Log burners

[fikel]

I love the idea of having one. If you have one would you recommend ? What type do you have? I love warmth so would want to make the most of it when it’s needed. I really feel the cold !! How expensive do you find using it?

Mrsjamin

If you read the research then you would understand that a modern wood burning stove with thr right fuel is one of the least polluting things there are and is what is being focused on as a recommendation by all the studies.

In addition the studies themselves are saying that they don't have enough data, and it's impossible to judge because it's all about what fuel an individual uses, how long it's on for, what stove they have etc and even things like how quickly are old ones being replaced. Thr bigger issue is biomass boilers, diesel cars, open fires etc.

All fuel, from electricity generation on creates pollution, as it goes, modern stoves with thr right fuels is actually what the recommendations are going forward as thr ideal.

As such you should be encouraging folks. And encouraging them to buy the right one and burn smokeless fuel or dry wood.

I'd make sure you get a stove that's on the DEFRA approved list. Other stoves may be ok for now but regulations are going to come in. It's already happening in London.

There has been a wealt of research into the emissions from domestic wood burning stoves used under normal domestic conditions as opposed to test conditions used to produce emissions figures attached to these stoves to comply with legislation. The situation is almost exactly analagous to the diesel car emissions scandal , but the s--t has not yet hit the fan. These stoves are tested under very strict conditions. The start-up period is ignored and emissions are only counted once the stove has reached a stable burn phase. On a catalytic stove in particular this means that the emissions are very significantly underestimated, as during start-up the catalyst is bypassed.
eg. one study found a stove with a certified emission value of 1.6 g/hr actually had in-home emissions of 24.1g/hr. Emissions also increase over time and those of a modern catalytic stove can reach those of an older uncertified conventional wood stove.
It has been shown that domestic wood burning is the UK's largest source of PM2.5 and is 2.4 times greater than all PM2.5 emissions from traffic.
Catalytic stoves actually emit higher concentrations of toxins and mutagens than conventional models. residential wood burning also creates islands of neighbouring pollution that are not reflected in official monitoring numbers.. Even when regional air quality is good neighbours of wood burning households can be exposed to pollutant levels 100 times greater than the rest of the community. It has been shown that particulates and other toxins enter houses even through closed windows.

Refs.

1. Robinson Dorothy L. Another misguided policy – wood stoves: as many PM2.5 as roads & increased global warming. British Medical Journal 2015;350;h2757 June 2015

1. Robinson Dorothy L. 2.4 times more PM2.5 pollution from domestic wood burning than traffic. British Medical Journal 2015;350;h2757 27 January 2016

1. New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. Wood Stoves and Air Pollution. ARD – 36; 2015

1. Air Pollution. Measurement, Modelling and Mitigation. 2nd ed. Jeremy Colls. CRC Press. 2003

1. Doctors and Scientists. All Wood Stoves Pollute – including New Certified Ones. 2017.

1. Thatcher T L. et al. Infiltration of Black Carbon Particles from Residential Woodsmoke into Nearby Homes. Open Journal of Air Pollution, 2014,3,111-120

7.Burning Issues. 2017

8.Doctors and Scientists. Wood Burning is a Major Source of Particulate Pollution 2017

@Rumboogie like I said previously no heating system will not release to the atmosphere. The UK uses gas or oil depending on location where do you think the pollutants go from the processing of this? unless you have spent £1000s on heat recovery system/ground heating source and have the right conditions.

I suggest that you don't visit the Scottish Highlands and Islands when they are cutting peat for the winter.......

They look pretty but they're going to pollute your lungs and your local environment. They will probably be subject to much more stringent regulation in future so could become a liability. Get a fake one without the fumes.

Imagine going to a poor person in a developing country who still uses an open fire in a mud hut to cook and explaining your choices!

I would give someone else's right arm for a woodburning stove.

I live in the country where everyone has a log pile outside. I'm talking about a pile the size of a garage.
I yearn for gas, I would never clean out or light another fire as long as I lived.
I don't care what people say to justify them, they are filthy.

Bloody wood burning stoves😡

Out in the country where you have no mains gas...and no near neighbours to inflict the pollution on...then they may not be a problem.

But in an urban setting, with houses so close together...bloody anti-social and should be banned. They are a nightmare if you suffer from asthma.