| The circulating wood-burning stove and its similar | | | | chimney-flue or smokestack-pipe. It also helps to |
| counterpart, the circulating fireplace insert, put out | | | | control the amount of air entering the fire |
| a cozy dry heat. This kind of heat can also be | | | | chamber through the draft. |
| healthy by helping to prevent cold-weather | | | | - Warming jacket. The outer shell around the |
| illnesses. These stoves work most efficiently | | | | fire-chamber through which the room air is |
| when the draft and damper settings are correctly | | | | warmed and circulated. |
| balanced. | | | | - Air vents. The louvered openings for the room |
| Circulating stove description | | | | air to enter and exit the warming jacket. |
| This kind of wood stove or fireplace insert | | | | Two main settings for burning the wood |
| operates similarly. It is made of iron or plate steel. | | | | efficiently |
| It has a hinged door for adding wood to the fire | | | | The most efficient way to use the wood stove is |
| chamber. For the fire itself, the wood is placed on | | | | to adjust the draft and damper combination to |
| a raise grate on the floor of the chamber. The | | | | the minimum air and smoke flows needed to |
| fire chamber also has an outer metal jacket or | | | | maintain a slow constant burn. When these two |
| shell through which a built-in electric fan circulates | | | | settings are in the correct balance, the wood |
| the room air. The hot metal plate on the fireside | | | | smolders slowly under low flames while providing |
| of this jacket warms the room air passing by it, | | | | adequate heat at the same time. In other words, |
| which, in turn, is blown back into the room | | | | the wood needs to turn into hot coals slowly with |
| continuously. For safety and efficiency reasons, | | | | as little flame as possible. This slow burning |
| this kind of stove is controlled thermostatically. | | | | process allows the wood fuel to last for a |
| That is, the circulating fan does not come on until | | | | maximum burn time. |
| the warming jacket reaches a preset | | | | Also, the heat produced at these settings is not |
| temperature. | | | | wasted by overheating the room or by going up |
| Term definitions | | | | the chimney, unnecessarily. These two settings |
| - Draft. The small adjustable opening on the lower | | | | might differ slightly for the different kinds of |
| side of the fire-chamber that allows air to be | | | | wood being burned. Yet, they are easy to adjust |
| pulled into the chamber for burning purposes (the | | | | with a little practice. Generally, the dry |
| more air entering the chamber, the hotter and | | | | well-seasoned hard woods, like, oak or walnut will |
| larger the flames). | | | | burn efficiently, consistently. However, other kinds |
| - Damper. The adjustable flap on top of the | | | | of wood will also work by adjusting these two |
| stove that controls the amount of smoke, ash, | | | | settings slightly, especially if that wood supply is |
| and vapor leaving the fire-chamber up through the | | | | low-cost or free. |