Heating with wood was the original way to keep warm. Through the centuries, it has been refined and improved. Today modern, high quality wood stoves can be as much as 65 percent to 70 percent efficient leaving us with a comfortable, convenient, economical way to keep our families warm during the winter months. People have used wood in the past not only to provide warmth but also to set a comforting mood for the holidays by using our home fireplace. Firefighters have seen first-hand of the dangers to our health and well being when wood heat is not used properly, lives and property are at risk.
Let’s start by choosing a safe stove. The material of your stove should be made from cast-iron or steel plate. These durable materials will cost a little more but will last longer and you will not run into the danger of the firebox burning through. Quality of construction is also very important. Features that you should be looking for are door gaskets, are they airtight, are the joints sealed, is the firebox lined with brick to prevent burn through, and does the latch securely lock? We also have to make sure that the size of the stove fits the heating space – a too small stove will burn to hot, weakening the stove. Too large and it might burn too cool, causing creosote buildup.
Watch out for creosote, which is unburnt wood gases that form a tar-like deposit inside the chimneys and stove pipes. It can be dangerous. All wood stoves cause some creosote deposit. A cold chimney, slow fire and green wood make it worse. How can we prevent formation of creosote? Periodically let the stove burn it’s hottest for a few minutes, to burn deposits off stove pipes and flue. You can check for buildup in your chimney by placing a mirror under the chimney opening to see if the chimney is clogged, rapping the stove pipe and if you hear a thud instead of a ringing noise this means creosote buildup also.
Cleaning chimneys regularly at least twice a year will help to prevent the buildup of creosote. You can do this yourself or have a professional service do it for you. To do it yourself, you will need to scrape the creosote off the chimney using a chain or a burlap sack wired to a long pole and run it up and down the chimney. Then take the hard-blackened substance from your chimney cleanout and dispose of it. Also, take the flue apart, if possible, to clean.
So before you use that wood stove this heating season make sure that you check it for creosote and that it is properly maintained.
The Westbrook Fire and Rescue Department is located at 570 Main St. and can be reached by phone at 854-0654.
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