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WOOD STOVE COMPARISON CHART

Sorted By: EPA EMISSIONS RATING

Sweepy

A few short years ago, typical airtight woodstoves dumped 40 - 60 grams of unburned wood particles into the atmosphere every hour. Today, all woodstoves sold in the US must comply with EPA regulations limiting particulate emissions to 7.5 grams/hour. The woodstoves we sell are even cleaner burning, with emissions ratings of 4.5 grams or less. To read more about EPA woodstove regulations, click here.

To sort the table, click the column header (ie;  Viewing Window, Stove Dimensions, etc.)

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Model
Viewing
Window
Stove
Dimensions
Shipping
Weight
Firebox
Size
Hardwood
Capacity
Max. Log
Length
Heating
Efficiency
EPA
Emissions
Maximum
Output
Average
Output
Heating
Capacity
Hearthstone Bari
Hearthstone
Bari 8170
Plate / Soapstone
15"t
12"w
180 sq.in.
44" T
19-1/2"
Diameter
560
lbs
1.25
cubic ft
25
lbs
17"
80%
3.57
grams/hr
35,000
btu
20,088
btu/hr
400 - 1200
sq ft
Pacific Energy Neo 1.6
Pacific Energy
Neo 1.6
Plate Steel
9-1/2"t
15-1/2"w
147 sq.in.
36" T
27-1/8" W
17-7/16" D
350
lbs
1.6
cubic ft
32
lbs
18"
81.3%
3.4
grams/hr
70,000
btu
26,129
btu/hr
700 - 1500
sq ft
Hearthstone Craftsbury
Hearthstone
Craftsbury 8391

Cast Iron
9"t
13-1/4"w
120 sq.in.
26-1/8" T
22-3/8" W
17-3/8" D
300
lbs
1.5
cubic ft
30
lbs
17"
81%
3.0
grams/hr
40,000
btu
24,407
btu/hr
600 - 1400
sq ft
Pacific Energy Alderlea T4
Pacific Energy
Alderlea T4
Plate / Cast
9-1/4"t
15"w
139 sq.in.
28" T
26" W
17-1/2" D
450
lbs
1.41
cubic ft
28.2
lbs
18"
80.7%
2.9
grams/hr
56,000
btu
22,858
btu/hr
600 - 1400
sq ft
Hearthstone Mansfield
Hearthstone
Mansfield 8012
Soapstone
10-5/8"t
17"w
179 sq.in.
28" T
27" W
24" D
585
lbs
3.2
cubic ft
64
lbs
21"
77.4%
2.9
grams/hr
80,000
btu
48,211
btu/hr
1800 - 2500
sq ft
Pacific Energy Neo 1.2 
Pacific Energy
Neo 1.2
Plate Steel
10"t
18"w
180 sq.in.
32" T
27-1/8" W
13-1/2" D
265
lbs
1.2
cubic ft
24
lbs
16"
79.6%
2.9
grams/hr
30,200
btu
16,1855
btu/hr
200 - 600
sq ft
Pacific Energy Neo 2.5 
Pacific Energy
Neo 2.5
Plate Steel
10-3/4"t
17"w
182 sq.in.
40" T
29-1/2" W
24" D
495
lbs
2.5
cubic ft
50
lbs
19"
81%
2.9
grams/hr
85,000
btu
40,678
btu/hr
1500 - 2300
sq ft
Hearthstone Tula
Hearthstone
Tula 8191
Plate Steel
15"t
12"w
180 sq.in.
41-3/4" T
19-7/8" W
17-3/8" D
325
lbs
1.15
cubic ft
23
lbs
17"
88%
2.5
grams/hr
30,000
btu
20,329
btu/hr
400 - 1200
sq ft
Hearthstone Shelburne
Hearthstone
Shelburne 8371
Cast Iron
10-1/2"t
16-3/4"w
176 sq.in.
29" T
26" W
21" D
425
lbs
2
cubic ft
40
lbs
20"
80%
2.1
grams/hr
50,000
btu
32,141
btu/hr
1200 - 1800
sq ft
Pacific Energy Vista
Pacific Energy
Vista LE
Plate Steel
8"t
13-1/4"w
106 sq.in.
28-3/4" T
25-3/4" W
17-1/2" D
310
lbs
1.6
cubic ft
32
lbs
18"
78%
1.9
grams/hr
56,000
btu
22,858
btu/hr
600 - 1400
sq ft
Pacific Energy Vista Classic
Pacific Energy
Vista Classic LE
Plate Steel
8"t
13-1/4"w
106 sq.in.
28-3/4" T
25-3/4" W
17-1/2" D
310
lbs
1.6
cubic ft
32
lbs
18"
78%
1.9
grams/hr
56,000
btu
22,858
btu/hr
600 - 1400
sq ft
Pacific Energy Summit
Pacific Energy
Summit LE
Plate Steel
9"t
17"w
153 sq.in.
31-1/2" T
25-1/2" W
23-1/2" D
475
lbs
3
cubic ft
60
lbs
20"
80.4%
1.8
grams/hr
99,000
btu
48,392
btu/hr
2000 - 3000
sq ft
Pacific Energy Summit Classic
Pacific Energy
Summit Classic LE
Plate Steel
9"t
17"w
153 sq.in.
29-1/4" T
25-1/2" W
23-1/2" D
475
lbs
3
cubic ft
60
lbs
20"
80.4%
1.8
grams/hr
99,000
btu
48,392
btu/hr
2000 - 3000
sq ft
Pacific Energy Alderlea T4
Pacific Energy
Alderlea T6 LE
Plate / Cast
10"t
18-1/2"w
185 sq.in.
29-1/8" T
29-1/4" W
25" D
585
lbs
3
cubic ft
60
lbs
20"
80.4%
1.8
grams/hr
99,000
btu
48,392
btu/hr
2000 - 3000
sq ft
Pacific Energy Super 27
Pacific Energy
Super 27 LE
Plate Steel
8-1/2"t
15"w
128 sq.in.
29-1/8" T
24" W
25" D
390
lbs
2
cubic ft
40
lbs
18"
82.6%
1.8
grams/hr
72,000
btu
32,688
btu/hr
1200 - 2000
sq ft
Pacific Energy Classic
Pacific Energy
Classic LE
Plate Steel
8-1/2"t
15"w
128 sq.in.
29-1/8" T
24" W
25" D
390
lbs
2
cubic ft
40
lbs
18"
82.6%
1.8
grams/hr
72,000
btu
32,688
btu/hr
1200 - 2000
sq ft
Pacific Energy Alderlea T5
Pacific Energy
Alderlea T5 LE
Plate / Cast
9-1/4"t
16"w
148 sq.in.
29-11/16" T
25" W
25" D
515
lbs
2
cubic ft
40
lbs
18"
82.6%
1.8
grams/hr
72,000
btu
32,688
btu/hr
1200 - 2000
sq ft
Hearthstone Castleton
Hearthstone
Castleton 8031

Soapstone
9-1/2"t
15-1/3"w
146 sq.in.
27-1/2" T
25-1/2" W
21-7/8" D
560
lbs
1.9
cubic ft
38
lbs
18"
83%
0.96
grams/hr
45,000
btu
30,535
btu/hr
800 - 1500
sq ft
Hearthstone Manchester
Hearthstone
Manchester 8362
Cast/Soapstone
11-1/2"t
18"w
200 sq.in.
32-1/4" T
30-1/4" W
20" D
560
lbs
2.9
cubic ft
59
lbs
24"
78%
0.65
grams/hr
78,000
btu
47,654
btu/hr
1800 - 2400
sq ft
Hearthstone Heritage
Hearthstone
Heritage 8024
Soapstone
10-1/4"t
17"w
174 sq.in.
30" T
27-1/2" W
19" D
590
lbs
2.2
cubic ft
44
lbs
21"
77%
0.54
grams/hr
60,000
btu
37,424
btu/hr
1200 - 2000
sq ft

 To visit any stove's page, click its photo in the table above.

Sweepy Note: Woodstove EPA emissions ratings don't tell the whole story.

A difference of a couple of grams or so in the emissions rating wouldn't be a good reason to choose one woodstove over another. Great care is taken by the EPA testing laboratories to ensure that each test is as close as possible to the next (for example, identical "charges" of pine wood are used in all tests), but uncontrollable factors such as atmospheric conditions and variables in personnel and testing equipment from one lab to another can affect the results of a given test burn. To compensate for these minor variances, the final EPA grams/hr rating is derived by averaging several monitored burns. As a result, differences of even a gram or two in the final emissions rating between one model and another are not considered significant (except, of course, by the manufacturer of the model that lucked out and got the lower rating).

Here's an exerpt from an article written by Dr. James Houck, President of OMNI Testing Labs, where EPA wood stove emissions testing is performed:

"... the EPA certification testing protocol has an uncertainty of at least ±20 % at low emissions rates; models with emission values of less than 2.5 grams/hour could easily be equivalent to [models] with emission values of less than 2 grams/hr."

So, let's look at three EPA approved low-emission wood stoves, with just that minimum ±20 % margin of uncertainty in mind:

Stove A: 7.5 grams/hr
Stove B: 6.0 grams/hr
Stove C: 4.8 grams/hr

As you can see, Stove A scored 20% higher than Stove B, and Stove C scored 20% lower. According to Omni Test Labs, all three could have produced equivalent emissions during testing. Yet the stove shopper who is hung up on emissions ratings perceives Stove C as having a whopping 2.7 gram/hr advantage over Stove A!

=====================================================================

Q: Greetings,
I'm just beginning to educate myself on modern-day wood stoves (been using a Fisher for decades) and I've seen stoves online for example, where one has an efficiency rating of, say, 75% with emissions at 3.5 gm/hr., and another stove will have efficiency of 72% w/ emissions at 2.3. I can't make sense of that. Can you shed some light on how these calculations are derived?
Thank you
Roger

SweepyHi Roger,

Thanks for the inquiry! A woodstove's heating efficiency rating doesn't correlate directly to its emissions rating. In fact, those numbers are arrived at in two different tests:

Emissions testing is performed in EPA-approved test labs using the EPA's prescribed protocol. When testing for emissions, a standardized "charge" of kiln-dried Pine is burned, and the particulate matter in the exhaust is measured throughout the duration of several fires at various draft control settings. In this way, an average grams/hour particulate emissions rating is derived. Heating efficiency is not measured during EPA emissions testing.

Heating Efficiency testing is performed using full loads of seasoned cordwood, and is designed to measure how much of the heat value contained in the wood is extracted and delivered into the living space. When testing for heating efficiency, the following criteria are examined:

Extraction Efficiency: the load is weighed going in, and the particulate emissions and ashes are weighed after the fire to determine how effectively a given firebox design breaks down the fuel to extract the available heat.

Heat Transfer Efficiency: this testing is performed in calorimeter rooms equipped with temperature sensors. Similar temperature sensors are installed in the exhaust flue. The degree changes in the room and flue are monitored during the test fires to determine how much of the heat extracted by the fire is delivered into the room, as compared to the heat lost up the flue.

Although a low emissions weight can improve a given stove's Extraction Efficiency score, the total amount of particulate emissions produced by today's EPA approved woodstoves is so small that the affect of particulate emissions on the overall heating efficiency score is negligible. Thus, even a model with an unusually low Emissions rating doesn't necessarily score a high Heating Efficiency rating.

Consider the two models you mention: in Extraction Efficiency testing, the 1.2 gram/hr difference would lighten the total weight of emissions from the cleaner-burning stove by about 10 grams at the end of an 8-hour test burn. Most likely, those 10 grams would be found in the ash remaining in the firebox, eliminating any advantage in Extraction Efficiency. Even if the 10 grams weren't found in the ashes, a difference of 10 grams of particulates from a 40 lb. load of wood would only amount to a .06% advantage in Extraction Efficiency, which would have virtually no affect on the overall Heating Efficiency score.

 =====================================================================

Q: I'm shopping for a new EPA approved wood stove, and am intrigued by my neighbor's catalytic model that scored 0.8 grams/hr in the EPA emissions test. This seems far lower than the non-catalytic models you show on our emissions comparison chart. My neighbor admits he has to "blow out" the converter every once in awhile and soak it in vinegar water once a year to keep it working, but this doesn't seem like much of a price to pay for much cleaner burning. Am I missing something, or are catalytic woodstoves just that much better than non-catalytics?

Johnny Burwell,
Exton, PA

Sweepy Hi Johnny,

Actually, the EPA requires new woodstoves with catalytic converters to test with lower emissions levels than non-catalytic models. This is because the catalyst degrades over time, becoming progressively less and less effective at reburning the wood gases until the reburn finally stops altogether, at which point the converter must be replaced. The predicted lifespan of the catalyst varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, but seems to average about 3-5 burning seasons or so. Periodic cleaning with blasts of air or vinegar baths might help improve the performance of an aging catalytic converter by removing flyash deposits which impede the catalytic reaction, but won't restore the converter to its original state: the degradation process continues with every fire. In contrast, non-catalytic burn chambers don't become less effective over time, and retain the same emissions level throughout the lifetime of the stove. Any "catalytic stove emissions vs non-catalytic stove emissions" debate should take this into consideration.

 

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