Wisconsin winters bring harsh conditions. And as the prices of heating oil, propane, and natural gas have risen, wood boilers have become a popular way to provide heat and/or hot water to homes and other buildings. In fact, 9% of Wisconsin homes use solid fuel as either a primary or secondary fuel source. That’s a surprisingly high percentage.
What is a wood boiler?
Wood boilers include any furnace, stove, or boiler designed to burn wood. Outdoor wood boilers typically feature a firebox that is enclosed in a water jacket, surrounded by insulation and vented through a chimney stack.
Are wood boilers safe?
While wood burners are a cost-effective way to heat your home, they can also cause health problems, as wood smoke contains a variety of pollutants. People exposed to smoke from wood boilers may experience eye and nose irritation, difficulty breathing, coughing, and headaches.
Individuals with heart disease, asthma, emphysema, or other respiratory diseases are especially sensitive to wood smoke. It also can be harmful to the elderly, babies, children, and pregnant women.
10 tips to maintain health and safety when using a wood burner
- Don’t install in garages or shops where gasoline fumes may be present.
- Enforce a minimum chimney height of:
- 15 feet from the ground, or
- Three feet taller than its roof and at least two feet taller than the nearest building
- Install a spark arrestor on top of the chimney.
- Only burn clean wood to avoid pollutants.
- Never burn trash, which releases emissions and chemicals that pose serious health risks.
- Place wood stoves on a concrete pad or other non-flammable surface.
- Keep outdoor wood boilers:
- At least 25 feet from the nearest building
- At least 30 feet from liquified petroleum (LP) or fuel tanks
- 500 feet from the nearest building on neighboring property
- Store wood at least four feet from the wood furnace, and do not store wood between the unit and nearby buildings.
- Clean out ashes regularly, place them in a metal container with a tight-fitting lid, and keep the container away from combustible materials until disposal.
- Check with your local government before purchasing a wood burner – outdoor wood boilers are not regulated by the State of Wisconsin, but some towns, villages, and municipalities have ordinances that ban or limit their use.
Meet with your local Rural Mutual agent about wood stove regulations to make sure you and your home are properly protected.
