2020 vs pre-2020 durability and ease of use?

[thunderhead]

Replacing a pellet stove with a wood stove... should I go out of my way to get a slightly older more proven design or do you think the new 2020 designs will be as good? I take it the cat stoves will not need an update, most of them already meeting the regs? But I heard cat fires are not as pretty... is that true?

Thanks!

 

[begreen]

For some of the new designs, it's hard to say how well they will stand up and how much maintenance will be needed. Some of the 2020 non-cats are just tweaks of the old design and some are more significant changes. If it is a steel stove, it should stand up well, but it will take a season of reports to tell more. A few stoves were ready for Montreal's deadline which had an early clean stove date. Drolet and Pacific Energy had some of their 2020 designs ready by then. They seem to be pleasing owners nicely.

Same thing for cats. Some of the cat designs haven't changed much and some are new. Cat fires depend on the stove design and how low they are turned down. There are now a lot of hybrids on the market that burn pretty much like a non-cat with the catalyst just cleaning up the last bits of dirties in the exhaust.

 

[bholler]

Replacing a pellet stove with a wood stove... should I go out of my way to get a slightly older more proven design or do you think the new 2020 designs will be as good? I take it the cat stoves will not need an update, most of them already meeting the regs? But I heard cat fires are not as pretty... is that true?

Thanks!

Most of the cat stoves did need updates as well. I would get something that has been out a while and is proven. There are some 202p compliant stoves that have been or just go with an older model

 

[firefighterjake]

Me . . . I like the idea that stove manufacturers are evolving and getting even cleaner and more efficient.

However . . . I also highly value reliability. I value reliability first and foremost in almost everything I purchase whether it be a stove, car or even a toaster.

I would like to think the new tech will be fantastic and rewarding to folks who purchase a new stove, but if I was looking right now I know I would lean towards going with the proven tech.