Everyone loves coming in from the cold to sit by a warm, crackling fire! Should
you have a woodburning fireplace or opt for a woodstove?
Esthetically, the beauty of a visible fire is the appeal of fireplaces. In
the past, fireplaces actually drew warm air up the chimney resulting in significant
heat loss. Modern fireplaces include features that improve heat efficiency
and deliver more heat directly to your home environment.
Some fireplaces have ducts to distribute heat to other parts of the house. Grilles at the bottom and top of the fireplace allow room air to circulate around the firebox. This allows for heat to be picked up and delivered back to the room without risk of combustion gases mixing with the air.
Keeping the doors of the fireplace closed during operation increases heat efficiency. Also, clean glass doors allow for more radiant heat.
Woodstoves are exposed on all sides and transfer heat very effectively to your home. Modern woodstoves are cleaner burning and more efficient than woodstoves of the past.
As with fireplaces, keeping woodstove doors closed while burning increases heat efficiency.
For wood-burning appliances, there must be a supply of outside air to support the fire. Generally plenty of air is needed to start and establish a good fire and draft, but once you have the fire going, the amount of air can be reduced.
To start a new fire in your fireplace or woodstove, place ten to fifteen pieces of kindling at right angles over a few sheets of crumpled newspaper. Always place thinnest pieces of kindling first. The placement at right angles allows for air and flames to pass through the stacked wood. Then, one or two small pieces of firewood can go on top of the kindling. Once the kindling is burning well, add more firewood. If the logs are parallel to each other, they will burn longer. Use dry wood and give the fire enough air to get going. NEVER use your fireplace/woodstove to burn garbage!
If your home has a forced-air system, you can use the heating and ventilation system fan to help circulate heat from the fire all through the house.
Softwoods make good kindling- cedar or pine- because they burn quickly and are easy to split into small pieces. Hardwoods make the best firewood.
Protect your firewood from rain and snow. Store it in a criss-cross pattern to allow air to circulate between the pieces of wood. Store only a few pieces of wood at a time inside the house. Wet or damp firewood can cause excessive humidity in the house and mould growth could cause health problems.
Keep all flammable materials away from the fireplace or woodstove. You should have a carbon monoxide detector in your home as well as smoke detectors.
Inspect your fireplace and woodstove at least once per year. The chimney should be cleaned once a year before the heating season. Creosote can build up inside the chimney and create a fire hazard. You can hire a qualified chimney sweep to do a thorough inspection and cleaning.
When having a wood heating appliance installed, the installation should be done by a certified professional. When purchasing a home with a wood heating appliance, be sure to have it inspected by a WETT certified professional who can determine for you if the system meets current regulations. The WETT certified inspector can identify any concerns and make recommendations for any necessary repairs or more intensive evaluation of the system.
Whether you choose a fireplace or a woodstove, wood heating appliances are an excellent choice for heating your home. Modern appliances are very efficient and are cleaner burning than ever.
Come in from the cold and stay warm by the fire!
Tammy Dufault
Century 21 BJ Roth Realty Ltd.
