Wood Burning Stove with Newborn??

[skipperdoo]

With winter fast approaching and our first child due at the end of Nov, DH and I have been arguing about the wood burning stove.

It is in good working order (only installed last year) but sometimes when DH opens the door to put a new log on the fire, smoke smell fills the room and wafts all the way upstairs even if the doors are shut. I don't know if this is a problem with DH's technique or the stove itself. He usually does this while the fire is still going to keep it going and strong (versus waiting for it die out to ashes and starting again from scratch). Not sure if it matters but it is a DEFRA approved eco friendly model.

I love a good fire at Christmastime but I'm worried about this issue with a newborn. On top of pollutants, I know smoke inhalation is a huge risk for SIDS. DH thinks I'm being dramatic and a worry wart and that people have been burning wood since the dawn of time.

What do you all think? And is there a compromise I'm not thinking of? Or a technique he should be using that he's not?

TYIA

I wouldn't. At the dawn of time people didn't live in such sealed houses with little ventilation!

What @Jamjar77 said - he’s not opening the vents properly. If you just open the doors, a load of smoke will come out - a user error rather than a stove issue.

I wouldn't use now with small children even if functioning well. I know they've been used for years but all the recent studies show how polluting they are and bad for lungs. I realise cars are bad too but this isn't something you can mitigate yourself. I would just use it occasionally as a treat if you don't want to get rid of it.

I wouldn't use it with a newborn in the house regardless if it was working properly or not.
I would get underfloor heating installed and ditch it personally.

There are pollutants when you use a gas cooker, especially the hob.
Nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide as well as particle pollutants.
If you don't rely on your woodburner then don't use it.

We used ours sparingly with our newborn. Didn’t have smoke coming out into the room though.
I found it made makes my house so hot, even when freezing outside. DD would get sleepy quite fast when it was on which scared me so I only let my DH have it on at random times when I me and DD were out etc.

@MaggieFS

I wouldn't. At the dawn of time people didn't live in such sealed houses with little ventilation!

And it's not like health outcomes at the dawn of time were the gold standard either.

@Megan2018

We used our woodburner freely with our newborn, although she was probably 6 weeks+ by the time it was cold enough. Ours does not fill the room with smoke.

A correctly working stove is no more risk than being near cars. Ours out electric but I still walked baby down the road where there are particulates aplenty.

Fires used by just 8% of population but cause triple the particle pollution of traffic, data shows

www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/16/home-wood-burning-biggest-cause-particle-pollution-fires

And since we can't control the traffic we can control the pollutants in our own homes.

I wouldn't. Not worth the risk.

But then I also banned candles.

Do not use it. They look likely to be banned before too long.

British Lung Foundation/Asthma U.K have done a lot of research on the particulates given out by them. Unless I had a truly ginormous sitting room I wouldn’t have an open fire or log burner going around children now.

And never, ever burn wood unless it’s properly seasoned (dried for years). They’ve become very trendy, but they’re a total health hazard.

Lots of info online from reputable sources if you need to convince your DH further.

Yeah you might want to rip it out if you ever sell up. They are fast going out of fashion.

I would get rid completely. For the sake of everyone’s lungs but especially your newborn’s.

I think you’re right to be concerned. There’s now plenty of scientific evidence unfiltered particulate pollution caused by these burners are highly toxic and detrimental to our health. I think in years to come they will be seen, rightly, as worse than smoking. It’s not something I’d want anyone to be exposed to long term, especially children.

To quote one website below -

When wood is burned, even in newer certified wood stoves, it creates localized particulate pollution hot spots and releases surprisingly high levels of harmful toxins such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene and dioxins into our environment. Wood smoke shares many of the same toxic chemical compounds as tobacco smoke, but evidence suggests it may be even more harmful.

www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/16/home-wood-burning-biggest-cause-particle-pollution-fires

www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/wood-stoves-produce-three-times-more-pm25-pollution-than-traffic/ar-BB1dJwTe

www.woodsmokepollution.org/wood-stoves.html

I had no idea about how polluting wood burners were until I read a thread on here the other day. I'm in Alpine NZ where we rely on wood burners for heat. Most older houses don't have any other form of heating and are not well insulated. I would say in my town about 90% of homes are heated via wood burners.
Is it all fires? I can't imagine how we would live down here without them!

It's not just when he opens the door you need to worry about. Google e indoor pollution from wood burners. Not hood for young lungs.

Mine has never filled room with smoke.

I only get any smoke if a large burning ember falls out and I don't put it back quickly.

Bus diesel fumes bother me a lot.
And car fumes at the corner shop.
Just walking down the street in London I can feel the traffic fumes in my eyes.
I can't think of a moment when my woodburner came even close in comparison to how much those car fumes have bothered me.

NZ has some of the highest rates of childhood asthma in the world.

www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/28/pollution-new-zealand-wood-fires-insulation-world-weatherwatch

I wouldn't with a baby at all.

You wouldn't expose them to 2nd hand smoke would you?

It just seems such a no brainer not to fire them up here presuming you have another source of heat you can afford.

I can't think of a moment when my woodburner came even close in comparison to how much those car fumes have bothered me.

But it's not just a breathing problem, although that is the most immediate obvious effect for those who react in that way. The particulate pollution - which are an average of three times higher in a home with a log burning stoves - is also linked to heart attacks and dementia.

@GoldChick

Yeah you might want to rip it out if you ever sell up. They are fast going out of fashion.

Not in the countryside they aren’t.

I love my wood burner and use it every day from mid October til May - but I would hesitate to use it at all if there was a baby in the house. I never use it when my grandchildren come to stay.
I very rarely get smoke from it, but it's the unseen particles that would concern me.
Children's lungs are very susceptible to damage (as I know to my cost, from my dad's pipe smoking when I was a child).

Not in the countryside they aren’t.

Agreed, too many midwinter 6hr power cuts when the lines go down.

If you care to do a quick google search there’s quite a bit on how gas cookers emit harmful gases into the home, too. But that’s being kept quiet for now as it doesn’t suit the cities.

Definitely not with a baby, or a child.