Durham Region Real Estate Blog

My calendar shows that it is Sept 22 today and that means the start of fall will officially be upon us as of 5:18p.m.  Are you ready? Even though it feels like 30 degrees Celsius today, I know colder temperatures are coming.  So how do you heat your home?

More than one million Canadian families heat their homes, at least partly, with wood.  For these households, wood is an important energy source, one that involves their active participation.  Having control over the fuel supply offers security from electrical power interruptions and shelter from rising conventional energy costs. 

Are you doing it right? Make sure the wood heating system is installed exactly to safety codes, prepare good quality firewood and operate the system using techniques that will produce the best efficiency and effectiveness. 

Get firewood that is the right size for the appliance firebox and that is property seasoned. Use hardwoods like oak and maple for very cold winter weather, softer woods like birch and poplar for milder spring and fall weather. Store your wood stacked off the ground on rails, in an open area exposed to sun and wind, but cover the tops of the stacks to prevent rain from soaking down through. 

A kindling fire that collapses into a smouldering mess is frustrating. These fires should quickly heat up the chimney to create strong draft and heat the brick and steel of the firebox to create a good environment for stable combustion.  Try using the Two Parallel Logs or the Top-down Fire techniques.

The key to maintaining efficient wood fires is to prevent the wood from smouldering because any smoke that passes out of the firebox will condense as creosote in the chimney or be emitted outdoors as air pollution.  Smoke is not a normal, unavoidable by-product, but is waste, resulting from poor combustion.  There will be no visible smoke from your chimney if the wood burns with bright, active flames. 

Want more tips on wood heat? Call or email me today. Let’s burn safely so we can all enjoy a warm, cozy winter in our homes!