Calling On Elm Owners

[wkpoor]

If there are any of you out there. I know there are plenty out there but maybe not many on Hearth.com.
Anyhow…..I would like to hear about your experiences with the Elm. Why you bought one, and if you moved on to another stove why you left. Echo…echo….echo…...

 

[joseywales]

Well, i thought you wanted to talk about burning Elm Wood. I don't know about elm Stoves, but Elm wood is good to burn, but can be a bear to split.

Stay warm!

 

[PJF1313]

The only thing I can help you with, is that I like the looks of 'em.




(and trying to bump your post up - just out of curiosity )

 

[Mt Ski Bum]

I hear crickets... lol

 

[BrotherBart]

All three of the other Elm owners are in bed asleep now. :coolsmirk:

 

[wkpoor]

Thank goodness sales volume isn't a measure of quality and funtionality. But then again I wouldn't use this forum as a gauge for sales volume of any stove.
You would think Ford and Chevy never sold a car at the Mopar Nationals.

 

[Highbeam]

The problem is that you can't go to the store and buy an elm. They are not a "real" brand as near as I can tell. Are they even EPA certified? homemade? Sure, they look nice. About as rare as hen's teeth.

 

[peakbagger]

The former owner "rebuilds" them and makes ongoing modifications. I expect that a "rebuilt" unit may not have a lot of the original parts but it gets around EPA certification for new stoves. His modifications may meet the EPA specs but I do not think the mods have gone through formal certification so its basically a used stove and would not be usable in areas and states that require EPA stoves for new installations.

 

[wkpoor]

The problem is that you can't go to the store and buy an elm. They are not a "real" brand as near as I can tell. Are they even EPA certified? homemade? Sure, they look nice. About as rare as hen's teeth.

Not all that rare. Wonder how many stoves in use today (even in areas that might require it) are EPA certified? Obviously more and more all the time as new units are sold.
Your right though, if that is important to you then an Elm is not for you. So many things in life where made before there was a regulation. Do we throw it away because of that, or do we continue to use them if they work fine and do the job using our own common sense.

 

[begreen]

This is not a new regulation. WA state has had this regulation since the late 80's. The majority of stoves here are EPA and I'm glad for it. You can spot (and smell) the remaining smoke dragons pretty easily. It's like following a pre-emissions control car.

 

[wkpoor]

This is not a new regulation. WA state has had this regulation since the late 80's. The majority of stoves here are EPA and I'm glad for it. You can spot (and smell) the remaining smoke dragons pretty easily. It's like following a pre-emissions control car.

Nothing stinks worse than a catalytic converter. Pre emission cars if tuned right smell far less worse IMO. I am aware the reg was put in during that time period. Attrition more than anything else will put cleaner stoves in homes all across the nation. But as I mentioned awhile back 9 out of 10 homes around here still have the old pre EPA stoves and I know of almost no one who even knows what an EPA stove is.

 

[begreen]

I suspect that's high sulfur fuel, not the cat convertor. Our Toyota used to smell when the cat was cold, till we changed gas brands, then it went away completely. But I will put up with the smell, rather than the headache causing breathing unburnt fuel fumes.

 

[wkpoor]

Everytime a car near me gets on it he leaves a trail of rotten eggs. Unburnt fumes is from a vehicle that nedds a tuneup. EFI pretty much eliminated cars running around that way. Properly tuned old car can pass emissions testing.

 

[begreen]

Drive the elm in there and see how it does.

 

[Highbeam]

I ride a motorcycle and get to smell all sorts of exhaust. It is very obvious when you are behind an old carb equipped vehicle with no cat, also obvious is sulfury smell of early emissions vehicles using a carb, air injection, and a cat, the more modern FI units have no real smell at all unless they are abusing the engine with heavy acceleration and then the smell is not sulfury but just kind of sooty. Diesels also have unique smells from old trucks that smell like cold fuel oil, cat only which smells pretty good to me, and then the ultra modern diesels which smell more like burnt soot.

Being EPA certified is the only way a stove is legal to buy, sell, or install in WA. Also means you can use the stove during the frequent stage one burn bans. Your state probably also has the EPA certification requirements. Ignorance is no excuse.

If your other choice is a burn barrel, then the elm is a big upgrade.

 

[wkpoor]

Elms have secondary burn and or cats. They all come with secondary burn and burn just as clean as my Magnolia as far a no smoke from the chimney. Cats are an option also. Other than the shape they are indeed EPA stoves.

 

[Ratman]

Drive the elm in there and see how it does.

Best stove period