Century FW3000 Installation and Operation Manual
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2.3 The Benefits of Low Emissions and High Efficiency
The low smoke emissions produced by the special features inside the Century FW3000
firebox mean that your household will release up to 90 percent less smoke into the outside
environment than if you used an older conventional stove. But there is more to the
emission control technologies than protecting the environment.
The smoke released from wood when it is heated contains about half of the energy content
of the fuel. By burning the wood completely, your stove releases all the heat energy from
the wood instead of wasting it as smoke up the chimney. Also, the features inside the
firebox allow you to reduce the air supply to control heat output, while maintaining clean
and efficient flaming combustion, which boosts the efficient delivery of heat to your home.
The emission control and advanced combustion features of your stove can only work
properly if your fuel is in the correct moisture content range of 15 to 20 percent. See
Section A3.0 of this manual for suggestions on preparing fuelwood and judging its
moisture.
2.4 The SBI Commitment to You and the Environment
The SBI team are committed to protecting the environment, so we do everything we can to
use only materials in our products that will have no lasting negative impact on the
environment.
2.4.1 What is Your New Stove Made Of?
The body of your stove, which is most of its weight, is carbon steel. Should it ever become
necessary many years in the future, almost the entire stove can be recycled into new
products, thus eliminating the need to mine new materials.
The paint coat on your stove is very thin. Its VOC content (Volatile Organic Components)
is very low. VOCs can be responsible for smog, so all the paint used during the
manufacturing process meets the latest air quality requirements with regards to VOC
reduction or elimination.
The air tubes are stainless steel, which can also be recycled.
Vermiculite is used for the baffle. Vermiculite is a mineral. Large commercial mines exist in
China, Russia, South Africa, and Brazil. Potassium silicate is used as binder to form a
rigid board. Vermiculite can withstand temperatures above 2,000 °F. It is not considered
hazardous waste. Disposal at a landfill is recommended.
Lightweight firebrick is made of pumice and cement. Pumice is in fact volcanic rock, a
naturally green product found in the Northwest United States. Disposal at a landfill is
recommended.
The door and glass gaskets are fibreglass which is spun from melted sand. Black gaskets
have been dipped into a solvent-free solution. Disposal at a landfill is recommended.
The door glass is a 5 mm thick ceramic material that contains no toxic chemicals. It is
basically made of raw earth materials such as sand and quartz that are combined in such
a way to form a glass at high temperatures. Ceramic glass will not re-melt in the same
way as normal glass, so it should not be recycled with your regular household products.
Disposal at a landfill is recommended.
