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What is E.P.A. (Environmental Protection Agency)
In the late 1980’s, many of the established fireplace manufacturers began to design heating units that produced much less pollution. Initially imposed in Oregon, norms were put into effect in order to control the amount of polluting emissions from auxiliary heating units. This forced manufacturers to design units that were superior to the required norms in Oregon. Essentially, the norms instituted in Oregon had a great impact on the auxiliary industry, which also contributed to the reduction of greenhouse gases.
The biggest advantage of E.P.A. units is that they have clean combustion, whether it is slow or fast. Older units get dirty very quickly with slow combustion. Although they emit a lot of heat, their increased consumption of combustibles and polluting emissions make them less attractive to today’s environment conscious society.
A comparison between E.P.A. and non-E.P.A. units demonstrates that non-E.P.A. units emit between 70 and 90 grams an hour of polluting particles into the air whereas E.P.A. certified units emit as little as 3 or 4 grams an hour, or less.
In addition, all E.P.A. units are identified with stickers that indicate the level of emissions they produce as well as the clearance to combustible materials required for installation. In contrast, non-E.P.A. units are identified with stickers that only indicate their safety parameters and years of fabrication. Many units made prior to 1980 may not have any type of identification as it was not mandatory to state safety measures before then.
To define E.P.A better for you
In order to understand the process of wood combustion and E.P.A. technology, you must know that wood produces heat in 2 distinct ways. First of all, there is the heat produced by the flames during wood combustion (biomass). Secondly, and somewhat more importantly, there is the heat produced by the gradual heating of the wood, during which the combustion emits a gas which provides up to 40% of the usable heat.
The main reason why E.P.A. units are so popular is that they can burn gases with slow and controlled combustion. Non-E.P.A. units diffuse heat too rapidly, which causes the internal temperature of the combustion chamber to decrease. This occurs because they don’t have advanced secondary combustion systems which burn the gases and therefore allow the production of more heat. The amount of polluting emissions of non-E.P.A. units is therefore greater and their effectiveness is decreased as the amount of heat produced by these units cannot rival that of complete wood combustion. Ultimately, non-E.P.A. units consume much more wood than E.P.A. units.
The advantages of wood heating:
Wood heating with E.P.A. certified units, such as those sold at La Maison D.F., is the wisest residential heating method as well the most environmentally conscious one if properly done.
- By using wood as your combustible of choice, you will reduce the emission of carbon in the atmosphere. Hard to believe? Actually, although many people assume that the smoke and carbon that wood fireplaces expulse is polluting, in reality, it is comparable to the life cycle of trees (wood)… meaning that they grow, they mature and eventually die.
- Did you know that when a tree dies and decomposes, it emits the same amount of carbon into the atmosphere that it would if it was being burned in your fireplace? The only difference between the two is the amount of time is takes for them to diffuse the carbon into the air.
- In other words, in using wood we are actually recycling carbon, just like nature would do naturally. However, the use of fossil combustibles like oil or gas, represent a surplus of carbon in the atmosphere. Always remember that carbon contained in decomposing wood will inevitably be released into the atmosphere, no matter what we do!
- Although our fast-paced lives often do not allow us to use conventional wood burning as our exclusive source of heat, we should make a conscious effort to reduce the use of fossil combustibles in order to make a concrete and direct impact on the global warming problem, all the while saving you money.
Here are some problems you will encounter with wood not dry enough:
- A considerable reduction in the production and emission of heat.
- Up to a 40% loss of usable heat due to the reduction or elimination of secondary combustion caused by the humidity.
- A significant accumulation of creosote in your chimney pipes and chimney.
- A larger amount of polluting particles that are released into the atmosphere.
- The need to clean your chimney in mid-season, in addition to your annual chimney sweep.
- An increased consumption of combustibles which is much more costly!
This article was published by La Maison DF., one of our Quebec distributors.
Sincerely yours,
Management of Bien-O-Chaud.com
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