Osburn Matrix Installation and Operation Manual
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2.2
ZONE HEATING AND HOW TO MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU
Your new Osburn Matrix wood fire 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 fire. Whole house zone heating works best when the wood fire 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 wood fire 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 wood fire 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 wood fire, the size, layout and age of your home and your climate zone. Three-
season vacation homes can usually be heated with smaller wood fires 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 Matrix firebox mean
that your household will release up to 90 percent less smoke into the outside environment than if
you used an older conventional wood fire. 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 wood fire releases all the heat energy from the wood
instead of wasting it as smoke up the flue system. 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 wood fire can only work properly
if your fuel is in the correct moisture content range of 15 to 20 percent. See
Section 3
of this
manual for suggestions on preparing fuelwood and judging its moisture.
