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It is best to burn wood quick to acquire the most heat from it. A slow, smoky fire can lose as much as a third of the heat energy in the fuel. For efficient combustion, the fire needs to get enough oxygen. A high smoke stack, a mechanical draft fan, or both are typically used to ensure that the draft (flow of air into the firebox) is appropriate.
If air is pushed into the combustion chamber too quickly, it tends to "burn out" the fire. The outcome is much the exact same as insufficient air. Requiring too much air into the combustion chamber can likewise result in puffing. Puffing is actually a series of explosions that arise from the violent blending of air and wood gases.
The intense heat from the coals can drive off large volumes of combustible gases that regularly ignite as oxygen appears. These surges rarely trigger any damage to the system but the resulting backfire can cause burns and flying ashes. Many compounds are formed during the combustion of wood. More than 160 various ones have actually been identified in the smoke alone.
Although these compounds will burn at reasonably low temperature levels, many of the staying compounds launched, such as smoke and tar, will not burn completely up until the temperature reaches more than 1,000 F. Therefore, a hot firebox is needed for complete combustion. In a lot of properly designed hot-water systems the firebox is surrounded by water.
The water keeps the firebox walls fairly cool, which leads to great heat transfer but does not promote excellent combustion. In most cases it is needed to insulate the walls and flooring of the firebox with firebrick. The firebrick slows the motion of heat away from the fire and thus increases combustion efficiency.
Although the red brick is not quite as effective, it costs about one-fifth as much as white firebrick. Look At This Piece shows a cross-sectional view of a common hot-water heating system. It is very essential that a water-jacketed combustion chamber be constructed big enough. It must be sized not only to accept a charge of fuel but also to enable space for the expanding combustion gases to be entirely burned before they lose excessive heat and enter the firetubes.