The terminoligy and new techonoligy seen here can be like almost a foriegn language to some people not fimiliar with the new stoves and so i am going to write you a little guide. I am a newbee here too, but I had a need to read and learn.
Old stoves, now called non epa rated or not epa stoves...... these are the old time stoves that can put out a chimney full of smoke, which is actually your fuel, just blowing up the chimney and smoking out the neighborhood. They can maybe manage 35 % efficency and waste 65%
of your heat and wood. They might be upgraded to maybe 45% efficency by adding on a magic heat smoke stack heat reclaimer. THey only have a primary air control,non heated and a chimney damper plate in the smoke stack. They use 1850 technoligy and are 157 years behind
the times.They do not have blowers and heat mostly by radiant head with only nominal convection heat. They may or may not have a glass flame viewing area, usually not.
epa rated non catalitic stoves:
have pretty viewing glass to see flames
run 62 to 89% efficient
save you fuel costs by giving the same heat with 1/2 the wood
no smoke up the chimney, if opperated properly.
important if you have nearby neighbors.
have variable speed blower motors and heat exchangers
heat by both radiation and hot air convection, but mostly hot air convection.
have preheated dual primary and secondary air controls that are conbined into 1 easy 2 use opperating lever.
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NON CAT EPA RATED STOVES
use preheated primary air as well as preheated secondary air. The preheated secondary air supplies a secondary smoke combustion chamber whose purpose is to burn up the smoke from the primary combustion chamber and extract additional heat from it to further warm the heat exchanger. The secondary smoke combustion chamber is located directly above the primary combustion chamber and heated by it.
terms
primary combustion chamber= firebox ,where the wood goes.
primary air control , provides measured preheated air to the primary combustion chamber.
secondary combustion chamber= above primary combustion chamber and heated by it to burn up the smoke from the primary chamber and further heat the heat exchanger.
secondary air control= provides measured preheated air to the secondary combustion.
heat exchanger= located above both the primary and secondary combustion chambers and recieving heat from both of them, cold air from your room is fan forced through the inside of these pipes, well warmed and released back into your room.
variable speed room air circulator fan= blows cold room air thru heat exchanger and back into room as hot air.
Catilitic converter epa rated stove:
has all of the features and qualities on the non cat stove above except that:
there is no secondary combustion chamber but instead, a catalyic converter like in your car
whose purpose is to burn up the smoke before the smoke can go up the chimney.
The catalyic converter also produces heat to help warm the heat exchanger and is about as efficient or maybe more efficient, depending on make and model, than the non-cat stove,
but not by much , either way.
The major differince is the catalytic converter is relatively easily damaged and may only last up to 3 years and costs $150.oo or more to replace.
This every 3 or 4 yr repair bill can be avoided by buying the non-cat epa rated stove.
Old stoves, now called non epa rated or not epa stoves...... these are the old time stoves that can put out a chimney full of smoke, which is actually your fuel, just blowing up the chimney and smoking out the neighborhood. They can maybe manage 35 % efficency and waste 65%
of your heat and wood. They might be upgraded to maybe 45% efficency by adding on a magic heat smoke stack heat reclaimer. THey only have a primary air control,non heated and a chimney damper plate in the smoke stack. They use 1850 technoligy and are 157 years behind
the times.They do not have blowers and heat mostly by radiant head with only nominal convection heat. They may or may not have a glass flame viewing area, usually not.
epa rated non catalitic stoves:
have pretty viewing glass to see flames
run 62 to 89% efficient
save you fuel costs by giving the same heat with 1/2 the wood
no smoke up the chimney, if opperated properly.
important if you have nearby neighbors.
have variable speed blower motors and heat exchangers
heat by both radiation and hot air convection, but mostly hot air convection.
have preheated dual primary and secondary air controls that are conbined into 1 easy 2 use opperating lever.
*************
NON CAT EPA RATED STOVES
use preheated primary air as well as preheated secondary air. The preheated secondary air supplies a secondary smoke combustion chamber whose purpose is to burn up the smoke from the primary combustion chamber and extract additional heat from it to further warm the heat exchanger. The secondary smoke combustion chamber is located directly above the primary combustion chamber and heated by it.
terms
primary combustion chamber= firebox ,where the wood goes.
primary air control , provides measured preheated air to the primary combustion chamber.
secondary combustion chamber= above primary combustion chamber and heated by it to burn up the smoke from the primary chamber and further heat the heat exchanger.
secondary air control= provides measured preheated air to the secondary combustion.
heat exchanger= located above both the primary and secondary combustion chambers and recieving heat from both of them, cold air from your room is fan forced through the inside of these pipes, well warmed and released back into your room.
variable speed room air circulator fan= blows cold room air thru heat exchanger and back into room as hot air.
Catilitic converter epa rated stove:
has all of the features and qualities on the non cat stove above except that:
there is no secondary combustion chamber but instead, a catalyic converter like in your car
whose purpose is to burn up the smoke before the smoke can go up the chimney.
The catalyic converter also produces heat to help warm the heat exchanger and is about as efficient or maybe more efficient, depending on make and model, than the non-cat stove,
but not by much , either way.
The major differince is the catalytic converter is relatively easily damaged and may only last up to 3 years and costs $150.oo or more to replace.
This every 3 or 4 yr repair bill can be avoided by buying the non-cat epa rated stove.
Replace w/ more neutral language. The major differince is the catalytic converter is relatively easily damaged and may only last up to 3 years and costs $150.oo or more to replace.The catalyst is somewhat fragile, and can be damaged by misuse, particularly by burning things other than properly seasoned firewood (the ONLY thing that should ever be burned in a stove) It is a consumable item that requires periodic replacement to maintain the clean burning ability of the stove.
