Wood Burning Systems
The wood-burning tradition began with an open fire in the outdoors, in a cave, or in some sheltered spot. When man began to live in closed shelters, he brought his campfire inside with him. In his quest for convenience he began surrounding the fire with noncombustible material, and gradually the fireplace came into existence. The desire to increase efficiency and to bake food within a tightly enclosed, preheated firebox finally led to the completely encased fire with an air draft opening and an exhaust flue. The European tile stove is an example of this tradition in an advanced form. Radiant heat was lost but efficiency was gained by restricting the amount of heat that escaped through the chimney. Finally, the more widespread use of steel led to the oxygen-restricted or choked-down fire. Heat was no longer stored in masonry; rather, the air draft was continually controlled according to heat demand.
At this stage, wood heating was temporarily discarded because of the convenience and availability of fossil fuels and hydropower. Being simple, uniform fuels, they were easy to use in the convenience appliances demanded by our modern lifestyle. Newly discovered resources create a glut that cannot be maintained; moreover, fossil fuels are not a renewable resource. Thus we must be prepared to make future readjustments.
Interest in wood heating subsided when fossil fuels and Hydropower were provided cheaply enough to offset the time and effort needed to heat with wood. But now people are again beginning to consider the feasibility of burning wood. Because such considerations are usually made on the basis of very primitive wood heating devices, the future of wood as a viable fuel is all but assured. As wood heating comes to the attention of contemporary scientific and technological experts, its efficiency and convenience-and therefore its viability-can only improve.
The choice of a home heating device depends on one's situation and location. The use of oil is being discouraged by our federal and provincial governments and thus is fast losing all viability. A government grant is now available in Canada to pay 50 percent of the cost of replacing fuel oil as the primary heat source in the home. Further information about this grant may be obtained from a government agent or sellers of wood stoves and natural gas furnaces.
Electric heating is convenient, but as an energy resource it is coveted by industry, and we must expect the price to rise in the future. Electric heat may also be harmful to the air and , in the case of baseboard heaters, the air does not circulate through the filter. Thus, since electric heat users tend to keep their doors and windows closed to conserve heat, the air in their houses often becomes unhealthy. The detrimental effect of glowing electrical elements can be overcome by encasing the elements in a water jacket, but this is an expensive electrical heating installation.
A wood space heater does not filter the air either, but neither does it reduce the air quality. Any oxygen-spent gases created by combustion are expelled through the chimney. As a result, a continuos supply of fresh air enters the house. In addition, a wood heater does not reduce the oxygen content of the living space, as does an unvented fuel-burning appliance such as a gas stove, kerosene lamp, or candle |
