In fireplaces and conventional wood stoves, the fire radiates its heat
right where combustion takes place. That means the fire is constantly
being cooled, and low-temperature combustion is very inefficient and
very dirty. Aprovecho stoves pre-heat the intake air, and the firebox
is insulated, so combustion is very, very hot, and the fuel is just
about totally consumed. Then the super-hot flue gases pass into a heat
exchanger that very efficiently extracts nearly all the heat; the
chimney gas is not only perfectly clear, you can hold your hand over it
because nearly all the heat has been extracted. No smoke, no creosote.
A handful of sticks will heat a house for several hours. That also
means very small wood can be used: branches instead of logs, so not
only are you using about 20 percent as much wood as a conventional
stove, you can use dead branches instead of whole trees.
M. Elvin
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