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A novel woodburning stove

Smoke not only gets in your eyes; it is wasted heat. At least since Benjamin Franklin observed the phenomenon, owners of woodburning stoves have been trying to prevent all that expensive warmth from going up the chimney. Now a small Vermont company offers a modern solution: a fireplace-stove that uses a catalytic converter, similar to those found in emission-controlled cars, to re-burn the smoke and gases. The Shelburne Catalytic converter is 2 in. high, 8 in. in diameter and perforated like a honeycomb. It is coated with palladium, causing a chemical reaction that ignites the wood gases at 500° F (instead of the usual 1,000° F), converting them into heat. The recovered heat is then pushed out into the room with a blower.

The Shelburne Catalytic stove has two drawbacks. At $1,250, it is steep for a stove. And at 450 Ibs., it is very heavy. Vermont Stove Co. President Paul Bortz advises each customer, "Get four very big friends and a case of beer, and don't let them drink it until afterward."