Many people think of wood stoves as solely for residential use, but commercial wood stoves are growing in popularity as a cost-effective form of heating as well. In fact, outdoor furnaces are a cost-effective source of heating energy. Owners who cut their own wood, or can obtain free wood as fuel, can entirely eliminate their heating bills. Over a 10-year period, a homeowner or business may save $10,000 to $50,000 or more on heating costs. But before you invest in a commercial wood burning stove for your business, it’s important to keep safety in mind during each and every use. Here are just a few essential safety tips for commercial wood burning stoves.

Clean Your Commercial Stove Regularly

First and foremost, it’s essential to keep your commercial wood burning stove clean to prevent the risk of a fire getting out of control. There are a number of tools that can make the cleaning process easy and very straightforward — and a few that can make it more difficult and should be avoided.

“Use a wire brush to clean your stovepipe and chimney at least once a year. Also, occasionally use controlled, high-temperature fires in the stove or furnace. Don’t bother with the salt-based chemical cleaners. And never use heavy items such as chains, bricks or a brush on the end of a rope, because they could seriously damage the interior chimney lining,” writes Nationwide.

Use the Correct Fuel

Current owners of outdoor furnaces report that they are using up to 25% to 70% less wood compared to traditional wood furnaces and of course have far more efficient heating compared to using other heating sources or fuel sources. Still, many commercial wood burning stoves use different types of fuel, and experts say there are several that make the best and safest sources. Typically, hardwoods, e.g., maple, hickory, ash, oak, and beech, are ideal for commercial wood burning stoves. Just make sure the wood is split and air dried for a full year before being used as fuel.

Ensure Proper Ventilation

Finally, many fires are caused from improper ventilation. For this reason, it’s always ideal to check your stove’s ventilation frequently and ensure that there are no blockages that could cause excessive buildup and contribute to the start of a fire.

Commercial wood burning stoves are certainly useful, but using them safely is essential to making the most of their benefits.

If you’re considering investing in an outdoor furnace, you’ve already made the first decision toward cost-effective heating. Heatmor outdoor furnaces are designed with complete efficiency in mind, allowing them to heat your home, garage, spa, or pool all year round with ease. Whether you’re burning wood, pellets, coal, or used oil, your Heatmor residential furnace is economical and quite convenient. Still not convinced? Here are just a few top qualities of a Heatmor residential furnace.

Bladder

The one of a kind bladder system of a Heatmor outdoor furnace system design enables it to become a semi-closed furnace. This quality helps to lower the amount of evaporation and pressure that builds up and accumulates within the inner workings of the systems. The bladder system is also able to hold water once it’s been heated, which helps to decrease the need to add water overall. Keep in mind that when you do add water to the Heatmor furnace system, you’re also adding a certain level of contaminants, thus increasing the chances for rust and corrosion development and damage. Overall, the bladder system of a Heatmor furnace is designed to optimize lifespan.

Ash Auger

Many outdoor furnace system users have trouble removing ash from their furnaces and think that it can only be done when the fire is completely burnt out. But with the innovative design of the Heatmor’s ash auger system, ashes can be removed quickly and easily, even when the fire is still burning. When asked in a survey, almost half of all Heatmor owners cited this revolutionary tool as one of the primary reasons they chose the trusted Heatmor brand.

High Quality Insulation

Many people don’t realize that the insulated used in Heatmor systems is the same that’s used to insulate homes: fiberglass bat insulation. This specific type is non-flammable and incredibly durable, keeping your furnace efficient.

Outdoor furnaces are a cost-effective source of heating energy. Owners who cut their own wood, or can obtain free wood as fuel, can entirely eliminate their heating bills. Over a 10-year period, a homeowner or business may save $10,000 to $50,000 or more on heating costs. Understanding the countless reasons to invest in a trusted brand like a Heatmor is the key to determining whether or not an outdoor furnace is right for your needs. For more information about residential furnaces, contact Outback Heating of Virginia, Inc.

A professional looking lawn is an ideal goal for many homeowners, although most of them aren’t willing or able to pay for a professional lawn care service.

The typical American tends to their lawn an average of four hours per week, which adds up to over eight days a year, or 208 hours. Yet, giving your lawn the proper care it needs to look as though it was taken from a painting isn’t as simple as it may seem. In fact, most people don’t even mow their grass the right way.

If you’re looking to improve the quality of your lawn, you’ll need to first make sure your mowing technique is the best for your lawn needs.

Don’t cut too much

Even though it may pain you to only cut a little at a time, cutting more than one-third of the grass blade’s height can actually produce undesired results. Keeping at least two-thirds of the blade height will ensure that your grass grows strong roots, which can help create a healthy-looking lawn. It can also act as a barrier against weeds. Cutting your grass too low could result in scalping the grass and thus the blades are trying to grow in height rather than grow healthy roots. This may mean that you have to cut your lawn more frequently, but it will ultimately produce healthier grass. The blade setting on most lawn mowers is easily adjustable so that you can alter your blade height.

Mow a dry lawn

Some people are used to getting up early in the morning to start mowing their lawn, but this can pose a problem. In the morning, the grass is typically still wet from the morning dew, which isn’t ideal for grass cutting. With that said, you shouldn’t mow after a rainstorm until the grass has had time to dry either. On a typical clear day, the best time to cut the grass is early evening, when the dew is long gone and the sun isn’t as intense (saving both your skin and the mower).

Change it up

Most homeowners are accustomed to a mowing pattern that they’ve used for years and they never vary. This is bad. Not only does it create ruts and odd grow spots in your lawn, but your grass will actually begin to learn which way it’s cut from and begin to lean that way, producing a less-effective cut. Changing up your pattern can keep your grass nice and tall, which allows for a better cut, as well as fewer ruts from your lawn mower.

If you’ve been mowing your lawn like this already, then you’re good to go. If not, you should consider changing your mowing habits so that your lawn can grow healthier and have the desired curb appeal.

Looking for a new lawn mower? Call us today.

Whether you’ve just bought your first home, or you just bought your first home with a lawn, you’re going to need to maintain it. Not only is landscaping aesthetically pleasing, but it increases your home’s resale value by up to 14% as well.

You can have a professional lawn care service come and maintain your property for you on a weekly basis, but that could get expensive. Doing it yourself can save you money and give you the satisfaction of having a nicer lawn than your neighbors.

A good looking lawn starts with the right equipment, however. Before you jump into DIY lawncare headfirst, consider getting these products.

Lawn Mower

This is without a doubt the most important tool you can use to maintain your lawn, and shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. The reason it’s on the list, other than to cover all bases, is because there are different styles of lawn mowers and you should get the one that works best for you. If your lawn is relatively small, less than an acre maybe, there’s no need to get a big expensive lawn mower; you could get away with using a simple push mower. If you have a medium sized lawn/yard, then a nice riding mower would be plenty. Riding mowers such as Zero Turn mowers are great for yards with lawn features and tight corners. Evaluate your needs before running out and buying something that is too much, or too little.

Dethatcher

You’re probably wondering what a dethatcher is, but in all reality, most people don’t know what it is. Your lawn gets covered with things such as dead grass, debris, roots, and other stuff. This accumulation is known as thatch and can hinder your lawn from growing full and green. A dethatcher will help remove the thatch so the grass can breathe and grow properly.

Leaf Blower

Cutting grass can be a win-lose situation (or a win-win-lose if you like the smell). Even though you’re doing work to maintain the lawn, you’re creating more work for yourself if you don’t have a bag mower. A bag mower will collect the grass as you mow, but they can get full quickly and you might have to make multiple stops to empty it. Otherwise, the grass gets blown everywhere in your lawn, garden, and driveway. A dethatcher will help with the lawn, but the grass that’s stuck to the side of your house or your driveway requires a leaf blower. Sweeping an entire driveway can get exhausting, so it’s much easier to crank over a leaf blower and blow all the grass away. Great for leaves too, as the name suggests.

Now that you’re prepared and have all the right equipment, you can go out there and landscape your yard to perfection.

If you’re looking for a lawn equipment dealer, contact Outback Heating today.