Comments on: Woodstoves and Pellet Stoves

By: Marilyn Taylor

Marilyn Taylor — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:41:18 +0000

I am looking for a fireplace insert that will not bankrupt me, but get that smoke out of the air and be a cosy looking fire. Any one out there have a suggestion. We live in San Antonio, and so don’t use the fireplace except maybe 10 times a year.
Thanks alot for your help!

By: Charles Keller

Charles Keller — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:14:33 +0000

I just read the comments about the differnt catalytic systems for wood stoves. I have to strongly disagree. I reluctanly used the honeycomb combustors for years in my Buck Model 20. I love the stove but hated the combustors. They would literally disintegrate in a few months. I contacted Buck Stove and they recommended that I try the combustors from Clear Skies Unlimited. Thank the good Lord for these combustors. I have had one in my stove for almost two years and it works perfectly. I wish to also thank the good people at Buck Stove for the tip.

By: Andy

Andy — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:39:46 +0000

I am still relatively new to wood stoves ( using one for 2 years) compared to some experienced folks on here but I hear a lot about pollution and air quality damage. I started using wood stoves with few rules. 1- Never cut live wood, only use dead wood.
2-buying wood is the last option. always try to cut, split and stash it by yourself.
3- I have tried to add a community / social element to this by inviting my wood stove using friends to go with me to cut and haul firewood.
I use a EPA certified c-converter stove I know all stoves are polluting but electricity is nowhere close to clean.

By: Wayne Robey

Wayne Robey — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:29:48 +0000

All catalytic burners are not the same. Caution below.
I purchased a used stove several years ago with what seemed to be a good catalytic burner (often called a catalytic combustor) 6″ dia ceramic 3″ thick with 4 partitions/inch. I installed it with 3′ vertical followed by 20′ horizontal 8″ dia stove pipe feeding a brick chimney about 30′ to the top. Last year the catalyst was nearly inactive and this year I replaced it with one made from alumina foam fiber 1″ thick coated with catalyst. It is cheap and advertised by Clear Skies Unlimited as being EPA approved. I try to burn wood without making a lot of smoke and even without the catalytic burner, it is hard for me to see any smoke even with a clear blue sky and no wind and there is little creosote buildup in the chimney. When the original catalyst was in good condition the viewport directly above the catalyst would stay clean so I could easily see the catalyst. I added a inconel sheathed type K thermocouple directly above the catalyst to help maintain proper temperature. With the Clear Skies catalyst and a temperature above 300 degrees C, the viewport becomes too coated with soot to see through in 90 minutes. I tried stacking two units for a 2″ effective thickness and the time to a impossible to see through view port is doubled. (I shine a strong light though one part and look through a shaded part) The deposit is a find carbon with little or no binder. This catalytic burner is to be avoided.

By: Richard Barth

Richard Barth — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:49:42 +0000

I’m all for saving the earth but I’m also concerned about immediate human health issues. Even a well maintained, properly fired, modern, EPA certified wood stove emits tremendous particulate and volatile organic compound pollution. The only situations in which such a source of heat makes sense are isolated locations that are not subject to thermal inversions or other smoke trapping conditions. In all other situations you will be subjecting yourself and your neighbors to serious health risks. The trend towards banning wood burning in urban environments is well founded. For more details go to burningissues.org

By: LShafer

LShafer — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:17:42 +0000

You missed one critical fact about wood burning. If you collect your fire wood from storm damaged trees that would just lay in the woods and rot, you ARE being carbon neutral, because when the wood rots, the carbon that is stored in it combines with oxygen, and produces—-CARBON DIOXIDE!!!!!!!!! So, whether you burn it or not, it will revert to CO2. And, wood is renewable, as opposed to coal or petroleum.

By: Deidra Darsa of HPBA

Deidra Darsa of HPBA — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:57:18 +0000

The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) agrees that modern, EPA-certified wood stoves can be an affordable and relatively low carbon home-heating source. However, it is very important to use dry wood and burn the stoves properly. EPA-certified stove owners can learn more about its use through a series of videos the HPBA has created with the help of the U.S. EPA. Go to http://www.hpba.org/consumers/hearth/responsible-wood-burning for information and demonstrations on proper wood-burning stove use. Find a knowledgeable retailer in your area at http://www.hpba.org/retailer-locator.

The HPBA is the North American trade association of manufacturers and retailers of EPA certified wood stoves, pellet stoves and gas fireplaces.

By: Jim Wolf

Jim Wolf — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:02:00 +0000

Both corn and pellets may be more efficient than wood but raise questions for me. Most of the corn grown for burning and other non-food uses uses lots of diesel, herbicides and pesticides. I don’t know much about the pellet making process but wonder about its impact.

We have to look at the total environmental cost not just the impact that the end point of use.

By: Grace

Grace — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:16:10 +0000

I hated my pellet stove. It will not work when the power goes out, and it ran up my electric bill. The fan and feeder noises were annoying. The pellet bags are expensive, heavy (40 pounds?) and have to be stored where they won’t get wet. Late in the season it’s impossible to find pellets. If you buy too many you’re stuck with them all summer. On the upside it was very easy to install. It’s easy to clean the vent pipe. At a slow burn a full hopper would last 24 hours. I have a wood burning stove now and I love it.

By: Melinda

Melinda — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:03:57 +0000

Wow, the article and all the comments are very interesting and educational. I moved out to the country here near Lake Michigan and this is my third winter here burning in the already present wood stove which heats nearly the whole house. I burn dead wood from the property, having struck a deal with a wood dealer who cuts and splits mine and then gets some for himself to sell to locals. This is a northern bermed house and as well all rooms are connected via a register plus the back two rooms are “open” in that the walls with the door only go up just above door level to allow warm air to enter. The entire south side has huge windows for the sun’s warmth to be cast upon the tiles (WHEN the sun shines in Michigan), also adding warmth to the house. After reading the article I checked the stove and there is no EPA anything on the back of it. Hmm. Must be old. And this may be why I’ve a cough ever since I moved in? A new stove is not possible for me on a fixed income. There is a great deal of truth to the work of having a wood stove and yes, it is messy but hauling in the wood warms me up too, gathering kindling is almost meditative, and a small broom and dustpan by the stove helps for clean up. I am concerned about the air quality inside after reading the article — there is a lot of dust too. I wonder if I have to move and do the city thing and gas company thing? Already had early onset pneumonia once this winter. Btw, IF one burns a hot fire, keeps it hot, there should not be any smoke coming from the chimney, just a heat wave. Also keeping the fire hot really cuts down on creosote build-up.