Wood-Burning Heaters—Safety and Efficiency Tips
1) Replace wood burning appliances manufactured before 1990 and only use EPA-Certified or EPA-Qualified appliances. According to the EPA, there are 12 million residential wood stoves in use in the United States and 9 million of those are older, not certified by the EPA and may be as much as 50- percent less efficient than newer units that use one-third less wood for the same amount of heat, reduce fire risk from creosote buildup, and produce 70-percent less particle pollution.
At this time, the EPA only “certifies” wood stoves and some pellet stoves, which means the appliances must adhere to regulatory emissions requirements. By law, only certified wood stoves and wood stove inserts that meet mandatory smoke emissions limits of 7.5 grams of smoke per hour (g/h) for non-catalytic stoves and 4.1 g/h for catalytic stoves may be sold in the United States.* Although fireplaces and hydronic heaters or outdoor wood boilers are not currently regulated, those that meet voluntary requirements are “EPA Qualified,” and are more efficient and burn cleaner than those that are not qualified.
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2) Choose the right appliance. First, check your state or local air quality agency to determine the types of wood-burning appliances that are approved for use in your area. Next, check the EPA lists of certified wood stoves, qualified cleaner fireplaces and retrofit devices, and qualified hydronic heaters at: http://www.epa.gov/burnwise/choosing.html. When shopping for a unit, note that EPA-certified wood stoves have a permanent metal certification label on the back of the stove, while EPA-qualified appliances often carry a hangtag on the front indicating the unit is cleaner burning.
3) Have wood-burning appliances professionally installed and maintained. Wood-burning appliances should always be installed by certified professionals that understand and can apply the manufacturer and building code requirements to ensure safe and efficient operation. The EPA and fire officials also advise having a professional inspect and clean all wood-burning appliances, vents, and chimneys each year. A properly installed and operated wood-burning appliance should be smoke-free, so any smoke or smoke odor means there is a problem.
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4) Follow EPA’s Best Burn Practices.
- Burn only dry wood that has been seasoned outdoors for at least 6 months. Well-seasoned wood is darker, has cracks on the end grain, and sounds hollow when hit against another piece of wood.
- Keep wood dry by stacking it off the ground (for example, on pallets) and keeping it covered. Wood with a moisture level of less than 20 percent burns best and can be tested using a wood moisture meter.
- Start fires using kindling, newspaper, or natural or organic fire starters. Keep doors closed unless loading or stoking a live fire.
- If using manufactured logs, be aware that only those made from 100 percent compressed sawdust should be used in wood stoves and fireplace inserts.
- Burn hot fires; smoldering fires are both unsafe and inefficient.
- Remove ashes regularly, place them in a metal container with a cover, and store them outdoors on a cement or brick surface, never on a wood deck or near wood.
- Keep a fire extinguisher on hand.
- Never burn the following:
- Cardboard and household garbage; plastics, foam, and the colored ink on magazines, boxes, and wrappers produce harmful chemicals when burned and may also damage wood-burning appliances;
- Coated, painted, or pressure-treated wood because it releases toxic chemicals when burned;
- Ocean driftwood, plywood, particle board, or any wood with glue on or in it all release toxic chemicals when burned; and
- Wet, rotted, diseased, or moldy wood.
*Wood stoves offered for sale in the state of Washington must meet a limit of 4.5 g/h for noncatalytic stoves and 2.5 g/h for catalytic stoves.