The new EPA Law for wood heater is about to become law.

[farmerscotty]

Heads up, the new EPA law is finalized and waiting to be published in the Federal Registry. The day it is published most companies cannot manufacture anymore of the current models........They do have until the end of 2015 to sell out inventory.

Interesting note, I found that it says it will be illegal to sell a used wood stove or heater that is not certified after the law goes into affect............


No one can tell us when the law will be published.......but it is very very soon!

So get ready!

[logbuilder]

Do you know any specifics about what will be different? Here in WA state it has been illegal for quite some time to sell a non-certified stove.

I hope they are not going to require the catalytic reburner. Those cartridges are not cheap.

[Solar Geek]

The final rule was published February 3rd.

Here is the EPA OVERVIEW Fact sheet and 2nd article below has lots of links in it for specifics.

http://www2.epa.gov/residential-wood...quirements-new

http://www2.epa.gov/residential-wood...l-wood-heaters

Hope this helps.

[hippygirl]

Now sit back and watch the price for a new woodstove skyrocket...

[TnAndy]

Originally Posted by farmerscotty

Interesting note, I found that it says it will be illegal to sell a used wood stove or heater that is not certified after the law goes into affect............

Where do you read that ?

Because I read the exact opposite:

The final rule applies to newly manufactured heaters; it does not affect existing woodstoves and other wood-burning heaters currently in use in people’s homes. It also does not apply to outdoor fireplaces, pizza ovens, fire pits, barbecues or chimineas, and it does not apply to new or existing heaters that are fueled solely by oil, gas or coal. In addition, the rule does not prohibit or restrict the use of any wood-burning appliances for residential heating.

[Marinea]

I found this interesting (from the second link, regarding adjustable burn-rate stoves):

Most adjustable-rate woodstoves manufactured and sold in the U.S. today already meet the Washington state emission standards; these stoves will be deemed automatically certified under the final rule.

Based on the EPA's numbers, most woodstoves are adjustable rate ones, so it seems to me that the changes mostly effect the non-adjustable ones.

Also, as a side note, the new regs do not affect coal stoves. We have a Buck coal stove that has never seen anything other than wood in it.

[ET1 SS]

Originally Posted by logbuilder

... I hope they are not going to require the catalytic reburner. Those cartridges are not cheap.

The EPA has 'required' air-tight stoves with catalytic since 1980.

Originally Posted by TnAndy

...
The final rule applies to newly manufactured heaters; it does not affect existing woodstoves and other wood-burning heaters currently in use in people’s homes. It also does not apply to outdoor fireplaces, pizza ovens, fire pits, barbecues or chimineas, and it does not apply to new or existing heaters that are fueled solely by oil, gas or coal. In addition, the rule does not prohibit or restrict the use of any wood-burning appliances for residential heating.

So everyone already heating with wood is exempt.

And it does not effect anyone from heating their home with wood.

[GeneMO]

I would like to see some government weinie come to my house to try to remove my wood stove. He will need to run faster than 2400 Feet per second.

Gene

[HermitJohn]

Not all approved stove have catalyst. There are reburner stoves without catalyst where they plumb in extra air to try and reburn smoke before it exits stove. As far as nationwide use of "approved stoves", if you have your house insured, the insurance companies have required EPA stoves for some time. Use a pre-EPA stove or non-air tight "exempt" stove and your insurance becomes null and void. Not a smart move after paying bunch protection blood money to the man.... So this puts into govt regulation what the private insurance companies and handful of over regulated states have done for decades. Frankly one can build an air tight stove without too much difficulty if you weld and they arent going to ban you buying steel. Dont need kits or whatever. So those of us without an insured house/cabin, if we need new stove, not big problem. Also doubt all the old stoves at auctions and on craigslist are going to disappear overnight anytime in near future.

[ET1 SS]

Originally Posted by HermitJohn

... As far as nationwide use of "approved stoves", if you have your house insured, the insurance companies have required EPA stoves for some time. Use a pre-EPA stove or non-air tight "exempt" stove and your insurance becomes null and void.

Each insurance scam has it's own policies. Some do not like woodstoves at all, some dont care.

[Solar Geek]

FWIW, in our new place in May 2012, American Family Ins. required me to turn in all specs on our Lopi Liberty woodstove - it is EPA approved as least amount of particle emissions for stove its size. I had to crawl behind it to take pics of the labels this time (last house they just took the LOPI website info).

[GeneMO]

Originally Posted by HermitJohn

Not all approved stove have catalyst. There are reburner stoves without catalyst where they plumb in extra air to try and reburn smoke before it exits stove. As far as nationwide use of "approved stoves", if you have your house insured, the insurance companies have required EPA stoves for some time. Use a pre-EPA stove or non-air tight "exempt" stove and your insurance becomes null and void. Not a smart move after paying bunch protection blood money to the man.... So this puts into govt regulation what the private insurance companies and handful of over regulated states have done for decades. Frankly one can build an air tight stove without too much difficulty if you weld and they arent going to ban you buying steel. Dont need kits or whatever. So those of us without an insured house/cabin, if we need new stove, not big problem. Also doubt all the old stoves at auctions and on craigslist are going to disappear overnight anytime in near future.

Hermit john, you aint got yer facts quite in line. Lots of ins. companies, lots of policies, lots of rules. I go to bed each evening with one of two property inspectors for a major insurer here in MO. They dont pay any attention to EPA requirements in regard to wood stoves. They look at clearences to the walls, types of flues and construction. Her company will even approve home made stoves.

Gene

[||Downhome||]

Originally Posted by GeneMO

Hermit john, you aint got yer facts quite in line. Lots of ins. companies, lots of policies, lots of rules. I go to bed each evening with one of two property inspectors for a major insurer here in MO. They dont pay any attention to EPA requirements in regard to wood stoves. They look at clearences to the walls, types of flues and construction. Her company will even approve home made stoves.

Gene

I hope she makes a appointment for her Inspections, the ones here seem to think they are special and can come and go as they please with out notice.

Thanks for reminding me I need to send notice to our under writer, and the last two Inspection companies to come out that they are not permitted upon the property with out making proper arrangements.

[Johnny Dolittle]

Does the new law restrict building DIY stoves ???

[ET1 SS]

Originally Posted by Johnny Dolittle

Does the new law restrict building DIY stoves ???

See post #5


It does not effect anyone from heating their home with wood.

[HermitJohn]

Originally Posted by GeneMO

Hermit john, you aint got yer facts quite in line. Lots of ins. companies, lots of policies, lots of rules. I go to bed each evening with one of two property inspectors for a major insurer here in MO. They dont pay any attention to EPA requirements in regard to wood stoves. They look at clearences to the walls, types of flues and construction. Her company will even approve home made stoves.

Gene

Insurance companies are strange critters. Just cause they approve or promise something at one point in time when you have your check book out paying the premiums, doesnt mean they wont do everything in their power to get out of paying when you have a claim. There tends to be a LOT of tiny print in all insurance policies, disclaiming everything they promise in the large print. And any verbal promises made by a salesman mean diddly.

My guess is the homemade or barrel stove kit or antique made in 1880, will be a point of contention when your house burns down, even if everything else is spot on according to building codes. Even if it was legally grandfathered in and insurance company promised you they dont care.

If you find an insurance company that doesnt care one way or other, you need a lawyer looking over contract and you need to do research on the company's history of paying claims. Most likely they dont intend to pay very many claims.

[HermitJohn]

Originally Posted by ET1 SS

See post #5


It does not effect anyone from heating their home with wood.

It might not, but like everything else, IT DEPENDS.... Making a blanket statement is irresponsible. Depending on an anonymous blanket statement is foolish.

You need to do your own research in your own state and locality. First and foremost is to check with your insurance company (if you have insurance). Very few places out there where the "wood stove police" will be coming around to inspect your stove and hand out tickets. Especially not the feds, if this law is enforced it will be by local officials. Very few localities are going to prosecute you even if your house burns down because they think you had a faulty stove.

But if your house burns down and this causes your neighbors house to burn down, your neighbors attorney or your neighbor's insurance company will go after you and your assets. They'd also like to go after your stove manufacturer with the deep pockets, but hey he went out of buisiness in 1930 or in case of a homemade, hey the manufacturer is you.

[logbuilder]

My town is very rural and is nestled in a valley between mountains. There is no natural gas available. People heat by elec, propane or wood. We are a logging town so wood is readily available and is the most used heat source.

Sometimes during cold periods the wind will die down for days at a time. The whole town gets really smokey. The state has on multiple occasions offered financial assistance to people who will change out their older wood stoves for newer ones. The state's interest is that newer ones burn cleaner and will reduce the smoke.

[Dixie Bee Acres]

Originally Posted by HermitJohn

It might not, but like everything else, IT DEPENDS.... Making a blanket statement is irresponsible. Depending on an anonymous blanket statement is foolish.

.

Kinda like the blanket statement you made about insurance companies requiring peticular types of stoves?????

When i installed a wood burner (burner was made in 1980, I bought it and put it in, in 2005) in my previous house, all the insurance required was a form signed off by the fire Marshall that the unit was installed correctly and was not too close to combustables, and that the flu was built correctly. From that, my rates went up $26 per year. Current house has a( quite old) wood burning fireplace insert. It was here when I moved in, only thing state farm required of us, was to have another heat source, thusfor making the fireplace not "primary" heat source.

[HermitJohn]

Originally Posted by Dixie Bee Acres

Kinda like the blanket statement you made about insurance companies requiring peticular types of stoves?????

When i installed a wood burner (burner was made in 1980, I bought it and put it in, in 2005) in my previous house, all the insurance required was a form signed off by the fire Marshall that the unit was installed correctly and was not too close to combustables, and that the flu was built correctly. From that, my rates went up $26 per year. Current house has a( quite old) wood burning fireplace insert. It was here when I moved in, only thing state farm required of us, was to have another heat source, thusfor making the fireplace not "primary" heat source.

..

have you ever had a fire claim with your insurance company? Have they paid off quickly and in full?

Big name company means diddly anymore. Big name private companies are now contracted by feds to administer the fed gov flood insurance. Then comes the numerous big time hurricanes thanks to climate change. Guess what just on news that these big companies are fighting homeowners tooth and nail FOR YEARS, spending more to fight claims in court than it would cost to just pay the claims.

Think companies with this attitude are going to just ignore your non-approved stove as a factor when you have to take them to court cause they denied your claim when your house burned down?

Just cause an insurance company takes your premium money doesnt mean they are going to pay any claims. Your company maybe different, but I wouldnt bet on any insurance company being the salt of the earth and all that sympathetic and compliant.