6 minute read
LOG FIRES
KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING
COMEDIENNE ELLEN DE GENERES JOKED THAT TAKING A NAP IN A FIREPLACE IS GUARANTEED TO MAKE ONE SLEEP LIKE A LOG ... BUT THERE’S MORE TO FIRE AND WOOD-BURNING STOVES THAN MEETS THE EYE.
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Flames have the power to mesmerise, whether they’re behind glass in a closed wood burning unit or open in a fi replace or even an outdoor fi repit. The constant movement, changing shapes and colours keep the eye drawn to them while the body relishes the warmth and heat being given off .
More and more South African home owners are opting to install wood burners to heat their residences during the cold winters. This is practical in more than one respect since it allows people to become more self suffi cient while not having to rely on electricity for heating and in the long run is cheaper. Gas is another off - the-grid option but it doesn’t heat a room or house as eff ectively as a wood burner
and it often happens that at peak demand periods – like cold winters – supplies can be somewhat sporadic.
So what are the questions one needs to ask before opting to buy a wood burning stove?
The fi rst one is whether the unit should be cast iron or the more modern welded steel versions. Cast iron is obviously heavier and more expensive but is somewhat more robust and durable because of its construction.
Steel units are invariably welded and off er more contemporary styling which is why so many buyers/designers/ architects opt for them. They are just as robust but are somewhat lighter and relatively cheap. They have the added
benefit of heating up faster – but then they also cool off faster. So cast iron stoves might be slower to heat up but will retain that heat longer.
It’s important to match the size of the stove to the dimensions of the space you want to heat. Go shopping armed with the dimensions of your room. It’ll help when working out the most efficient heat source for the space. Ceiling height is also a factor to take into consideration – especially if you have double volume space in a living area, for example.
Life might not come with any guarantees but a wood burning stove certainly will! Most suppliers will include a 10 year guarantee on the shell or external casing of the stove. The internal workings – the actual firebox and components – might well need replacing at some point.
MAINTENANCE Remember that this is not a passive investment: maintenance is required and cleaning is essential. Not just a daily or weekly disposal of the ash pan but an annual service of the unit to ensure that it is kept in good working order. And the amount of ash the stove generates depends on how frequently it’s used and also how efficiently the fire burns. Some stoves need to have the ash removed after each use while others can see action for a full week before the ash receptacle needs to be cleared. (And in another environmental benefit, this fine ash is also a useful addition to any home compost heap.)
It’s recommended that wood burners are serviced at least every second year. Professionals will conduct a chimney sweep of the flue or steel piping which vents the smoke and gas from the stove to ensure there is no creosote or soot build-up on the inside. At the same time, they’ll check all seals, the state of the firebox and will even touch up any rust spots should they occur.
“The most important thing,” said Verona Noble of the Woodstove & Kitchen Company in Cape Town, “is the wood you burn. It must be dry and well seasoned. And it must be a soft wood – not a hard wood.”
She said blue gum and black wattle were ideal for closed units with the added benefit being that these trees are considered alien invasives in South Africa. “Kameeldoringhout and other hard woods are what you use in a ‘binnebraai’ because they offer slow-burning coals for cooking whereas gum and wattle burn dry and turn to ash.”
Wood that is green or unseasoned contains a high percentage of moisture which not only burns inefficiently, producing less heat, but it can also lead to soot deposits or clogging of the flue – and that can be a fire hazard. An easy way of checking if the wood is seasoned is to try and remove any bark. If it’s dry and peels off easily, it’s old. Hard to get off? Give it six months more before tossing it into the fire.
What you get from a closed system fireplace over a traditional open fireplace is efficiency, safety and economical wood usage (using a third of the wood) with an excellent heat output. Closed systems combust 75 to 85% more effectively than open fires. The efficiency comes from burning the fuel source or wood more successfully while the metal flue or vent pipe helps to heat the air as the smoke and heat travel upwards.
Because it’s more efficient, there are less emissions or smoke, less ash to clean up and it delivers more heat per unit of wood to the home. It’s better for the environment and is also the most cost efficient in the long run.
In South Africa, the choice of flue is only between stainless steel or not but important to note is that when it runs through a floor or wall, it should be a double-walled column, with a noncombustible lining.
In an online tutorial on YouTube one architect said the simplest and most direct approach is best. Keep it as practical as possible. As a rule of thumb, where the flue exits the roof or wall it should extend at least a metre from the exterior surface and also be topped with a rain cap.
Be aware of the clearances from internal surfaces such as walls and cupboards. There are some scary videos online of cowboy contractors in the United States and Britain who have run the flue right through built-in cupboards! That’s a recipe for disaster ... It’s just a matter of time before those cupboards catch fire because the temperatures given off by the stove and flue can be extreme.
There are minimum standards that fitment professionals will be aware of. The closer you place the stove to the wall, the more protection the wall is going to require. And don’t forget the floor! It’s very important to ensure that the stove rests on a noncombustible surface – like tile, concrete, stone or brick.
Another architect’s tip is wood storage. Plan for it. Don’t make it an afterthought. The integrated bins provided in some stove units are quite impractical and are generally too small – no matter how pretty they look in the catalogue! Consider making wood storage part of the room decor, either in the form of recessed concrete bins, wrought iron stands or wicker baskets or wooden tubs.
The final element to consider is ventilation. South African homes are generally built more to remain cool because of our hot summers and consequently leak heat. But if a wood stove is burned for a few hours each evening, it’s fine.
– Pulitzer prize winning author and playwright, Edna Ferber.
Should it be a particularly cold day and the fire is lit early in the day – and kept burning all day, the heat build-up will be significant. Then it’s important that a window or two are kept open for adequate ventilation of the room.
