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Purchasing a Wood Stove
shown: Hampton H300 Wood Stove in Timberline Brown
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We sell top quality wood and pellet stoves with special attention to systems that are environmentally-friendly. Browse our products or call (919) 678-0088 to schedule an appointment with our professional Installer for more information about a system that is right for your needs.
view our brands & products
We sell top quality wood and pellet stoves with special attention to systems that are environmentally-friendly. Browse our products or call (919) 678-0088 to schedule an appointment with our professional Installer for more information about a system that is right for your needs.
view our brands & products
 Install a New Wood Stove & Receive a Tax Credit for Up To $1,500Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed into law in February of 2009, those who purchase and install a qualifying wood stove for residential use during 2009 and/or 2010 tax years are eligible for a 30% Tax Credit of up to $1,500. Many of our stoves qualify. Look for this seal as you browse our stoves to know if a model in which you are interested meets the criteria. |
Selecting a Wood Stove
In addition to being an energy-efficient, cost-effective way to heat, a wood burning stove adds ambience to your home. When properly installed, operated and maintained, your wood burning system will produce little or no air pollution outside and contribute to a cleaner environment indoors. Heat load is measured in British thermal units per hour, or Btu/h. You need 25 to 30 Btu/h per square foot, or at least 5,000 Btu/h for a 200-square-foot space. The actual heat loss (and conversely the amount of heat needed) is based on where you live (outdoor air temperature), the amount of insulation in the ceiling and exterior walls of the space, the number and size of windows in the room and whether or not there is heated space above and/or below the room. We’ll help you calculate how many Btu/h you need to heat your space and make recommendations for an appropriately-sized unit.
In addition to being an energy-efficient, cost-effective way to heat, a wood burning stove adds ambience to your home. When properly installed, operated and maintained, your wood burning system will produce little or no air pollution outside and contribute to a cleaner environment indoors. Heat load is measured in British thermal units per hour, or Btu/h. You need 25 to 30 Btu/h per square foot, or at least 5,000 Btu/h for a 200-square-foot space. The actual heat loss (and conversely the amount of heat needed) is based on where you live (outdoor air temperature), the amount of insulation in the ceiling and exterior walls of the space, the number and size of windows in the room and whether or not there is heated space above and/or below the room. We’ll help you calculate how many Btu/h you need to heat your space and make recommendations for an appropriately-sized unit.
Insert or Free-Standing
Fireplace inserts sit partially inside the firebox and are equipped with an outer shell to maximize the delivery of heated air into the room and minimize heat loss to the masonry. Surround panels cover the fireplace opening, and a stainless steel liner extends to the top of the chimney. If you have an existing fireplace, installing an insert can increase the efficiency. If you do not have an existing fireplace in the room you wish to heat, or if you simply like the look, a freestanding unit may be best for you.
Catalytic or Non-Catalytic
While the external appearance of some wood stoves hasn't changed much, the insides of today's wood stoves are radically different. This is because manufacturers have developed sophisticated new technologies to meet federal clean air standards.
Wood stoves are the only consumer product other than automobiles that have a Federal Emissions Standard. So, all wood stoves and wood inserts now comply with rigid particulate emissions standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
"Particulate" refers to unburned gases from the firewood which either condenses on the chimney wall where it can form dangerous creosote or is released into the atmosphere as smoke, creating air pollution. EPA-certified wood stoves burn all these gases before they leave the fire box.
Recently, emissions from wood stoves has been reduced by more than 90%, a staggering improvement. There are two ways to achieve this tremendous combustion efficiency. One technique is to force all gases though a catalytic combustor before they leave the stove. Similar to what is now used in automobiles, a wood stove catalytic combustor is a ceramic, honeycomb shaped substrate coated with platinum or other precious metal. It lowers the temperature at which smoke will burn, resulting in a very clean burn.
The other technology is known as "non-catalytic" or "high-tech". These units have perfected the balancing of time, temperature and turbulence; the "Three Ts" needed for combustion. The firebox is insulated, especially at the top, so that high internal temperatures are created. Judicious introduction of heated combustion air creates additional turbulence, and a series of baffles increases the "residence time" of air and gases in the stove.
Both clean-burning technologies have proven themselves, but there are differences. Non-Catalytic burners tend to start more rapidly and are more responsive. Catalytic units generally have a larger firebox and slightly higher efficiencies with corresponding lower emissions; however the combustor needs to be replaced on average every five years and can be damaged by improper burning.
Fireplace inserts sit partially inside the firebox and are equipped with an outer shell to maximize the delivery of heated air into the room and minimize heat loss to the masonry. Surround panels cover the fireplace opening, and a stainless steel liner extends to the top of the chimney. If you have an existing fireplace, installing an insert can increase the efficiency. If you do not have an existing fireplace in the room you wish to heat, or if you simply like the look, a freestanding unit may be best for you.
Catalytic or Non-Catalytic
While the external appearance of some wood stoves hasn't changed much, the insides of today's wood stoves are radically different. This is because manufacturers have developed sophisticated new technologies to meet federal clean air standards.
Wood stoves are the only consumer product other than automobiles that have a Federal Emissions Standard. So, all wood stoves and wood inserts now comply with rigid particulate emissions standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
"Particulate" refers to unburned gases from the firewood which either condenses on the chimney wall where it can form dangerous creosote or is released into the atmosphere as smoke, creating air pollution. EPA-certified wood stoves burn all these gases before they leave the fire box.
Recently, emissions from wood stoves has been reduced by more than 90%, a staggering improvement. There are two ways to achieve this tremendous combustion efficiency. One technique is to force all gases though a catalytic combustor before they leave the stove. Similar to what is now used in automobiles, a wood stove catalytic combustor is a ceramic, honeycomb shaped substrate coated with platinum or other precious metal. It lowers the temperature at which smoke will burn, resulting in a very clean burn.
The other technology is known as "non-catalytic" or "high-tech". These units have perfected the balancing of time, temperature and turbulence; the "Three Ts" needed for combustion. The firebox is insulated, especially at the top, so that high internal temperatures are created. Judicious introduction of heated combustion air creates additional turbulence, and a series of baffles increases the "residence time" of air and gases in the stove.
Both clean-burning technologies have proven themselves, but there are differences. Non-Catalytic burners tend to start more rapidly and are more responsive. Catalytic units generally have a larger firebox and slightly higher efficiencies with corresponding lower emissions; however the combustor needs to be replaced on average every five years and can be damaged by improper burning.
| Eco-friendly Wood Stoves Eco-friendly Wood Stoves certified by the EPA burn cleaner and more efficiently, save you money, reduce the risk of fire, and improve air quality inside and outside your home. While older and uncertified stoves release 40 to 60 grams of smoke per hour, new eco-friendly stoves produce only 2 to 5 grams of smoke per hour, making the newer stove more than 50% more efficient than older models. Did you know... replacing 25 non-certified older stoves with 25 EPA-certified stoves can prevent the emissions of one ton of particulate matter into our environment each year.  As you browse our products, look for the eco-friendly seal. If you see it, this means that particular model meets the NAHB Green Home Building Standards, is EPA-certified, or meets the Energy Star® Indoor Air Package Specification Guidelines. |