How does a wood-burning stove work?

Looking for a new wood-burning stove?

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Get to Know Your Wood-Burning Stove Inside and Out

The core of any wood-burning stove is the combustion chamber. To achieve a high combustion temperature, it is necessary to insulate the chamber. Typically, vermiculite is used, a lightweight material that contains components such as stone material/clay. In some cases, fireproof bricks are used instead.

For any combustion process, oxygen is required, which can be supplied in various ways, ideally as a combination of the following:

  • Primary air at the bottom of the combustion chamber.
  • Secondary air or glass wash air above the window/door—also called a glass wash. This air should ideally be preheated.
  • Tertiary air or mixing air introduced through holes at the back of the stove, just above the wood. This air should also ideally be preheated.

The primary air helps the wood ignite more easily. However, it is essential to close the primary air as soon as the fire is established.

Secondary air, or glass wash air, serves a basic function beyond providing oxygen for combustion. It flows down across the window, preventing condensation and soot particles from settling on it. This significantly reduces soot buildup.

Tertiary air creates turbulence in the combustion chamber, helping mix air and gases more effectively, leading to a more complete combustion process.

Smoke Deflectors

Vermiculite or fireproof bricks provide insulation, but the heat from the fire must also be transferred to the room. To achieve this, the smoke is redirected above the combustion chamber via one or more baffle plates. The smoke gases come into contact with the stove’s steel parts, which heat up. The heat is transferred through the steel plates to the exterior of the combustion chamber and then distributed to the room via the stove’s convection system.

Additionally, some of the heat is released as radiant heat through the stove’s window.

This smoke deflection system reduces the temperature of the smoke from 700–750°C to an average of approximately 250°C before it exits through the chimney—a remarkably rapid cooling process over a very short distance.

Efficiency

A stove’s ability to burn off smoke gases, cool the gases, and transfer heat to the surroundings is a measure of its efficiency.

  • A modern wood-burning stove has an efficiency of approximately 80%.
  • An open fireplace has an efficiency of approximately 20%.
  • A bonfire has an efficiency of approximately 10%.

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