woodstove efficiency

[wood4heat]

When a woodstove claims to be 80% efficient what does that refer to? Is it the efficiency of the burn regarding the pollutants it releases or the heat it puts into the house vs out the chimney? :monkey:

 

[habanero]

It should be noted that those efficiency numbers are at best a guideline for comparison among stoves. They are determined in a laboratory somewhere under specific conditions. They have to be if you're going to compare numbers among different manufacturers. But, they aren't terribly applicable to "real-world" conditions. It's sort of like EPA gas mileage on vehicles in that respect.

 

[wood4heat]

I would imagine the numbers would vary drastically depending on the quality of wood.

I Would rather they kept the combustion and heat transfer numbers separate. It would be a lot clearer to me anyway.