Banning wood/coal burning in homes.

[justasking111]

Well living somewhere where we cannot get gas so use oil which is to be banned so they say, using a log burner to augment heating our home for economic reasons. What is everyone going to do now. Electric is so expensive.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51581817

They are not banning wood burners. Just saying that you must use kiln dried logs, not "wet" logs or coal.

The ban will be on coal and ‘wet wood’, not smokeless fuels and dry wood.
Can anybody explain the difference between wet and dry wood? Is dry wood simply seasoned for a year or so? How will that be policed?

It's not all wood and coal though is it just "wet". We will simply have to spend more money on better wood and you can carry on with it, for now anyway.

I'm not in the UK but there is a similar proposal where I live. We've always burnt dry wood instead of wet wood anyway so it doesn't affect us one bit.

Why don't you just buy dry wood?

Our rented house is only heated with a wood burner and a Rayburn that takes coal. But as I understand it we will be able to use dry wood, and smoke less coal (coke?).

Buy seasoned or kiln dried wood - lasts longer per burn and burns hotter if you buy ash or birch. Can you store green wood outside to let the “inner damp” dry out?

In the same situation here. If you buy wood in it will have to be suitably dried so prices may rise.

we collect our own wood so will be fine.

We do cut and stack the wood from our own land. However, how will we know if it is dried enough to burn to satisfy the government.

Sounds like you will still be able to use smokeless fuel and dried logs, that can be tree cuttings properly stacked outdoors for 12 months.

Oh and wood dries at different rates depending on what tree it originates from

You can tell if it’s ready it feels light. Surely they just mean “don’t burn unseasoned wood”. Which no one does anyway because it gums up your chimney.

My DH had a little panic about this very thing this morning. He loves our log burner but has never had anything to do with buying in fuel for it. I reassured him nothing would change. I only ever buy kiln dried wood or peat briquettes, both of which will still be allowed.

I don’t understand why anyone would ever burn wet wood anyway, it makes a horrible, sticky smoky mess of the stove let alone stinking the place out and being a nightmare to light.

How will you know if wet or dry wood if it's wood you source yourself? How is it possible to police this?

It will be interesting to see how this ban is 'policed'.

Modern electric storage heaters. They are expensive to run but require no maintenance and last ages so the total cost is not actually much more than gas central heating. As the cost of gas goes up and renewable electricity becomes more accessible storage heaters will become a much better option.

The coal man won't be happy. We will need to stock up before it stops being sold. Our wood is fine as we never buy it and only burn what we've been given. We have space to season it so are ok

If you are uncertain whether home seasoned wood is dry enough buy a moisture meter. They aren’t expensive. Law or no law, it’s a sensible and responsible thing to do.
www.amazon.co.uk/Moisture-Meter-Logs-Carousel-Measuring/dp/B07K746RLX/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?psc=1&crid=3M9EN1CXW1JFR&keywords=moisture+meter+for+logs&sprefix=Moisture%2Caps%2C270&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzM1BWSTk5OTdBNjJaJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzkzNzAxR1ZQTkE2RjAxVDBEJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxOTk4NDhNQVROV1NZN1FBNyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1582292835&sr=8-3-spons

I thought it was a ban on selling these things?

The article actually said sales of wet logs would be banned. That is easier than going round everyone's log pile and will get rid of 90% of the problem. The small number of people who burn wood from their own source, usually know about seasoning it.

Who burns wet fuel? mindboggling.

They’re not going to be banning the use of wet wood (or coal) in the home, just its sale. If you want to risk your lungs and chimney by burning recently felled wood from your own land then that’s still going to be legal for now.

Seasoned wood I believe has been dried for at least two years (or so I read somewhere)

they wont be able to police this which is why they are going for the wood and fuels sold. if you collect your own wood you are fine.

it may be we have to stack and dry for longer in the future but at the moment nothing changes if you currently cut your own wood.

Apparentluy wet wood has a thump if you bang two pieces together but I have no idea.

What is everyone going to do now. Electric is so expensive.

Um, I would imagine people will continue burning dry wood.

It's -19C here today. Woodstove is heating pretty much the entire house using wood we cut and stacked ourselves, and dried till it was ready for burning.

Honestly, I can't wait! My neighbor burns smokey coal, and it reeks! The whole street stinks in fact.