WOOD STOVES: NON-CATALYTIC VS. CATALYTIC The purchase of a wood stove requires you to make a lot of decision on an number of elements that have to be taken into consideration: Size and BTU's to heat the area where the stove will be located. Different exhaust piping options, an insert to go into an existing fireplace or a free standing wood stove, just to name a few. One other options that a lot of people over look is the differences between the catalytic and non-catalytic wood stoves. Most salespeople and to a large extent manufactures as well try to produce or sale a product of one size fits all. Regrettably this leaves a lot of people who would be better of with a catalytic stove. First let me say, there is no one stove that fits everybody, so I will try to analyze the catalytic stove on it s merits, then I will attempt to analyze the non-catalytic stove on its merits. First, why a catalytic stove: First we need to understand how the catalytic works differently then the non-catalytic wood stove. As you may have figured out all ready the catalytic stove utilizes a catalytic converter as part of the combustion process. The catalytic converter has to reach 500 degree before it will fire off. Non-catalytic wood stoves utilize a secondary combustion air (or air injection) brought out from the top of the stove via a stainless steel tube to burn the gas emitted from the wood. For the most part, these wood stoves achieve a great reduction in terms of emission. However, due to the introduction of the secondary air, the downside of Non-catalytic wood stoves is they do not achieve “overnight burn” as well as the catalytic stoves. Catalytic wood stoves also achieve emission reduction via smoke passing through a catalytic converter or combustor. The purpose of the catalyst is to lower the heating temperature so the smoke will not turn into flame which is usually at 1100 degrees. The catalyst lowers the temperature to approximately 500-550 degrees while the smoke passes through a ceramic honeycomb and burn at half the temperature safely. Essentially what this means is Catalytic wood stoves will burn in an air-tight condition allowing longer burn time, achieving almost-ideal overnight burn. Even as the fire slows down and temperature reaches 400-450 degrees, it will still utilize the smoke and retain the heat. Although most people regard Catalytic wood stoves as less durable or more prone to breakdowns, one just has to keep in mind to maintain longer lifetime for these stoves, proper usage is a must. Essentially only using WOOD as a burning material. The catalyst itself will last for about 6 years to a decade and replacements usually range from $150 to $300 and it usually depends on the size and model. In addition, it is preferable to use dry wood instead of wet wood since wet wood requires longer pre-heating time. As for Non-catalytic wood stoves, since they are based on air-injection method, burning time will not last as long as Catalytic wood stoves and would probably use up more wood making them somewhat less efficient or convenient. However, since Non-catalytic wood stoves require no other major component, operation is pretty straightforward and seldom has any trouble if used correctly. Finally, the choice between Non-Catalytic wood stoves or Catalytic wood stoves ultimately depends on the buyer’s preference. There are pros and cons for either one. Research and understanding the difference is the key. Just remember, both Non-Catalytic wood stoves and Catalytic wood stoves will only achieve highest performance with correct operation and regular maintenance including annual professional chimney sweeps.