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Another probably stupid WA question

w_howey

w_howey

NAXJA Forum User
Location
The Mudwest
Here in the Mudwest, Corn Stoves are all the current rage. Heating your home with some of the several billion bushels of corn laying aroung here is pretty economical.

But I was reading some ads from different companies, and one mentions 'Not for sale in CA or WA'. Now CA, I understand. Oil Companies are in control there and actively seek to quash anything they don't control the production of. Not to mention enough eco-wackos to choke a forest out...

But why WA, what is the opposition to it???
 
Not sure as to the specific law against but two reasons come to mind: Air Quality restrictions. Western WA has a lot of burn bans during the winter where houses with a heat source other than wood must use that other source. Stagnant air is the reason as the high mountains stop the air from blowing through. Second reason is a lack of available burning material. Alder trees grow like weeds in Western WA but corn is fairly restricted to certain farming communities.
 
Lack of corn, I can understand. But that wouldn't be a reason for governmental interference.

Okay, with a burn ban. Are there 'wood stove' police that cruise around and see if you have a plume of smoke? If you do, do the bust down your door and look to see if you have a gas furnace?

Burning coal, or oil in a power plant to create electricity is by FAR more polluting per ton than burning wood or corn for heating your home.
 
I believe that the vast majority of NW electricity is Hydro generated. I have heard of restrictions placed on the operation of the few coal fired plants. Also the generation plants do not simply release their smoke in to the air. It is required to be filtered and "treated" before release unlike a home stove.
Have you thought to contact the manufacturer of the corn stoves to see why they aren't WA legal? Possibly there is a simple certification process that they chose not to pursue? If there is not enough demand then such a process wouldbe a waste of time?

There's even an XJ on the website:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/airhome.html
 
Metal Thrasher said:
I believe that the vast majority of NW electricity is Hydro generated. I have heard of restrictions placed on the operation of the few coal fired plants. Also the generation plants do not simply release their smoke in to the air. It is required to be filtered and "treated" before release unlike a home stove.
Have you thought to contact the manufacturer of the corn stoves to see why they aren't WA legal? Possibly there is a simple certification process that they chose not to pursue? If there is not enough demand then such a process wouldbe a waste of time?

There's even an XJ on the website:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/airhome.html
Click to expand...


I could go into the exact process used in fossil fuel power plants, but I'd rather not. Being the child of a power company retiree means knowing way,way,way too much about power generation. I was at the corn stove dealer doing some estimations on putting a corn add-on furnace in, and saw that mentioned in the catalog. The dealer had no idea why, and it was more of a 'wonder why that is' kinda thing.
 
w_howey said:
I could go into the exact process used in fossil fuel power plants, but I'd rather not. Being the child of a power company retiree means knowing way,way,way too much about power generation. I was at the corn stove dealer doing some estimations on putting a corn add-on furnace in, and saw that mentioned in the catalog. The dealer had no idea why, and it was more of a 'wonder why that is' kinda thing.
Click to expand...

There aren't many "dirty" (coal) plants in NW Washington. I work at a Natural gas fired plant, and we are considered pretty clean for power generation.

The western side of the cascades (I believe its by county) is pretty strict on wood burning like Metal Thrasher said. The geography holds the particulates pretty close to the ground when we have mild weather. If corn stoves emit that kind stuff(not necessarily carbon monoxide, or other bad gases) that may be why they aren't allowed here. That's more or less a guess though.
 
After reading alot of the quoted site, and seeing that home installed coal fired boilers and stoves are acceptable, it has to be a certification issue.
 
As a side note. There is absolutely no advantage to a corn furnace anywhere outside of the midwest. There just isn't the fuel in abundance.

Most of our Hydro Power is sold to other states I believe.

Michael
 
My pellet stove has the option of using corn, I would think that the corn would burn a little dirtier but not as bad as the wood stove I grew up with.
 
corn.jpg

So what do you use to sift out the cream from the corn? Wouldn't buying all those cans be more expensive? :dunno:
 
Sniggs said:
corn.jpg

So what do you use to sift out the cream from the corn? Wouldn't buying all those cans be more expensive? :dunno:
Click to expand...


Boy, you sure can tell you are one of the 'owl-screwers'.

You don't seperate the cream, it makes it smell better. :looney:
 
I wish i could be more help! As I work at Country Stoves as a welder. I dont know much about the smoke control or EPA or anything like that, i just work the production line! I do know if you need a good wood stove you should get a Country because I personally sign my name to every stove I weld!
 
RubiconKid95 said:
I wish i could be more help! As I work at Country Stoves as a welder. I dont know much about the smoke control or EPA or anything like that, i just work the production line! I do know if you need a good wood stove you should get a Country because I personally sign my name to every stove I weld!
Click to expand...

About 70 % of the houses popping up in the MLS system already have some type of woodstove installed. I'm sure State Farm is just going to be thrilled to hear it.
 
w_howey said:
About 70 % of the houses popping up in the MLS system already have some type of woodstove installed. I'm sure State Farm is just going to be thrilled to hear it.
Click to expand...
Yeah and if they want a good fireplace they should get a country, now Lennox/Country. We build incerts too, which are a pain! Dont get me wrong, Im not trying to put this company's name out there, my job blows!!! Just sayin...
 
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