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2016 MHA Research Heater Tests

Test MHA-1639
March 30, 2016

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Repeat of 1627, all birch.
Extra test #4 of  matched load series to investigate PM repeatability with cordwood
Log cabin stacking, side ignition,
63.0 lbs including 3.0 lbs kindling
15.3% moisture.

Baffle supports opened up. See MHA-1625
Air slots in firebox unblocked, except for top course (25% restriction)
See MHA-1623 for other modifications.  

Original test + 6 matched loads + 4 extra tests


Coefficient of Variation (CV, or COV) is the standard deviation divided by the average.
25% COV means that on average a PM test number is accurate within +/- 25%


Cumulative coefficient of variation. After the first 3 tests, it looked like the COV was very tight, around 3%.
However, with more tests it settled to its realistic value, around 25%.
Compare with previous Lopez Labs crib repeatability testing, which yielded a COV of  10.2% with 4 sets of matched cribs (8 test runs)
Note in the crib testing that the CO repeatability was much tigher, within 1.5%, although the CO value itself was about 8X higher than the Eco-firebox.
In both cases, the efficiency was extremely tight.

Recently, MHA ran the Condar against Method M5G-3 on 3 pellets stoves (18 tests total) and achieved a COV of 3.1%

Compare with crib reproducibility (which is not the same as repeatability with the same operator within the same lab)
among different EPA accredited laboratories in round robin proficiency testing, running the official EPA M-28 test method
on the same stove, shipped to different laboratories, all using the M-28 specified Douglas Fir cribs at 4 different burn rates.
In an 18 year period, there were a total of 5 different stoves used.

(table is excerpted from HPBA's NSPS submission)
With some of the laboratories note the large variations in different years, running exactly the same test on exactly the same stove.
Note the super dirty non-cat, in 1989, with very good reproducibility


Condar summary

Condar Spreadsheet

Raw Testo Data

Lab Notes


Gas graph. CO low was 58 ppm


Testo gas graph.










This page was updated on  March 31, 2016
This page was created on March 30, 2016