Wood burner: I know this has been done to death, but I'm rural and now conflicted.

[user1471530109]

I've finally got the money together to do some of the many jobs around the house. Moved in 5+ years ago and it's been a hard slog.

I've always planned to add a wood burner. I'm rural but we do have gas in the small village. My boiler froze in the v cold snap before Christmas and I had no other source of heating and it made me convinced the woodburner was going in!

But the money is sat there and I'm not sure it's the right move after all the bad press. Surely they won't ban them in villages and rural areas? Maybe towns and cities? I know the health issues-that obviously worries me too. In the winter, when it's a very still day, the smoke outside from all the wood burners is thick! But I'm guessing most of these are ancient stoves in the many v old houses round here.

I've toyed with a gas stove but I keep thinking that's daft with the gas prices going through the roof.

Any other options? I'm not overly convinced by electric. A wood burner in rural areas the best option?

Tia

Same here. I bought a top of the range air purifier as I was worried about the log burner creating indoor pollution but the air purifier barely changes the SPM count when the wood burner is on. Now, when I cook anything, it goes red immediately!

I'm quite against them in urban areas but I don't think rural users are the issue. Ideally still have the ecodesign stove and best quality dry wood etc. and use gas where you can as it's still much less polluting.

They should ban them in smoke control/air quality control areas , it weakens the case trying to make a blanket ban because then the people who do actually rely on them in rural areas are up in arms.

I think the contribution of wood burners to pollution was overlooked but now diesel vehicles and power stations have been made cleaner and coal is less popular for home heating, it was realised that most PM2.5 is now coming from wood stoves. The control measures / certifications are a compromise as even the most regulated wood stove is far more polluting than gas. Open fires are even worse.

Id do it, it’s fucking freezing in the rural areas you soon understand why all the farmhouses had agas you bloody need the heating on 24/7.

Biofuels palm oil based isnt it?

Some people buy a £30 grate off Amazon put some wood in it and have like a camp fire in their front room, that can't be very healthy

Totally agree. We're sick to death of our neighbour and his constant sodding fires (2 chimneys usually both pumping crap out at the same time).
We can't open our windows, can't dry washing outside, kids can't play in their own garden, by the time we walk across the garden to the car we stink of it, open the door to clouds of smoke and of course it comes straight in the house.

I spent almost £3k last year replacing a window and door to stop the smoke coming in. Didn't work. We have the expense of extractor fans running frequently to clear it out too.
I dread to think what he's burning because it stinks!

We installed two very expensive eco stoves (kitchen and living room) in our (very old, detached) house in 2018. We couldn't survive winter without them, although usually we only have one lit at a time - apart from during cold snaps - and then mainly from early evening onwards except weekends.

Our house is very rural - just two other properties in our road - there's no mains gas and we have our own supply of wood for logs/kindling from all the trees on our land. We get frequent power cuts so having the wood burners (one is actually multifuel, but we've only used coal once) is a godsend and because of the price of oil we've only had our heating on once this winter.

We're considering also getting a bioethanol stove for back up in one room but from what I've seen they don't appear to give out s huge amount of heat. Our wood burners are 9kw and 7kw whereas the bioethanol stoves I've looked at were just 2kw......

Go for gas if you have it. Woodburners are expensive and dirty. Far too costly to use as a proper source of heat unless you really can source your own wood. The wood fired homes I know (genuinely all wood fired) are COLD. You need a crazy amount to substitute for central heating.

i think they will eventually be banned in urban areas precisely because we are having more restrictions on other sorts of pollution so its illogical to continue to grow this type of pollution (particularly as even gas boilers are going to be phased out on the basis of pollution) ... but using one in rural areas as a back up when cleaner sources of heating fail is understandable.

I am confused by everyone saying it’s fine if it’s rural. What’s the logic behind that? Is it because of the belief that it is “essentially them, their family, and a lot of sheep”?

Because most rural housing isn’t like that. Most rural housing is still groups of houses, 10-20 or so. So belting out highly polluting smoke into neighbouring properties is still pretty antisocial.

I don't understand that graphic. How does my oil fired boiler which vents outside, reliably always emit particulates inside the home?

it stinks, I mean kerosene stinks outside sure enough I can breathe fumes if I stand next to it when it fires up.

www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/indoor-wood-stoves-release-harmful-emissions-our-homes-study-finds ...personally i think burning anything in your home should be avoided unless a. you don't have an alternative source of heating b. you have no choice because of poverty/low income ...and i do struggle with the idea that wealthy people who can afford to use their central heating are happy to have their kids sat in front of them when they wouldn't sit them behind a diesel lorry.

@UserNameSameGame but those twenty houses or even a whole village, are not usually tightly packed together. I have only six houses along my lane, we all have woodburners, I’ve never smelt anything when I’m outside and can see they are lit.

A 'spate' of rural houses having new woodburners installed?

Are you sure?

Unless they are new builds its highly likely their fireplace has been there longer than you.

Or do you mean mumsnet rural where if you can see a field you are practically off grid?

I’m tempted with one of these if/when our house move finally comes off.

I would get one purely because it looks naice. If it all goes tits up then atleast it’s in!

Ooo but this is equally beautiful! Although where does the cable go?

Yes it does need a mains socket - just found this

I love all the colour options!

Having had a power cut in the middle of a city and being thoroughly miserable when I moved semi rural and renovated a rundown house I made sure I had every form of heating just in case, including a defra approved multi stove. I cannot stand being cold. I only use when weather really bad as I have electric underfloor in some rooms, central heating and living flame gas fire. (belt and braces😊) Surely they can't be worse than the open fires I was brought up with and that we sat right in front of because the rest of the house was freezing without central heating. I don't have any respiratory problems although I did get chilblains as a child from being cold all the time.

Those are gorgeous!!! Difficult to choose which colour though 😏

I live in Europe and wood burners are definitely going out of fashion. We have a pellet burner and it's bloody brilliant. So clean and efficient. wouldn't be without it I guess they will take off in the UK . Maybe look into that instead ?

www.stovesonline.co.uk/wood_burning_stoves/Pellet-stoves.html

If you’re rural and you do your research and get the most eco friendly one you can then I think that’s ok.

I wanted one for years, got one and I’m afraid to say it gave me horrible headaches. Never again but I am in a city so different scenario. I hope our city bans them but I can’t see them being banned in the countryside. You will need to be careful what you put in it though

Wood pellets are somewhat controversial in the way that they are sourced. I understand they are popular in Europe as an improvement on coal which is true but not a concern here

amp.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/30/wood-pellets-biomass-environmental-impact

The Monbiot article would mean it was a definite no for me- particularly as you have children. Far too risky for little benefit.