Wood burning stoves - pollute the atmosphere

[tomskip]

Just wondering how come wood burning stoves are an AOK desirable home addition in London, and no doubt other densely populated cities, when open fires (coal or wood) are not?

When I'm outside in the early evening at this time of year it always strikes me how much everything stinks of wood smoke. It's probably the same late in the evening but I'm mostly hunkered down by then.

Surely it can't go on?

[Nigello]

Stoves have to accord to strict standards. Fuel (like that wood you buy at petrol stations) doesn't have to, I believe. Miscanthus logs (Terravesta) are great and produce very little smoke indeed and are drier than even kiln-dried logs. Tighten up the rules on the fuel, I'd say, and have a hotline for current offenders (or just have a polite word).

[Blah Blah]

Yes, tightening rules on fuel seems most likely. Basically, wet wood is the most polluting and the driest least. It's a problem in a densely populated city though and a lot of people installing wood burners probably didn't know at the time of the pollution risks.

[malumbu]

You will find that the smell of woodsmoke is from the fire pit in the General Watson Daily Telegraph - cough cough.

To be serious a good point, that crops up on this forum from time to time.

Some good advice from GLA https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/pollution-and-air-quality/guidance-wood-burning-stoves-london

Particulate pollution from vehicles and industry have reduced greatly in recent times, so other sources such as construction and wood burning now has a greater contribution. 10,000s of early deaths each year. So poor air quality is not just down to diesels

[Robert Poste's Child]

The last few years I've found myself having low-grade asthma at this time of year when people start using their stoves, when previously it was linked to hayfever for me. Generally people seem to start getting bored of them by the new year and it clears up. Barbecues and firepits can be a similar problem in the summer, more so in still weather when there's no breeze to break it up. I get the impression that plenty of people also use firelighters as that can be quite a noticeable smell at times.

That said, you could make the same argument about street food and all the farmers markets and pop-up food villages on recent years. If you have to change trains southbound at P Rye in the evenings, for example, the smell can be really strong. Spitalfields is another one.

[uncleglen]

Wood burning stoves should be fitted with a filter.

Even though the fuels could be banned from sale in London you do not have to go far to purchase logs for example

People are being trusted to do the right thing and they don't...

https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/pollution-and-air-quality/guidance-wood-burning-stoves-london

[uncleglen]

Last night was bad....my daughter came in at 10pm and her coat smelled like it did on bonfire night from a metre away! This cannot go on....

[bobbsy]

I don't have any of my clothes smelling like smoke. Which part of ED has this terrible smoke problem?

[edcam]

uncleglen Wrote:

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> Last night was bad....my daughter came in at 10pm

> and her coat smelled like it did on bonfire night

> from a metre away! This cannot go on....

Where had she been for this to happen? I've never known this to happen to anyone unless they've been standing next to a bonfire/chimnea/firepit. It's highly unlikely to be because of a wood burning stove!

[malumbu]

The culprit is the Old General Rose Washington Telegraph on Forest Hill Road. And those of you who think the firepit is a good thing.

Back to the subject matter - this is all about combustion science - the quality of the fuel (proper seasoned hard wood will burn more efficiently than poorly seasoned softwood), the temperature of burn (again proper seasoned wood), and how the smoke disperses, again temperature, height of the chimney, weather (wind, wind direction, amount of atmospheric energy, better in the summer). More sophisticated equipment may scrub the flue gas.

Younger readers may remember when you stank of fags coming out of the pub, cinema or restaurant, and an earlier time when it was socially acceptable to smoke in the car,house and on public treatment.

[mancity68]

Just walked down two roads that smelled like I imagine Dickensian London did - one in Camberwell and one in Peckham. Truly horrid. Acrid. I appreciate the stoves / fuels need to be compliant with regs, but the quantum of such stoves/fires in an already polluted city is all adding up. Hey ho.

[Robert Poste's Child]

I guess most people have never experienced London smog (I didn't but I can remember being told stories of how it was even in the 50s) and they've probably forgotten how bad traffic fumes used to be. Tragic that we're sliding back that way just because of fashionable home accessories. Wood-burners aren't cheap and I bet most people who have them can afford central heating.

[Frenchy]

If you use the right fuel, and light them properly (you don?t even need paper) you can have a clean burn going in a couple of minutes without any smouldering. Hopeless fuel is the main problem at the moment, too many people willing to sell it - and buy it. And a lot of people don?t know how to use them properly.. like BBQ?s.

We do have central heating of course - but centrally heating a 3-floor house to sit in one room for five hours a night is hardly an environmental (or even financial after a decade or so in our case) win either. That said, there?s no point in pretending: the main ?win? is that they?re just plain nice to sit in front of. The only other comparably pleasant (albeit in a different way) form of heating is underfloor.

The regulations on their permissible emissions will surely tighten and improve as the tech improves and if they continue to prove popular as time goes on - like cars did.

If the authorities aren't even bothered about enforcing regulations re open fires (as they don't seem to be at present) then I'm afraid 'approved appliances' which can burn solid fuel legally won't even be on the radar.

[uncleglen]

I'll put the link again...https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/pollution-and-air-quality/guidance-wood-burning-stoves-london

2nd paragraph about PM2.5 to be precise.....

There used to be a massive trailer piled high with logs for sale in the road going up to Bell Green from Forest Hill until very recently, and someone on this forum used to advertise logs for sale....

[Frenchy]

uncleglen Wrote:

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> There used to be a massive trailer piled high with

> logs for sale in the road going up to Bell Green

> from Forest Hill until very recently, and someone

> on this forum used to advertise logs for sale....

And the rest of the information in your link provides guidance on how this fuel should best be used.

[edcam]

You just need an approved burner and to be mindful about what fuel you buy and where you get it. I agree with Frenchy here.

[cn150]

It's ok if you burn the HETAS approved kiln dried logs - you hardly get any particulates then. I get mine delivered from Log-a-Log in Edgmond, Shropshire. They smell really nice as well. I burn them in an Aga Little Wenlock stove.