Pacific Energy LE2 line qualifies for tax credit

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Nov 18, 2005
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Just announced, the new LE2 stoves are 76% HHV and qualify for the tax credit. So far this is only for the smaller stoves, but more are getting tested. There's a $250 discount for pre-orders.

 
What’s the controller controlling?
 
Air to the stove.

These new models have a flue thermocouple, a control board, and a motor driven air control. Unfortunately it requires a 12 volt power source to operate.

Interestingly they only run half the baffle as stainless and there is 2 secondary tubes and a ceramic baffle above it.

Personally I like the idea, just turn the stove as low as it will go and the controller operates to ensure the stove doesn't smolder. I hope this system makes it into their larger models.
 
Air to the stove.

These new models have a flue thermocouple, a control board, and a motor driven air control. Unfortunately it requires a 12 volt power source to operate.

Interestingly they only run half the baffle as stainless and there is 2 secondary tubes and a ceramic baffle above it.

Personally I like the idea, just turn the stove as low as it will go and the controller operates to ensure the stove doesn't smolder. I hope this system makes it into their larger models.
But why do we need the electric control. BK and the Aspen C3 have bi metallic thermostat. I get it why ease if it but once it loses power then what happens. Is it just like a manual stove that you never learned to operate until you are without power.

I’m being to hard. I’d take a T5 or T6 with it and enjoy the tax credit.
 
But why do we need the electric control. BK and the Aspen C3 have bi metallic thermostat. I get it why ease if it but once it loses power then what happens. Is it just like a manual stove that you never learned to operate until you are without power.

I’m being to hard. I’d take a T5 or T6 with it and enjoy the tax credit.
It's a stove designed to pass a test. There is a battery pack that will provide 5-7 days operation without power.
 
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it’s nice to see another noncat qualify. Not sure what I think of the auto air control. It will be interesting to see what PE comes out with for their larger stoves. I think someone stated they were throwing cats in them?
 
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I agree that it's good to have solid non-cats qualify. Not only EPA requirements, but diversity of options will also help keep mfgs on their toes. That hopefully will result in continuous improvement (in operation and performance).

I do not like control boards. See the pellet forum. Too often "the light is blinking what do I do" - things break down.
All these boards are (technologically) incredibly simple. There's nothing advanced here.
I like my stove to be independent of such failures. Steel (okay, and a bimetal coil) is much less likely to fail than an electronics board.

I do think it's good that there are stoves with this, see the varied options argument. I do hope that not all stoves will go this route, see failures.

That's my $0.02
 
I do like this more than the True North cat system
 
I do like this more than the True North cat system
Haven't run either, but my preference is the True North implementation. No power required, simpler with good user control, and it will continue to function well even if the cat plugs up.
 
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But why do we need the electric control. BK and the Aspen C3 have bi metallic thermostat. I get it why ease if it but once it loses power then what happens. Is it just like a manual stove that you never learned to operate until you are without power.

I’m being to hard. I’d take a T5 or T6 with it and enjoy the tax credit.

Why not have something different?

I like electronic controls, they can be precise and exact. Blaze kings are cool, and I would own one, but they don't measure flue gas temp in any direst way to ensure secondary combustion is occuring. Although they don't have to due to the catalytic converter.

Wood stoves need to improve, I suspect they will have an increasingly larger target on them due to the air pollution they create, electronics or catalysts are the only way to repeatedly achieve meaningful gains in this regard. Not everyone wants a catalyst.
 
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Haven't run either, but my preference is the True North implementation. No power required, simpler with good user control, and it will continue to function well even if the cat plugs up.
Isn’t the cat located right under the flue? Bad design imo. How would it work well if the cat is plugged up?
 
on a 17 foot flue, I can light my T5 with my key damper closed. It doesn’t light easily, but I did it by accident. If the flue is 25% open, it’ll work.
 
Isn’t the cat located right under the flue? Bad design imo. How would it work well if the cat is plugged up?
It is, but look at the design. The stove is already a very clean burner. The cat is just to boost the efficiency by a percent or two. The flue gas flow only goes through the cat once the cat has heated up. Once hot, it siphons some of the flue gases to further clean them up. This clever engineering means no bypass needed. That helps it get past the 75% HHV hurdle. If the cat is plugged solid, the stove still functions cleanly, albeit at slightly lower HHV. This is unlike the Jotul design which uses a super large cat that has all flue gases traveling through it at all times.
 
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Air to the stove.

These new models have a flue thermocouple, a control board, and a motor driven air control. Unfortunately it requires a 12 volt power source to operate.

Interestingly they only run half the baffle as stainless and there is 2 secondary tubes and a ceramic baffle above it.

Personally I like the idea, just turn the stove as low as it will go and the controller operates to ensure the stove doesn't smolder. I hope this system makes it into their larger models.
I wonder if they can retro fit or upgrade older stoves such as the LE models?
 
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I wonder if they can retro fit or upgrade older stoves such as the LE models?
Sell to current owners or update new products to market and sell?
 
I personally would not bother for a marginal efficiency of less than 5% increase.

I think the justification of upgrading the stove tech would be for better controllability, semi-autonomy, or longer burn times. Efficiency probably wouldn't be a main contributor. At least those would be my reasons.
 
I think the justification of upgrading the stove tech would be for better controllability, semi-autonomy, or longer burn times. Efficiency probably wouldn't be a main contributor. At least those would be my reasons.
what can it do. Reduce (or increase) secondary air flow based I. Temps. So if it’s getting too hot it cuts it back (longer burn). To cold cuts it’s back to increase flue gas temp? What’s 5% longer burn time. 20 minutes??? Packing, split size and MC have more of an effect. And then there is the whole UL testing for old units they would have to go through.

You won’t ever see one for sale as a modification.
 
I agree it won't be for sale as a modification.

However, BK claims that the even burn rate they have does add significantly to the time that a load can burn. When fuel collapses in the box, new surface area becomes available leading to higher burn rates. Cutting that back does help.