Wood|woodbourneshop.com
May
18
Filed Under (Kitchens) by wood
Stephanie Larkin asked:
The Wood Heater Compliance Monitoring Program is a federal program in the United States that is managed by the Compliance Assessment and Media Programs Division at the Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters located in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the Wood Heater Compliance Monitoring Program is to promote compliance with the wood heater regulation, which has been in effect since 1988. The Environmental Protection Agency started the wood heater regulation for particulate emissions from wood heaters because products that burn wood for heat, such as wood stoves, can significantly contribute to particulate air pollution.
The Wood Heater Compliance Monitoring Program promotes the compliance with these regulations which include:
Certifying new residential wood heaters.
Approving changes in design requests for wood heaters.
Interpreting the rule language.
Conducting inspections of the facilities that make wood heaters.
Provides public access to compliance information.
Monitors compliance directly of all accredited laboratories, retailers, homeowners and manufacturers.
Responds to complaints regarding violations of the wood heater regulations.
Wood heaters in residential areas, including wood stoves, can easily pollute the air with particulates. The Wood Heater Compliance Monitoring Program certifies wood stoves for use, and these wood stoves that comply with the regulations are referred to as EPA-certified wood stoves.
The certification process for wood stoves requires the manufacturers to verify that their wood stove models meet a particulate emission limit and undergo emission testing at an Environmental Protection Agency accredited laboratory. This is to certify that the wood heater complies with the particulate emission limits of:
7.5 grams per hour for a non-catalytic wood stove.
4.1 grams per hour for a catalytic wood stove.
There are several things a manufacturer must do in order to have their model line of wood stoves EPA-certified. The manufacturer must maintain a quality assurance program for wood heaters produced on a production line, as well as affix permanent labels to each wood stove or wood heater that meets the emission standard. They must also attach a temporary label that lists:
The emission rate, as rated by an EPA-approved test method.
The heating range of the heater, so that people may purchase the correct size
Overall efficiency of the wood heater.
The wood stove regulations apply to all wood stoves that have:
A firebox volume of less than 20 cubic feet,
An air to fuel ration of less than 35 to one,
Burn rate of less than five kilograms per hour,
Total weight of less than 800 kilograms.
The chief reason that you should purchase a wood stove that has been certified by the Environmental Protection Agency is because they burn 80 per cent cleaner and are 30 per cent more efficient than an un-certified wood stove. The wood stoves that are certified by the Environmental Protection Agency are also better for the environment and for the health of people who live in that environment where wood stoves are used.
Some states and some jurisdictions throughout the United States have declared it illegal to purchase, operate, offer for sale or sell a house that contains a wood stove that is not certified by the Environmental Protection Agency wood heater program.
It is easy to determine if a wood stove has been certified by the Environmental Protection Agency. You can review the list of Environmental Protection Agency certified wood stoves at the Environmental Protection Agency website online, look for the permanent label on the front, bottom or side of the wood stove that states it is certified by the Environmental Protection Agency, or read the temporary label on a new wood stove. The permanent label on a wood stove is most often located on the front, bottom, back or side of the wood stove and specifies directly that the wood stove product meets the Environmental Protection Agency particulate emissions limit.
The temporary label is usually made of cardboard and is most often attached to the front of a new wood stove. The temporary label provides the purchaser with the information regarding the emissions rate and the efficiency rating of the wood stove purchased.
There are three basic types of wood stoves that have Environmental Protection Agency certification with the wood heater program:
1. Catalytic wood stoves that have a ceramic or metal honeycomb device that is the combustor or catalyst. The default efficiency rating for a catalytic wood stove is 72 per cent.
2. Pellet stoves that use pellets of saw dust, wood products and other biomass materials. Pellet stoves are given a default efficiency rating of 78 per cent.
3. Non-catalytic wood stoves that do not use catalysts but do have emission-reducing technology, such as baffles or secondary air chambers. The default efficiency rating for non-catalytic wood stoves is 63 per cent.
EVAN
The Wood Heater Compliance Monitoring Program is a federal program in the United States that is managed by the Compliance Assessment and Media Programs Division at the Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters located in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the Wood Heater Compliance Monitoring Program is to promote compliance with the wood heater regulation, which has been in effect since 1988. The Environmental Protection Agency started the wood heater regulation for particulate emissions from wood heaters because products that burn wood for heat, such as wood stoves, can significantly contribute to particulate air pollution.
The Wood Heater Compliance Monitoring Program promotes the compliance with these regulations which include:
Certifying new residential wood heaters.
Approving changes in design requests for wood heaters.
Interpreting the rule language.
Conducting inspections of the facilities that make wood heaters.
Provides public access to compliance information.
Monitors compliance directly of all accredited laboratories, retailers, homeowners and manufacturers.
Responds to complaints regarding violations of the wood heater regulations.
Wood heaters in residential areas, including wood stoves, can easily pollute the air with particulates. The Wood Heater Compliance Monitoring Program certifies wood stoves for use, and these wood stoves that comply with the regulations are referred to as EPA-certified wood stoves.
The certification process for wood stoves requires the manufacturers to verify that their wood stove models meet a particulate emission limit and undergo emission testing at an Environmental Protection Agency accredited laboratory. This is to certify that the wood heater complies with the particulate emission limits of:
7.5 grams per hour for a non-catalytic wood stove.
4.1 grams per hour for a catalytic wood stove.
There are several things a manufacturer must do in order to have their model line of wood stoves EPA-certified. The manufacturer must maintain a quality assurance program for wood heaters produced on a production line, as well as affix permanent labels to each wood stove or wood heater that meets the emission standard. They must also attach a temporary label that lists:
The emission rate, as rated by an EPA-approved test method.
The heating range of the heater, so that people may purchase the correct size
Overall efficiency of the wood heater.
The wood stove regulations apply to all wood stoves that have:
A firebox volume of less than 20 cubic feet,
An air to fuel ration of less than 35 to one,
Burn rate of less than five kilograms per hour,
Total weight of less than 800 kilograms.
The chief reason that you should purchase a wood stove that has been certified by the Environmental Protection Agency is because they burn 80 per cent cleaner and are 30 per cent more efficient than an un-certified wood stove. The wood stoves that are certified by the Environmental Protection Agency are also better for the environment and for the health of people who live in that environment where wood stoves are used.
Some states and some jurisdictions throughout the United States have declared it illegal to purchase, operate, offer for sale or sell a house that contains a wood stove that is not certified by the Environmental Protection Agency wood heater program.
It is easy to determine if a wood stove has been certified by the Environmental Protection Agency. You can review the list of Environmental Protection Agency certified wood stoves at the Environmental Protection Agency website online, look for the permanent label on the front, bottom or side of the wood stove that states it is certified by the Environmental Protection Agency, or read the temporary label on a new wood stove. The permanent label on a wood stove is most often located on the front, bottom, back or side of the wood stove and specifies directly that the wood stove product meets the Environmental Protection Agency particulate emissions limit.
The temporary label is usually made of cardboard and is most often attached to the front of a new wood stove. The temporary label provides the purchaser with the information regarding the emissions rate and the efficiency rating of the wood stove purchased.
There are three basic types of wood stoves that have Environmental Protection Agency certification with the wood heater program:
1. Catalytic wood stoves that have a ceramic or metal honeycomb device that is the combustor or catalyst. The default efficiency rating for a catalytic wood stove is 72 per cent.
2. Pellet stoves that use pellets of saw dust, wood products and other biomass materials. Pellet stoves are given a default efficiency rating of 78 per cent.
3. Non-catalytic wood stoves that do not use catalysts but do have emission-reducing technology, such as baffles or secondary air chambers. The default efficiency rating for non-catalytic wood stoves is 63 per cent.
EVAN
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Jun
18
Filed Under (Kitchens) by wood
Brian Jenkins asked:
Modern people who are concerned about the impact that they are having on the environment are turning more and more often to the clean burning and fuel efficient biomass stoves, which burn fuel like wood pellets at a very high heat, allowing a small stove to heat a room very well. These pellets cost less than other sources of fuel, and burn very cleanly, which is much better than coal can do.
Wood pellets are relatively small, shaped almost like a gel capsule type of pill. They are shiny, which adds to the pill illusion and makes them look almost like small, varnished pieces of wood. In reality, wood pellets are not single pieces of wood, but are rather many pieces that have been compressed together to create the small pellets that you see when you buy wood pellets for your biomass stove at home.
Wood pellets are actually recycled material. They are created out of the sawdust that is left over after the process of sawmilling and after other wood production activities. The sawdust left over after transformative activities with wood is collected and sold to the facilities that produce the wood pellets, which has become a very sizeable industry in Europe as the price of fossil fuels continues to rise.
The sawdust collected in this way is compressed into a super dense pellet, but not until the wood material has been prepared. This is done by sending the wood material through what is known in the industry as a hammer mill. The hammer mill creates a uniform mass that is almost dough-like, and the wood is then fed through to a press.
The press compresses the wood pellets through a die, which is designed with an appropriately sized hole, usually as small as 6 mm in diameter. The extreme pressure of the press compresses the wood and causes the temperature of the wood to rise very much as well. This temperature rise causes the lignin of the wood to form a sort of natural glue which holds the pellets together as the wood cools again.
The regulations on wood pellets specify that they are supposed to have less than a 10% water content to increase the efficiency of the burn, and that they must be uniform in density. For the most part, wood pellets must be dense enough that they do not float when placed in water, but sink to the bottom instead. The pellets must be structurally sound and must not crumble or break easily, and they must have a low dist content and ash content.
Although different kinds of woods look different when they are used for things like planks or furniture, the processing in the hammer mill causes a different effect. The hammer mill breaks down the fibers of the wood so that it looks almost entirely uniform. Although pretty much any kind of wood can be used in the processing of wood pellets, the pellets look very uniform. The breaking down of the fibers early in the process means that the finished pellets do not have much distinction no matter what the type of wood used.
The different kinds of woods used for pellets must be accounted for in the processing because of the different properties of various woods. This is done with good instruments on the pellet press, meaning that the differences in the feed material can easily be compensated for by regulating the press with external controls.
An important fact to know about wood pellets is that the regulations on the pellets mean that in addition to the content restrictions mentioned above, the pellets may also not be created out of recycled wood, which may have been exposed to contaminants. Wood pellets must also remain free of other external contaminants so that they burn clean and do not pose a risk to the environment or to the homes in which they are burned. For this reason, materials like particle board, painted or treated wood, coated panels, and other recycled wood products are particularly unsuited for use in wood pellets.
Because of the low emissions of the wood pellets and the regulations that prevent excessive pollution from being released when the wood pellets are burned for fuel, this fuel source is one of the cleanest available today. Further developments are being made to make burning wood pellets even more efficient and even safer, making them an attractive heating alternative in many places including home heating systems and more.
BRADFORD
Modern people who are concerned about the impact that they are having on the environment are turning more and more often to the clean burning and fuel efficient biomass stoves, which burn fuel like wood pellets at a very high heat, allowing a small stove to heat a room very well. These pellets cost less than other sources of fuel, and burn very cleanly, which is much better than coal can do.
Wood pellets are relatively small, shaped almost like a gel capsule type of pill. They are shiny, which adds to the pill illusion and makes them look almost like small, varnished pieces of wood. In reality, wood pellets are not single pieces of wood, but are rather many pieces that have been compressed together to create the small pellets that you see when you buy wood pellets for your biomass stove at home.
Wood pellets are actually recycled material. They are created out of the sawdust that is left over after the process of sawmilling and after other wood production activities. The sawdust left over after transformative activities with wood is collected and sold to the facilities that produce the wood pellets, which has become a very sizeable industry in Europe as the price of fossil fuels continues to rise.
The sawdust collected in this way is compressed into a super dense pellet, but not until the wood material has been prepared. This is done by sending the wood material through what is known in the industry as a hammer mill. The hammer mill creates a uniform mass that is almost dough-like, and the wood is then fed through to a press.
The press compresses the wood pellets through a die, which is designed with an appropriately sized hole, usually as small as 6 mm in diameter. The extreme pressure of the press compresses the wood and causes the temperature of the wood to rise very much as well. This temperature rise causes the lignin of the wood to form a sort of natural glue which holds the pellets together as the wood cools again.
The regulations on wood pellets specify that they are supposed to have less than a 10% water content to increase the efficiency of the burn, and that they must be uniform in density. For the most part, wood pellets must be dense enough that they do not float when placed in water, but sink to the bottom instead. The pellets must be structurally sound and must not crumble or break easily, and they must have a low dist content and ash content.
Although different kinds of woods look different when they are used for things like planks or furniture, the processing in the hammer mill causes a different effect. The hammer mill breaks down the fibers of the wood so that it looks almost entirely uniform. Although pretty much any kind of wood can be used in the processing of wood pellets, the pellets look very uniform. The breaking down of the fibers early in the process means that the finished pellets do not have much distinction no matter what the type of wood used.
The different kinds of woods used for pellets must be accounted for in the processing because of the different properties of various woods. This is done with good instruments on the pellet press, meaning that the differences in the feed material can easily be compensated for by regulating the press with external controls.
An important fact to know about wood pellets is that the regulations on the pellets mean that in addition to the content restrictions mentioned above, the pellets may also not be created out of recycled wood, which may have been exposed to contaminants. Wood pellets must also remain free of other external contaminants so that they burn clean and do not pose a risk to the environment or to the homes in which they are burned. For this reason, materials like particle board, painted or treated wood, coated panels, and other recycled wood products are particularly unsuited for use in wood pellets.
Because of the low emissions of the wood pellets and the regulations that prevent excessive pollution from being released when the wood pellets are burned for fuel, this fuel source is one of the cleanest available today. Further developments are being made to make burning wood pellets even more efficient and even safer, making them an attractive heating alternative in many places including home heating systems and more.
BRADFORD
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Mar
20
Filed Under (Kitchens) by wood
Craig Elliott asked:
As energy costs are rising, the wood stove is coming back into favor with many homeowners. While a wood stove can heat an entire home or help offset the high cost of electric or gas heat, consideration for children in the home must be a top priority.
A fence either purchased or custom built, must be installed around the wood stove if young children are present. Crawling infants and toddlers are most at risk as they are too young to understand the dangers of a wood stove and the word ‘no’ is simply not enough.
The enclosure must be tall enough that only an adult can step over it. It must also be made of materials that cannot be climbed on. Vertical rails or fine mesh can keep a child from climbing over the fence. The enclosure should also be placed far enough from the wood stove that a reaching child cannot touch the surfaces of the stove.
Even with a fence installed, a crawling child or toddler should never be left alone unsupervised in a room with a wood stove burning. Toddlers, especially, like to toss items over the fence. Heavier objects such as blocks could easily ***** or break the glass front of certain models of stoves. Plastic items, should they reach the top of the stove could easily melt and release toxic fumes into the area.
From an early age, children should be taught the dangers of a wood stove. It should be explained that fire is indeed hot and should not be played with in any form. The same explanations given to children about the kitchen cook stove and safety should apply to a wood stove heater.
Children are fascinated with fire. As you are loading a wood stove with either logs or pellets, this becomes a perfect time to discuss with them the dangers. You don’t want a child to be terrified of the wood stove, but at the same time you do want to instill a healthy respect for the appliance.
Older children can help with wood stove chores, such as bringing in firewood or pellets. They can also help sweep up the area or engage younger children while the parent is occupied with the stove. Other chores, such as loading the stove or emptying the ash pan is best left to older teenagers or adults.
Another concern with wood stoves, not just for children, is the pollutants put into the indoor air by the stove. If a child has an allergy to smoke or asthma, a wood stove could make an attack more likely. Care should be taken that such a child is out of the room when the stove is opened for filling or for cleaning the ash pan.
Before purchasing any wood stove, make sure that the stove is EPA approved. Do not take the salesman’s word for this; ask to see a demonstration model that includes the EPA sticker. The EPA has stringent requirements for wood stoves that will help keep indoor pollutants to a minimum.
The disposal of the contents of the ash pan is another concern when children are present. Ashes should not be dumped in any area where children are likely to play, as there could be hot embers alive in the ashes. A better solution is to dump the ashes into an ash bucket and allow it to sit twenty four hours or at least overnight. Ash buckets should be kept within the confines of the fence until totally cold.
Firewood or pellets should also be kept within the fenced enclosure. Any wood chips or pellets that have fallen outside the fence should be swept up immediately if young children are in the home. Both chips and pellets pose a choking hazard for children who put either into their mouths.
A pot of water should be kept on the wood stove when the stove is in use. Wood heat is a very dry heat and the water will help keep the air moist. This is especially important to help keep children’s skin from drying out during the heating season. Infants are more at risk, but children and adults of any age can be affected by the drier air of a wood heated home.
The use of precautions and safety measures can make children and wood stoves a happy mix. For centuries, children were raised in homes with either a wood stove or an open fireplace. With diligence and supervision, any home can be heated with wood and still have happy, healthy children.
GAYLORD
As energy costs are rising, the wood stove is coming back into favor with many homeowners. While a wood stove can heat an entire home or help offset the high cost of electric or gas heat, consideration for children in the home must be a top priority.
A fence either purchased or custom built, must be installed around the wood stove if young children are present. Crawling infants and toddlers are most at risk as they are too young to understand the dangers of a wood stove and the word ‘no’ is simply not enough.
The enclosure must be tall enough that only an adult can step over it. It must also be made of materials that cannot be climbed on. Vertical rails or fine mesh can keep a child from climbing over the fence. The enclosure should also be placed far enough from the wood stove that a reaching child cannot touch the surfaces of the stove.
Even with a fence installed, a crawling child or toddler should never be left alone unsupervised in a room with a wood stove burning. Toddlers, especially, like to toss items over the fence. Heavier objects such as blocks could easily ***** or break the glass front of certain models of stoves. Plastic items, should they reach the top of the stove could easily melt and release toxic fumes into the area.
From an early age, children should be taught the dangers of a wood stove. It should be explained that fire is indeed hot and should not be played with in any form. The same explanations given to children about the kitchen cook stove and safety should apply to a wood stove heater.
Children are fascinated with fire. As you are loading a wood stove with either logs or pellets, this becomes a perfect time to discuss with them the dangers. You don’t want a child to be terrified of the wood stove, but at the same time you do want to instill a healthy respect for the appliance.
Older children can help with wood stove chores, such as bringing in firewood or pellets. They can also help sweep up the area or engage younger children while the parent is occupied with the stove. Other chores, such as loading the stove or emptying the ash pan is best left to older teenagers or adults.
Another concern with wood stoves, not just for children, is the pollutants put into the indoor air by the stove. If a child has an allergy to smoke or asthma, a wood stove could make an attack more likely. Care should be taken that such a child is out of the room when the stove is opened for filling or for cleaning the ash pan.
Before purchasing any wood stove, make sure that the stove is EPA approved. Do not take the salesman’s word for this; ask to see a demonstration model that includes the EPA sticker. The EPA has stringent requirements for wood stoves that will help keep indoor pollutants to a minimum.
The disposal of the contents of the ash pan is another concern when children are present. Ashes should not be dumped in any area where children are likely to play, as there could be hot embers alive in the ashes. A better solution is to dump the ashes into an ash bucket and allow it to sit twenty four hours or at least overnight. Ash buckets should be kept within the confines of the fence until totally cold.
Firewood or pellets should also be kept within the fenced enclosure. Any wood chips or pellets that have fallen outside the fence should be swept up immediately if young children are in the home. Both chips and pellets pose a choking hazard for children who put either into their mouths.
A pot of water should be kept on the wood stove when the stove is in use. Wood heat is a very dry heat and the water will help keep the air moist. This is especially important to help keep children’s skin from drying out during the heating season. Infants are more at risk, but children and adults of any age can be affected by the drier air of a wood heated home.
The use of precautions and safety measures can make children and wood stoves a happy mix. For centuries, children were raised in homes with either a wood stove or an open fireplace. With diligence and supervision, any home can be heated with wood and still have happy, healthy children.
GAYLORD
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