Wood burner ban...

Is anyone with a wood burner a bit concerned about potential health risks? I am not a huge worrier. But if I had young kids or was ttc for example, I would def want to look into it further if I owned one.

he is right though even if you only light it 10 times a year 70 per cent of your heat is gone up the chimney so your basically throwing money up the chimney
We changed our open fire years ago to a door on it and my god the difference no draft and used half coal and stocks - far easier to clean as well and less smoke damage in the room

Is anyone with a wood burner a bit concerned about potential health risks? I am not a huge worrier. But if I had young kids or was ttc for example, I would def want to look into it further if I owned one.

The problem is that people won't just use woodburners for emergencies. They become hugely invested in them and use them constantly.

Try living very rurally with no gas supply and knowing that with each storm/very high winds you’re 75% likely to loose your electricity and then you will be able to make an informed decision about woodburners.

Not remotely worried. Some of us grew up with constant exposure to open fires through every winter of our childhood to no ill effect. My only complaint about ours is that it makes the sitting room tropical.

It's just a discussion topic. If you don't want to discuss it, then don't. It really is just that simple. The headline caught my interest, it has been brought up on the media on occassion over the years, I thought it was an intesting topic.

The smoking example was hyperbole, I am fine to admit that, but I maintain the point that just because no everyone with Asthma doesn't come from a home which burns solid fuel, doesn't exclude the possibility that sitting in a room full of toxic particles every night of their childhood couldn't contribute to developing asthma. Your cuase and effect is as erronous as mine.

And I've not said anything is killing babies? A little hyperbole from you there too perhaps?

Yes, which is why I bought an air quality monitor (especially particulates) to sit in the same room and at the same height as the wood burner

Basically if the door is closed on the wood burner then there is no particulate pollution. Leave the door open and there is. Other interesting observations include: Put up a real Christmas tree and the volatile organic compounds rates go through the roof and way beyond safe levels for a couple of days.
On a hot sunny day the particulate rating shoots up from dust rising up in the air.
Cleaning products also put up the VOC rates.

They need to be used often. Otherwise the chimney and flue is not kept clear and when they are fired up in an emergency - fire. Of the bad kind.

ETA - at the start of Autumn (after months of non use) you have your chimney swept and your wood burner serviced and only after that may you use it safely. You must then continue to use it until your spring/summer downtime.

No it really isn't like saying that.

There is clear and substantive evidence going back decades showing a causal relationship between regular cigarette smoking (specifically cigarettes) and increased occurrence of lung cancer.

There is nothing remotely like this to support the headline grabbing "woodburners are killing our baybeees" nonsense regularly trotted out on these threads. Go through the research and you will find tiny numbers, poorly controlled external factors, poorly distinguished sources and types of woodburners, poor control for household ventilation and maintenance practices. Oh and its always worth checking the funding for any research whatever it is used to promote.

Of course you then also need to consider any residual risk against the risk of living in cold, damp housing which for many is the alternative. Contrary to what MN thinks most wood burners are not in Islington.

Its the classic SM trope "I've read a clickbait headline about something I don't want myself so let's ban it". See also "SUV" threads which want to ban all "SUV"s without ever defining "SUV" or explain how that huge category of very small to very large vehicle has a common problem, different from other vehicles.

That sounds like a lot of hard work, and a lot of wasted wood ...Burning it and producing extra fumes just because 'they need to be used often.' What if it's not cold? Just stick it on anyway?? When my neighbour I mentioned earlier has hers on, her lounge is stifling. Suffocating heat. The rest of the house is cold of course. (Unless she has the heating on.) And if she does have the heating on, there's little point in having the bloody wood burner on!

I honestly couldn't be arsed with the faff, and all the hard work of having one. They sound like more trouble than they're worth. Managed to go 50-odd years without one. I think I'll be fine. Saying people should have one just in case there's a world war/in case of the apocalypse is daft.

We can't spend all our lives worrying about something that will very likely never happen. We've had various threats and scares and worries about war and the like for many decades now. I'm not wasting money and time on a wood burner, 'just in case we go to war and have no power!'

I wouldn't dream of having one (live in London). Several neighbours do and the smell is awful and catches in your lungs.

Of course you then also need to consider any residual risk against the risk of living in cold, damp housing which for many is the alternative. Contrary to what MN thinks most wood burners are not in Islington.

Absolutely. And for those living in remote, rural locations with frequent power cuts and off the mains gas network. Especially considering the price of oil heating fuel, dizzying rises lately.

We had a row of houses built in our very rural , ( no mains gas , only got mains drainage in the last few years ) village about two years ago . As per regulations , all fitted with the latest heat pump tech , plus solar panels and insulation .They got sold , went through their first winter , and then the following summer, every last resident got a woodburner , because , to quote one occupant “we either froze our fucking nuts off, or took a bank loan out for the electric bill “

We have our own wood supply, and about 8 - 10 tonnes of wood either chopped and seasoned, or on the stages of seasoning at any given point. We don’t burn crap , and the wood burner is new defra compliant version. I’d be more likely to die from the cold and damp .

It’s easy to be sanctimonious when you have alternatives . Not everyone does .

This is nonsense.

All new build houses should be built to regulations that really limit the heat leak and should be easily heated at low cost by heat pumps.

It's possible to build houses that barely need any heating at all, but obviously it costs more because of the insulation and heat recovery systems. I know a few people in new build flats and terraces that barely turn the heating on in winter.

Older houses it's a different story.

This is nonsense.

All new build houses should be built to regulations that really limit the heat leak and should be easily heated at low cost by heat pumps.

It's possible to build houses that barely need any heating at all, but obviously it costs more because of the insulation and heat recovery systems. I know a few people in new build flats and terraces that barely turn the heating on in winter.

Older houses it's a different story.

Debate it with my neighbours then . All of whom were raging that they spent half a million pounds on a house that was freezing cold all winter .

This is nonsense.

All new build houses should be built to regulations that really limit the heat leak and should be easily heated at low cost by heat pumps.

It's possible to build houses that barely need any heating at all, but obviously it costs more because of the insulation and heat recovery systems. I know a few people in new build flats and terraces that barely turn the heating on in winter.

Older houses it's a different story.

@JohnofWessex that running all the time is a big issue. Our neighbours got rid of their ground source heating and went back to oil as the electric costs to keep the pump running consistently as directed were exorbitant. In many cases there aren easy solutions here. We looked at solar with batteries, but at this moment the cost is prohibitive. We may see if we can borrow more when we remortgage to do this, but we planned to be reducing and not increasing our mortgage in middle age.