What New Wood Stove Technology Would You Like To See?

[wooduser]

<<
I think the current best ideas are secondary burn tubes and catalytic combusters.

Maybe one day there will be robotic chimney cleaners that combine a rotary brush, spot application of chemicals, and maybe even a torch to burn off stubborn spots. Don't think it's far off, regarding technology capabilities, but would the market be large enough to support it?

Then perhaps much more heat could be captured, and it would just be an ongoing automated maintenance issue.



So what kind of technology leaps would you like to see happen with wood stoves?

Please give your ideas on how improvements might work, if you have such ideas.

Or do you think we are at the technological limit now?

 

[jetsam]

I want a stove that installs in the exterior wall of a house. There's a 48" x 100' conveyor belt leading off into the woods. You hook trees up to the built-in winch and it winches the trees up onto the conveyor. It slices chunks off and drops them into the bin as room becomes available. Power is via a battery bank charged by a built in TEG array. The TEG's cousin, the Peltier, provides cooling for the ice cream dispenser. There is a door on the living room side of the unit so the user can fufill his manly urges to poke at the fire.

I am pretty sure BK is working on this for me already....

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

<<
I think the current best ideas are secondary burn tubes and catalytic combusters.

Maybe one day there will be robotic chimney cleaners that combine a rotary brush, spot application of chemicals, and maybe even a torch to burn off stubborn spots. Don't think it's far off, regarding technology capabilities, but would the market be large enough to support it?

Then perhaps much more heat could be captured, and it would just be an ongoing automated maintenance issue.



So what kind of technology leaps would you like to see happen with wood stoves?

Please give your ideas on how improvements might work, if you have such ideas.

Or do you think we are at the technological limit now?

The smartest people and capital are working on electric cars, space travel, batteries, cellular technology, etc. Stuff with huge markets and lots of potential financial reward.

The wood stove market is tiny compared to these markets, so there's not much incentive.

Burn tubes and catalytic combusters are really only marginal improvements since Ben Franklin made the big leap from open fireplace to stove, and these were driven by clean air regulation.

 

[Woody5506]

Maybe a remote controlled primary air control.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Maybe a remote controlled primary air control.

That would be a good one. Even better would be automatic.

The early 1980's vintage VC Resolute I just installed at my parents had that in it. And I believe it's the secret sauce of BK stoves. On the VC it's really simple- just a bimetallic coil attached to a chain that's attached to the hinged air damper.

More stoves should employ this simple, inexpensive technology that's been used in stoves for at least 40 years.

 

[Woody5506]

That would be a good one. Even better would be automatic.

The early 1980's vintage VC Resolute I just installed at my parents had that in it. And I believe it's the secret sauce of BK stoves. On the VC it's really simple- just a bimetallic coil attached to a chain that's attached to the hinged air damper.

More stoves should employ this simple, inexpensive technology that's been used in stoves for at least 40 years.

Automatic could be nice as long as you could adjust it to auto/manual. I like a hot fire if I'm home and getting the stove going, but if I'm loading before work I choke the air down quicker so I know nothing is blazing after I leave. My wife is home but she isn't the most attentative to it. That's why in my case I would love something I could control even from my phone when out of the house, being able to see the flames and thermometers. I know it certainly takes away from the simplicity of a wood stove, but it would help efficiency and peace of mind.

 

[Ludlow]

I dont want gadgetry. Im interested in the primitive nature of it.

 

[jetsam]

Automatic could be nice as long as you could adjust it to auto/manual. I like a hot fire if I'm home and getting the stove going, but if I'm loading before work I choke the air down quicker so I know nothing is blazing after I leave. My wife is home but she isn't the most attentative to it. That's why in my case I would love something I could control even from my phone when out of the house, being able to see the flames and thermometers. I know it certainly takes away from the simplicity of a wood stove, but it would help efficiency and peace of mind.

With a BK, you set a firebox temperature on the dial and the thermostat does the rest. You choose the fire with the thermostat setting. No overfires even if you throw dry pine on top of a half load and walk away with the stove on high, because the thermostat shuts down the air for you.

There's no electronics or power outage worries, just a calibrated bimetallic thermostat and an air flapper.

People call it alien technology because it works extremely well, but the theory is very simple. I doubt the actual engineering is that simple though or every manufacturer would be doing it.

There's also an extremely neat thread going right now where some folks are building homebrew electronic servo air controls for tube stoves. They have some awesome results.

 

[wooduser]

There's also an extremely neat thread going right now where some folks are building homebrew electronic servo air controls for tube stoves. They have some awesome results.

I agree that marrying artificial intelligence to wood stoves offers some terrific possibilities. You could have a committee of our wood stove Xperts here carefully discussing the best way to operate your stove and making adjustments as needed ----twenty times per second.


There's also Ludlow's comment to consider:

<<I don't want gadgetry. Im interested in the primitive nature of it.

I think one of the appeals of wood stoves is that life in this society is TOO EASY for some people, who need and want challenges and the ability to develop their own style of living their life.

 

[MAD MARK]

Would like to see an off the shelf wifi capable multipoint temperature readout via App on phone that is modeled nicely on digital display near stove.

Auber is far from this...

 

[Highbeam]

I just want the benefits of a good cat stove without the cat. The most important benefit I’m talking about is the very wide range of outputs. Next is the automatic output regulation which holds the output rate.

From the wood furnace/boiler world we are seeing this with some electronic doodads. Nothing new, just apply it to stoves.

 

[begreen]

I just want the benefits of a good cat stove without the cat. The most important benefit I’m talking about is the very wide range of outputs. Next is the automatic output regulation which holds the output rate.

From the wood furnace/boiler world we are seeing this with some electronic doodads. Nothing new, just apply it to stoves.

I'd really like to try one of these for a season. These college whizz kids have persistently been developing interesting stoves. It's a cat stove, but is reported to perform quite well. At only 24" tall with the 3" legs it looks like it would be good for fireplace installs.
https://mffire.com/nova-small-wood-stove/

 

[Highbeam]

I'd really like to try one of these for a season. These college whizz kids have persistently been developing interesting stoves. It's a cat stove, but is reported to perform quite well. At only 24" tall with the 3" legs it looks like it would be good for fireplace installs.
https://mffire.com/nova-small-wood-stove/

So tiny. 1.7 cf. Hopefully they scale it up!

 

[mellow]

Would like to see an off the shelf wifi capable multipoint temperature readout via App on phone that is modeled nicely on digital display near stove.

Auber is far from this...

Its out there, just more than you want to pay for it at the moment: https://www.omega.com/oeg/

 

[Nick Mystic]

I'm in the Ludlow school of thought. I'm not saying technology to make stoves burn more efficiently and require less operator input is a bad thing. But for me it is the entire wood burning experience that I find rewarding. I cut the trees down, work up the wood, and burn it in my stove. I particularly enjoy doing my final reload of the night while I sit around listening to some quiet music as I let the fire build so that I can work my primary air control down to my overnight setting.

 

[begreen]

So tiny. 1.7 cf. Hopefully they scale it up!

Yes, it would be nice to see a 3 cu ft top vent. This one is right-sized for a lot of fireplace installs and the 900-1200 sq ft home range.

 

[mellow]

Would like to see an off the shelf wifi capable multipoint temperature readout via App on phone that is modeled nicely on digital display near stove.

Auber is far from this...

Test this out and let us know how it works: https://pcsensor.com/lan-port-thermocouple-system.html

 

[wooduser]

The two keys to higher efficiencies in gas furnaces have been 1) electric motors to induce and control draft through the furnace rather than depending upon gravity and 2) condensing water vapor out of the combustion gasses, which allows you to get back the very considerable energy it took to make steam from water produced by burning the hydrogen in gas to water vapor and the further ability that permitted to cool down combustion gasses to around 120 degrees, both sharply increasing real efficiencies.

Suppose you could do both with a wood stove/furnace?

With artificial intelligence operating the stove and electric motor supplying combustion air, perhaps relatively wet wood could be burned in a stove, aided by jets of air that burn wood intensely and burn smoke pretty much completely without the need for a catalytic converter. All that moisture in the combustion gasses would then be cooled down below the dew point, condensing it into water and gaining back all the heat it took to make steam out of it as useable heat. And all the water vapor produced from burning the hydrogen in wood gas would likewise be condensed back into liquid water, regaining the energy from converting steam into liquid water.

Those still hot combustion gasses would then be forced through an additional heat exchanger where any residual water was condensed, and cooled off to a temperature of 120 degrees before being vented out the side of a house using plastic pipe! So not only would you gain the heat of condensing steam into water vapor, but also from cooling that water vapor down to a 120 degree temperature!

Periodically the artificial intelligence would do the equivalent of shaking the grates in burning coal (whatever was necessary) to dislodge creosote and soot in the stove and cause that to be burned up in the fire.

And the intelligent stove would be monitoring indoor and outdoor temperatures, and adjusting the volume of combustion air blowing into the stove and thus the heat output of the stove, to stay with one-half degree of the temperature set on your thermostat. Since the combustion air supply was adjustable, so would be the heat output of the stove.

 

[wooduser]

I'm in the Ludlow school of thought. I'm not saying technology to make stoves burn more efficiently and require less operator input is a bad thing. But for me it is the entire wood burning experience that I find rewarding. I cut the trees down, work up the wood, and burn it in my stove. I particularly enjoy doing my final reload of the night while I sit around listening to some quiet music as I let the fire build so that I can work my primary air control down to my overnight setting.

I understand that scheme of values. But suppose you could burn wood that had been cut and stacked that same year, with 95% efficiency in a new, technocratic stove. Would that tempt you?

 

[Ludlow]

I must disclose that I only burn for enjoyment. I dont rely on it. If it was your 24/7 source then maybe you would want advancement. Then again you could just turn on the furnace and have the same experience at that point. Everybody comes at it with a different perspective and expectation.

 

[jetsam]

I just want the benefits of a good cat stove without the cat. The most important benefit I’m talking about is the very wide range of outputs. Next is the automatic output regulation which holds the output rate.

From the wood furnace/boiler world we are seeing this with some electronic doodads. Nothing new, just apply it to stoves.

The Adventure 2 has been on the market for a couple years now.

Mixed reviews.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

I like simple, but don't like overfires caused by brief lapses of attention or because I dozed off. Also don't like getting on my roof to do maintenance. And while I haven't experienced a chimney fire yet, I'm sure I wouldn't like that.

Any gizmos that will help avoid any of the above would be welcome.

More heat energy in the house rather than as flow system for pollutants would be great as well.

 

[jetsam]

I'd really like to try one of these for a season. These college whizz kids have persistently been developing interesting stoves. It's a cat stove, but is reported to perform quite well. At only 24" tall with the 3" legs it looks like it would be good for fireplace installs.
https://mffire.com/nova-small-wood-stove/

A 79% efficiency cat doesn't exactly put it at the top of its peer group, and the small-firebox efficiency penalty is probably minimal for these low turndown cats. What is new about it?

Their "Catalyst" model seems to be on-topic for this thread though! There's your smartphone stove.

While we're talking commercial products, let me link the (broken link removed to http://www.quadrafire.com/Products/Adventure-II-Wood-Stove.aspx), which also sounds pretty cool. I have heard only a little about it on hearth, but it hasn't been all positive. Edit: It appears there is a 4.5cf Adventure III now too! Awesome!

 

[begreen]

A 79% efficiency cat doesn't exactly put it at the top of its peer group, and the small-firebox efficiency penalty is probably minimal for these low turndown cats. What is new about it?

No air control. It's self regulating. I said I'd like to try it out, not buy it. Can't say whether I'd be impressed or not, but I did like talking with the original MF Fire team. They are sharp kids exploring new clean burning solutions.

 

[byQ]

The burning science that is being worked on right now (in Europe, mostly) is using wood stoves to create energy, like a PV panel. So for example if you had a power outage you could use your wood stove to run lights and maybe other things. So changing wood stove burning energy into electricity - it is happening now though you never here anything about it.