Worried about smoke from wood burner

[Igglepiggle3]

We have just had a log burner installed and have a couple of young children. Youngest is 3.
Today the stove started to smoke. We sent the children straight out of the room and opened windows, put on fan etc I’m just worried the smoke could have done them some harm. It was t too much and we went into the room after the smell had cleaned. Just concerned as when I went to check in the smell a couple of times it hurt slightly to breathe in and I now have a headache!
I am a massive worried so may be over reacting!

You are right, you are massively over-reacting. Have you got a CO alarm?

A wood burner should be sealed with the smoke going outside. It needs checking if smoke is getting into the room.
And yes a carbon monoxide detector is vital anyway, wood burner or not

This can happen sometimes if there is a downdraught. However it can also happen if the chimney is blocked so it would pay to do a smoke test. Another thing can cause it is if there isnt enough 'draw' and the smoke isnt drawn put through the chimney, so you need to open the oxygen vents to get the fire going.

You should, by law, have a CO2 monitor in the room, adequate ventilation and a vent in the wall if over a certain number of kilowatts.

The smoke cominginto the room will be no more harmfull than a bonfire so please do not worry.

If recently installed the installers should come back and do smoke test

If the burner if brand new it will burn through the oil on the metal parts on the first time it is used.
You need a CO2 monitor

We have 2 vents in the wall which we opened straight away. And we do have a carbon monoxide alarm too.
We think it’s because it’s super cold and foggy outside. It seemed to work ok afterwards but was just abit of a shock when smoke started coming out with the children in the vicinity

Mine did this for a while when it was new (replacing an old one), the man who fitted it said this was quite normal and it did stop after a couple of days. You definitely should have a carbon monoxide detector though.

Are you using damp or green wood? Smoke should filter up the chimney/flue not into the room. Are the vents set correctly? However it will also emit invisible gases into the room even in correct use.

We have had it about a month now and it’s the first time it’s done it which is why it was a ‘oh shut’ moment. We have the monoxide detector but recently decorated and the decorators took it down and filled in the holes but it’s on the TV unit. Do they have to be high up on the wall?

A chimney or flue pipe won't 'draw' when it's cold. so when you first light your stove, use a small amount of logs first, then increase the amount as the chimney warms and does its job.

If it's a metal flue on a cold day, give it a blast on the outside with a hairdryer to warm the metal a bit, doesn't take much doing. Then light your logs.

It won’t have done harm from one night- but order a well rated carbon monoxide detector for the sitting room online tonight.

Don’t light it again until it’s fixed.

However: a friend of mine works for an air quality charity and the stats she shares about wood burners and open fires are terrifying- even with a good flue they let out a lot of particles in to a room.

I think the come back of fires and wood burners is a ticking time bomb health wise.

@VestaTilley oh really? That has made me worry now. We have had it on a few times round the children, possibly 4 or 5. I think I will say to my husband just to have it on when the children are in bed now.

@VestaTilley that's interesting. I've had an interest in air quality data for a while. I work in stats and have always judged the dangers to be massively exaggerated. It could be the spin that's put in them that makes them terrifying rather than the stats themselves.

Adjustments and chimney cleaning will help the smoking but the particulates are a problem . I unknowingly made my pneumonia worse sitting close to a Woodburner whilst recovering from it (actor my consultant). I've stopped using it which is a shame but...

We have been using seasoned wood if that makes a difference? (I hope so!)

This happens with our wood burner on really cold days. The cold air si is down and the fore isn't hot enough to draw smoke up through the cold air. We've always found that if you start off with a really hot little fore using wax firelighters and kindling, it gets going really quickly and smokelessly. We've had many smoky panics over the last few months!

Sorry for all the appalling typos there!!

Yes that will reduce the amount of particles. These arise from incomplete combustion which can be made worse by wet wood. As a wood burner is a closed system it has higher temperatures than an open fire which will also help. It won't reduce particle escape to nil though!

However: a friend of mine works for an air quality charity and the stats she shares about wood burners and open fires are terrifying- even with a good flue they let out a lot of particles in to a room

They also let out a lot of particles (PM2.5 - the most dangerous) and volatile organic compounds - many of which are intensely carcinogenic - into the atmosphere outside. These, apart from causing pollution in the vicinity, especially in cold and foggy conditions, enter neighbour's (and your own) houses, even through closed windows.

The sooner these ridiculous and unnecessary fashion accessories are banned, the better.

@TheNighthawk
I totally agree, my neighbours installed one a couple of years ago and my asthma is noticeably worse. I can't believe that there are bans on smoking tiny cigarettes near people but masses of smoke is fine to inflict on everyone in the vicinity.

@TheNighthawk bear in mind VOCs are also emitted from carpets, paint etc... so we also need to be aware of the absolute/relative risk here.

Yes I agree. There’s some worrying information coming out about them. We’ve stopped using ours for the last few years.

Yeah @TheNighthawk puts it better than me.

If ever we buy a house I’d love an open fire, but they’re not a good idea unless you have a ginormous sitting room (which most of us, alas, do not).

@TheNortherner totally agree , we have a few houses near by with wood burners and it makes my chest feel tight just walking past ( asthma with emphysemic changes here) . I’d like to see them banned .

Wood smoke it terrible for asthma and lung health.

The house when we moved in had an open fire. We replaced it with a wood stove. I would have thought it would be safer having a closed door than with an open flame