Osburn 1600 Installation and Operation Manual
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2.2
ZONE HEATING AND HOW TO MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU
Your new Osburn 1600 wood stove is a space heater, which means it is intended to heat the area it
is installed in, as well as spaces that connect to that area, although to a lower temperature. This is
called zone heating and it is an increasingly popular way to heat homes or spaces within homes.
Zone heating can be used to supplement another heating system by heating a particular space
within a home, such as a basement family room or an addition that lacks another heat source.
Houses of moderate size and relatively new construction can be heated with a properly sized and
located wood stove. Whole house zone heating works best when the stove is located in the part of
the house where the family spends most of its time. This is normally the main living area where
the kitchen, dining and living rooms are located. By locating the stove in this area, you will get the
maximum benefit of the heat it produces and will achieve the highest possible heating efficiency
and comfort. The space where you spend most of your time will be warmest, while bedrooms and
basement (if there is one) will stay cooler. In this way, you will burn less wood than with other
forms of heating.
Although the stove may be able to heat the main living areas of your house to an adequate
temperature, we strongly recommend that you also have a conventional oil, gas or electric heating
system to provide backup heating.
Your success with zone heating will depend on several factors, including the correct sizing and
location of the stove, the size, layout and age of your home and your climate zone. Three-season
vacation homes can usually be heated with smaller stoves than houses that are heated all winter.
2.3
THE BENEFITS OF LOW EMISSIONS AND HIGH EFFICIENCY
The low smoke emissions produced by the special features inside the Osburn 1600 firebox mean
that your household will release up to 90 percent less smoke into the outside environment than if
you used an older conventional stove. But there is more to the emission control technologies than
protecting the environment.
The smoke released from wood when it is heated contains about half of the energy content of the
fuel. By burning the wood completely, your stove releases all the heat energy from the wood
instead of wasting it as smoke up the chimney. Also, the features inside the firebox allow you to
reduce the air supply to control heat output, while maintaining clean and efficient flaming
combustion, which boosts the efficient delivery of heat to your home.
The emission control and advanced combustion features of your stove can only work properly if
your fuel is in the correct moisture content range of 15 to 20 percent. See Section A3.0 of this
manual for suggestions on preparing fuelwood and judging its moisture.
