EPA new wood stove requirements!

[webfish]

http://www2.epa.gov/residential-woo...ary-requirements-woodstoves-and-pellet-stoves

Story by Tux Turkel https://www.centralmaine.com/2015/02/04/epa-approves-new-woodstove-emissions-standards/

Bret Watson, the company’s president, said Wednesday that the new rules won’t have an impact right away, because all Jotul stoves now burn an average of 4.5 grams of emissions an hour – much cleaner than the 1988 standards for noncatalytic stoves of 7.5 grams per hour. But the EPA is calling for emissions to be cut to 2 grams per hour in 2020, and Jotul opposes that.

“Step two, if upheld, will be a game changer,” Watson told the Press Herald.

To achieve 2 grams, he said, the company would need to add catalytic combustors to all its 14 models, which would cost more than $1 million overall. He estimated that adding the technology to Jotul’s most-popular model, the F 500, would add 15 percent, or $375, to the cost of that stove for a buyer.

Other stories.

http://host.madison.com/daily-cardi...cle_22292578-ace3-11e4-a141-eb3d6d469e71.html

 

[j7art2]

What exactly does this mean for us?

 

[webfish]

It means higher costs for new stoves. Many not happy, others like the idea of cleaner stoves.

Senator Steve Daines today blasted the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new regulations on wood burning stoves as a direct threat to Montanans’ access to affordable energy.
“The EPA’s shortsighted regulatory overreach is once again hitting hardworking Montanans in their pocketbooks,” Daines stated. “Thousands of Montanans rely on wood burning stoves for affordable, cost-effective energy – yet once again, the EPA is moving forward with new, costly regulations that could stand in the way of Montanans’ access to new residential wood heaters or burden Montana families with higher costs.”

(broken link removed to http://thepondernews.blogspot.com/2015/02/daines-blasts-costly-epa-wood-stove-regs.html)

 

[draughtdude]

I guess all new stoves in 2019 will be cat stoves. This might backfire because the average woodburner probably doesn't burn properly nor would properly care for a catalyst wood stove's needs, so I imagine failure rate will be high, and some folks will just remove the cat and emissions will be worse than an early epa stove. So the question is, how can wood stove catalytic technology be changed/developed to make it more user friendly and ubiquitous for those that only see a wood stove as a necessary heating item?

Perhaps an automatic bypass control system and a self cleaning cat?

 

[draughtdude]

Or would it be possible to mimic the design of a gassifier in a wood stove thereby perhaps meeting the emissions requirements without a catalyst?

 

[Oldman47]

It looks to me like barrel stoves are about to become a thing of the past for new installs. The so called exempt status is going away as of Dec 31, 2015 for new sales and 60 days after posting in the Federal Register for manufacturing. This will give the dealers a few months to clear their exempt stove inventory out. OWB regulations are being phased in, so that group of manufacturers has a little more time to fix their emissions.
The tougher part is 5 years down the road where a large fraction of present stoves will not meet standards without some improvement. Again it will be only new installs that are affected.
The most disturbing part for me is what they will try to do for existing installations over time. So far they have left those alone. As so many other industries have found out, once they have a foot in the door the EPA seldom stops there.

 

[draughtdude]

It looks to me like barrel stoves are about to become a thing of the past for new installs. The so called exempt status is going away as of Dec 31, 2015 for new sales and 60 days after posting in the Federal Register for manufacturing. This will give the dealers a few months to clear their exempt stove inventory out. OWB regulations are being phased in, so that group of manufacturers has a little more time to fix their emissions.
The tougher part is 5 years down the road where a large fraction of present stoves will not meet standards without some improvement. Again it will be only new installs that are affected.
The most disturbing part for me is what they will try to do for existing installations over time. So far they have left those alone. As so many other industries have found out, once they have a foot in the door the EPA seldom stops there.

I find it shocking that people are still installing barrel stoves?? Why would you?

 

[Oldman47]

It still happens today but this will stop it in the US.

 

[Babaganoosh]

I'd use a barrel stove for something like a hunting cabin or a detached workshop. Something that isn't used regularly so you don't want to dump money into it.

 

[Plow Boy]

you'll probably still be able to buy the barrel stove kit and do it yourself. The kit is tech. not a stove, so i dont see how they could stop that(IMO of course)

 

[BrotherBart]

My 30-NC met the 2020 requirement. In 2005.

 

[MishMouse]

My Harman TL-300 meets the 2.0 grams also.

Average Emissions 1.1 Grams Per Hr.
Emissions on Low 0.8 Grams Per Hr.

I think the focus of this is on Non-EPA approved stoves.

 

[j7art2]

Theoretical question:

I'm looking at getting a Drolet Tundra wood furnace add-on to replace my 40 year old inefficient unit. It currently met EPA regulations as of 1/1/15. Now, I'm not so sure.

To clarify, they want 4.5 grams per hour in all wood stoves. The Tundra releases 6.6. Does this mean that I have until December 31, 2015 to purchase my Drolet Tundra, or are they still good to go since they are already EPA certified? My initial thought was to wait until next tax season to purchase the unit, but I may now not have that luxury.

I apologize for my ignorance on this whole subject; we're talking $1400 for a new unit, or potentially $5000 for a new unit now under the new regulations.

 

[webfish]

I think the focus of this is on Non-EPA approved stoves.

This will impact many, many more stoves than than just the Non-EPA. Here is current list. Many of these current EPA approved will no longer be approved in 2020.
http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2013-08/documents/certifiedwood.pdf

 

[j7art2]

Does this mean that we have until 2020 to buy any new unit we want without ridiculous regulations, or do we have until Dec 31 2015?

 

[Oldman47]

Does this mean that we have until 2020 to buy any new unit we want without ridiculous regulations, or do we have until Dec 31 2015?

No , neither one. The EPA has published a separate fact sheet for furnaces. It is located here:
http://www2.epa.gov/residential-woo...y-requirements-wood-fired-forced-air-furnaces

 

[begreen]

Aren't they delaying the standards for furnaces for a year or two? Also, the requirement seems vague and tougher to test.

Emissions limit of 0.93 pounds of PM per million Btu heat output, weighted average. Cordwood testing is required for forced air furnaces.

What kind of cordwood and based on heat output average? (And why not stick to the metric system for this measurement to be consistent with other standards?)

 

[Plow Boy]

small furnaces one year, large furnaces two years

 

[begreen]

What defines small vs large furnace?

 

[Plow Boy]

I dont have a clue

 

[begreen]

Nothing about fireplaces? That's a smoking hole you could drive a truck through.

 

[begreen]

What defines small vs large furnace?

I just found it in the technical review pdf. Small is very small - <65,000 BTU/hr output. I haven't found out how that is tested and whether this is EPA tested steady state (average) output or cordwood peak output. Looks like the Mini-Caddy might qualify for small and the Tundra as large.

 

[Plow Boy]

did u see the grams they were listing per btu's burned. by 2020 it was like .15 grams. that is really low, i hope the stove companies have a rabbit up their sleeve

 

[Plow Boy]

http://www2.epa.gov/residential-woo...y-requirements-wood-fired-forced-air-furnaces

 

[j7art2]

Is there a separate list of EPA regulated wood furnaces? I checked http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2013-08/documents/certifiedwood.pdf but it does not list wood furnaces under this list. There are units like the Drolet Tundra (again, just an example, its 125,000 BTU/H) that meet the 1988 EPA regulations, but are not on this list. I apologize, but the EPA website is not particularly user friendly, or I am profoundly stupid when it comes to navigating the site and finding information on wood furnaces.

Another thing that I found in the fact sheet is:

The EPA regulations are "Emissions limit of 0.93 pounds of PM per million Btu heat output, weighted average. Cordwood testing is required for forced air furnaces."

This is confusing. In the listing of the unit itself, it's listed as 6.6 grams per hour, not per BTU heat output. Is this some sort of ratio or calculation that I'm failing to see?

Again, I apologize for the questions. I'm rather inadequate in understanding any sort of government logic in general, and can't seem to make heads or tails of this.