Tips for heating with wood this winter

VERMONT—Wood provides a local, renewable and affordable heating fuel for many Vermonters. In fact, 38% of Vermont homes burn wood for heat, either as a primary or secondary source of heat. Using an older stove or not burning wood properly can result in poor air quality both inside and outside the home, which can cause health problems. Following are a few simple steps to reduce air pollution, burn less wood, and save money.
• Wood that isn’t properly dried won’t burn easily and will produce a lot of smoke. Season split cord wood for six months to one year before using by stacking it off the ground or in a wood shed. Keep the pile covered while allowing for plenty of air circulation.
• Use a moisture meter or look for other signs of dryness, such as cracking on the ends of the logs or a hollow sound when two pieces are knocked together. Burn cord wood when its moisture content has dropped to 15 to 20%.
• Maximize the stove’s efficiency. Start fires from the top down: stack larger logs on the bottom, then thinner logs, and finally add sticks, birch bark or wood chips on top. Light the top of the pile.
• Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature, either mounted on the stove or the pipe connecting the stove to the chimney. A hot fire produces little to no visible smoke; when observing the top of the chimney, if no smoke or exhaust is visible, the stove is burning at maximum efficiency.
• Only burn dry, natural wood. Burning trash, plastic or treated wood releases dangerous fumes, as well as being illegal.
• Don’t allow the fire to smolder, which often happens when attempting to keep a fire going all night. A smoldering fire gives off little heat, wastes fuel, creates excessive smoke, and causes creosote deposits in the chimney. Allow the fire to die down overnight, restarting it in the morning.
• Switch to a cleaner, more efficient stove. Modern wood stoves are certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They burn less wood for the same level of heat as older stoves. Older, uncertified stoves should be recycled or thrown away. Local stove shops can direct consumers to available rebates, lowering the cost of the conversion.
• Proper ventilation exchanges stale indoor air for fresh, filtered air. Some heating and cooling systems or standalone systems vent and filter indoor air. The installation of high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters can remove wood smoke particulate from air in the home. Be sure to clean and replace filters regularly.
• Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, at least one of which is hard-wired with battery backup, on every level of the house and outside sleeping areas. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can cause sickness and death. It can come from wood burning stoves and fuel-burning appliances that aren’t venting properly. Dozens of Vermonters go to the emergency room each year for CO-related symptoms. Between 2013 and 2016, at least one death every year was attributed to CO poisoning. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are headaches, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, and vomiting. These symptoms can be confused with the flu. Go outside immediately to get fresh air. The colder months are an especially risky time for CO poisoning, when heating appliances are run and buildings are closed up tight. If the power goes out, never run a generator, grill, camp stove, kerosene heater or other fuel-burning equipment indoors.
• Have all fuel-burning heating systems and appliances inspected and serviced every year by a Vermont-certified technician, including furnaces, boilers, wood stoves, chimneys, hot water heaters, stoves, and clothes dryers.
• Be sure to clear any snow away from vents of fuel-burning equipment so they aren’t blocked.
Wood heat is very cozy and, with proper precautions, can be a reliable, efficient way to keep homes warm all winter long.