News Update: Navajo Stove Project

News Update - Navajo Stove Project

Below is a brief video interview with our Navajo Beta tester Robert Owen, from mid March, 2018.  Robert is one of our Navajo beta testers whose stove was installed this January, 2018.   We also posted on his installation before.  It’s a little bit unclear in the video, but in the six weeks between his installation and this interview he saved two truckloads of wood, which means his fuel consumption was cut in half.  This is what we like to hear.  He also comments that the heat is more even, and his indoor air quality is better: “I can breathe.”  We especially like his comment “I feel like the stove found me.”

The Navajo Stoves are in Transit!

Our first shipment of Navajo Stoves are shipping today.  We are replacing last year’s Navajo beta stoves with the first production stoves made after EPA certification and UL listing.

Here are a few photos of these stoves on their way to being crated for shipment.  We like the Navajo colors!  A few members of our team will be in Arizona and New Mexico the second week in January to install them and make some instructional videos.  

Our first Survival Stoves will go through production in the next couple weeks.  You can view the Dimensions, Specifications and other information on our website here:  Survival Stove.  Stay tuned for updates, photographs, and more construction and performance details.  

Happy New Year!

Navajo Testing is Complete!

Navajo Beta Stove

A little over a year ago, we started working on a design for a clean-burning wood/coal stove for use in the Navajo Nation, located at the “4 corners” where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah meet.  In February, 2017, we installed a series of “beta” stoves in Navajo homes on the reservation, as well as test homes here in New Hampshire.  An early test model is pictured here.  The stove has undergone significant changes, which we will detail in subsequent posts.

We finished with the design development last summer, and recently completed testing for EPA certification, and a listing to UL 1482.  Those test reports have been submitted, and we hope to have approvals before the end of the year.

The stove is a hybrid wood stove (with secondary combustion and a catalyst), and an underfire coal stove (with significant secondary combustion).  Part of the design challenge was converting the airflow from wood to coal.  

Model of Airflow in the Navajo Coal/Wood Stove

The average weighted emissions for wood was 1.048 grams per hour, with efficiency of 79.43%.  Average emissions with coal was 4.95 grams/hour, with efficiency of 59.7%.  We sacrificed quite a bit of efficiency to clean up the coal emissions.

It is a small stove, with a firebox of just 1.15 cubic feet and heat output of 15,332 – 27,294 BTU/hr burning wood, and 7,741 – 10,189 BTU/hr burning coal.

More details in the coming days...

Navigating Navajo Mud Season

This 5 minute video (edited down from 7.5 minutes), shows our crew's drive out from the last Navajo Beta Stove installation in Steamboat, Arizona.  The trick to getting to some homes is to get in and out early while the ground is still frozen, but we didn't have that option!

The Second Beta Stove Installation at the Navajo Reservation

Moving in the new stove

The second beta installation was for a young family in Lupton, AZ.  Just starting out with their own little home on familial land, Amber & Leonard, were in need of some economical heat.  They were incurring huge electric bills each month from using space heaters.  The addition of the stove will off-set these high electric bills while keeping the family toasty warm.

Leonard and his family prepared for their new stove by building a hearth.  They laid down flooring, insulated and put sheet-rock on the walls, finished the ceiling, and tiled the walls and floor.

The beautiful tile job needed a bit of expanding to accommodate for the front loading door, so our crew set down a freestanding hearth pad on top of the existing tile.  Amber and Leonard choose the stove that was painted a metallic blue to grace their home.  It was the perfect choice.

Installing the chimney

Once the stove was in place and a safe distance from the wall, Glenn and Jack got started on the chimney installation.  While they were busy installing the chimney, Lorin tiled the hearth, discussed how to operate the stove with the new owners, and played fetch with the Blue Heeler.

With the installation complete and the stove was fired up, Amber had fun seeing the change from smoke to no smoke coming out the chimney once the combustor was engaged during the wood fire.  By the time the crew left, the Navajo stove had warmed Amber and Leonard's home nicely and the kids were enjoying the heat from the stove!  

The Navajo Adventures

The stove Tony was using

The crew is back and we are beginning to get the stories of their Navajo Adventures.  It was a non-stop, whirlwind of driving, hauling, and installing.  From picking up the stoves and equipment at the ABF Truck Terminal, to making the two-hour drive from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Gallup, New Mexico, the days were long but productive.

Welcome Committee

Tony's home was the first stop, and we all agreed, he needed a new stove. Tony was thrilled he was able to choose his favorite color - red.  We were ecstatic with the welcome committee!

Upon arriving in Gallup, the crew was met by Sandy, a Navajo Police Office and fluent Navajo interpreter.  We were also met by

three of the Navajo EPA Representatives.  We give our heartfelt thanks to these four people who were a big help on our first installment project.

Laying the hearth

Tony's stove was removed, and a new hearth was built.  Using cement board and tile, we made a safe place to set the new stove down. Checking the length of pipe, double-wall was used inside every home, then moving outside to finish the stainless on the exterior.  

Installing the inside pipe

Installing the outside pipe

Once the chimney was in place, it was time to light the stove - drum roll please!  The stove which Tony was using, was very basic.  We educated Tony as to how to use his new stove.  He was taught how to engage the combustor when burning wood, and how to move the "Fuel Selection Controller" when burning coal.  Because these stoves burn both wood and coal, it is important to utilize the Fuel Selection Controller as needed.






After the installation was completed, we checked back in with Tony several times to see how he was doing.  As with all beta testing, there were items that needed adjustment and some improvements were made. The overall opinion was - Success!

The Navajo Stove: The Rumors are True...

Navajo Beta Stove - Gasket is Added

Here at the Woodstock Soapstone Company, we have been very busy.  For the past 3-4 months, we have been fervently working on a stove designed for use by Navajo American Indians who live on the Navajo Nation Reservation at the “4 Corners”  (where Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico meet).  The first beta stoves were shipped by truck transportation to the Navajo Nation earlier this week, and three of our crew are flying out on Sunday to install the stoves, train operators, and learn more about how the stoves will be used.

The Wood/Coal Challenge:
On the Navajo Reservation, the residents burn wood and coal in their stoves – and not just any coal, but sub-bituminous coal.  The coal is mined on the Navajo American Indian Reservation, and is used for the Navajo Generating Station near Page, Arizona, but is also used for residential heating on the reservation to achieve extended burn times at night.  It is a low-density coal with high water content – and a very high-energy content.

The dual fuel design requires two different airflows – one for wood, and one for coal.  Our design turned out to be a small hybrid wood stove for clean wood burning, and a coal draft system powered by under-fire primary air and lots of secondary combustion.  Needless to say, we are really looking forward to beginning the field-testing of our design.  Beta testing will begin next week in Navajo American Indian homes in Arizona and New Mexico.

Doors are painted, handles are added

Race to Zero Emissions:

This project fits perfectly with our mission to design cleaner and cleaner stoves.  We have always focused on wood, but when the EPA asked us if we could try to design a  dual fuel stove specifically to meet the needs of the Navajo American Indians, it fit right in with our interests, so we jumped at the opportunity.  We expect to learn quite a bit in the  next six weeks of beta testing!

Keep your eyes on our blog, we will be posting more after we are "on the ground" in the Southwest.