Another neigbour getting a wood burner

[JoSFry]

Come on …. When will people wake up to the pollution these things cause!

Ha! Good luck moving rural OP and not being on oil and needing a burner then. Many houses in rural locations are old and have them/fireplaces. We are but fleeting custodians of old houses but I’m not going to be cold whilst doing it!

@jeaux90the absence of visible smoke doesn’t mean the absence of pollution. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is mainly invisible to the naked eye, so you can’t judge emissions simply by looking at a chimney.

Burning dry wood in an efficient stove reduces pollution, but it certainly doesn’t eliminate it. Even modern Ecodesign stoves emit harmful particulates which affect air quality beyond the property they’re installed in. That’s the issue, not whether you can actually see smoke.

And it’s not just outside. If you read the report I attached it has found that homes using modern Ecodesign wood burners have three times the indoor particulate pollution of homes without them. Opening the stove door to add logs allows pollutants into the room, regardless of how efficient the burner is or how dry the wood is.
So the fact that you can’t see smoke doesn’t mean the air inside or outside your home is clean.

Yes I totally get that but you need to understand that many of us live rural, on oil etc and wood burning stoves/fireplaces are a fact of life. We try and make it as efficient as possible.

yes, all may be true. But what do you suggest for those, like us, who live rurally and frequently lose power, and who cannot get mains gas, so rely on oil heating/boilers (which do not work without electricity)? I can understand the opposition in built up areas with very infrequent power disruption, but the wood burner is a lifesaver for us.

i’m sure you realise that generators powerful enough to run heating etc are very expensive to buy, run and maintain. Also, most rely on fossil fuels anyway.

additionally, seasoned hardwood is relatively cost effective- if bought from the right source. Buying from supermarket, garden centre or b&q etc is wildly expensive, but I can get kiln tried wood delivered from a local supplier for a fraction of that cost. It burns efficiently and throws out good heat. It is, categorically, cheaper than running the oil-powered central heating at present. I can see why some people might be putting on the burner and turning down/turning off/having periods without the central heating if money is tight. I’m not saying you are wrong about impact on air quality, but just think you might rather be missing the point for some people. Yes, some are doing it because they like the effect/way it looks than out of necessity, but equally, many are not.

Thanks for all those explaining the costs and issues when you're in a rural area. I do have sympathy in that situation: I hadn't realised quite how expensive heating oil, for example, would be. I'm still unimpressed by those who do have alternatives and still get wood burners. In large towns and cities such as London? No, if you're doing something that needs a chimney sweep once a year, you're doing something wrong.

@DontStopMeagree thanks to those explaining rurally but on a street like ours with over 100 hours and plenty of log burners it gets awful.

'No, if you're doing something that needs a chimney sweep once a year, you're doing something wrong.' Eh? You are doing right by having your chimney swept?