Choosing an Outdoor Wood Stove
When it comes to choosing heating solutions for your home it is important to be safe. An outdoor wood stove is gaining recognition as a heating solution that is affordable, simple, and convenient. However, like any other heating solution, it is important to understand how to operate these stoves correctly to reduce the amount of harmful emissions that can reduce air quality. Because many have not been regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency it is important to choose stoves that have met the voluntary requirements to ensure your health is protected.
You can easily identify an outdoor wood stove that have been tested by the Environmental Protection Agency by looking for the orange tag. This tag is being used until the EPA initiates its official testing program for all stoves and furnaces. The first piece of information you’ll see on the orange tag will let you know that the stove has been tested and meets air quality standards. The stoves are tested and graded from a scale of 0.1 to 2.0. The higher the number on the scale, the higher the emissions from the stove will be. This ensures that as long as you operate the stove according to its instructions, you won’t have to worry about the significant health risks associated with wood smoke and fumes.
The next piece of information that you will notice on the orange tag will let you know whether you can safely use the stove during all twelve months or on a seasonal basis. This is important and if you are planning on operating all of your home’s heating from an outdoor wood stove, then you must make sure that the model you select is designed to handle this much use safely. By choosing one carefully, you can rest assured that you are using a model that has been tested and meets current emission standards.
Stoves and outdoor furnaces that aren’t regulated by the EPA often emit more smoke than is recommended for safe air quality measures. This can have harmful effects as well as cause problems with neighbors who won’t appreciate the smoke making its way into their yards. The solution is to choose a stove that have been recommended and tested by the Environmental Protection Agency. Additionally, there are other measures that you can take to ensure that your stove produces as little harmful emissions as possible.