning off the woods too soon. Many of the wood burners also come with turn dampers. These are circular metal discs connected to the handles sticking out from the pipe. Their relatability allows them to regulate the speed of departure of exhaust gasses. This way, the stove can retain the heat as per your needs.
Are wood burning Stoves Good For Your Home?
It depends upon your priorities and the life you want to live. You can prefer to have low to zero maintenance options for heating, then I will suggest going for more modern solutions. Also, the cost might pile up like a mountain if only one person pays for everything at home.
But, let’s say you live near the woods and have the luxury, time, and patience; then you can use them. There is some physical work and necessary time involved with this traditional luxury. You have to cut down the woods, split them, and stack them up. All of this work requires some amount of energy investment on your part.
Also, the type of house you own is a big determining factor about whether you should get a wood burner. They really work well in open-concept houses with small to medium-sized rooms. Since this heating system has no ducts to move the airflow throughout different rooms, they are not good enough for large homes.
How To Maintain A wood burning Stove?
There are always the best tips and tricks helping to improve the performance of almost everything. The wood burning stoves are no exception. Some key determining factors affect the wood burner’s performance.
The wood needs to be stacked well inside the burner. Also, having moisture inside the wood burner or the wood can affect how well it operates. The woods should have no moisture at all.
It is suggested to cut, split, and dry them in a properly ventilated space with an ample amount of sunlight. Dry and clean woods get combusted easily inside and burn efficiently.
Maintaining the wood bringing stove is not easy. But you can clean it regularly for better efficiency.
Firstly, Clean The Firebox
The inside of the firebox is what burns the wood and contains the fire. So, it is important to keep this place clean. You should clear the ash from the firebox at least once every week. But the frequency can vary depending on the size of your stove.
Secondly, Clean The Flue Pipe
The pipe leading out from your stove that leads to the chimney is an integral part of the wood burner. For efficient burning, you must clean them once a month or two.
Thirdly, Clean The Chimney
Bottom access ports are available in most of the chimneys. You can use these ports to clean the chimneys of wood burning stoves. We suggest using the stovepipe cleaning brush to clean up the ash buildup inside the pipe.
Aside from these, you should also clean up the ash and soot inside the stove’s door.
Bottom Line
We live in a time when our product choices are more vintage in nature. If that is what led you to choose a wood burning stove for your home, then it’s fine. You can set up a wood burner indoors. But, if you need more of a cost-effective option, then there are hydronic heating systems and baseboard heating for your room. They seem more gentle and reduce the heavy physical effort you have to put in to cut, split, and stack up the woods.
Hopefully, this article was helpful. However, if you need us to answer more queries, you can let us know through the comment section. We will get back to you shortly.
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