13
It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you use DRY WOOD only in your wood stove. The wood should have dried for 9
to 15 months, such that the humidity content (in weight) is reduced below 20% of the weight of the log. It is very
important to keep in mind that even if the wood has been cut for one, two or even more years, it is not necessarily
dry, if it has been stored in poor conditions. Under extreme conditions it may rot instead of drying. This point
cannot be over stressed; the vast majority of the problems related to the operation of a wood stove is caused by
the fact that the wood used was too damp or had dried in poor conditions. These problems can be:
- ignition problems
- creosote build-up causing chimney fires
- low energy yield
- blackened windows
- incomplete log combustion
WOODSTOVE UTILIZATION
This heater is designed to burn natural wood only. Higher efficiencies and lower emissions generally result when
burning air dried seasoned hardwoods, as compared to softwoods or to green or freshly cut hardwoods.
DO NOT BURN:
1.
Garbage;
2.
Lawn clippings or yard waste;
3.
Materials containing rubber, including tires;
4.
Materials containing plastic;
5. Waste petroleum products, paints or paint thinners,
or asphalt products;
6. Materials containing asbestos;
7.
Construction or demolition debris;
8.
Railroad ties or pressure-treated wood;
9.
Manure or animal remains;
10. Salt water driftwood or other previously salt water
saturated materials;
11.
Unseasoned wood; or
12. Paper products, cardboard, plywood, or
particleboard. The prohibition against burning
these materials does not prohibit the use of fire
starters made from paper, cardboard, saw dust,
wax and similar substances for the purpose of
starting a fire in an affected wood heater.
Burning these materials may result in release of toxic fumes or render the heater ineffective and cause smoke.
Dead wood lying on the forest floor should be considered wet, and requires full seasoning time. Standing dead
wood can usually be considered to be about 2/3 seasoned. Splitting and stacking wood before it is stored
accelerates drying time. Storing wood on an elevated surface from the ground and under a cover or covered
area from rain or snow also accelerates drying time. A good indicator if wood is ready to burn is to check the
piece ends. If there are cracks radiating in all directions from the center then the wood should be dry enough
to burn. If your wood sizzles in the fire, even though the surface is dry, it may not be fully cured, and should be
seasoned longer. Waste and other flammable materials should not be burned in your stove.
Do not burn manufactured logs made of wax impregnated sawdust or logs with any
chemical additives. Manufactured logs made of 100% compressed sawdust can be
burned, but be careful burning too much of these logs at the same time. Start with
one manufactured log and see how the stove reacts. You can increase the number
of logs burned at a time to making sure the temperature never rises higher than 475
°F (246 °C) on a magnetic thermometer for installation on single wall stove pipes or
900 °F (482 °C) on a probe thermometer for installation on double wall stove pipe.
The thermometer should be placed about 18” (457 mm) above the stove. Higher
temperatures can lead to overheat and damage your stove. Any type of wood may
be used in your stove, but specific varieties have better energy yields than others.
Please consult the following table in order to make the best possible choice.
TYPE
WEIGHT (LBS. CU. FT., DRY) PER CORD EFFICIENCY RANKING
SPLITS
MILLIONS BTU’s/CORD
Hickory
63
4500
1.0
Well
31.5
White Oak
48
4100
.9
Fair
28.6
Red Oak
46
3900
.8
Fair
27.4
Beech
45
3800
.7
Hard
26.8
Sugar Maple
44
3700
.6
Fair
26.2
Black Oak
43
3700
.6
Fair
25.6
Ash
42
3600
.5
Well
25.0
Yellow Birch
40
3400
.4
Hard
23.8
Red Maple
38
3200
.3
Fair
22.6
Paper Birch
37
3100
.3
Easy
22.1
Elm/Sycamore
34
2900
.2
Very Difficult
20.1
Red Spruce
29
1800
.1
Easy
16.1
