About
Hex Stove : A clean burn—ahead of its time
Hi, I'm Yvon Gilbert, a machinist, a welder and a retired teacher (25 years) Machine Tool Technology. And in 1975 I invented a high performance wood stove that I manufactured in small quantities. A niche product at the time (and still today, I think) its hexagon-shaped body heats a room with better efficiency and faster than typical box-shaped stoves. My design incorporates pre-heated down draft air meeting with up-draft air coming from the ash box compartment to produce a hotter burning flame and less toxic smoke. The remaining smoke then travels through a three-pass system before entering the chimney. The fire burns with a swirl pattern. My Hex wood stove incorporates three means of controlling combustion and it doesn't require any electricity or have moving parts such as fans or extra parts like catalytic convertors to worry about maintaining.
I have spent the majority of my life inventing and repairing, welding and teaching individuals how to problem-solve and build meaningful parts and tools with their hands. I've also split and stacked a LOT of wood in my lifetime (started at four years old in Quebec, Canada and haven't quit yet). In my retirement, it's my turn to show up for my own invention and push it forward into these modern times where I believe it belongs— sure, it doesn't look like other stoves out there on the market— that's because it's built to actually produce heat. Lots of heat.
Dream it. Build it. Test it—please.
Like many fabricators & engineers— I’m sincerely interested in how my technology measures up, and how it might be improved and re-imagined. Here are some of my goals this year:
- Get an EPA approved Laboratory to conduct inspections/testing and produce official performance data on my high-efficiency wood stove.*
- Talk with other fabricators and industry leaders about today's wood stove market to see how my stove measures up and how it might be improved.
- Find a manufacturer who is interested in exploring the performance and application of my Hex Stove design to their own existing line of Steel Plate Wood Stoves.
*I can provide your lab with samples of creosote crystals and particulates of soot dating back to October 6, 2009. Most recent sample dated April 30, 2019. I have a printout of CO, CO2 and O2 levels as well as temperature readings... As a lifetime renewable energy advocate I am aware of the new EPA standards and I look forward to putting my stove to the test. My local inspection test results showed that my stove, the primary heat source for 2,000 sq.ft. home, after 30 years of burning cord wood still met or exceeded those requirements.
"For 30 years Hex Stove exclusively heated my home during the Maine Winters and long power outages during the great ice storm of 1997. After burning 170 cords of wood the chimney never needed cleaning and the stove easily heated a 2300 square-foot home. The Stove itself is still in great shape."
Yvon Gilbert
hexstove.com