Log burner safe?

[Bobbingcat]

Linked to recent thread on here- are log burners safe? Does anyone use an air purifier with theirs?

Also live rurally; that woodsmoke smell is amazing isn’t it. Signals winter is here 🔥

Love love love mine!!

V measured post. I think as humans, we tend to believe what is most convenient at the time!

Best thing we had during our recent house renovation

I'm very interested in this question and the answer to it, as I love my wood burner but am open to the possible health issues it brings.
I am going to get an air quality monitor to get a clearer picture.

I have a log burner & drive a diesel, I too am part of the problem I am a hypocrite

Same 😬

I think most people are hypocrites when push comes to shove 🤷🏻‍♀️

They are bad for you because they emit particulates.

You wouldn't want a diesel car idling in your lounge, so why would you want a wood burning stove ?

Keep particulates in your house to a minimum where possible, because they are not good for you.

It all seems pretty clear to me.

--

www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/01/avoid-using-wood-burning-stoves-if-possible-warn-health-experts

Extract :

“To protect yourself and others around you, especially children who are particularly vulnerable as their lungs are smaller and still developing, avoid buying a wood-burning stove or using an open fire if you have another source of fuel to cook and heat your home with.”

@Martinisarebetterdirty
different woods burn differently- depending on a number of things like how hard they are for example- a really dense wood like oak takes a long time to get going but will burn for a long time. I’d only put it on a hot fire that’s already well underway
whereas something like a pine has a lot of resin (it’s the smell you get in a pine forest) it can leave deposits but because it’s so high in carbon means the wood catches easily and makes good kindling.
you can find some good summaries online. some stuff will just burn quickly, whereas other stuff I would only ever use if completely desperate.

forest-master.com/2020/01/29/wood-burning-properties/
www.southyorkshirefirewood.com/wood-burning-characteristics.html

DM has a log burner (stove) - they're getting smokeless fuel for it.

It seems fine whenever I go round there but of course you ensure chimney is swept etc and you should be ok.

@SarahSissions thank you I’ll have a good read of those, this would never have crossed my mind so very grateful.

We had a gas version, now gutted it wasn't wood, there is so much free wood around and I could heat a room for free, with the front closed it can't be that awful.

Thank you @TarquinOliverNimrod and for some reason the "myth" often has more longevity than the "truth" eg. MMR and autism.

My neighbours have one and I can't use my garden or open my back windows when it's lit.

Mind you, she smokes and they're happy to burn old sofas in the back garden so probably don't give a toss about environmental or health issues but it's very unpleasant to live next door to.

Oh dear, I have a huge stack of mostly poplar from local farmer. I had no idea it was unsuitable.

they're happy to burn old sofas in the back garden

😳

@Mosik probably why he was giving it away

I’d suspect the main problem there is her putting unsuitable materials in the log burner.

I can’t imagine someone who’s happy to burn old sofas in the back garden taking scrupulous care to only burn properly seasoned logs or smokeless fuel in their log burner.

Mine has a two month waiting list

@GasPanic actually read the report! It is highly flawed.

You wouldn't want a diesel car idling in your lounge, so why would you want a wood burning stove ?

What a ridiculous comparison.

Which report ?

I would have thought it is pretty self evident that a log burner is going to increase the amount of particulates in the space that it is used in.

So then the only real question then becomes how many particles it emits and how much of a threat those particulates are.

As regards local pollution :

www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2757/rr-1

Extract :

Few people who install wood stoves are likely to understand that a single log-burning stove permitted in smokeless zones emits more PM2.5 per year than 1,000 petrol cars and has estimated health costs in urban areas of thousands of pounds per year.[6]

I have one and have kids.

I've accepted its highly likely me and my kids will end up with cancer. Not just from the log burner but from the food and environment we live in today.

Really a log burner is a drop in the ocean of harmful stuff we are exposed to. It's the least of my concerns.

@DdraigGoch actually not that ridiculous. A local EH officer has tested emissions and made exactly that comparison.

Link please. Based on modern stoves used properly.

To be fair, it is a bit questionable, because the main problem with diesels is NOx (at least it is if they are modern cars with good filters) whereas with stoves it is particulates.

Still, that BMJ article as regards environmental pollution ...