The primary air is the first to ignite, and it’s typically where a stove will have a draft coming in from the side. The secondary air is below the primary, and its job is to help fuel combustion by providing oxygen-rich material for burning. Tertiary air is above the firebox, acting as an exhaust system that draws up heat and smoke from beneath.
Primary air is the first type of air that enters a wood stove. It is usually heated by the fire, and then it travels up to the secondary air opening in order to mix with secondary air. Secondary air comes from the bottom section of a wood stove and mixes with primary air before entering into an updraft section or chimney. Tertiary airflow is what you want when your fire needs more oxygen.
- This airflow is usually created by the air that was pushed into the firebox.
Secondary and tertiary air on a wood stove works together to allow for the complete combustion of fuel. By providing these two types of air it allows oxygen-rich material to be present for burning, which helps with improving efficiency. The only difference between the secondary and tertiary types of functionalities in a wood stove is where they are placed inside the system. Secondary airflow comes from below while tertiary airflow comes above the firebox area as an exhaust system for smoke and heat to leave through your chimney or flue pipe made specifically for this purpose.
Primary Air is the first air to enter a wood stove. It is usually heated by fire, and then it travels up through a secondary air opening in order to mix with secondary air before entering into an updraft section or chimney. Secondary Air comes from below while tertiary airflow comes above the firebox area as an exhaust system for smoke and heat.
This airflow is created when the suction effect happens inside of your fireplace which helps pull oxygen-rich material that aids in burning fuel more efficiently. The only difference between these two functionalities in a wood stove is where they’re placed; secondary flows come from beneath while Tertiary flows come above the fireplace area as an exhaust system for smoke and heat.
The primary type of airflow you want when your fire needs more oxygen is tertiary airflow. This type of airflow occurs when the suction effect happens inside of your fireplace which helps pull oxygen-rich material that aids in burning fuel more efficiently. The only difference between these two functionalities in a wood stove is where they’re placed; secondary flows come from beneath while Tertiary flows come above the fireplace area as an exhaust system for smoke and heat.
The primary air enters through side drafts, fueling combustion by providing oxygen-rich material needed to burn fuel thoroughly. Secondary air comes from below entering updraft section or chimney before mixing with primary air.
This creates an optimal flow of heated air throughout your home heating appliances, especially during cold winter months! Primary Air gets its first burst of oxygen from the secondary air that flows beneath it. Secondary Air comes from below entering your updraft section or chimney before mixing with primary airflow, creating an optimal flow of heated air throughout your home heating appliances during cold winter months.
Wood Burning Stove Primary Air Control
Primary air control is the primary means of adjusting your wood stove’s burn rate. It consists of an adjustable door and damper located at the front bottom or back top (top-mounted)of a direct-vented, vented, or sealed combustion chamber gas stoves that controls how much outside air enters into the unit.
The larger this opening, the more air you’re allowing to enter into it as well as an increasing draft which will subsequently increase fire intensity – both good things! Just make sure not to leave this fully open for long periods of time because then there would be nothing stopping smoke from exiting through it instead of out the chimney flue pipe. This could result in carbon monoxide entering living areas which can lead to serious harm if left untreated.
So just remember, primary air control is what regulates the draft within your combustion chamber and should remain slightly open at all times to ensure proper burning conditions are met which will subsequently provide you with optimal heat output while also protecting against back puffing of smoke into the living areas.
Wood Burning Stove Secondary Air Control
You can adjust the secondary air on a wood stove by adjusting how much oxygen is fed into the fire through an adjustable vent. The higher you open up your flue or chimney, for example, it will force more air in at the right amount of speed to maximize combustion and heat output.
If you close down too tightly on your secondary air control, this may cause incomplete burnout (more info here). Closing down too tight also causes creosote build-up which can potentially be very dangerous when not treated properly.
Tertiary air is often used to bring oxygen into the firebox after primary and secondary are already in use. This type of air should only be opened for a short time, long enough to sustain combustion at peak efficiency. If you open this vent too soon or leave it open too long, your stove will overfire – which means that there’s more heat produced than can escape through the chimney safely because there isn’t enough draft present yet.
Wood Burning Stove Tertiary Air Control
Tertiary air is a term wood stove manufacturers use to describe the amount of airflow in another part of the chimney. In most cases, this secondary airstream comes from either an induced draft fan or a natural source such as wind through your windows and open doors.
On gas stoves, primary air provides oxygen that mixes with fuel to create flames inside the combustion chamber. This allows for complete burn cycles since all materials get burned cleanly instead of only partially burning due to lack of oxygen (ash). The same principle applies on wood stoves except there’s no actual fire inside; rather, it’s called “combustion” which means the material has been burnt completely down into ash without any smoke.
Primary air is typically controlled by damper systems that allow users to open, close, and adjust the amount of airflow. Secondary air may also be added in order to make this process more efficient or burn hotter firewood. This can improve combustion quality but it’s important not too much secondary air present because it could cause your stove to smoke if you don’t know what you’re doing (i.e., causing creosote buildups). Again, there are many wood-burning stoves that have fans built into them so they take care of this for you automatically.
Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Air On A Wood Burning Stove?
The primary, secondary and tertiary air supplies on a wood stove are designed to ensure that your fire burns cleanly. These three levels of airflow work together in different capacities at the same time. Each system is responsible for fueling a specific part of the combustion process. If you have questions about any aspect of how your wood-burning stove works, consult with our team before making repairs or modifications to your unit.
Primary Air
The primary air intake provides the initial source of oxygen needed for combustion. The amount of airflow you need depends on several factors including your home’s insulation, how tightly sealed it is, and wherein relation to the stove that it’s located. Check with our professionals if you’re unsure about how much primary air your unit should be receiving through its vents or other openings. If there isn’t enough supply, drafts can cause smoke back-ups inside your home while too much may weaken burn efficiency and leave unburned residue behind after every fire.
Secondary Air
Once ignited by the flames produced from burning wood pellets or logs, secondary air kicks into play once they begin to die out. This round of propulsion requires more power than the primary air and is used to drive the fire’s combustion process. It also regulates how much heat your stove puts out, so it can help you save energy by decreasing its output during times of lighter use such as overnight or on colder days.
Tertiary Air
The last type of airflow we’ll discuss here is tertiary which enters into play once most wood has been consumed in a single session. This final round helps ensure that leftover particles are properly combusted through oxidation before any gases leave the chimney for good.
Safety Tips
- Never leave a wood stove unattended.
- Have a fire extinguisher on hand, just in case.
- Be sure to regularly clean your stove regularly, especially after you burn it.
- Make sure the room is properly ventilated when using a wood-burning stove and be aware of air quality issues such as carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Be aware of any flammable materials near your stove.
- Make sure there are no combustible objects on the floor in front of your wood stove, which could topple over and cause a fire.
- As with all fires, keep children away from burning embers or other sources of heat whenever possible – even if it’s just to use the bathroom!
FAQs
What is primary air?
The main source of oxygen for a fire. It enters the combustion chamber from beneath and feeds it with fresh, heated airflow.
What is secondary air?
Aids in providing additional O² as well as creating draft within the system by being directed into the upper part of the stove through openings on top or around the front door.
What is tertiary air?
An intake path that brings more outside (Ambient) air to your wood-burning fireplace's chimney – this allows you to heat up faster and burn hotter! This can also be used instead of an ash drawer if necessary: by attaching single-wall metal pipe directly into flue area; then opening bottom damper fully allows cool outside air to be drawn in.
Conclusion
Primary air is the amount of air that enters your wood stove to ensure proper combustion. The secondary airflow goes above or below this primary flow, while tertiary airflow ensures an even distribution throughout the room.