March 24, 2018
We are fortunate that most areas of Siskiyou County still permit wood stoves ___ Redding, Medford, and most cities restrict their use now. But to get the most from wood heat, some facts about burning need to be followed:
- use dry wood; if there is moisture in firewood the smoke is cooler and the particulates condense inside the flue. The result is creosote and it is flammable.
- keep the fire hot; damping the feed air starves the fire and cools the exhausting smoke.
- use the right wood; some trees have a lot of sap and this helps creosote form.
- don’t burn green wood; it’s wet. See rule # 1.
- the pipe leading from the stove to the flue should be double-walled. If you have a metal flue through the attic it already is insulated, but consider having the pipe inside the home that way, too.
- watch how close the stove and pipe are to stuff than can catch on fire. Any masonry against the wall for instance should be stood out an inch or more with inlets at the bottom so air can rise behind it and keep the wall cool.
It’s well worth using a licensed wood (or pellet) stove company to install or inspect an existing stove. Your home fire insurance company may require proof if anything ever happened.