Optima Installation and Operation Manual
10
2.3
The Benefits of Low Emissions and High Efficiency
The low smoke emissions produced by the special features inside the Optima 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.
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.
