Wood Heat Introduction

When I woke up today fall smacked me in the face. It sure got cold all of a sudden. I thought this would be a great reason to give you some info on wood heat, which is how I heat my house. And yes, the five cords of wood I chopped are all ready to go but it's going to have to get a bit colder before I can convince myself to start burning up all my efforts from the summer.

 

Here is the intro to an article from the CMHC about wood heat. I will post the rest in coming days because it is fairly lengthy. Enjoy.

Efficient, Convenient Wood Heating

Introduction

More than one million Canadian families heat their homes at least partly with wood. For these households wood is an important energy source, one that involves their active participation. Having control over the fuel supply offers security from electrical power interruptions and shelter from rising conventional energy costs.

Considering the many advantages for those who live at the urban fringe and beyond, wood heating is worth doing right. "Done right" means making sure the wood heating system is installed exactly to safety codes, preparing good quality firewood and operating the system using techniques that will produce the best efficiency and effectiveness.

Figure 1 — This chimney and flue pipe arrangement gives the best performance

System Design and Safety

The chimney is a critical component of a wood-heating system. It is much more than a simple exhaust pipe. It is the engine that drives the system by producing the pressure difference, or draft, that draws in combustion air and expels exhaust outdoors.

To work properly, a chimney must be installed up through the warm space of a house, rather than through a wall and up the outside.

The venting system — the flue pipe and chimney — should be as straight as possible. The best performing system has the flue pipe running straight up from the flue collar of the wood-burning appliance to the base of a chimney that runs straight up through the roof.

"Advanced-technology woodburning appliances," which have been available since 1990, are about one-third more efficient than older conventional units, such as 1970s and 80s "airtight" stoves. They are identified by their Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certification or compliance with CSA standard B415 of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) for low smoke emissions. If you are planning a new wood-heating system or thinking of replacing your older stove, take advantage of the new technologies and save yourself time, money and work.

Your best resource for reliable woodheating information and service is a WETT-certified retailer, installer or chimney sweep. WETT stands for the Wood Energy Technical Training program, Canada's national training system for wood-heating professionals. You can find the WETT-certified professionals near you by visiting http://www.wettinc.ca