| Wooden stoves have been used since ancient | | | | the bottom. In 1772, David Rittenhouse improves |
| times in one form or the other to heat the | | | | Franklin’s stove by adding an L-shaped |
| rooms during the cold winter months. Wood | | | | chimney which rectified the earlier defects in the |
| stoves provide effective heating directly into the | | | | model. This improved model continued to be in |
| space in comparison with the modern central | | | | use without any further significant developments |
| heating systems, which distributes heat through | | | | in wood stoves till the late 1980s. The earlier |
| ducts. Wood stoves generally consist of an | | | | wood stove models consist of some limitations |
| enclosed metal box of cast iron, an adjustable air | | | | like usage of huge quantity of wood, air pollution, |
| control and a grate and sometimes have a | | | | chances of fire hazards and constant difficult |
| humidifier attached to them for added | | | | maintenance procedure. |
| comfortability. | | | | In the late 1980s, the Environment Protection |
| In earlier times, open fireplaces were used to | | | | Authority (EPA) of United States imposed a |
| heat the rooms, but they were not capable of | | | | smoke emission norm limiting the smoke emission |
| providing effective heating as most of the heat | | | | on wood stoves to 7.5 grams per hour to |
| was not directed into the room properly. The | | | | improve the air quality. The manufactures in order |
| people in America used to build a fire in a fireplace | | | | to comply with the new emission norms |
| using a lot of wood which was quite unsafe and | | | | discovered the catalytic stoves and non-catalytic |
| costly. Then came the generation of what is now | | | | stoves. |
| known as heath stove, which consisted of metal | | | | The catalytic stoves consist of a ceramic |
| boxes with an opening at the back strategically | | | | honeycomb catalytic plate imbedded with certain |
| positioned against a fireplace to reduce the | | | | chemicals which catalyses the combustion of |
| excess heat which radiated into the room. During | | | | resins in the smoke at lower temperature. The |
| the 1700s completely closed stoves were in | | | | catalytic plate is inserted in the path of emission |
| popular usage, which were efficient in radiating | | | | of smoke, which works only a particular |
| heat into the room. | | | | temperature. Until, the required temperature is |
| Then there was a dramatic change in the design | | | | reached the smoke is bypassed through a |
| and usage of wood stoves, which was seen as | | | | damper. This was used popularly as it was easy |
| the most convenient and cost-effective way of | | | | to modify the earlier model but it also came with |
| heating the house. The change was brought about | | | | certain limitations like difficulty in use and |
| by an American scientist and researcher, | | | | maintenance procedure which is quite |
| Benjamin Franklin who invented the cast iron | | | | cumbersome. Later non-catalytic stoves came |
| stove or what he called as the ‘Pennsylvania | | | | into use which uses a longer smoke path and |
| Fireplace’ and now most popularly as the | | | | secondary combustion chamber which helps in |
| ‘Franklin stove’ in the year 1742. He | | | | achieving complete combustion. |
| invented a safe and cost effective stove which | | | | The wood stoves have evolved over the years |
| consists of a cast iron metal box which can heat | | | | and act as an efficient mean of heating the room. |
| a room in a relatively safe manner. The stove | | | | Though the wood stoves are giving way to |
| was capable of radiating heat into the room from | | | | electric stoves and central heating system, their |
| a 360 degree angle. However, this stove was | | | | antique appeal is enough to convince a person to |
| characterized by a flaw of radiating smoke from | | | | go for a wood stove for heating. |