[SustainableTompkins] Re: wood stove suggestions?

[David Hessler]

one other option which is significantly higher cost and may very well 
not retrofit well into an existing house is a masonry heater. Since they 
weigh >5000 lbs, you can't just put them anywhere, and depending on the 
design they may need a stone/brick chimney. Ours uses a Class A 
stainless chimney top vented. The advantages if you can swing it are 
pretty great: the device absorbs most of the heat load and emits it 
slowly and causes secondary (gasification) combustion, so they are very 
efficient and they provide slow even heat.

If you are going to buy a conventional (high air volume) wood stove, try 
to get one with a significant thermal mass (like the soapstone veneered 
stoves). The extra thermal mass increases burning efficiency by keeping 
combustion temperature up even thought their is a lot of combustion air. 
It also helps moderate and extend the heat output, reducing "flash 
heating" which is a very common annoyance with metal woodstoves.

I agree with Jeni that pellet stoves are a great alternative, in 
particular they do a much better job of getting complete/efficient 
combustion even with smaller fuel loads, which helps with the ability to 
regulate the heat output in a more controllable manner. The fuel is also 
easier for the consumer to handle (cord wood can weigh quite a bit).

We also have a TARM Solo+ gasification furnace. It is definitely _not_ 
decorative (there isn't even a way to see the fire!), but it does a 
fantastic job of efficiently extracting heat from cord wood. In order 
for it to work well though, you also probably want a heat storage tank 
(we have 600 gallons), and now you are talking some serious mechanical 
room space...


Jeni Wightman wrote:
> Dear Marlo,
>
> It depends on what you want to heat and how.
> If you have a hot water system, i highly recommend looking at TARM USA 
> for both efficient and intelligent furnaces that get around 90% 
> efficiency and make life easier with their clever design.  for 
> details: http://www.woodboilers.com/.  these furnaces can be purchased 
> with back up oil.  they also sell pellet furnaces.
>
> If you just want a smaller stove for section heating, why not try out 
> a multi fuel pellet stove.  right now, the cheapest fuel (besides 
> harvesting your own wood) is corn grain.  if the corn grain prices 
> rise,  you can use wheat, grass, wood, and fruit pits in some cases.  
> for stoves that can burn multi fuels, check out jerry cherneys 
> website:  
> http://www.grassbioenergy.org/res/pellet_stove_demo.asp#stove. does 
> not require any special chimney, many range from 80-92% efficiency.  
> many can ONLY burn wood.
>
> Other than that, try to get the stove dealer to tell you the 
> efficiency of the stove.  The more efficient the stove, the cleaner 
> the burn and the warmer your house per unit wood.  Your stove should 
> be at least 80% efficient.  However, this is often hard to determine 
> as the EPA does not require efficiency testing on wood stoves (all oil 
> burners are required).  An high efficient biomass stove is good for 
> the forests, good for your neighbors air and good for your warmth and 
> wallet.
>
> To calculate price per million BTU, it is always important when 
> dealing with biomass to include the moisture content of the biomass 
> and the efficiency of your stove to determine the price paid per felt 
> heat.  two good biomass calculators are:
> <http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/techline/fuel_value_calculator.pdf>http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/techline/fuel_value_calculator.pdf 
>
> http://energy.cas.psu.edu/costcomparator.html
>
> And write a letter to eliot spitzer suggesting he sue the EPA to get 
> biomass stove efficiency regulated so the myth that all wood stoves 
> make for bad air quality can be rectified, and stove buyers can make 
> safe, clean, environmental choices when looking to heat their home.  
> some wood stoves are terrible for their particulate matter.  an 80% 
> efficient wood stove has essentially the same impact on air quality as 
> an 80% efficient gas/oil stove, except the wood stove reduces the 
> greenhouse gas impact by cycling surface carbon as opposed to 
> fossilized carbon buried deep within the earth.
>
> Also, keep track of your installation records.  If RGGI (Regional 
> Greenhouse Gas Initiative) makes it, you might be able to get 
> c-trading credits for your change in practice starting Dec 20, 2005.  
> Some people don't like the idea of trading, but if you used the money 
> you got for the credits from your biomass stove, you could put that 
> money toward better insulation in your home or other mitigation 
> strategies and do more to secure a sustainable future (or you can keep 
> them and wink to the moon).
>
> Good cheer-
> Jeni
>
>
> At 10:23 PM 8/19/2006, you wrote:
>> we're planning on installing a wood stove this fall but aren't sure 
>> what the best type is.  our current line of thinking involves a 
>> porcelain stove, but we'd love any feedback about hybrid stoves or 
>> "other" burning stoves.
>>
>> does anyone have websites we could do some research with or input of 
>> their own?
>>
>> thanks,
>> marlo
>>
>>
>>
>> Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,
>> Listen to the DON'TS
>> Listen to the SHOULDN'TS
>> The IMPOSSIBLES and WONT'S
>> Listen to the NEVER HAVES
>> Then listen close to me-
>> Anything can happen, child,
>> ANYTHING can be.
>>
>> -shel silverstein
>>
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