EPA going after Wood Burning Stoves and manufactures NEW RULE Jan 3rd 2014

[2LaneCruzer]

Will this affect my moonshining operation ? Them Government people are my best customers.

Cheese, you burn propane any way, don't you? Besides, the environmental inspectors aren't stupid enough to haul *** out in the boonies to inspect a little tad of smoke; they've all seen Deliverance...and besides, like you said, they're probably among your best customers any way. Now they might accidentally stumble across it sometime during Dove season, but they wouldn't have time for it.

 

[Larro Darro]

Here are the fuels in order of their carbon content: Wood > Coal > Oil > Natural Gas. The good news is the US is the world's leader in NG production. I was raised burning wood, and have cut firewood to sale for over half of my life. But of the fuels available, it is the most polluting. Out here in the country where there are few people, it isn't a big deal. But when the population density is higher, so is the amount of smoke.

Larro

 

[rsallen]

Oh my god!
They're coming to take your wood burning stove away!!!!!!!!

We should start a revolution.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I have burned wood in my Fisher woodstove for 40 years and it emits very little smoke. All my neighbors burn wood also, and there is no problem with any of them. The wood boilers unfortunately belch smoke quite regularly, and when they do, it lasts for quite some time. Some of it is from what is being burned, and some of it is the nature of the stove. Unfortunately we are all being lumped into the same category, and woodstove owners are going to pay the price for something they did not cause. I will agree that the wood boiler industry and their users need to clean up their act, because in truth, they are polluting and they stink.

The problem is water jacket boilers. It's the cheapest way to build them, but water surrounding the firebox keeps it too cool to get complete combustion. There are water tube boilers that circulate the hot gasses around tubes. They burn cleanly and efficiently. Unfortunately, most buyers will pick the cheapest and stupidest solution. That's what you get when you rely on "the market" for a solution.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

this has nothing to do with pollution, they cannot figure out away to tax wood. why not require oil burner service every year, how about requiring all tractors to pass a emissions test, and of course stop all home oil changes lest we forget welding with out air cleaners certified by the EPA.
no sir this is just more federal control:thumbdown:

Under the Section 111 of the Federal Clean Air act, these standards (called NSPS, for New Source Performance Standards) are required to be pollution related. They are intended to reduce air pollution by requiring New Sources to incorporate what is known as Best Available Control Technology, or BACT. It is not necessarily technology forcing, but "best available", considering cost. NSPS do not apply to existing sources unless they are rebuilt, not a big deal with something like a wood stove, but important for a coal burning electric utility.

If it works as intended, new sources will eventually replace all of the older, less efficient units, much like new automobiles with strict controls replace older vehicles. UNLESS your existing unit is in violation of some other provision, like smoke emissions, or particulate emissions, or you state or local regulations require stricter standards, you are under no obligation to replace your old unit.

Normally these things are thoroughly researched and not a knee jerk reaction, and industry and states have had their input.

 

[TnAndy]

Are you saying the catalytic stoves don't burn clean or that the catalyitic convertor is no longer necesary?

No, catalytic stoves burn quite clean. The problem is the convertor burns out over a period of years and must be replaced at a considerable expense. Platinum ain't cheap ! I've heard 5 years or so, but would guess it depends on the use of the stove. You might get 20 years out of one that is only used occasionally.

The newer technology uses a set of stainless tubes or a stainless baffle of some type ( various manufacturers use different methods ) to vent the exhaust gas thru that stainless section and re-burn the gases/particles that would have gone up the chimney in older, non-cat stoves. This produces more heat, less wood use, and a cleaner exhaust to boot.

There are still stoves being made today with catalytic converters.....it used to be the only game in town IF you wanted a cleaner burning stove.

It just isn't anymore.

 

[TnAndy]

Normally these things are thoroughly researched and not a knee jerk reaction, and industry and states have had their input.

7 States actually sued the EPA to get them to come up with better standards for outdoor boilers. There is now a '2nd generation' of them using gasification re-burning technology to reduce the piles of smoke the old ones could put out.

Seven states sue EPA over wood-fired boilers - The Washington Post

 

[TnAndy]

There were already regs to limit the amount of fine particulates and the biggest hit for manufacturers was already taken to go from no limits to the current 7.5 g/hr standard. To go from 7.5 to 4.5 as proposed will cost a lot for a smaller return. Taking it down to 1.3 in 2019 is another way of saying goodbye to the wood burners everywhere.

I feel for the small companies that can't afford to re-engineer for the new regs.

All the gasifier stoves I've looked at are already in the 3-4gr/hr range and have been for years. My Regency I bought in 2008 is rated at 3.5

My guess is to get in the 1.3 range, they will combine technologies and stick a catalytic converter on a gasifier stove.


Interesting that folks are so upset about this when years ago, the best gas boiler you could buy was probably 60-70% efficient, and today, they are in the 95-98% range and you only need a hunk of PVC pipe for a "chimney" they lose so little heat that way. I didn't see anybody screaming "they are coming to take away our gas boilers !! "

 

[2LaneCruzer]

7 States actually sued the EPA to get them to come up with better standards for outdoor boilers. There is now a '2nd generation' of them using gasification re-burning technology to reduce the piles of smoke the old ones could put out.

Seven states sue EPA over wood-fired boilers - The Washington Post

Interesting. Although there is no date on the article, I'm sure that this suit and the new standards are related. It's unusual that states will sue EPA in order to get tighter standards on anything; they usually leave that up to the Sierra Club or other environmental interests. This says to me that the states are having problems in this area.

 

[ultrarunner]

The problem is water jacket boilers. It's the cheapest way to build them, but water surrounding the firebox keeps it too cool to get complete combustion. There are water tube boilers that circulate the hot gasses around tubes. They burn cleanly and efficiently. Unfortunately, most buyers will pick the cheapest and stupidest solution. That's what you get when you rely on "the market" for a solution.

My grandfather's farm house has radiant heat from a wood/coal fired boiler in his workshop since 1964... it also supplies hot water for showers.

Even back then it used stainless tubes and smoke was never an issue... he only used dry hardwood well seasoned.