The Chimney Sweep Online Fireplace, Woodstove, Gas Stove and Barbecue Shop

WOOD STOVE COMPARISON CHART

Sorted By: EPA EMISSIONS RATING

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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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

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!

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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

Hi 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.

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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

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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