- Nov 27, 2012
- 0
Question:
I just returned from a shop that sells Brunco coal/wood stoves, made in Salem OH by an Amish company. They have some very nice features, no doubt reflecting long Amish experience with appropriate technology. They appear to be air-tight. Workmanship looks excellent. The deal assures us that it is fine to burn wood in these stoves. Problem is: officially they are marketed as "coal-burning" stoves so that they don't have to worry about EPA guidelines. This might be because of the tendency of the Amish to avoid government interference wherever possible. But it might, of course, be because the stoves do not pass EPA guidelines. My questions are (1) whether you have heard of these stoves and (2) whether you would rule out purchasing one simply because it is advertised as "coal-burning."
Answer:
They are not allowed to advertise them as even coal/wood, and they are actually trying to skirt the law if they tell you to burn both. The EPA regs, which became law in 1990, require that all stoves burn at a very low emission level. This is much better for the air, and also for the stove efficiency.
I have never heard of them, but I know of other Amish Coal stoves...most are not state-of-the-art.
If you are really going to burn coal, you might consider it...but if wood is your fuel, do yourself a favor and go for the EPA approved models.
I just returned from a shop that sells Brunco coal/wood stoves, made in Salem OH by an Amish company. They have some very nice features, no doubt reflecting long Amish experience with appropriate technology. They appear to be air-tight. Workmanship looks excellent. The deal assures us that it is fine to burn wood in these stoves. Problem is: officially they are marketed as "coal-burning" stoves so that they don't have to worry about EPA guidelines. This might be because of the tendency of the Amish to avoid government interference wherever possible. But it might, of course, be because the stoves do not pass EPA guidelines. My questions are (1) whether you have heard of these stoves and (2) whether you would rule out purchasing one simply because it is advertised as "coal-burning."
Answer:
They are not allowed to advertise them as even coal/wood, and they are actually trying to skirt the law if they tell you to burn both. The EPA regs, which became law in 1990, require that all stoves burn at a very low emission level. This is much better for the air, and also for the stove efficiency.
I have never heard of them, but I know of other Amish Coal stoves...most are not state-of-the-art.
If you are really going to burn coal, you might consider it...but if wood is your fuel, do yourself a favor and go for the EPA approved models.
