I've burned wood for years but I'm still really dumb when it comes to different stove types. On this site, I saw cat stoves, non-cat stoves & EPA stoves mentioned. What are some examples of each & what are the advantages/disadvantages of each?
Types of stoves..
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EPA certified means that a stove releases particulate matter (smoke, etc.) below a certain threshold specified by the EPA in the US. It can be a cat stove or a non-cat stove - all it has to do is meet or beat the emissions requirements. Take a minute to read this page, especially the last half: http://www.woodheat.org/technology/woodstoves.htm
Today's stoves are designed to burn the volatile gases released from the primary combustion of wood via a process known as secondary combustion. This is achieved in a cat stove by passing the smoke through a ceramic honeycomb treated with special metals. Once the cat reaches 500F, a bypass damper is close which forces the smoke to pass through the catalyst. The cat burns the smoke, you have more heat and fewer emissions. A non-cat stove generally uses a "secondary air" design whereby preheated air is "injected" on top of the fire via stainless steel tubes. The preheated air burns the volatile gases once they reach around 1,100F.
Cats have to be replaced and and subject to "thermal shock", but the baffle components in a non-cat stove degrade over time due to the high temps required for them to operate properly. I personally consider the maintenance aspect a wash. Some claim a non-cat is easier to operate, but I have no idea as I have never used one. You simply have to throw a bypass lever once the cat is up to temp (a probe type thermometer will let you know in most cases).
Cat stoves are known for longer burns with more even heat, but both types of stove will produce plenty of heat.
Today's stoves are designed to burn the volatile gases released from the primary combustion of wood via a process known as secondary combustion. This is achieved in a cat stove by passing the smoke through a ceramic honeycomb treated with special metals. Once the cat reaches 500F, a bypass damper is close which forces the smoke to pass through the catalyst. The cat burns the smoke, you have more heat and fewer emissions. A non-cat stove generally uses a "secondary air" design whereby preheated air is "injected" on top of the fire via stainless steel tubes. The preheated air burns the volatile gases once they reach around 1,100F.
Cats have to be replaced and and subject to "thermal shock", but the baffle components in a non-cat stove degrade over time due to the high temps required for them to operate properly. I personally consider the maintenance aspect a wash. Some claim a non-cat is easier to operate, but I have no idea as I have never used one. You simply have to throw a bypass lever once the cat is up to temp (a probe type thermometer will let you know in most cases).
Cat stoves are known for longer burns with more even heat, but both types of stove will produce plenty of heat.
Crimson, one reason why I though a good cat stove would work for you is because generally you can run the stove at a bit lower heat and not get the creosote problem. It seems with the newer non-cat stoves most folks report that they need a hotter fire for things to work right.
On our cat stove we can actually run it with no flame at all which would cause big problems with other stoves. When running with no flame the cat is what gives the heat. It will glow a pretty bright red and burn off all the bad stuff so your chimney will stay much cleaner. After putting up a new chimney when we purchased our stove we did not clean it until after using it 2 full winters...and then we really didn't have to clean it as we got very little from it. I just wanted to see how much we'd get and I was surprised...and pleased.
On our cat stove we can actually run it with no flame at all which would cause big problems with other stoves. When running with no flame the cat is what gives the heat. It will glow a pretty bright red and burn off all the bad stuff so your chimney will stay much cleaner. After putting up a new chimney when we purchased our stove we did not clean it until after using it 2 full winters...and then we really didn't have to clean it as we got very little from it. I just wanted to see how much we'd get and I was surprised...and pleased.
In addition to the good Woodheat article, there are several on this topic here on Hearth.com. Look on the right side column.
https://www.hearth.com/what/specific.php
https://www.hearth.com/what/specific.php
crimson63 said:
Nah, not dumb . . . it's just all new and there is a process of learning, re-education if you would . . . we've all had to go through the re-learning, but trust me, this is the place to get the right answers!
EPA = Environmental Protection Agency . . . in the context of woodstoves this refers to the types of stoves that burn cleanly and efficiently . . . which is good for the environment and good for you since it means more heat with less wood burned. Examples: Most any new stove . . . can achieve this EPA "rating" through the use of catalytic converters or secondary burning technology.
Cat = Stove that uses a catalytic converter to achieve the EPA standards for a clean burning stove. The cat does need to be replaced (con) over time and it seems as though it is a little less forgiving than secondary burning tech if you're using less than ideal seasoned wood, but if you have good, dry wood you can get some fantastically long burn times and long, low burn temps which are nice in the shoulder seasons (pro.) Examples: Woodstock and BlazeKing.
Non-cat = Dog . . . or any other commonly found animal found as a pet in an American home.
Non-cat (definition 2) = Secondary burning technology . . . uses a baffle and secondary air supply to effectively re-burn the smoke before it exits the flue achieving clean burning standards as defined by the EPA. While this type of tech definitely does better with seasoned wood, some folks can muscle by with less than ideal wood . . . nice visual displays . . . not as long burns or long, low-temp burns like cats. Examples: Jotul, Englader, Napoleon, Lopi.
Needless to say there are many cat vs. non-cat debates . . . my own take . . . both technologies work and work well . . . there are some differences and at one time I would have only wanted to go with one of those types . . . but now, after hearing actual users of both types, I would not hesitate to go with either type as both offer clean and efficient burning.
There are also radiant and convective stoves. Radiant stoves mostly radiate heat directly from their surface and warm whatever is in its way. A convective stove has an inner and outer layer and has air pass between (often with the help of a blower) sending the warm air out into the room. One example of a radiant stove are Jotuls. An example of a convective stove are the Pacific Energy Alderleas.
Good informative replys, spending time on this site will certianly help me make better decisions about which stove I need to purchase. thank's
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