From an article in the U.S.
Manufacturers of wood stoves and fireplace inserts, prodded by strict government standards, have produced some of the cleanest wood-burning devices ever to hit the market.
“If you haven’t shopped for stoves in the last 15 years,” said Steve Pettit, manager of Swim World, a Wenatchee spa and stove dealership, “then you’re going to be amazed. This is a different breed of stove using a different breed of technology.”
Years ago, after federal guidelines for wood-burning devices were revised, stove manufacturers began creating devices to recirculate smoke and gases for additional burning. The first effective device was an in-stove catalytic converter, similar in design and performance to the mechanism found on automobiles. It worked moderately well, said Pettit, but had to be replaced every three to five years.
It didn’t take long for manufacturers to invent a better pollution-reducing gadget. Borrowing technology from commercial furnaces, stove makers soon began offering home wood-burning devices with secondary burn tubes, a type of air-fed pipe that produces intense flame and heat that vaporizes particulates and breaks down many toxins. Most secondary burn tubes need no replacement and last for the life of the stove.
Modern stoves with secondary burn tubes dramatically reduce smoke and gas emissions, said Pettit.
For instance, an old-fashioned fireplace — where smoke just shoots up the chimney — produces about 70 to 90 grams of smoke particulates per hour. But newer stoves, tested and approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, produce 2 to 5 grams of smoke particulates per hour.
Even better, Pettit noted, some EPA-approved pellet stoves — devices that burn pressed-wood beads or pellets — can reduce smoke particulates to 0.7 grams per hour.
“It’s really an astounding reduction (in pollution) that’s good for the homeowner and the environment,” Pettit said. “It makes new stoves incredibly efficient.”
Of course, these stoves come with a fairly hefty price tag — anywhere from $1,100 to $2,500 or more, depending on size and extras. Ornate cast iron stoves, often the choice of traditionalists, are a bit pricier than the standard steel stoves because of add-ons that might include top-loading access, fancy handles and hardware and tempered glass doors.
Homeowners pricing a stove should also remember to figure in installation costs — stove pipe, brackets, carpentry, insulation and labor.
“You need to think long term when it comes to a wood stove or insert,” said Pettit. “These are durable appliances that, when properly cared for, can warm your home for many, many years.”
Monday, October 26, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
How woodstoves have changed
New technology makes woodstoves more environmentally friendly
October 14, 2009
Re: Act together to ban woodsmoke so autumn doesn’t take breath away, letter to the editor, Huntsville Forestre, Oct. 7.
I could not help but wonder what possible justification this lady had in calling for such a draconian act as banning wood-burning appliances.
A third of all Canadian households have a wood burning appliance and many of these choose to use this locally available, renewable green energy source as their primary heating fuel. For many residents of Muskoka and elsewhere, it is by far and away the most cost-effective way of heating their homes and for many others represents the only emergency backup heat during our all-too-frequent hydro outages.
Fortunately, here in Muskoka, as in most of Ontario, we do not have a problem with our air quality during the heating season. Our smog days come on hot summer days and are a gift from the industrial and hydro-generating south, on both sides of the border.
That is not to say, however, that ‘nuisance’ smoke on a neighbour-to-neighbour level does not occur. Such nuisance smoke can take many forms, but in the most severe cases can be extremely distressing for those involved. However, the technology employed in woodstoves has changed dramatically in recent years. New technology woodstoves, that is to say those certified by the US EPA (US Environment Protection Agency) or by CSA (Canadian Standards Association) B415, emit up to 90 per cent less “smoke”, including particulate matter, than old technology stoves. Such stoves are mandatory in the entire United States and several Canadian provinces but, alas, not yet here in Ontario. It is up to the householder or cottager, therefore, to make the sensible choice. There are hundreds of dollars of rebates available from both the provincial and federal governments to help consumers change from old stoves to the new, efficient, cleaner stoves. Added bonuses are that the new stoves take a third less wood to produce the same amount of heat and deposit less creosote in the chimney. Good burning practices should also be employed regardless of the type of appliance being used. The most important of these being, only untreated, seasoned wood (9 to 12 months drying time) should be used and under no circumstances should garbage be burnt in wood stoves or any other wood-burning appliance. I would also remind the readers, from a safety standpoint, that wood-burning appliances should be swept and checked over at least once a year by a qualified technician.
If any of my fellow wood-heating brethren are still feeling somewhat anti-social given the comments of the letter writer and her kind, I would add the following: Queen’s University biology professor, Paul Grogan, a leading expert on climate change, has recently gone on record citing the environmental benefits of wood heating as a virtually carbon neutral, entirely renewable, locally available and green energy source.
Our forests are a great Canadian resource and, when managed properly, are completely sustainable. Tonight I shall relax in front of my Ontario-built wood stove and give thanks for nature’s harvest, including my locally grown wood. The only thing my neighbours will be able to see coming from my chimney stack will be a faint heat shimmer.
Tony Gottschalk
Huntsville
October 14, 2009
Re: Act together to ban woodsmoke so autumn doesn’t take breath away, letter to the editor, Huntsville Forestre, Oct. 7.
I could not help but wonder what possible justification this lady had in calling for such a draconian act as banning wood-burning appliances.
A third of all Canadian households have a wood burning appliance and many of these choose to use this locally available, renewable green energy source as their primary heating fuel. For many residents of Muskoka and elsewhere, it is by far and away the most cost-effective way of heating their homes and for many others represents the only emergency backup heat during our all-too-frequent hydro outages.
Fortunately, here in Muskoka, as in most of Ontario, we do not have a problem with our air quality during the heating season. Our smog days come on hot summer days and are a gift from the industrial and hydro-generating south, on both sides of the border.
That is not to say, however, that ‘nuisance’ smoke on a neighbour-to-neighbour level does not occur. Such nuisance smoke can take many forms, but in the most severe cases can be extremely distressing for those involved. However, the technology employed in woodstoves has changed dramatically in recent years. New technology woodstoves, that is to say those certified by the US EPA (US Environment Protection Agency) or by CSA (Canadian Standards Association) B415, emit up to 90 per cent less “smoke”, including particulate matter, than old technology stoves. Such stoves are mandatory in the entire United States and several Canadian provinces but, alas, not yet here in Ontario. It is up to the householder or cottager, therefore, to make the sensible choice. There are hundreds of dollars of rebates available from both the provincial and federal governments to help consumers change from old stoves to the new, efficient, cleaner stoves. Added bonuses are that the new stoves take a third less wood to produce the same amount of heat and deposit less creosote in the chimney. Good burning practices should also be employed regardless of the type of appliance being used. The most important of these being, only untreated, seasoned wood (9 to 12 months drying time) should be used and under no circumstances should garbage be burnt in wood stoves or any other wood-burning appliance. I would also remind the readers, from a safety standpoint, that wood-burning appliances should be swept and checked over at least once a year by a qualified technician.
If any of my fellow wood-heating brethren are still feeling somewhat anti-social given the comments of the letter writer and her kind, I would add the following: Queen’s University biology professor, Paul Grogan, a leading expert on climate change, has recently gone on record citing the environmental benefits of wood heating as a virtually carbon neutral, entirely renewable, locally available and green energy source.
Our forests are a great Canadian resource and, when managed properly, are completely sustainable. Tonight I shall relax in front of my Ontario-built wood stove and give thanks for nature’s harvest, including my locally grown wood. The only thing my neighbours will be able to see coming from my chimney stack will be a faint heat shimmer.
Tony Gottschalk
Huntsville
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