Wood burning stoves are annoying and OVERRATED and now I've read they cause THREE TIMES more air pollution than road traffic!

[flashbac]

I have one (came with the house) and it's such a high maintenance beast. Wood isn't cheap either. It makes a mess too. So overrated and harmful to the environment.

Agreed. Are they not also really bad for the indoor air?

And once I've finally got it going can I pop out for a quick walk? No
Can I get cosy in a blanket and not have to get up every time it needs another log? No

Perhaps, but a lifesaver when the power is out for 5 days and there's snow on the ground as per the Storm Arwen chaos only last month.

When I buy my own property I would not be without a source of heat which does not rely on the national grid and gas pipelines.

@Keepitonthedownlow

Agreed. Are they not also really bad for the indoor air?

Yep. This worries me too. But the room is freezing without it. I will have to get something sorted.

@flashbac

And once I've finally got it going can I pop out for a quick walk? No Can I get cosy in a blanket and not have to get up every time it needs another log? No

Of course you can. My parents have an open hearth and we just put the fireguard up and go out.

I thought they are carbon neutral?

@Lockheart

Perhaps, but a lifesaver when the power is out for 5 days and there's snow on the ground as per the Storm Arwen chaos only last month.

When I buy my own property I would not be without a source of heat which does not rely on the national grid and gas pipelines.

Unless you live in rural area I wouldn't rely on a freak incident to choose something so harmful to health. As a back up heat source for emergencies it might be fine but not for regular use I'm urban areas.

In*

One of our neighbours have one and as soon as they use it we have to shit our windows and bring in our washing as its stinking. Goodness knows what they are burning in it.

@PeachesPumpkin

I thought they are carbon neutral?

Wood burning stoves are only carbon neutral if you ignore the cost of harvesting the wood and transporting it. The article is also not just focusing on the CO2 element of pollution, there is a huge issue with soot and particulates, as well as other carcinogenic compounds when burning wood, especially damp wood.

@Lockheart
It runs out of fuel and I don't want to lob loads of logs on when I'm out as they aren't cheap.

We had one that came with the house.

Used it a little the first winter as it was a novelty.
Then second winter we got a puppy who could fit underneath/around the back of it.
Then third winter I was heavily pregnant and therefore the thermostat did not go over 16C and the log burner certainly didn't get lit.
The the next winter we had a crawling cruising baby.
The next winter a toddler.
Then the next summer we replaced the oil Central heating with an ASHP and decided it was totally hypocritical to have a green heating system and then spew out particulates from the chimney, so we ripped the log burner out and put a massive TV in its place.
We don't miss it.

Why do you keep lighting it up then? Just stop using it if it offends you so much and buy a house that is environmentally friendly in future.

Cold. Dead. Hands. Had ours 24 years and never paid a penny for wood. Go for a long walk with a big bag several times a month in spring and summer to stock up, get stuff from freegle/ other neighbours, next door neighbour a carpenter.
It's burning unseasoned wood that's the main issue, so don't.

YANBU My neighbours have one and the burning smell sometimes wafts into my house. The one thing you don't want to smell when you live in a wooden house is burning.

I love ours, but we only light it on weekend nights in winter.
It is a treat not our main source of heating.

www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/17/wood-burners-urban-air-pollution-cancer-risk-study

‘Even new wood burning stoves meeting the “ecodesign” standard still emit 750 times more tiny particle pollution than a modern HGV truck. Wood burners also triple the level of harmful pollution inside homes and should be sold with a health warning, according to scientists.’

Burning wood is technically carbon neutral as it gives off same CO2 whether it is burnt or left to decay.

It does create air pollution, but you can install filters and scrubbers to remove any pollutants so that all the smoke then consists of is steam. Which is only a greenhouse gas if emitted at high altitudes (30,000ft)

That said, you often burn wood for a lot less time than you spend driving around.....so the total air pollution from the odd fire vs your car is actually a fraction of it.

It’s far more eco friendly than owning even a very small pet...like s Guinea pig or hamster.

I personally like having one as a backup hear source in the event of power outage. They may be infrequent, but no pollution and no carbon is created just having a wood burning stove sitting there unused. There are even flue blockers that insulate and prevent heat loss when not in use.

I don’t think they are over rated. I think they simply are not for everyone.

A couple of my (not very close) neighbours have one and the smell outside is pretty strong when they light it.
DD has not very severe asthma and she can be in a room with one

I have a dual fuel burner and love mine. We burn coal/logs very often. It was also fantastic when we had no electric for 24 hrs recently. We are rural though and almost everyone around here has a fire. You need ash logs for good burn!

The alternative view.....

Wood burning stoves do not use fossil fuels - unlike gas central heating. For some of us who live rurally, they are the only heating option when the power goes down (on a fairly regular basis).

Being surrounded by woodland, wood here costs literally nothing, I stack it all year for it to dry and, if I use hard wood and close the stove vents, one solid dry log will heat my sitting room for 2 hours, without producing much smoke. And my closest neighbour is 40 yards away, to the north. To impact them, we would need a southerly wind, which seldom happens in winter. Emptying the ashes takes 60 seconds. Different heating options suit different environments.

OP, Is your wood dry? - it should be now (required by law) Is it hardwood - other than pine etc? Do you use kindling to get your stove going and then hardwood on top. Once the larger logs are well alight and glowing, reduce the airflow through the front of the stove, so there is less combustion. You should end up with red glowing logs, no flames but plenty of heat.

I've a multi fuel stove and use anthracite coal. I only load it once per day and it keeps the room warm for nearly 24 hours. It keeps my fuel bills down considerably if I can just heat one room.

What is your AIBU?

Just don't use it.

YANBU. They’ll be banned before long - a major health hazard to you too, unless you have a ginormous sitting room.