Log burners
- Thread starter Teesside96
- Start date
Avoid using wood burning stoves if possible, warn health experts
Charity calls for people to use alternative, less polluting heating and cooking options if they canwww.theguardian.com
it doesn’t matter if it’s wet wood or dry wood, you’re still releasing carbon back into the atmosphere that’s been stored up for years.
they need banning!
You aren't releasing carbon that has been stored for millenia. Possibly 30 years, especially if you predominently burn dry birch, which re-grows rapidly. Birch is basically a big weed in some parts of the world (I clear hundreds of saplings a year to prevent them destroying a wild flower meadow). If you buy an efficient stove (like the Burley for instance) there is very little released in particulates/smoke. Open fires and inefficient stoves are a problem for sure. Much better than heating with gas, which is hydrocarbon that has been stored deep in the earth for millions of years.
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Defender 4x4
Well-known member
We only have oil and a large calor gas bottle that feeds the a gas hob. Our log burner is essential in the winter. The trouble is that people now see them as a fashion statement. The fallacy that you can forage your fuel is rubbish. We use three dumpy bags of logs over the winter period.
Zoophonic
Well-known member
And they probably will eventually but it’s not going to happen soon principally because the proof is not overwhelming (as stated by Borolad above). At the moment people need them to keep warm in an energy crisis where heating via wood burner is for critical reasons and not because it is aesthetically nice to do soAvoid using wood burning stoves if possible, warn health experts
Charity calls for people to use alternative, less polluting heating and cooking options if they can
it doesn’t matter if it’s wet wood or dry wood, you’re still releasing carbon back into the atmosphere that’s been stored up for years.
they need banning!
The Ruthsayer
Well-known member
Don’t forget a good quality carbon monoxide detector.
Norman_Conquest
Well-known member
That is a must and should be checked regularly.
pierrequiroule
Well-known member
The problem lies in urban, densely populated areas where the residue from (even efficient) burners builds up, particularly during adverse weather conditions. I can see legislation being introduced here, but it will no doubt be at a specified future date much like the phasing out of diesel vehicles. They are less of a problem in sparsely populated rural areas where they can often be the only form of heating. I have a chimney insert myself, but live in the sticks (in France) and get my fuel from my own wood/garden. BTW I dry it for a minimum of 3 years before burning and some of the wood I'm using from the previous owner is over 10 years-old.
Colgates_shaving_foam
Well-known member
In some circumstances they make total sense.
I think they probably should be banned in urban areas where everyone is connected to mains gas and electric though.
Loads of people seem to suddenly have them round me and they stink, especially if it's a still day with little wind.
Brian Marwood
Well-known member
You will personally increase the global temperature by 0.7 degrees centigrade every 235.498565 months, think about that as you're cooking toast on an open fire.
The Ruthsayer
Well-known member
Sorry Brian, that arithmetic doesn’t work. Do you mean ‘contribute toward the rise caused by open fires’?
We run one all winter, but we have no mains gas and are pretty rural.
Brian Marwood
Well-known member
Do your own research, the information is out there if you look and avoid the MSM.
Andy_W
Well-known member
Yup, the draw is extremely important for fuel/ heat efficiency, as well as being able to get it lit properly and not filling the house with smoke, especially when it's cold and windy.
A massive chimney might work, to some degree, but it's not the right tool for the job, especially a multi-fuel stove.
A flue, matched to the size of the stove is critical for the above, but also safer too.
The Ruthsayer
Well-known member
OK Brian, a little context. I am not a climate change denier, far from it. I voted Green back in the early 80's due to their environmental stance. As a vegetarian of 40 years and vegan for the last 3, I've tried to minimise my footprint wherever possible (though travelling a lot for work didn't help, I'm aware of that). I have solar panels, am currently investigating wind power within the strictures of the NYMNP planning regs, and will be replacing my diesel with an electric car.
My point was that your language suggested that every time someone lit an open fire (not sure where stoves fit in), they increased the Earth's temperature by 0.7 every 20 years. So, expanding this out, if 7,300 people (the number of days in 20 years) lit a fire, the temperature of the Earth would increase by .7 degrees? That's not correct, even if we said they lit one every day for 20 years. But you use of the term 'personally', suggested the former of these two possibilities.
I applaud that you are concerned with climate change, and accept that my log burner does add to global warming, but loose language only emboldens the deniers.
A log burner contributes less to global warming than oil or gas heating for the reasons I gave above. Even electric heating is problematic given our dependence upon gas fired power stations still.
I worry less about my personal carbon footprint because 1) all my electricity is from renewables 2) I'm a co-founder of a global deep geothermal energy company (which also intends to synthesise hydrogen from steam and put captured carbon from industry into deep storage). Eventually, that will be a significant source of zero emission energy.
I worry less about my personal carbon footprint because 1) all my electricity is from renewables 2) I'm a co-founder of a global deep geothermal energy company (which also intends to synthesise hydrogen from steam and put captured carbon from industry into deep storage). Eventually, that will be a significant source of zero emission energy.
sweet_left_foot
Well-known member
Drax burns wood and gets green subsidies because it's not coal. That can get wasted on lights on motorways just to get rid of the electricity that cannot be stored. Far better to have a small local fire to heat a part of the house rather than central heating.
Anton_Berg
Well-known member
Local authorities , Network Rail et al seem to be felling trees at every opportunity (or cutting them back severely), so there must be a lot of logs to be burnt somewhere or else disposed of wastefully.
Brian Marwood
Well-known member
Apologies, I wasn't being serious. I just posted some random made up statistics.
I am in the fortunate position that I have access to wood supply from my dad's farm. It is all barn dried to 20% and comes from fallen trees or snapped limbs from storms or simply dead trees. If the wood is just left to rot, it also releases carbon, doesn't it?Avoid using wood burning stoves if possible, warn health experts
Charity calls for people to use alternative, less polluting heating and cooking options if they can
it doesn’t matter if it’s wet wood or dry wood, you’re still releasing carbon back into the atmosphere that’s been stored up for years.
they need banning!
The Ruthsayer
Well-known member
Got me hook line and sinker
Lottowyn
Well-known member
The government are supposed to be pursuing a green policy ,
and are going to start messing with the current subsidies thus making gas more expensive and electricity cheaper.
I reckon that eventually they will seriously get down to making stove usage really expensive to use.
I have just been informed by Eon that from April when I lose my £65 per month from the government they will increase my payment from £120 to £160. Hopefully summertime will be here soon.
and are going to start messing with the current subsidies thus making gas more expensive and electricity cheaper.
I reckon that eventually they will seriously get down to making stove usage really expensive to use.
I have just been informed by Eon that from April when I lose my £65 per month from the government they will increase my payment from £120 to £160. Hopefully summertime will be here soon.