Cleaner Burning Wood Stove Inserts and Fireplaces

The conventional masonry and factory-built fireplaces do not produce heat efficiently.  Much of the natural resource being used for energy is wasted. Conventional fireplaces also create smoke – indoors and outdoors.  Indoors, this is a health risk for you and your family.  Outdoors, it is health risk to everyone, including your neighbors.  For this reason, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that you install one of the  EPA certified wood stove inserts, fireplace inserts, or pellet stove.

The internal design of wood stove inserts has completely changed since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the standards of performance for new wood stoves in 1988.  The smoke emission limit for wood stoves is set at 7.5 grams of smoke per hour for non catalytic stoves and 4.1 grams per hour for catalytic stoves.  Certified stoves can reduce smoke emissions by as much as 90% compared to conventional stoves, and are much more efficient.

The EPA’s certified emission rate is standard and can be compared from one model to the next.  Manufacturers of wood stove inserts and wood stoves have improved their combustion technologies.  Some of the newer stoves have emissions as low as one to four grams per hour.

The certified stoves include design features that promote secondary combustion.  Most of the features are aimed at burning off the dangerous chemicals and toxic substances before they leave the firebox.  This is achieved when:

• The fire has an adequate oxygen supply
• The gases coming off the fire are at high temperature and are mixed with preheated air, oxygen
• The gases have enough time to burn before they cool down.

Wood stove inserts can use non-catalytic or catalytic combustion.

If you still use one of the wood stoves that is more than seven years old, the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) recommends you replace that stove with one of the newer advanced combustion wood stove inserts.