Just to prove the point that we never know it all, last week I was in a showroom in Michigan. The dealer was speaking with a customer, so I sat to the side. The customer said he wanted a new stove, but not a catalytic stove because he had read on this site and others they did not offer a fire show.
The dealer said to the customer, "let's set both stoves at the same burn rate and see what you think."
That got me thinking (you can tell because smoke starts leaking out of my ears).
To those folks that often point out those catalytic wood stoves do not offer the fire show of a non catalytic wood stove; you might first set both units on the same burn rate before making that observation.
Non catalytic wood stoves, in order to pass tight emissions standards, offer a much smaller turn down rate, (The difference from high to low), than catalytic stoves. This difference is inherent in the way the two technologies differ. (I say differ, not one is better than the other!)
A catalyst treated combustor can become very effective (active) at around 550 degrees. This is why there is an inverse relationship between cat and non cat stoves in the realm of emissions. Catalytic designed stoves burn ultra clean on the lowest of burn rates. Non catalytic stoves burn cleanest on the highest of burn rates.
If you were to set both a non catalytic wood stove at 1.5 kg/hr and a catalytic wood stove at 1.5 kg/hr. you might be amazed to find they both provide a wonderful view or fire. However, if you set (based upon the wording on the label) a non catalytic wood stove to "low" and a catalytic wood stove to "low", there is a vast difference in the fire or view. That's because they two units differ in that a catalytic wood stove can pass tight standards and burn lower....and because in this case the two stoves are not burning at the same burn rate.
As the emissions standards tighten, and they will, the turn down rate for non catalytic wood stoves will continue to become smaller and smaller. The wording on the label will read "high" and "not so high".
The revival of the dual technology stoves (hybrid is the buzz word these days) takes advantage of the benefits of cat and non cat alike. To be clear, that is not to say they are ALWAYS cleaner burning and ALWAYS more efficient that just a plain good old PROVEN cat stove.
Your comments and observations as always are welcome...
And lest I forget, the dealer sold the customer a stove he will be very happy with...
Merry Christmas to one and all!
The dealer said to the customer, "let's set both stoves at the same burn rate and see what you think."
That got me thinking (you can tell because smoke starts leaking out of my ears).
To those folks that often point out those catalytic wood stoves do not offer the fire show of a non catalytic wood stove; you might first set both units on the same burn rate before making that observation.
Non catalytic wood stoves, in order to pass tight emissions standards, offer a much smaller turn down rate, (The difference from high to low), than catalytic stoves. This difference is inherent in the way the two technologies differ. (I say differ, not one is better than the other!)
A catalyst treated combustor can become very effective (active) at around 550 degrees. This is why there is an inverse relationship between cat and non cat stoves in the realm of emissions. Catalytic designed stoves burn ultra clean on the lowest of burn rates. Non catalytic stoves burn cleanest on the highest of burn rates.
If you were to set both a non catalytic wood stove at 1.5 kg/hr and a catalytic wood stove at 1.5 kg/hr. you might be amazed to find they both provide a wonderful view or fire. However, if you set (based upon the wording on the label) a non catalytic wood stove to "low" and a catalytic wood stove to "low", there is a vast difference in the fire or view. That's because they two units differ in that a catalytic wood stove can pass tight standards and burn lower....and because in this case the two stoves are not burning at the same burn rate.
As the emissions standards tighten, and they will, the turn down rate for non catalytic wood stoves will continue to become smaller and smaller. The wording on the label will read "high" and "not so high".
The revival of the dual technology stoves (hybrid is the buzz word these days) takes advantage of the benefits of cat and non cat alike. To be clear, that is not to say they are ALWAYS cleaner burning and ALWAYS more efficient that just a plain good old PROVEN cat stove.
Your comments and observations as always are welcome...
And lest I forget, the dealer sold the customer a stove he will be very happy with...
Merry Christmas to one and all!
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