![[Hearth.com] Efficiency approach for 1990 EPA stove (pre cat/secondary tube)](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/342/342905-5ea8464b78c41b5c231d0dce07680923.jpg?hash=P6eJw0ojmk "[Hearth.com] Efficiency approach for 1990 EPA stove (pre cat/secondary tube)")
I am a big fan of my 1990 EPA stove. It’s a fabco pioneer Z. Has a baffle, nice blower but no secondary tube or cat. I believe this is one of the earliest EPA stove with secondary combustion / secondary air from the top or around the baffle?
My theory is that to optimally extract maximal amount of heat from this system / thermal efficiency, the optimal approach would be to burn very hot, large fires and rely on blower to extract as much heat as possible rather than relying on choking down air since thermal losses from the chimney is likely less than the loss of heat from incomplete combustion of wood gas?
Anyone have experience / using the preEPA and/or early EPA stove?
