Heating

23 - Friday, December 2, 1988 - North Shore News

with

wood can work

From page 22

and attention than electric, oil or
natural gas systems. This is
because creosote, a flammable
byproduct of incomplete wood
combustion, continually ac-
cumulates on the inside surfaces of
the heating equipment, particularly
in the flue pipe and chimney. As
little as six mm (%-inch) of
creosote can result in a chimney
fire.

You can slow down the build-up
of creosote by using a chimney
that is insulated and an efficient
appliance, by burning well-season-
ed wood, and by building hot,
quick-burning fires. However,
regular chimney inspection and
cleaning are the best ways to avoid
problems. Your home should also
be equipped with smoke detectors.

Ashes should be removed from
wood-burning appliances as often
as necessary. This can range from
once a week for an appliance used
as the primary source of heat, to
once a month (or less) for sup-
plementary wood heaters.

Although creosote is the com-
mon enemy, carbon monoxide (an
odorless, colorless and tasteless
gas) is the most dangerous product
of incomplete wood combustion in
the home. To avoid this probiem,
ensure that your system has good
draft and that you burn smal}, hot
fires rather than large smouldering
ones,

The efficiency of a wood-heating
system is affected by the quality of
the fuel.

Firewood should be dried in the
open air, preferably under a cover
to keep the rain off, for one year

_ before use. Seasoned firewood

burns more efficiently, giving more
heat to the house per cord of wood
while lessening the potential for
dangerous creosote build-up in
your chimney. In addition to hav-
ing a reliable source of wood, you
will need to have adequate covered

storage space for your winter sup-
ply.

Firewood dealers regularly
advertise in local newspapers and
on community billboards. You
might want to ask a wood-burning
friend or neighbor to recommend a
supplier.

Make sure you know what
you’re getting when you purchase
firewood from a_ dealer. The
common cord measurement for
firewood is 1.2m X 1.2m X 2.4m
(4°X4’X8’). However, other
measurements are also used, in-
cluding ‘‘stove cords’’ and ‘“‘face
cords,’’ which are considerably
smaller than a cord. When price
shopping, make sure you are com-
paring the same amount of wood.

You should also pay attention to
the type of wood you are buying.
Dense hardwoods, such as maple,
oak and ash, are preferable for
wood heating and command
premium prices. Softer, less-dense
types, such as poplar and spruce,
are less expensive and are ideal for
small, fast fires in the spring and
fall, when high heat output is not
needed.

Only experience will tell you
how much wood you need for the
winter. A medium-sized modern
house, if heated exclusively with
wood, would need between four
and six cords. In the same house, a
space heater used for part of the
day may consume two to four
cords, while reducing the conven-
tional fuel use by more than 50 per
cent. Considerably more wood will
be required under very cold condi-
tions or for large, leaky, poorly-
insulated houses.

A comprehensive booklet on
burning wood in the home, Resi-
dential Wood Heating: A Home-
owner’s Guide, is available by
writing to Energy, Mines &
Resources Canada, Residential
Energy Management Division, 580
Booth St., Ottawa, Ontario KiA
OE4.

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