As the nights draw in, many people get ready to fire up their log burners or multi-fuel stoves, but we can no longer ignore the reality that these, and open fires, can pollute the air in and around our homes.
Fine-particulate pollution from the smoke is linked with not only heart and lung disease but a long list of other health risks. The good news is that making some simple changes can significantly reduce harmful emissions from burner smoke.
1 Dry your wood – properly
The wood that you feed your stove with needs to be dry. That means seasoned (properly dried) for a full two years after being cut or kiln dried to 20% moisture or less. In England, look out for the Ready to Burn logo on packaged firewood, which means it has a moisture content of 20% or less. The World Health Organization identifies PM2.5 (particulate matter under 2.5 microns in size) as the most serious air pollutant for human health. And guess what generates lots of it? Yep, burning wet wood. In England, the sale of small volumes of wet wood (under 2m3) were phased out from May this year.
2 Wave goodbye to house coal
It might still be handy for putting eyes on a snowman, but traditional house coal (bituminous coal), has truly had its day, with its sale also being phased out in England from May alongside wet wood. If you still have a heating set-up that you used to feed with coal, now’s the time to switch to readily available alternatives such as cleaner manufactured solid fuels. You really don’t want an excess of PM2.5 in your home.
3 Switch to anthracite
Depending on the type of stove or fireplace set-up you have, you might be able to switch your fuel to anthracite, a naturally smokeless coal. With the fewest impurities of all types of coal and a moisture content of less than 15%, anthracite is a far cleaner burning choice. Harder and more dense than house coal, it burns with a smokeless, blue flame.
4 Get your chimney swept
Having your chimney swept regularly (at least once a year) will clear blockages and debris, ensuring that dangerous gases can escape your home at the chimney’s full capacity. A sweep will use a long brush to clear the chimney, as in years gone by, but today’s professionals have vacuums to avoid the mess once associated with their visits. Proper maintenance helps to prevent fires from breaking out inside your chimney – caused, for instance, by a bird’s nest that you didn’t know was lodged there, or a build-up of tarry and highly flammable creosote – as well as clearing cobwebs, soot and more.
5 Line your chimney
Especially in older homes, brick chimneys often require the addition of a modern lining, according to the solid fuel safety organisation Hetas; so check whether yours needs one. A liner, typically a tube of flexible stainless steel, means that there’s more heat in the chimney, which improves the upward flow of air, which is what you need to take harmful smoke out of your home.
6 Service your burning appliance
If you’ve had a stove installed at home, be aware that the job doesn’t end with setting it up and getting your glow on. How you maintain your stove is going to make a difference to how well it performs, and to the level of harmful emissions. So make sure you get it serviced regularly by a skilled tradesperson. If you’re unsure who should do that, check with the manufacturer.
7 Remember, old isn’t always gold
If you are considering buying a log burner, think twice before taking a rustic secondhand stove off someone’s hands, however photogenic it might be. Newly manufactured stoves that are sold as SIA Ecodesign Ready will produce up to 80% fewer particulate emissions than a stove that is 10 years old or older. One of the changes resulting from the UK’s clean air strategy will be to make only the “cleanest” stoves available for sale by 2022. These are stoves that achieve lower emission across four tests as opposed to just one test currently required for the CE mark. If you’re going stove shopping, you can check where your nearest Hetas-approved sellers are.
8 Do you need more ventilation?
Depending on the specifics of your stove (such as its maximum heat output level) and how well ventilated your home is, in order to prevent excess smoke from your burner you might need to add an air vent. Homes built after 2008 are more likely than older properties to need to have new ventilation added, such as in the form of one modified brick, in order to allow a stove to function properly, let smoke escape from your home, and be certified as safe. The hole might only need to be as small as a 50p piece to do the job, and properly fitted air vents won’t make your home colder.
9 Find out if you live in a control area
Many parts of the UK are now smoke control areas, where you can only burn fuel on the authorised list or the list for Defra-exempt appliances, including smokeless fuels such as anthracite and low volatile steam coal. Given that the fine for breaking the rules can be up to £1,000, it’s definitely worth knowing whether or not you live in one. To find out, contact your local council . Ultimately, though, reducing harmful smoke emissions is the smart choice wherever you live.
10 Consider the impact on others
Lighting a regular fire in a living room means it is in a confined space where family members might spend extended periods of time. Pollution from smoke has been shown to be especially harmful to the very young and very old. Making informed choices and taking a few simple steps can hugely influence the impact of your burning on the people you care about the most.
Make changes to how you burn solid fuels at home. For more information about how you can burn better, visit uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/burnbetter
Burn Better is a cross-industry campaign supported by Hetas, the Solid Fuel Association, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
