Woodstoves and health

Not all stoves are multi-fuel. Both our stoves, one only fitted this year, are wood burning stoves, multi-fuel would have meant a different grate and anothed 1,000euros on the price.

We use our wood stove in cold weather to avoid turning the heating back on during the day, a key energy saver this year. Our stove is set in a huge 17th century brick chimney with bread oven set in the middle of the house. 3 or 4 days of using the stove and the whole chimney warms up like a huge storage radiator, which holds the heat for up to a week, so it heats 2 of the bedrooms and the hall as well as the living room.

So whatever the pollution - and both our stoves meet relevant standards, the amount of heat we get from the fire and the storage radiator effect makes the emissions per unit of heat very low.

Surely if you open up the bottom before you open the door, then open the door slowly, any smoke and particles would be drawn up through the flue?

As I only use my wood burner occasionally, and then I often cook a meal on the top, I shall continue to do that and not worry.

I’m with you Barmeyoldbat. I love my wood burner, and won’t be giving it up unless it becomes totally illegal.

I also have a lung problem but never had a problem. I notice nothing had been said about fuel burning bbqs, how much pollution do they produce. To be honest I feel it’s a load of fuss about something that is quite small. How often do you open the burner door, once we have lit the fire with wood and coal that is it usually it for the evening, if you refuel we only open the door about halfway, throw a log in and close. Takes a few seconds.

It's obviously an individual decision as to the possible risks involved, but for us personally, ours has been a lifesaver. Having a free source of heat outweighs any risks as far as we are concerned. I appreciate that may not be the case for everyone, but ours is most definitely staying put.

When I move house I shall have another one installed and hopefully by that time opinion will have changed , a bit like
butter v margerine or eggs were bad and now are good or even
antibiotics are good but do a lot of bad as well.

I think they are unsafe and wouldn’t have one, but each to their own and everyone can make their own decisions as to the amount of risk they think is acceptable.

I have asthma and bronchiectasis. I was in a club sitting fairly near to a wood burner and when the manager opened the door to add more wood, I had an asthma attack.

We have actually had a leaflet delivered from the NHS warning us of the health risks, so not just The Guardian, although I agree that The Guardian has a tendancy to doom monger.

I don't intend to give ours up as, like some other posters, I can use it in the case of power cuts. The gas went off twice for a couple of days last year, and I could heat water and cook pasta on the wood burner. The stove is serviced and the chimney swept every summer, so the door seal and all the other bits stay in good condition.

George Monbiot is sometimes heading towards the extreme in his views (on meat-eating for example) IMO.

Ah, I thought somehow it involved electricity or oil. Makes sense now.

We use ours every night during the winter months, only burn kiln dried wood. We have a carbon monoxide detector regularly checked. The stove and chimney is serviced and swept annually and we have never seen any smoke from the chimney or any fumes in the lounge. We will not be giving it up any time soon,it’s lovely and cosy and saves on any need for heating in the evenings. I’m sure it’s less polluting than all the smoke we endure from other peoples bbqs in the summer months.

It has been a legal requirement since 2010 that you must have a carbon monoxide detector. Installers are not allowed to instal a wood burning stove without.

The popularity of them is also growing at a steady rate, so clearly many people aren't bothered by these reports.

Well it makes me quite sad that these lovely stoves are so polluting in the home.

grandtante the tests were carried out on the new ecostoves in laboratory conditions. These new regulations are apparently very weak if you read up on it.

I don't think alarms are a solution blondie but obviously useful for other reasons.

I will never forget our happy days with a woodburner but the evidence against them is sadly growing. The thing that really amazed me was the release into the home with only re-loading the stove. It's massive unfortunately.

It just feels very sad.
I thought more people would think so too to be honest.

CanadianGran - Multi fuel stoves can burn wood, coal, anthracite and turf (peat). They are different from open fireplaces as more efficient and controlled burning.

I don't understand what multi-fuel means. A wood stove and... what other fuel?

We don't have a wood stove, but friends of ours have an open-type wood fireplace that they use every evening. It seems a lot of work.

You should have a smoke alarm in the room where the wood burner is anyway, but you should also have a carbon monoxide detector as well, and preferably a heat alarm too. If they are properly installed and maintained, there shouldn't be any issues.

If the wood burner in question conforms to the current EU standards, which it will do, if it was bought pre-Brexit and withing the last five to ten years, these facts are not correct.

Unless, of course, people are burning the wrong kind of fuel in them.

Wood must be completely dry and never have been painted, varnished nor treated for outdoor use. Newspaper may be used as kindling, but not as fuel, and sawdust briquettes must not contain glue.

No rubbish may be burnt in a wood-burner - the days of shoving the potato peelings into the stove are long gone!

Stove-pipes, flues and chimneys must also comply with the regulations.

Barmeyoldbat

Well we have multi fuel burner and will never give it up. We burn only dry wood and have a gadget that we use on every log which tells us if it’s safe to use. I will only give up my burner when all gas guzzling and fume producing cars and lorries are no longer used and private jets and helicopters are also banned.

Absolutely would not be without mine either! We have the same gadget, never leave the door open and have it inspected when we have the chimney / flue swept each year.

Yes Maizes agree with you about living with open fires. We use wood topped up with coal, if it’s lit about 5 for the evening then we only have to top it up once, maybe not even that. How much pollution do people get from a bbq, no mention of that

The pollution is apparently released when you open the door to refuel it.

We've had one that is supposed to run the central heating (which it, disappointingly doesn't, we still have to back it up with an oil boiler) which was installed about 10 years ago. I do love it for making the room cosy.

We're in a semi rural area and get most of our wood from our own land.

Articles like these do make me feel a bit guilty, but then I think that some of my forebears lived to very ripe old ages while using open coal fires...

I can’t see how they cause pollution in your own home when using it. The doors are sealed and any pollution would leave the house via the flue. Maybe a bit when you clean it but you could Always wear a mask to that. We collect wood to burn and this year we have collected enough for next winter when it’s dried out. As for health I have very dry eyes and the central heating plays havoc with them. Also a lung problem but have now problems so far with woodburnef

It's the only left-leaning UK paper nanna8 and originally a broadsheet though now "compact" in actual format.
It's a major national newspaper with large circulation with editorial and news-gathering functions.
I don't think it has shareholders and its profits (I think) are reinvested in journalism.

The Guardian sounds like a boring paper. Are they the Guardians of humanity or something?