While you might treat wood-burning stoves just like any other simple appliance out there, there can be multiple issues that might put the overall safety & health of your family members at risk. The stove might have a defective door, sit in an unsafe location or have any other such type of problems.
A wood-burning stove doesn’t have many moving parts because it’s a manual appliance, and even if it does, then there would be an additional mechanical blower. However, defects can still arise over time and that’s what we’re going to discuss in this comprehensive guide of ours.
Commonly Found Problems In Wood-Burning Stoves
- Very Close To Combustible Surfaces
Professional home inspector in Pueblo CO states that most modern wood-burning stoves are installed in such a manner that they’re placed at a sufficient clearance from other combustible materials, especially wooden floors & walls.
For instance, if the wood-burning stove is installed directly on a wooden floor, then the process isn’t safe because the burning stove will be in direct contact with the wood. Flames from the stove can easily affect the floor beneath it and thereby run the risks of catching in-house fire.
That’s why, the best way to get around such an issue would be to install a non-combustible floor protector, onto which the wood-burning stove can be installed. Similarly, a similar concept should be applied when maintaining a sufficient distance from the walls.
- Cracks In The Stove’s Structure
Wood burning stoves are designed in such a manner that they remain as much air-tight from the inside as possible. This means that the smoke & fire that is created inside of the stove’s structure should remain inside and not leak outside.
However, any presence of cracks on the surface of the stove will break that air-tight seal and the toxic gases from the inside of the stove will start flowing into the insides of your home. Gases like carbon-dioxide, carbon-monoxide and so on can be really dangerous for the health of you as well as your family members.
- Build-Up Of Creosote
Creosote can be defined as a natural by-product that is caused when you burn any type of combustible fuel – be it coal or wood. Over time, creosote starts to build-up inside the burning area of the stove as well as the pipes. If you can perform regular cleaning, then the build-up process can be mitigated. But, if you don’t, you should understand that creosote is flammable and it can directly lead to house fires.
Well, that brings us to the conclusion of our extensive write-up on wood-burning stoves. In case you have any feedback to share, be sure to let us know.
