Sizing and installing a heating unit

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Kimberly Price

New Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2014
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Today’s wood-fired heating units are clean burning, efficient and powerful enough to heat an average-size, modern home. To best provide these benefits, however, a unit must be the proper size for the space to be heated. When a wood-fired unit is too big, people tend to burn fires at a low smolder to avoid overheating, which wastes fuel and is one of the biggest causes of air pollution. When purchasing a heating unit, talk with the dealer about size requirements. Generally, a unit rated at 60,000 Btu can heat up to a 2,000-square-foot home, and a unit rated at 42,000 Btu can heat up to a 1,300-square-foot space.

Before installing a wood-fired heating system, contact your local building codes department, state energy office or state environmental agency about wood-burning regulations that apply in your area. Although cleaner burning than ever before, wood-fired heating units still may emit large quantities of air pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, organic gases and particulate matter, many of which have adverse health effects. In many urban and rural areas, smoke from wood burning is a major contributor to air pollution. Because of this, some municipalities restrict wood-fired heating units when the local air quality reaches unacceptable levels; others restrict or ban the installation of wood-burning units in new construction.

If you have an older wood-burning unit, you might want to upgrade to one of the newer units certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). All wood-fired heating units sold since 1988 should bear an EPA certification sticker, which is normally located on the back of the unit. These newer units are designed to burn combustible gases and soot particles typically found in the smoke, thereby cleaning the exhaust gas while generating more heat. High-efficiency units not only have lower emissions but also are often safer because complete combustion helps prevent a buildup of flammable chimney deposits called creosote.

For safety and to maximize efficiency, consider having a professional install your wood-burning unit. A professional will evaluate everything from the chimney to floor protection and can help select the best unit to heat your home.

track.gif
 
Interesting post, for a first post.

Has a bit of a fishy smell to it though.

My heating 'unit' is 140,000 btu, and I live in a 2700 sq.ft. house. It doesn't smolder, make smoke, create creosote, overheat, or waste fuel. I have two heating seasons in with it and haven't cleaned my chimney yet.

The 'unit' it replaced was manufactured in 1994, had no EPA tag, and was likely the most inefficient wood burning 'unit' I could have found.

So you're a bit misinformed in a couple few areas. That or you're not quite saying what you mean to say.
 
Back
Top