Tulikivi Reports Dry Wood Tips for a Clean and Efficient Fireplace Use
Juuka, Finland (PRWEB) August 30, 2013 -- While the final summer warmth is still here it won’t be long until the chill of autumn and winter will call for the cozy warmth of a fireplace. For wood heat lovers, it’s already time to make sure there’s plenty of wood to feed the fire all season long. With that thought top of mind, the experts at Tulikivi soapstone fireplaces have suggestions on making sure you maximize every bit of energy and warmth your wood can generate. Tulikivi’s top wood tips include:
• Wet wood is no good. Always use dry wood. If the wood is damp, most of the energy that it contains is used to evaporate this moisture, leaving very little energy for heating. Moreover, damp wood leads to incomplete and therefore inefficient combustion, which causes pollution and can potentially damage your stove.
• Splitting wood improves drying time. Think of a tree’s bark as a raincoat, which protects the wood against the weather. If the wood is not split, the water that it contains can’t evaporate. Because of this, un-split wood will still not be completely dry even after three years. The more the wood is split and the smaller its size, the more quickly it will dry, because the water will evaporate more quickly.
• Avoid storing wood in poorly or completely unventilated spaces. Wood will only dry if it is well ventilated (for example, by placing it on a pallet, in order to avoid direct contact with the ground and allow air to circulate) and keep it sheltered. Storage under a sloping roof is ideal.
• How long until it’s dry? The drying time will vary depending on the type of wood and individual climate and storage conditions. For example, wood that is split into 25 or 33 cm logs and stored under ideal conditions can be dried in less than a year. In contrast, 50 cm logs could take several years to dry. Tulikivi experts recommend always keeping one year’s supply of wood at all times, to guarantee a continuous supply of fuel. They caution against storing dry wood in a cellar or garage. The wood will behave like a sponge and absorb moisture.
• Plan ahead for next year. Season wood outdoors through the summer for at least six months before burning it. Properly seasoned wood is darker, has cracks in the end grain, and sounds hollow when smacked against another piece of wood.
“One of the many benefits of a Tulikivi soapstone fireplace is you can heat it with all types of wood,” says Jeremy Johnson, marketing and sales manager for Tulikivi North America. “All that matters is that the wood is split and dry. In fact, thanks to complete combustion, it is completely safe to burn resinous woods in a Tulikivi. This makes it possible to burn untreated pallets, wood scraps and small branches.”
Johnson also added that traditional fireplaces and stoves consume large amounts of wood and have to be continuously supplied with fuel in order to obtain a constant heat. With Tulikivi radiant heat, you only have to make one fire (before bed, for example) and the fireplace will stay warm for 24 hours. You’re wood- and worry-free during the day—and you’ll always wake up warm!”
The Tulikivi Group comprises the Tulikivi Corporation, which is a listed family enterprise, and its subsidiaries. The Tulikivi Group is the world’s largest manufacturer of heat-retaining fireplaces. Tulikivi has three product groups: Fireplaces, Saunas and Interior & Design. Tulikivi and its customers value wellbeing, interior design and the benefits of bioenergy. Tulikivi’s net sales are roughly EUR 60 million, of which exports account for about half. Tulikivi employs over 400 people. For more information about Tulikivi, please visit http://www.tulikivi.com or follow them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Tulikivi. For the nearest distributor, call 800-843-3473.
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Michelle Drager, The Drager Group, Inc., +1 (484) 269-2900, [email protected]
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