What does secondary combustion mean?

Secondary combustion is the where the gases released from primary combustion of the wood start to burn from 1100 degrees onwards (593 degrees Celsius). This step releases up to 60% of the total heat output from burning wood. [ MSU] During secondary combustion, gases such as carbon dioxide and methane are burnt.

What does primary and secondary mean on a log burner?

The vent under the stove controls both the primary air and secondary air to the firebox. Primary air is fed to the bed of the fire, while secondary air is directed to the top of the stove for the air wash system.

What are secondary burn tubes?

Air intake tubes are what bring oxygen into a wood stove to fuel the combustion of a fire. Secondary air tubes are completely different. They work off of the combustion from inside the stove. Once a wood stove gets hot enough, secondary air tubes take over and help reburn particulates inside of the stove.

Why does my wood stove have two dampers?

Modern Stoves Open both front dampers completely before starting a fire. Modern, efficient wood stoves have dampers below the firebox, or combustion chamber, to supply air directly to the fuel source as well as an additional damper on the door to supply air to allow combustion of gasses released by the burning wood.

How do I get more heat out of my wood burner?

One of the most popular ways to make the most of the heat from a wood burner is to use a stove fan. These simply attach to your stove pipe and work by circulating the hot air out into the room, rather than allowing it to simply rise upwards.

What does secondary combustion look like?

Secondary burn works by burning off the initial smoke produced from the fire that otherwise would have gone up the chimney. You will often see a series of holes towards the top rear of the stove above the fire box that forces fresh oxygen over the chamber, reigniting this smoke.

What does closed combustion mean?

Closed combustion refers to a fire burning within a sealed chamber. Closed combustion fireplaces work by regulating the airflow that goes into the fireplace. The flame uses the oxygen and wood optimally thus burning slower, hence the word slow combustion. This directly results in better heat output.

What is the combustion of wood?

When wood is burned, the combustion reaction produces heat and emissions in the form of water, organic vapors, gases, and particulates. The emissions of most concern are carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur oxides (SOx), and nitrogen oxides (NOx).

Is the damper open or closed?

Before lighting a fire, you can tell if the damper is open by placing your hand into the fireplace. If you feel a draft coming down the chimney, it is a good indicator that the damper is open. If you don’t feel any cold air coming down the chimney, it means that the damper is closed.

How do I know if my wood stove damper is open or closed?

Conduct a visual check. Lean in under your chimney just outside of your wood burning stove. You should find a metal device just within the chimney or flue opening. The damper is open if you can see through the damper up to your chimney. If you only see a metal plate, the damper is in a closed position.

What does secondary burn mean on a wood burning stove?

Guide to Terminology. Secondary burn – the chamber is reigniting the smoke further up thus creating a second burn. Tertiary air – the secondary burn feed is commonly a third air intake into the stove. Most stoves will have both a primary air intake and an air wash system, making the secondary burn intake the tertiary air intake.

What is primary combustion in a wood burning stove?

Primary combustion is where the fire burns the wood and combustible gases are released from the wood, but the temperature in the stove isn’t yet hot enough for these gases to burn. Primary combustion starts at around 540 degrees (282 degrees Celsius) and continuous up to 900 degrees (482 degrees Celsius).

Why do wood burning stoves need fresh air?

Each model of wood burning stoves is specifically designed to provide the right amount of fresh air to facilitate secondary combustion of gases, as too little air will hinder the secondary burn process, and too much air will cool the firebox down too much for secondary burn to even occur.

Do wood burning stoves produce carbon dioxide?

As a result, the majority of new wood burning stoves will typically come with secondary burn functionalities as standard. Burning wood releases waste gases such as carbon dioxide, but the fire alone can’t burn all of these gases as it’s using much of its energy to burn off the excess moisture in the wood.