Wood Burning Appliances

Selectmen Approve Ordinance Banning Outdoor Wood-Burning Furnaces

On Monday, the board of selectmen voted unanimously to pass an ordinance banning outdoor wood-burning furnaces, effective June 27, 2011. 

“I continue to believe it is a health risk for our community,” said Deputy First Selectman John Hampton, who made the motion.

“I would urge you just to think about saving lives,” said Marvin Koff M.D., who spoke during public comment on the topic prior to the vote.

To date, there is one known residential outdoor wood-burning furnace in town. Any town ordinance enacted would not affect existing structures.

Back in May the board held a public hearing on the subject, and it was decided at that time to wait and see what the state legislature decided on a proposed bill. The bill later died.

At the May public hearing resident Steve Swenson, who lives on Lawton Drive, said he lived near an outdoor wood-burning furnace and supported a ban. He has a child with asthma and the furnace smoke exacerbates the condition.

At that meeting, Don Tuller, who lives on Farms Village Road, requested that an exemption for agricultural use be included. He was not at Monday night’s meeting, but it was noted that a resident could come in and propose a revision to the ordinance.

First Selectman Mary Glassman said she was open to exemptions down the road but at this point a total ban was the way to go.

“Tonight I think it’s important to protect our residents,” she said.

Selectman Lisa Heavner said the town has shown a commitment to farming in Simsbury, but this vote is about the health concerns of the town’s citizens. She went on to say that she did not see the ban as a hardship for farmers in town.

An outdoor wood-burning furnace is an accessory structure or appliance located outside of a living space designed to transfer or provide heat by burning wood or solid waste to heat spaces other than where the structure or appliance is located, such as a home. It also applies to heating any other structure or appliances on the premises, such as swimming pools, hot tub or Jacuzzi water.

The ordinance states that an outdoor wood-burning furnace does not include a fire pit, wood-fired barbecue or chiminea.

The ordinance includes a fine of up to $250 per day when in violation of the ordinance.

Of the 169 towns in Connecticut, more than a dozen have banned outdoor wood-burning furnaces, among them Avon, West Hartford and Granby.

Making The Wood-burning Cycle Tolerable Is The Proven Fact That ...

Checking the veracity and usefulness of the wood stoves should be checked before making any acquisition. Wood stoves were employed in traditional America for many household and general purposes. A wood fire is a gizmo which is usually employed in the kitchens for the heating of food, keeping it warm and making it palatable. A wood fire is commonly used for heating rooms or cooking food. A pellet-stove is extraordinarily efficient as the pellets that are used are made of bits of wood and compressed together. Making the wood-burning cycle tolerable is the proven fact that wood is a replaceable source of fuel.

Today’s stoves are energy-efficient : they produce more heat with less wood, keeping emissions as small as possible by meeting stringent EPA standards. Better yet maybe, they do not deprive the earth of non-renewable carbon-based fuels. Therefore call to mind that rusty, black iron stove you saw in a Western flick, a holiday lodge, or at your grandparents. If you have got an older wood-burning appliance, consider upgrading to one of the more recent catalytic wood-burning stoves warranted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) .High-efficiency appliances not only have fewer emissions but they're also frequently safer, since complete combustion helps to stop a building up of combustible chimney deposits called creosote. These are available as kits and are generally installed in the flue collar.

To watch the stove temperature after adding a catalytic combustor, you need to also install 1 heat sensor on the cooker body or stove pipe. If you've got an unlisted stove or you would like to ensure you supply the unmatchable protection for the operation of your wood burner, you will need to check out wood stove pads, either at a local do-it-yourself or fireside store or on the internet. These pads are so sturdy and well-made that they do not come at cheap prices, so be certain to add an additional $500 — $700 to your position when you buy the burner in order that you can include the pad with your purchase. What we'll look at is the time it requires a wood fire to warm up and the time that it takes to cool down. When close sized stoves are heated and operating both generate analogous heat into your house. If you intend to purchase a wood fire and burn it 24-7 late fall until early spring either stove will warm the same. Where the heat up and cool down times play into the comparison is the home owner who burns a wood burning fire just one or two times each week and wants to warm up a cold home swiftly.

Wood-burning appliances, a review of published books

The handbook of biomass combustion and co-firing

Indoor air pollution control

Indoor environmental quality

The Canadian Renewable Energy Guide