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The world's brightest wood stove designers and manufacturers will compete in the Wood Stove Decathlon Nov. 16 to 19 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The competition challenges 14 finalists to build next-generation wood stoves that are low-emission, high-efficiency, innovative, and affordable.
Below is a list of Teams who have been chosen as finalists for the Wood Stove Decathlon. Scroll down to see a list of entities interested in sponsoring Teams. Teams can contact the sponsors directly if they are offering something that may help them.
Finalists
DRAGON HEATER
FIREMASTER
HELBRO STOVES
HWAM
INTERCONTINENTAL
KIMBERLY
MULCIBER
OFENBAU AND FEUERSTELLEN
SMARTSTOVE
TRAVIS
TULIKIVI
WALKER STOVES
WITTUS
WOODSTOCK SOAPSTONE
Finalists
DRAGON HEATER
Company: Dragon Heater
Website: DragonHeaters.com
Location: Texas, USA
Team Captain: Sandy Mathieu
Contact: sandymathieu@fastmail.fm
Stove: Helix
This heater is a hybrid of traditional wood stoves and rocket heaters. It utilizes a traditional firebox with horizontal feeding of the wood including a glass door for viewing the fire. Then, it uses the turbulence and an internal stack or secondary burn chamber from rocket heaters to produce very hot, optimized burns.
FIREMASTER
Compay: Inventor and Director Jason Stewart
Website: http://www.intensifire.co.nz/
Location: New Zealand
Team Captain: Jason Stewart
Contact: 64 9 4220054 / firemasternz@gmail.com
Stove: The IntensiFire
The IntensiFire is a low cost downdraft retrofit for conventional wood stoves. Downdraft brings the benefit of more complete combustion and greater transfer of heat to the home, up to 60% more for the same amount of wood. It will bring the benefits of secondary combustion air to older stoves that don't have this function. Baffles are no longer required and the cost of the IntensiFire is around the same as the cost of a replacement baffle.
Media Coverage: Inventor breaks in to US stove trial
Meet the Contestants
HELBRO STOVES
Company: http://stenovne.dk
Sponsor: Petersen Tegl
Location: Denmark
Team Captain: Lars Helbro
Contact: +45 23239339 / lars@stenovne.dk
Stove: Gymse
The Gymse is a masonry heater developed five years ago to see how simply a masonry heater could be built without compromising the basic qualities of high efficiency, clean burning, easy handling for the user, one fire per day and 24 hours of heat. The Gymse can work on any available chimney flue size, it has the potential of condensing operation, and can operate with the door open (or without a door at all). Since it can be made from clay and almost any kind of stone, the Gymse is designed for affordability as well.
Update: We regret that Helbro Stoves will be unable to participate this year in the Wood Stove Decathlon, due to the logistical limitations and time constraints of building a masonry stove on the National Mall.
HWAM
Company: HWAM
Website: http://www.hwam.com
Location: Denmark
Team Captain: Stephen Rhodes
Contact: 360-961-2258
Email: srhodes@DLD-international.com
Stove: HWAM 3630 IHS
The newly-developed Autopilot IHS™ (Intelligent Heat System) from HWAM A/S creates a more intelligent stove that can compete with pellet burning stoves, heat pumps, solar panels and other, non-fossil energy sources. HWAM Autopilot IHS™ not only controls combustion automatically - it also allows the user to set the room temperature to the required level with the help of a remote control which also tells when to refuel the stove. HWAM 3630 IHS features a control system that electronically measures combustion conditions through the use of a lambda oxygen sensor and a thermocouple. An onboard computer then allocates combustion air through three separate valves to help the consumer achieve the same results at home that are obtained in test labs under ideal conditions. This HWAM stove bears the Nordic Ecolabel.
Media Coverage: Meet the Contestants
INTERCONTINENTAL
Company: New England Hearth & Soapstone
Location: Connecticut, USA
Website: http://www.rodzander.com/
Team Captain: Rod Zander
Contact: 860-491-3091 / rod@rodzander.com
Stove: Intercontinental 2B4W
The 2B4W wood stove is a new type of masonry heater that may be created from recycled materials. The form is two used steel oil barrels stacked on top of each other. Inside, heat is stored in high density firebrick. The stove utilizes a computer combustion control system and an O2 (lambda) sensor which reduces operator error and provides convenience. The owner uses less wood and gets more heat, perfect for a low energy home or a third world dwelling as primary heat. The exterior barrels may be decorated to create a very localized motif, or can be simple modern industrial stainless steel. Application is worldwide from temperate to boreal zones, from alpine mountains to the seashore.
Media Coverage: Meet the Contestants
KIMBERLY
Company: Unforgettable Fire LLC
Website: www.unforgettablefirellc.com
Team Captain: Roger M Lehet
Location: Washington State, USA
Contact: 206 850 2322 / sales@unforgettablefirellc.com
Stove: Kimberly Stove™
The Kimberly Stove is a cylindrical shaped stove measuring 25.5 inches tall with a 10 inch diameter weighing 56 pounds. It has been built with off grid and emergency preparedness in mind and as such is portable so it can be used in a myriad of applications. The design is a gasification chamber on the bottom and an afterburner on the top. The stove is manufactured for durability and ease of use. Other key features include a thermo electric generator, hot water coils, an oven, 12 volt blower system and accessories for portability. The installation costs are reduced due to size and ease of installation. Kimberly was originally designed for use in small spaces such as boats, RV's and tiny houses, but can heat up to 1500 sq/ft of well insulated living space. It can provide domestic heat while cooking, baking, producing hot water and electricity.
Media Coverage: Meet the Contestants
Popular Mechanics' Team Profile
MULCIBER
School: University of Maryland, College Park
Location: Maryland, USA
Team Captain: Taylor Myers
Contact: 301-514-6937 / tmacksmyers@gmail.com
Stove: Mulciber Wood Stove
The Mulciber Wood Stove seeks to provide a clean, simple, and easy-to-use wood stove. Simple heat recovery and smart ventilation and burning control systems are built in. Air flow is controlled by automatic systems, responding to changes in the burning environment and constantly maintaining the ideal burning conditions. Even start up is easy with a forced air ventilation system. The unique co-axial inlet helps harvest excess heat that normally just goes out the chimney while keeping the system closed to the rest of the home. Thermoelectric generators provide power to circulate stove heat throughout the home, creating a more comfortable environment.
Media coverage: http://www.enfp.umd.edu/html/news/news_story.php?id=7070
Popular Mechanics' Team Profile
OFENBAU AND FEUERSTELLEN
Company: Ofenbau & Feuerstellen
Website: www.feuermacher.com
Location: Austria
Team Captain: Richard Jussel
Contact: +43281251128 / feuermacher@gmx.at
This team is looking for partners.
Stove: Ecolabelled Tile Stove
This is an Austrian Kachelofen (tile stove) with a combustion chamber that received the Eco-label of Austria. The tile stove incorporates this eco-labeled combustion chamber technology for cooking and heating. It achieves low emissions through the way the air streams into the inner body of the stove. The air inlet leads through a tight baffle/damper situated in the stove's base and branches to controlled slits into the combustion chamber.
SMARTSTOVE
Company: Inven Inc
Website: www.inveninc.com
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Team Captain: Dan McFarland
Contact: 508-631-4123 / dtm3@inveninc.com
This team is looking for sponsors/partners.
Stove: SmartStove™
SmartStove™ is a control system designed to automate stove controls throughout the combustion cycle of a cordwood insert or stove. By combining active manipulation of the draft and fan controls, users are free to go about their lives without having to constantly make adjustments to keep a wood fire burning efficiently. The SmartStove uses an electronic combustion control system combining state of the art electronics and firmware developed specifically for cordwood appliances.
Media Coverage: Meet the Contestants
TRAVIS
Company: Travis Industries, Inc.
Website: http://www.travisindustries.com
Location: Washington State, USA
Team Captain: Alan Atemboski
Contact: 425-609-2500 / a.atemboski@travis-inc.com
Stove: Travis
The Cape Cod™ is Lopi's "Super Stove" boasting 80% efficiency (HHV, using B415 test) and 0.45 grams per hour, making it the cleanest burning wood stove as tested on the U.S. market. This stove features a massive firebox and convection heat exchanger and is designed to be durable and attractive in cast iron.
Media Coverage: Meet the Contestants
Popular Mechanics' Team Profile
TULIKIVI
Company: Tulikivi US Inc
Website: www.tulikivi.com
Location: Finland
Team Captain: Päivi Saarelainen (Mrs.)
Contact: paivi.saarelainen@tulikivi.fi
Stove: Hiisi 4
The Hiisi is Tulikivi's smallest hybrid heat-retaining fireplace and is especially well suited to modern low energy construction projects. It's designed to already meet the world's tightest emissions standards set for 2015. The Hiisi differs from standard room-heating stoves in that these are not normally heat-retaining units. The Hiisi's heat-retaining soapstone releases heat more slowly, and in the form of soft, pleasant radiant heat and can heat water. Despite its compact size, the Hiisi is a hybrid fireplaces, meanings that both pellets and wood can be burned in their firebox without the need for any further equipment, accessories or even electricity.
WALKER STOVES
Company: Walker Stoves
Website: http://walkerstoves.com/
Location: Washington, USA
Team Captain: Matt Remine
Contact: mremine@olypen.com
Stove: Walker Stove
The Walker Stove can be installed as a stand-alone heater, incorporated into a masonry stove installation or coupled to the optional Mass Modules thermal batteries. By using a combustion design which allows the exhaust flue to be decoupled from the burn chamber, the Walker Stove virtually eliminates the potential for dangerous over fire events, as well as eliminating the possibility of a chimney fire. This same design allows The Walker Stove to be used as the heart of a system of heated mass thermal storage or as a stand-alone space heater.
Media Coverage: Meet the Contestants
Popular Mechanics' Team Profile
WITTUS
Company: Wittus-Fire by Design
Website: http://wittus.com
Location: New York, United States
Team Captain: Niels Wittus
Contact: 914-764-5679 / nw@wittus.com
Stove: XEOOS TwinFire®
The Wittus Twinfire is a double chambered wood burning stove. Originally designed by two German Engineers as a way to provide an efficient burning method and minimize pollution in third world countries, the xeoos® Twinfire has a patented combustion system that accounts for high efficiency wood burning capacity and is EPA certified and approved to UL / ULC standards. The concept behind the combustion system is called "gasification": a process that converts carbonaceous materials, such as wood, into the simpler elements carbon monoxide and hydrogen by reacting the raw material at high temperatures. This process results in a gas mixture that is often referred to as woodgas, which is superheated and mixed with air and results in complete combustion and high efficiency.
Media Coverage: Meet the Contestants
WOODSTOCK SOAPSTONE
Company: Woodstock Soapstone Company Inc.
Location: New Hampshire, USA
Website: www.woodstove.com
Location: New Hampshire, United States
Team Captain: Thomas Morrissey
Contact: 603-298-5955 / tomm@woodstove.com
Stove: Ideal Steel Hybrid
The Union Hybrid stove is designed to be clean, efficient, affordable, and fun to use. The Union Hybrid stove is an advanced performance hybrid: it employs secondary combustion and a catalytic combustor, along with a self-regulating air/fuel ratio for maximum output and efficiency. The Union Hybrid stove is also a materials hybrid, using steel, cast iron, and soapstone to build durability and thermal mass into an affordable final product. The styling of the Union Hybrid stove pays homage to American Industry and Manufacturing by incorporating an industrial design aesthetic.
Media Coverage: Meet the Contestants
The world's brightest wood stove designers and manufacturers will compete in the Wood Stove Decathlon Nov. 16 to 19 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The competition challenges 14 finalists to build next-generation wood stoves that are low-emission, high-efficiency, innovative, and affordable. We wanted to hear more about these stoves in the builders' own words. Today: Sandy Mathieu, whose Texas-based company, Dragon Heaters, builds a hybrid stove with a patent-pending combustion chamber. (Don't forget to vote for your favorite! Popular Mechanics will present a People's Choice Award to the finalist that earns the most votes.)
Read more: Wood Stove Decathlon Finalist: Dragon Heater - Popular Mechanics
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