To think our air quality is getting worse due to the rise of woodburners

[Brownbootscoldheart]

I live in a semi rural area - a large village surrounded by other large towns and villages and since the start of winter there is a constant smell of woodsmoke In the air. It’s especially strong in the evenings and the air is still thick some mornings if it’s a still day.
I agree it can sometimes smell quite nice but mostly it’s an acrid smell, not dissimilar to creosote so I assume people are burning wood treated with something.
I feel we are going backwards with regards to air quality, the clean air act went a huge way to improving the situation in the later decades of the last century but due to the rise of this needless accessory (I say needless as I would expect most people have central heating and it’s just a fad to have a woodburner) I would think we are going backwards.

Anyone else agree?

YANBU. We were looking at getting one (because they look so lovely) and we were completely horrified by the reality when we actually did our research. transportexchangegroup.com/2018/06/collaborative-logistics-and-reducing-co2/

Shortly afterwards I had to visit Chile for work, which completely proved the point. In towns and cities everyone burns wood for heating and the air pollution is absolutely horrendous. Santiago is only a few miles from the Andes but in winter you can only see the mountains’ peaks - the rest is obscured by a huge thick grey smoke cloud that hangs over the city. Exactly the same in much smaller towns.

In this country, I get why people who live off the gas network have them but in cities they’re nothing but middle-class vanity items.

Almost anything you do damages the planet. I offset my wood burner by having only one child, mending clothes, never having disposable fashion. Walking places. Minimal plastic bottles ( use bars of soap etc) cut back on air travel. Find natural heat from a fire far better than from central heating (and far cheaper)

I get your point, but there are slightly different issues at play: air quality vs sustainability. Your ‘offsetting’ behaviours are all about sustainability, which is obviously very important. Arguably, woodburning is a way more sustainable way of heating our homes because it’s a renewable resource. But air quality and its impact on human health is a related but slightly different consideration. You only have one child doesn’t offset the immediate damage that you’re doing to your neighbours’ lungs!

There are always two sides to every environmental coin. Remember 15 years ago when we were encouraged to buy diesel cars? It was thought that because diesel is more efficient it was a more environmental option. It’s subsequently turned out that though it’s more efficient, it way more harmful to human health.

Yanbu. It smells really strongly of woodsmoke in our village too, most houses are pretty modern. I also agree that it's because woodburners are the trendy fireplace to have.

I don’t know. I think proper wood burners are actually not that bad if you use the right fuel. I am in London and have one, and I think it’s pretty clean burning. But I do know for a fact that lots of people burn wood in open fire places even though that’s illegal in London.

Woodburners aren't nearly such a problem round here as people using open fires.

Our big problem round here is people burning seacoal. That stuff is horrible.

This is just a blame shifting distraction from industrial pollution, particulate from transport and pollution from global expansion. Stick your head outside on a cold morning and see how much carbon monoxide is coming out of ch boiler flues.

Nope. Wood burners are designed to be clean burning. And it’s literally burnt wood. How can that damage air quality?

🤦‍♂️

I live in the Chamonix Valley in winter and the pollution here can be really awful, due in part to the shape of the valley, the Mont Blanc tunnel, traffic, the industry at Passy and the incinerators.
When the pollution reaches a certain level, the Marie will put out a decree - no wood burning stoves to be used unless it is your sole source of heating and the order stays in place until the air improves. It is quite something to be up on the mountains looking down at the smog and no sign of the city below.

However, I have a wood burner in the UK - live in a village by the sea and it is useful if you want to heat a couple of rooms rather than the entire house. I'm very careful what I burn though only well seasoned hardwood.

I don't have one but think they look lovely. Is smokeless fuel less polluting?

Oh FFS!

Lets just ban every single thing that can be noticed in any way.

Children playing loudly. Ban them.

Cars. Ban them.

Cyclists. Ban them.

I could go on, and on, and on.

A modern wood burner, when used properly, has no visible emissions, no smell or smoke. The people you are complaining about are called "fucking idiots", who cant read an instruction manual.

Fucking idiots. Ban them.

I do take the point about emissions =/= smelly black smoke - was more making the point that they shouldn’t be emitting /anything/ into your room if installed and maintained correctly. My severely asthmatic friend who is set off by dogs, perfume, air fresheners etc has never visibly had a problem with ours, although I will ask her - would hate to think she’s sat there suffering in silence.

I am also getting a sense of slight envy politics about the whole thing - middle class indulgences, etc. Like affordable and effective heating should be a faddish luxury for the Waitrose set. I did read the article and they seemed to be confused about the difference between burning fossil fuels and seasoned firewood.

I’ve lived abroad in cities with major smog problems, but hardly anyone used wood burners there - all heating was electric (and most people didn’t have it). Mainly vehicle and industrial emissions.

I love my stove and will happily spend ££s on maintaining and upgrading it to keep its emissions as low and clean as possible. Sitting around the hearth and making a log last all night is good for the soul.

I have a woodburner in my house in the UK. We don't have mains gas, and even though we have efficient oil heating, the problem is that it isn't gravity fed, so when there is a power cut, the heating doesn't work. The range that does the CH also does the hot water, and is what i cook on.

Having a woodburner means that there is a source of heat, and if it is cranked up enough, I can boil water for tea, or fry a couple of eggs in a pan on the top.

The "We live in the country, what else can we do?" objection is only half valid, IMO. I live about as rurally as you can get, and my HA got air source heating installed in our new builds. It is excellent, and very economical to run.

Your HA installed that at a cost to you of £0. Not difficult to see why it may not be an option for people who will need to find the installation costs themselves.

Wood burners give off a different heat to central heating. In an old house, central heating doesn’t feel the same and being on oil means it’s expensive too.

There was air echange underfloor heating fitted when our house was built ( we didn't own it then) - it is SO expensive and completely ineffective. Our woodburner is brilliant and literally heats the whole house. We live in a forest so buy kiln dried seasoned wood and get the flue swept every year. We save a lot on heating costs this way and don't see why we shouldn't heat our house this way. We don't burn coal or chuck anything we shouldn't in the burner as it would ruin the flue. But in a city....think we'd have gas!

To those of you who say that those of us who live in rural areas and don't have mains gas should use oil...are you kidding? Have you any idea how much a tank of oil costs. It would be a case of heat or eat for many of my friends. Plus, think about the environmental factor of the oil.

Confused

Only ban the items that kill people

And don't forget about how we obtain oil and gas!

I'd never buy a house without an open fire. I've grown up with them all my life.

The reason being that in the event of a power cut you still have light and heat.

They're no worse than cars.

@Notwiththeseknees - very interesting post. We also noticed air quality problems in the Alps.

We burn smokeless fuel (inside clean air zone) but many neighbours burn wood and it stinks! Sunday pm's are the worst - we have mains gas so no excuse

Ffs why don't they do something about these bloody air fresheners and perfumed products that are all over public spaces now? These are just as harmful. I'm surrounded by them at work and spend my days off laid up with sinusitis and headaches.

I can't understand how people use wood fires as everyday heating anyway. They need lots of attention so they don't go out, and even then, they go out eventually in a couple of hours. You can't concentrate properly for any length of time. I figure that back when they were common, if you would be regularly concentrating on something that involved sitting still for hours, if rich you would have servants, or if less well off you'd be in a large household or a gathering where everyone would take turns (like a bunch of women and girls knitting or sewing). If there's just one or two of you they are a faff.
Completely disagree with this. If you cut and stack your wood to dry, so it's a season or two old it burns smoothly and gives enough heat to heat a whole house that's well insulated. (well ours does). If you lay and light your fire correctly and feed it at regular intervals, once it's got a decent 'bottom'to it, it'll not go out for hours. You can then resurrect it by adding more logs to the glowing embers,.

Agree with Ariela. Our stove needs very little attention. Lasts for hours if using the correct fuel and when we had no electricity a few winters ago (was very very cold) we could at least be toasty with the fire on

Yes, we had several neighbours in to warm themselves and cook their tea. Years ago we had a Rayburn too and in times of heavy snow and no electricity we cooked food for half the village and a jolly time was had by all. Lots of people brought casseroles and left them to collect later but arriving early enough for a cup of tea and a chat.