https://www.fireplacesandstove.com/products/huron-wood-stove-by-cleveland-iron-works How to Properly Operate a Woodburning Stove Wood stoves are a fantastic method of heating your home. They're also affordable. However, the smoke they release can be harmful to your health. It's important to understand how these appliances work and to operate them properly. Modern stoves employ secondary or catalytic combustion to reduce emissions. Older stoves and open flames release large amounts of particulates. The firebox The firebox is the heart of any fireplace system. It's where you create a fire to heat your home and provide ambiance. It's a simple concept, but there are many important details that must be accounted for to keep your wood burning stove safe and efficient. The firebox can be thought of as an open-air combustion chamber with walls and a lid. The majority of fireplaces have a prefabricated metal firebox or masonry firebox. The type of firebox you pick will depend on your preferences as well as the type of fireplace that you have. Most wood-burning stoves use a constant flow of air to create the flame and burn the fuel. Fresh air is drawn through the adjustable dampers within the doors of the stove. This allows the fuel to be properly burned and also helps reduce the toxic gases produced by incomplete or unburnt combustion. The exhaust gases will then be dragged up the chimney and away from your home. Modern stoves that have catalytic second combustion employ a special catalyst that allows unburned gases to be reburned to produce additional warmth. This results in a cleaner and less polluting exhaust than traditional wood stoves with no secondary combustion. Modern wood stoves that are not catalytic are available however they are generally less efficient than those with secondary combustion that is catalytic. Certain fireplaces that burn wood have backboilers, which can be used for space heating and water heating. These are referred to as "combination" or "hybrid