Guide to Wood Heat Safety
If you are planning to install a woodstove, or if you have already installed one, your reasons for considering wood as a heat source will vary from wanting to save on heating costs to having the cheery warmth of a woodstove in a room where family and friends gather. Wood heat can provide many hours of enjoyment during the winter months; however, woodstoves require extra care in installation, operation and maintenance as compared to gas, oil, or electric heating units.
Select a Quality Stove
Before you buy a stove, visit the showroom of several reputable woodstove dealers. Examine the stoves for quality workmanship. All stoves are not created equal. Do not consider buying a stove unless it has been tested and approved by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or some similar testing organization. Most stoves will have a tag attached indicating whether the stove design has been tested under extreme conditions of heat.
Install the Stove Properly
Improper woodstove installation has caused the loss of many homes and lives. Do not "cut corners" to save costs on installation. Whoever installs your woodstove should follow the installation guidelines of the stove manufacturer or the guidelines recommended by the National Fire Protection Association.
Clearances - A Must for Safety
Sufficient clearances around your woodstove and flue pipe are vital because of the large amounts of heat produced. Commercially made heat shields provide safe protection for walls and floors. You can also use rock or brick for wall and floor protection. Do not use imitation brick or rock for wall or floor protection. Floor protection should extend under the stove and outward in front and on each side of the stove. This will provide protection from heat, sparks, and coals which may fall out.
Flue Safety
Your stove will have a stove pipe and flue pipe to exhaust the smoke. The stove pipe is a single wall pipe that comes out of the stove and leads into the flue pipe.
The stove pipe is used within the interior of the home but must not pass through the ceiling into the attic or through the roof line to the outside. The flue pipe must be used once the stove pipe leaves the interior of the home.
Remember, the most trouble-free system will have few, if any, horizontal pipe sections and elbows. Vertical piping gives the best draft and allows creosote and soot to fall back into the stove to be burned.
Use the Right Wood
Burn hardwoods like oak and hickory. Be sure the wood used has been seasoned at least six months. Seasoned wood will have bark that is cracked or shrinking and there will be cracks radiating outward from the heartwood, like wheel spokes. If the wood is wet or freshly cut, the moisture content will be high which will cause a smoldering fire and will reduce the heat value of the fire. Slow burning or smoldering fires will increase the amount of creosote build-up in your stove and piping system.
Creosote: What is it?
A certain amount of creosote will be found in all wood burning appliances. It is created by unburned gases released from the wood. Creosote will accumulate inside the stove and its piping system. Its form can be flaky and crystal-like, or it can be glossy and tar-like, which is the most dangerous stage of creosote build-up. Creosote is the cause of most chimney fires. Creosote cannot be completely avoided; however, maintaining a small hot fire with an open draft and the use of seasoned wood will help eliminate the chance of having a tar-like creosote build-up.
Clean the Flue
This is one of the most important duties of a woodstove owner. Frequency of use, the type of fires you build, the length of your piping system and the type of wood burned will dictate how often the flue needs cleaning. Consider cleaning a flue at least once a year.
Wood heat can be dangerous. If you have a woodstove and would like extra insurance coverage for your home, please contact a Farm Bureau agent.