Stove Business: Choosing Firewood, Cleaning Chimneys

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

In inclement weather, the gentle warmth of a heated stove warms not only the room, but also creates an atmosphere of coziness, comfort and peace of mind in the house. The stove is a home of well-being, which must be protected and maintained in proper condition. The firebox and chimney are the most important elements of good functioning and need to be used and maintained correctly. Often the owner does not think about the quality of the firewood and burns everything that burns. Irrational use of the source material leads to unstable work, blockages. The stove is the basis of a country house, so that it works well, it is important to know the principles of its operation

How to choose firewood

Quality material for the firebox must be dry. Raw logs are poorly kindled, when burned, it gives less heat and releases substances that negatively affect the state of the heating system. The density of wood affects heat transfer. Incorrectly selected raw materials provoke the formation of resinous deposits in pipes and chimneys. Painted board scraps can cause toxic poisoning. Pine, poplar and spruce branches serve to increase sparking and "shoot", which is dangerous during operation, clogging up the internal system with resinous formations.

Firewood characteristics

The quality of firewood depends on the species of wood, on the density of the wood. The higher the density, the longer the burning and the more heat transfer. According to such indicators, oak is in the lead (3, 3 kcal / sq. Dm). In second place are beech, ash, hornbeam, apple, mountain ash (3-2, 7 kcal / sq. Dm). Firewood from birch, pear, chestnut, maple, acacia is no less valuable (2, 6 kcal / sq. Dm). Slightly lower indicators for linden, alder, pine (2 kcal / sq. Dm). Firewood from aspen, willow, poplar, fir (1, 8-1, 6 kcal / sq. Dm) burns quickly and does not give a good heat. The more "high-calorie" firewood, the more difficult it is to harvest: raw wood is too heavy and difficult to split, especially beech and oak.

There are also significant differences in firewood in terms of the amount of smoke emitted. The most smokeless fuel is hornbeam. Fruit trees smoke strongly: cherry, plum, apple tree. Pine and spruce leave tarry deposits and corrosive gases. Aspen, when burned, releases substances that clean the inner surface of the chimney. Birch gives good heat, but fouls the stove with tar tar. This substance in large proportions is capable not only of settling on the pipe, but also flowing down, almost completely blocking thin pipes and bends in the masonry. This process is especially influenced by the temperature contrast that is present on non-insulated outer pipes.

Chimney contamination signs

The state of malfunction of the furnace can be determined at the beginning of the firing up. Smoke accumulates and does not pass well into the chimney. As a result of the lack of draft, it begins to smoke from all openings, including dampers, dampers. After a short warm-up, this phenomenon stops.

The pipe clogging is often not noticeable in the room, as internal smoke may not be observed. Therefore, after the first batch of firewood burns out, you need to go outside and examine the smoke over the roof. In good condition, the stove gives off a faint, transparent, sometimes white smoke. If dark, thick puffs are visible, this is a sign of a large accumulation of soot and requires immediate cleaning.

A flame in the firebox indicates problems with the chimney. In good condition, the color is always light, with an orange tint, and the firewood crackles. It is worth thinking about calling a chimney sweep if the fire is dark crimson, and dull yellow smoke "lies" on the wood.

Chimney and stove cleaning

The combustion process is not possible without soot deposition. Even when using ideal fuel, periodically cleaning and removal of harmful accumulations is required. If this rule is not followed, an excess of soot can lead to smoke, waste poisoning. Soot burns at high temperatures (110 degrees). Old pipes, not withstanding such heat, can explode, leading to an irreversible phenomenon - a fire. Timely cleaning helps to avoid these troubles.

When a specialist is called, professional work is carried out. To reduce the number of visits and save the budget, you can independently carry out prevention with improvised means. For example, during the combustion of starch, potato peelings emit a gas that softens soot and contributes to random delamination and slag precipitation in the form of loose flakes. To do this, put half a bucket of dried peel into a well-heated firebox.

You can clean channels and pipes mechanically using a homemade brush. Inventive people make such a device from a plastic bottle, making vertical side cuts from the neck to the bottom. The bottom is removed completely, the "petals" are folded back with an iron spatula. The frequency of cutting lines is 2-3 cm. This structure is attached to a metal rod with nuts. For a wide pipe "Ruff" is made from a plastic canister (3, 5, 6 liters). The finished device is tied to a rope and weighted down with a brick.

The chemical industry produces special powders, logs, briquettes for cleaning prevention of chimneys. They are more effective than potato peelings, although they leave an unpleasant odor in the room. It is important to know that by taking regular measures to maintain the stove, you can ensure good draft, heat your home safely and do without calling a chimney sweep for many years.