Wood-burning stove

A wood-burning stove (or wood burner or log burner in the UK) is a heating or cooking appliance capable of burning wood fuel, often called solid fuel, and wood-derived biomass fuel, such as sawdust bricks. Generally the appliance consists of a solid metal (usually cast iron or steel) closed firebox, often lined by fire brick, and one or more air controls (which can be manually or automatically operated depending upon the stove). The first wood-burning stove was patented in Strasbourg in 1557. This was two centuries before the Industrial Revolution, so iron was still prohibitively expensive. The first wood-burning stoves were high-end consumer items and only gradually became used widely.^[1]^[a]

For a list of stove types, see Stove (disambiguation).

The stove is connected by ventilating stove pipe to a suitable flue, which will fill with hot combustion gases once the fuel is ignited. The chimney or flue gases must be hotter than the outside temperature to ensure combustion gases are drawn out of the fire chamber and up the chimney.

Wood burners can triple the level of harmful indoor air pollution.^[2] In the 2010s, 61,000 premature deaths were attributable annually to ambient air pollution from residential heating with wood and coal in Europe, with an additional 10,000 attributable deaths in North America.^[3] The use of wood-burning stoves in Africa is associated with a large number of deaths each year, approximately 463,000.^[4] This high number of deaths is due to the inhalation of toxic smoke emitted by improperly vented stoves, and contains substances harmful to health. In addition, reliance on wood as an energy source also contributes to deforestation and climate change, although the CO₂ emissions from wood-derived fuels are the same as emissions from natural decay.

Use in Europe[edit]

Italy is one of the biggest markets for pellet-burning stoves in Europe, having around 30% of all homes using wood for some heat. This means about 5 million homes have a wood fueled stove or cooker.

In the UK, domestic wood burning has become the single biggest source of small particle air pollution.^[14]

originally invented by Benjamin Franklin, is a more efficient type of wood-burning fireplace. It was finicky and never caught on, but many stoves continue to be referred to as "Franklin" stoves.

Franklin stove

is reported to have increased efficiency of wood-burning stoves by a factor of eight in the mid-18th century.

Carl Johan Cronstedt

invented the first wood-burning stove with a cast iron frame and glass door. This allowed the user to see the fire burning inside the stove.^[15]

Wolfgang Schroeter

A converts a wood-burning fireplace to a wood-burning stove. A fireplace insert is a self-contained unit that rests inside the existing fireplace and chimney. They produce less smoke and require less wood than a traditional fireplace. Fireplace inserts come in different sizes for large or small homes.^[16]

fireplace insert

Down draft or cross draft gasification stoves, i.e. Dunsley Yorkshire, Welkom 600, Avalon Arbor™ wood stove, XEOOS.

[17]

stoves provide hot water as well as space heating. A backboiler can be an optional insert added to the back of the firebox, or a wrap-around water jacket that is an integral to the stove's structure. The choice determines how much of the stove's output goes to space heating as opposed to heating water.

Boiler

are a type of fuel-efficient stove, named in the 1970s, but dating back millennia in concept. A super-hot chimney above the fire draws the flames sideways and up, blending hot fuel and air into a quick, hot, clean-burning fire that takes little wood, leaves little residue, and has many uses.^[18]