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Post by DCish on Apr 25, 2015 18:54:27 GMT -8
Ok, so my current stove is a Hearthstone Heritage (now graced with a thermal mass bench plumbed into the flue). I'm trying to figure out how to compare the listed efficiency numbers with what a rocket gets. Specifically, I'm wondering just how much more efficient a rocket might be than my current setup. Here are the efficiency specs from the manual:
- EPA Rating: 2.77 grams per hour (it doesn't say grams of what)
- Efficiency: 81% (would we assume that is combustion efficiency, heat harvest efficiency, or combined?)
Does anyone know what those numbers mean and how they stack up to the PvdB batch box? Better yet, anyone with a testo or similar in the DC area that would be interested in testing this setup?
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morticcio
Full Member
"The problem with internet quotes is that you can't always depend on their accuracy" - Aristotle
Posts: 371
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Post by morticcio on Apr 26, 2015 0:58:43 GMT -8
EPA Rating: According to the EPA website this is the grams of smoke per hour.
Efficiency: I tested my neighbour's Jøtul F8 woodstove which according to the website has 75% efficiency. Using seasoned hardwood with a moisture content of 18%, it took a while after start up to get CO down to readable levels. After some fiddling the highest efficiency reading we managed to get was 55%, in what the owner described as 'opened up' mode when they wanted to get some heat in the room. It was going like the proverbial steam train, throwing out a tremendous amount of heat. But with stack temps above 500°C (930°F) a considerable amount was going straight up the chimney. The owner calls it 'toasty' - I call it uncomfortable and inefficient! The efficiency level when in their 'normal' running mode was 35%! Both of these explains why their new clay chimney pot installed back in January is already cracked and coated in soot!
As a comparison my PvdB batch box bell has efficiency levels above 90% and a clean stainless cowl (looks for smug face emoticon) :-) |
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Post by shilo on Apr 26, 2015 7:41:14 GMT -8
the 81% is refer to a mode that is rare and if will be not rare will cause damage to the stove.
the above 90% of the rocket is refer to the regular mode.
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Post by DCish on Apr 26, 2015 18:12:56 GMT -8
Thanks, guys. Morti, your experience real-world testing a box stove is particularly helpful. I find that I have to run a full load through the stove I have (soapstone box) before it is hot enough to even look clean, much less have any hopes of testing clean. I'm pretty dedicated to building a batch, but figured I'd see if I could get any closer to figuring out the baseline before I do.
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Post by scooterocca on May 11, 2015 18:52:18 GMT -8
Cold, wet and windy down here. What about over there?
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