|
|
Glossary
Air Shutter
An opening in the tube supplying gas to the burner. It draws primary air into the tube and mixes it with the gas before the gas goes to a main burner and is ignited.
Air Wash
As the primary air enters the fire box it is preheated and directed toward the glass on the front door. The constant "washing" of that hot air over the glass helps keep soot and creosote from building up on the glass for maximum fire enjoyment.
Alcove
A recessed or built in area of a room usually including both sides and top. (Requires special clearances.)
B-Vent
Factory built, double-wall metal pipe for venting gas appliances with draft hoods and other appliances listed for use with Type B Gas Vent. It consists of an aluminum inner wall and a galvanized or galvalum outer wall with a dead air space between the walls. (Losing favor to Direct Vent units.)
Back drafting (back puffing)
A term to describe the condition when the flow of combustion products in a venting system reverses direction.
BTU (British Thermal Unit)
The amount of energy it takes to heat one pint of water one degree Fahrenheit.
Carbon Monoxide
A poisonous, combustible gas formed by incomplete combustion of carbon or reduction of carbon dioxide.
Cast Iron
A material used in many stoves. Iron is heated to a liquid form and poured into molds, usually with decorative detailing.
Catalytic Combustor
A coated ceramic "honeycomb" often used to reduce flue gas emissions. (A poor choice if a non-catalytic stove is available as an alternative as the combustor needs to be replaced often and the heat generated from ignition of the gases is lost up the chimney.)
Chimney Connector
The pipe that connects a fuel-burning appliance to a chimney.
Class "A" Chimney
A residential type chimney suitable for use at 1000¼F sustained temperatures and 1700¡F for 10 minutes, suitable for fireplaces and "Fireplace Stoves". Wood burning stoves, however, require 3 tests of 2100¡F for 10 minutes. Such chimneys are labeled as Type HT.
Close Clearance Stove Pipe
A double wall stove pipe consisting of an inner stainless steel liner, a small dead air space and an outer black pipe. Used as a chimney connector to reduce the clearances to a combustible surface.
Coaxial Venting System
A Direct-Vent venting system using a pipe within a pipe system. The larger pipe draws fresh air into the fire box while the smaller pipe exhaust the gases.
Collinear Venting System
A Direct-Vent venting system using two separate pipes running next to each other. Normally both pipes are either 3" or 4" in diameter.
Combustible Material
Material made of, or surfaced with wood, compressed paper, plant fibers, plastics, or other material that can ignite and burn. Fire rated drywall and plaster are combustible.
Convection
The transmission of heat by air. Heated air rises and circulates.
Creosote
Chimney and stove pipe deposits originating as condensed wood smoke (including vapors, tar and soot). Creosote is often initially liquid, but may dry to pryrolze to a flaky or solid form.
De-pressurization
A condition when the air pressure in the home is less than the air pressure outside the home. It can be caused by inadequate replacement air of home appliances such as a furnace blower, kitchen or bathroom fan, dryer vent, or fireplace. It leads to back drafting or spillage in a conventional vent system. Depressurization is common in new, tightly constructed homes, but is also found in older homes.
Direct-Vent
A venting system in which 100% of the combustion air is drawn from the outside and all the combustion products are returned to the outside.
Draft
The pressure difference between the hot flue gases inside the venting system and the cool air surrounding the venting system.
EPA Phase II
In 1988 the federal government issued strict emission controls on wood stoves. These standards were instituted in two phases. All stoves built after July 1, 1992 must meat the stricter standards outlined in the second phase of that regulation.
Factory-Built Chimney
A chimney composed of listed factory-built components that is easy to assemble to form the completed chimney. They conform to safety and building codes. They are air cooled or insulated. Designed to remove combustion by-products.
Factory-Built Fireplace
A fireplace composed of listed, factory-built components assembled in accordance with the terms of the listing. (Fireplaces can vary from cheap builder models to high quality built in heaters.)
Fireplace Insert
An appliance designed to be installed within an existing fireplace. (Must be in good working condition.)
Glass
The window on the door(s) of your gas or wood stove is actually ceramic glass able to withstand temperatures of over 1400¼ F and rapid temperature changes with no change in strength or durability.
Heat Exchanger
An area of the stove designed to quickly transfer heat from inside the fire box into the room, before the heat goes up the chimney. The better the heat exchanger(s), the more efficient the stove.
Heat Life
The length of time a stove stays hot after burning a load of fuel.
Hearth Extension
A noncombustible surfacing applied to the floor area extending in front of and at the side of the hearth opening of a fireplace or a fireplace stove. (Hearth rugs are not hearth extensions.)
Listed
Equipment, materials, or services included in a list published by an organization acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction. The listing states either that the equipment, material or service meets identified standards or has been tested and found suitable for a specific purpose.
Masonry Chimney
A field-constructed chimney of solid masonry units, including brick, stone, listed masonry material, usually lined with fire clay flue liners.
Millivolt (Mv)
Unit of electromotive force equal to one-thousandth of a volt. Generated by thermocouples and thermopiles to operate safety shutoff systems and remote controls.
Negative pressure
See Depressurization
NFPA 54
National Fire Protection Agency standard #54 "National Fuel Gas Code".
NFPA 211
National Fire Protection Agency standard #211 "Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances 2000 Edition".
Non-catalytic
Applies to stoves that meet or surpass emission standards without the use of a catalytic combustor through the use of secondary air tubes located under the baffle in the top of the fire box. These tubes draw a precise amount of heated air, inject it into the fire box above the fire enabling the unburned gases, formed as a by-product of combustion, to ignite and burn up releasing up to 50% more heat. Thus, an advantage of the new high-tech stoves.
Noncombustible Material
A material that, in the form in which it is used and under the conditions anticipated, does not ignite, burn, support combustion or release flammable vapors, when subjected to fire or heat.
Oxygen Depletion Sensing (ODS) Pilot Assembly
A pilot burner found in Vent-Free appliances, which can sense and respond to the change in oxygen level. It consists of an orifice for gas flow and a bimetallic air shutter, a thermocouple and a spark electrode. Before the oxygen level reaches 18% the flame lifts off and causes the thermocouple to cool shutting off the gas flow to the burners.
Piezo Electric Igniter
A device which delivers an igniting spark by mean of pressure on a crystal.
Regulator
A device for controlling and maintaining a uniform outlet of gas pressure. Usually part of a combination gas valve.
Radiation
The transmission of heat via radiant energy.
Sealed Combustion System
A Direct-Vent system. A self-contained combustion system in which all the combustion air is drawn from the outside and all the combustion product is returned to the outside. The combustion system does not interact with the home.
Sediment Trap (Drip leg)
A required part of every gas installation, which allows a collection point for moisture, and foreign particles (i.e. copper sulfide) that may be in the gas.
Spill Switch
A heat activated safety sensor, which detects flue gas flow reversal, which will shut an appliance off.
Steel Stoves
Fabricated from flat stock. Inexpensive material, limited style options.
Soapstone
A metamorphic rock formed millions of years ago under intense heat and pressure. It evolved from a molten state deep within the earth with an unusually stable composition. Unlike other stones, it can withstand fire and dramatic changes in temperature. Other stones, such as granite and marble, also hold and radiate heat, but only soapstone is able to withstand direct flames indefinitely.
Thermocouple
A device consisting of two pieces of dissimilar metals joined together at one end (hot junction). When the hot junction is heated, the thermocouple produces DC Millivolts between 25-30 millivolts. Used to power the gas safety valve.
Thermopile
A number of thermocouples connected in series to produce more DC Millivolts than a single thermocouple. Depending on size the DC Millivolts range between 250 and 750 millivolts. Used to control remotes.
Thimble
Special metal or clay sleeves for wall and ceiling penetrations when installing a venting system to ensure that the proper clearance away from combustibles is maintained.
Vent-Free
Gas appliance systems where all combustion byproducts (mostly water vapor and carbon dioxide) are released into the same room environment as the appliance. (Our preference of last resort.)
Water Column (W.C.)
Unit of measurement for gas pressure in inches of water. Approximately 28 inches water column equals one psi.
Zero-clearance fireplace
See Factory-built Fireplace
|
Glossary