So where are all these people that burn tires in their OWB's? I see that allegation all of the time, yet I have never witnessed an OWB belching the type of smoke that would indicate tires burning. This is nothing more than wanting to control people. Sure, it doesn't affect people with EPA stoves or gassifier type boilers, so who cares if old technology outdoor boilers are banned..... right? Well, this is divide and conquer strategy and it happens to be very effective. The people that are proposing these infringments on liberty do not like ANY type of wood burning heat source, it's just that they will settle for the banning of OWB's........for now!
Don't believe me? Look at enough information(if you can stomach it) provided by the EPA that is on the web and you will see their true intentions.
Yep, its politics as usual. NY state is the worst. Their web site is filled with pages and pages of political smear campaigns of burning tires, RR ties and wet wood in OWBs. Obviously staged. Obviously fanatic politics. In comparison, just look at all the crappy efficiency and smoke from the MILLIONS of POS brick firepalces built into houses. If you want to ban something that is inefficient or even completely useless, go after those. But noooooooooo.... amazing how well some prodding from some lobbies from the utilities and oil/coal/NG companies will do. Of course a smiilar anti-fanaticism exists for nuclear power, which is the only scalable non-CO2 source of energy that we have available.
The one thing that stuck me the most after installing my first CB OWB was how LITTLE it smoked. Yes, sized right, proper stack height, installed right, burning seasoned dry wood. Small plume of smoke drifted down a little draw away from the house. About 1/3 the smoke of any of the neighbors with a conventional house fireplace. Zero complaints about it. Zero smoke around the house in winter (except when opening the OWB door too fast).
As for banning stuff, places like the Bay Area of CA banned ALL wood burning appliances, and all new wood burning fireplaces in houses. The existing ones are grandfathered. The wood smoke there in winter was and is still really bad. In those places, I would say that the ban is OK. The ban is across the board, and not just one type of wood burning appliance. Of course, they also have a severe shortage of electricty there, the state is bankrupted, and all the rest.