Should you replace your "old reliable" wood stove?

A fire on the hearth can fill a room with ambiance. It can also fill the neighborhood with smoke and particulate matter. In many neighborhoods, wood smoke from uncertified, dirty-burning stoves contributes to reduced visibility and poor air quality during winter months.

National and regional air quality agencies are encouraging owners of obsolete wood stoves to replace them with clean-burning, EPA-certified wood, gas or pellet stoves. "There are over 10 million uncertified stoves still in use today--a major source of air pollution," reports Alan Trusler, president of Aladdin Hearth Products. "However, new EPA-certified stoves burn much cleaner and produce a fraction of the smoke that older, uncertified wood stoves produce. In fact, most air quality control agencies allow residents to use EPA-certified stoves even during 'burn bans'."

When wood burns, 50% of the heat is released by the glowing embers (charcoal), and the other 50% by burning the combustible gases produced by the wood. When properly burned, these gases appear as dancing, decorative flames. When our stoves are burning, little or no visible smoke is emitted from the chimney.
The Quadra-Fire line of wood stoves, first introduced by Aladdin in 1986, has consistently led the industry in clean-burn technology. With an emissions rating as low as 2.1 grams per hour, these virtually smoke-free appliances burn efficiently without releasing the pollutants of older air-tight stoves. Pellet and gas appliances produced by Aladdin offer consumers emissions of less than 1 gram per hour.

Quadra-Fire's Four-Step Wood Burning Process

Quadra-Fire's four-step burning process involves precise injection of air at four separate points within the stove:

• Primary air enters from the front or rear of the stove and feeds directly into the coal bed to provide quick startup and a complete burn.
• Secondary air is drawn into the stove along the top of the door, creating a shield of warm air to keep the viewing glass soot-free. As the secondary air and hot gases meet secondary combustion begins in the front portion of the stove, visible as dancing blue, gold and violet flames.
• A third source of superheated air is injected from air tubes directly beneath the heat-retentive steel or brick baffle to ignite tertiary combustion.
• As gases are drawn towards the fire, they continue to burn in the region above the baffle aided by air introduced by a fourth air inlet, providing quaternary combustion. An easy-to-operate dual control system regulates heat output and maintains peak performance at all burn rates. The end result is a complete line of efficient, clean-burning stoves and inserts that maximize wood's potential energy and minimize its smoke.

Gas has become the fuel of choice for many people who are already connected to the gas mains. In addition, propane can be delivered almost anywhere, allowing rural dwellers to enjoy the convenience and ambiance of gas appliances.

What are the advantages of gas appliances?

For one thing, you don't have to cut, split and haul wood. If burning wood is not a "labor of love" for you, yet you still long for the beauty and warmth of a fire on your hearth, then a gas appliance may be in your future.

Most gas appliances do not need electricity to operate. This means they can be a reliable standby source of heat if your electric power goes off.

What types of gas units are available?

• Gas Fireplaces - if your home does not currently have a fireplace.
• Gas Fireplace Inserts - to convert your fireplace to an efficient heater.
• Gas Freestanding Stoves - allows a complete unit to be placed almost anywhere.
• Gas Logs - vent-free decorative logs to fit your existing fireplace. Because of our concern for efficiency, Aladdin does not produce gas fireplace logs. Most of these logs send 90% or more of their heat up the chimney, an inefficiency we just cannot live with.

What kind of efficiency can I expect from a gas appliance?

Gas products have a wide range of efficiencies. Vented fireplace logs can be as little as 0-10% efficient while the best stoves, fireplaces and inserts can reach 80% or higher. We at Aladdin have designed and built our units with efficiency and beauty in mind, and are proud to announce that we regularly achieve efficiencies of over 90%.

How about the chimney? Which vent is best for you?

There are two types of venting for gas appliances:

1.) Direct Vent

Direct vent systems take the combustion air (the air that feeds the fire) from outside the home and return the flue gases back outside. This results in high efficiencies, as room air cannot escape up the chimney. Direct-vent systems are also very easy to install, as a full chimney is not necessary - the venting can simply go through the wall or roof to the home exterior. In addition to the typical installations these fireplaces are approved for use in bedrooms and sitting rooms, as well as in manufactured homes.

2.) B Vent (or gravity vent)

These appliances vent vertically through the roof, or through an existing chimney. They draw their combustion air from inside the home, so careful design is needed to keep the efficiency high. B-vent system components are very economical.

Stoves using wood pellets for fuel have become very popular in the last few years. It's quite a nice idea, using wood waste to create an easy-to-handle and environmentally-friendly fuel which can be easily stored and transported.

What are pellets made of?

Pellets are made by compressing fine sawdust through a high-speed die (a mold). There are no additives; the natural binders and resins in the wood hold the pellet together.

Why are pellet stoves so popular?

They are very easy to use. Our Quadra-Fire pellet stoves offer automatic ignition (no matches or buttons to push), and a thermostat that can regulate the room or house temperature perfectly, turning the stove on and off whether you're at home or away.

What about a chimney?

Pellet stoves can be vented out through any exterior wall. If it suits your installation better, you do have the option of running the pipe through the roof. You can also use an existing chimney - see your Quadra-Fire dealer for more venting information. In most cases, it costs less to vent a pellet stove than a wood stove.

What makes Quadra-Fire pellet stoves better?

Quadra-Fire pellet stoves are the industry's only complete line of fully automatic hearth appliances. All Quadra-Fire pellet stoves and inserts feature a self-ignition combustion system that eliminates the need for firestarters and matches. Our exclusive automatic self-ignition system responds to your thermostat setting, turning your stove on and off automatically. The E-Z Clean firepot offers the ability to clean the firepot from the outside of the appliance. A patented jam-free coil spring feed system transfers pellets from the stove's hopper into the firepot. The heat from the fire passes around our exclusive aluminum heat exchanger system, which transfers generated heat ten times faster than stainless steel. Quadra-Fire provides you with the industry's safest and most exceptional pellet appliances, no matter what your needs.

If you are serious about heating with pellets, you owe it to yourself to find out more about Quadra-Fire pellet stoves.

If you want all the efficiency and economy of natural gas without the gas, Dovre oil stoves offer a very convenient alternative. They provide powerful, reliable zone heating that's up to 80% efficient . . . all for about the same low cost per hour as a Dovre gas stove. Like all Dovre products, our oil stoves feature traditional styling and durable cast iron construction.

With their graceful lines and classic styling, Dovre oil stoves are a beautiful alternative to wood or gas-fueled heaters. Combining the charm of an old-fashioned stove with today's heating technology, these stoves will run unattended 24 hours a day, 7 days a week…without electricity.

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