Most consumers know that they want a fire but have little concept of what they really want the fire to do for them.
This is a brief explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of certain fire types.
OPEN WOOD/ANTHRACITE FIRES
Traditional wood/anthracite fires of the open brick variety look good but give very low efficiencies and low heat outputs. About 5% of the energy in the wood is converted to heat inside your home.
They usually have a brick chimney, making them very safe if you use a fire guard, but with the drawback that they generally heat one room only and at considerable fuel consumption. They also die out 2 to 3 hours after replenishing the fuel,meaning that they do not keep the house warm overnight.
Steel damper units can be fitted into the chimney giving some control over heat losses up the chimney. However, overall efficiency and heat output is still low. Manufactured steel boxes that either fit into the chimney or are designed as a free standing unit are more efficient than the brick fire, generally running at 10% to 20% efficient. This means more heat, less fuel but still needing a screen and frequent loading. Typically this type of fire heats one to two rooms of your home.
CLOSED COMBUSTION WOOD STOVES
Closed combustion stoves are sealed steel units. Most of the ones available are designed for wood burning only although some will handle anthracite.
The fire takes place behind a pane of glass with the combustion air being drawn in trough vents that the user controls.
The most efficient ones have some of the combustion air pre-heated which along with the design of the stove raises combustion temperatures from the 500 to 600 degrees Celcius of the open fire to nearly 900 degrees Celcius. At these temperatures the fuel burns very cleanly giving very little in the way of emissions and vast amounts of heat.
The design of the stove combined with control of the combustion air means a lot less wood consumption, a lot more heat and the ability to burn the stove for up to 8 hours on one load of wood.
In effect these types of unit can heat a normal sized house for the winter season on about R1500 of wood per winter. With the pane of glass in front there are no sparks flying into the room or smoke puffing in.
Efficiencies on the best of these units touch 85%!
Close combustion stoves are the heating system of the future. If you plant a tree for every tree you cut down you have a perpetual fuel source. The growing tree will take between one and three times as much carbon out of the atmosphere as the tree you are burning in these low emission fires will produce, i.e. the quality of the air will improve.
This article courtesy of Finest Fires
Explanation of Fire Types and Efficiencies
Most consumers know that they want a fire but have little concept of what they really want the fire to do for them.
This is a brief explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of certain fire types.
OPEN WOOD/ANTHRACITE FIRES
Traditional wood/anthracite fires of the open brick variety look good but give very low efficiencies and low heat outputs. About 5% of the energy in the wood is converted to heat inside your home.
They usually have a brick chimney, making them very safe if you use a fire guard, but with the drawback that they generally heat one room only and at considerable fuel consumption. They also die out 2 to 3 hours after replenishing the fuel,meaning that they do not keep the house warm overnight.
Steel damper units can be fitted into the chimney giving some control over heat losses up the chimney. However, overall efficiency and heat output is still low. Manufactured steel boxes that either fit into the chimney or are designed as a free standing unit are more efficient than the brick fire, generally running at 10% to 20% efficient. This means more heat, less fuel but still needing a screen and frequent loading. Typically this type of fire heats one to two rooms of your home.
CLOSED COMBUSTION WOOD STOVES
Closed combustion stoves are sealed steel units. Most of the ones available are designed for wood burning only although some will handle anthracite.
The fire takes place behind a pane of glass with the combustion air being drawn in trough vents that the user controls.
The most efficient ones have some of the combustion air pre-heated which along with the design of the stove raises combustion temperatures from the 500 to 600 degrees Celcius of the open fire to nearly 900 degrees Celcius. At these temperatures the fuel burns very cleanly giving very little in the way of emissions and vast amounts of heat.
The design of the stove combined with control of the combustion air means a lot less wood consumption, a lot more heat and the ability to burn the stove for up to 8 hours on one load of wood.
In effect these types of unit can heat a normal sized house for the winter season on about R1500 of wood per winter. With the pane of glass in front there are no sparks flying into the room or smoke puffing in.
Efficiencies on the best of these units touch 85%!
Close combustion stoves are the heating system of the future. If you plant a tree for every tree you cut down you have a perpetual fuel source. The growing tree will take between one and three times as much carbon out of the atmosphere as the tree you are burning in these low emission fires will produce, i.e. the quality of the air will improve.
This article courtesy of Finest Fires