Current wood burning stove models are much safer and more efficient than their older counterparts. New wood burning stoves produce very little smoke and very little ash while burning far less wood fuel than previous model stoves. Older uncertified Wood stoves produce 15 to 30 grams of smoke per hour.
Current wood burning stove models are much safer and more efficient than their older counterparts. New wood burning stoves produce very little smoke and very little ash while burning far less wood fuel than previous model stoves. Older uncertified Wood stoves produce 15 to 30 grams of smoke per hour.
Internally, the design of wood burning stoves dramatically changed when the EPA began requiring performance levels for all new wood heaters in1988. Starting with 4.5 grams per hour of smoke, the mandatory emission limit was set under Phase 1 of the room heater performance standard. On May 15, 2020, the standard will be even lower at 2.0 g/h. There will also be an optional cordwood test method which will set the standard at 2.5 g/h. Any stove manufacturer producing a wood stove meeting these standards can offer a voluntary hang tag which will identify the units that comply with the new standard before May of 2020
Not all that long ago, emissions in the 1 to 4 g/h were unheard of while today wood burning stove manufacturers have designed their combustion systems to meet those stringent standards. Checking the EPA labels on the stove and be a good comparison of stoves when you are shopping for a new stove. The lower the g/h, the cleaner and more efficient your new stove will be.
Generally speaking, two designs meet the EPA smoke emission limits: They are non-catalytic and catalytic combustion. Both designs have proved very effective, but there are some performance differences in the two designs. Most of the stoves in the market are of the non-catalytic design criteria, while some high-end stoves use catalytic combustion. Because the catalytic stoves are slightly more difficult to operate, catalytic stoves are more suitable to people who like technology and are equipped to maintain the stove correctly allowing it to continue to operate at maximum performance.
