How to Buy a Wood Stove

What to Avoid

Cheap new stoves, often made in China, are a poor choice for anyone who expects to use the stove more than a half dozen times a year. They gobble up fuel, emit far too much smoke, and shoddy construction makes them difficult to operate. These stoves, made by companies like Vogelzang, are unregulated by the EPA thanks to an air-to-fuel ratio loophole and do not have to pass any minimum emission testing. (Any new stove that sells for less than $600 is almost certain to be one of these cheaply made, polluting stoves.) The Alliance for Green Heat is calling on the EPA to close this loophole and require that all woodstoves be required to meet minimum emission standards. This will also prevent such manufacturers from capturing a large market share and undercutting higher quality American producers with cheap products made overseas.

Outdoor wood boilers (OWB) are generally incredibly inefficient and polluting on an even greater scale than any indoor stove. Recently, the EPA began a voluntary program to certify some OWBs. Many northern states already prohibit uncertified OWBs but allow EPA Phase II-certified OWBs. No matter where you live, if you consider an OWB to be a good option for your needs, make sure it’s a Phase II model. Wood or pellet indoor furnaces are usually a better long-term investment, especially if you are purchasing some or all of your fuel. Their components do not break down as quickly because they are not exposed to the elements like an outdoor furnace is. States that have more stringent OWB regulations include: Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington. Certain counties in Indiana and New York have enacted local restrictions as well.

Older, second hand stoves that are relatively easy to find on places like Craigslist may also be very polluting and inefficient. If you are considering a secondhand stove, the first thing to do is to check if it has an EPA permanent label on the back, showing that it was manufactured after 1990. Many stoves manufactured before 1990 do not meet EPA regulations for emissions or efficiencies and do not have any historical value, and should be recycled as scrap rather than re-used. Possibly for the same amount of money, or one or two hundred more, you can get a post 1990 stove that will save you lots of time and money; their greater efficiencies mean you burn much less wood.
Why are stoves and outdoor wood boilers allowed to be exempt from EPA regulation?
In the late 1980s when the regulations were being drafted, the EPA exempted wood stoves with a firebox volume of less than 20 cubic feet, an air to fuel ratio of less than 35 to 1, a burn rate of less than 5 kg/hr and a total weight of less than 800 kg. The intent was to allow large systems like masonry stoves to be exempt because by design, they burn cleanly. Fireplaces also fell under this category, because it was assumed that most fireplaces are not used regularly for heating. The development of systems like the OWB or the very low efficiency wood stove could not be anticipated at the time, and have grown into a national problem.