Wood burners

[Huffalong]

Hi, I have COPD and wondered if I could have a wood burner in my lounge,does anyone else have one?

[Swerv]

I live in the tropics so i have no need for an open fire...thank god.

If one of my neighbours starts a fire, most days, it affects my breathing, so i would say it is not a good idea if you have COPD.

Merv

[juzwundering in reply to Swerv]

You're very lucky, Merv. If I had a choice; life would be better without the winter cold. But I am here in Tennessee and not moving soon.

Your world sounds so nice!

[velvet55]

Hello huffalong

Good question, l have COPD and Asthma, and am very sensitive to smells.

I would like one, but so far l am a little worried like you.

I will be reading all your replies with interest.

Best wishes

Velvet xx

[mmzetor in reply to velvet55]

you get one of them you wont need you Sherpa blanket the heat they throw out if you do get one get a multi fuel so you can burn coal and wood when I was in my other house I had one that I use to keep lit 24/7 all through the winter was very cheap to run , only thing is will be another job for mr v list making up the fire and getting the wood /coal in while your glued to your recliner

[velvet55 in reply to mmzetor]

Hi mm

Hee hee

Did it not effect your breathing ?

Xx

[mmzetor in reply to velvet55]

nope when I had that it was before I had breathing problems , now where i live i have the a open fire im better with that lit than I am with the oil heating , when we move into a bungalow as long as housing association lets me will have the fire place opened up and either have a open fire or hopefully a multi fuel stove fitted depending if I have enough money to be able to do it at the time , multi fuel is more expensive to fit but lot more economical to run plus you get a lot more heat into the room open fire is good but you loss a lot of the heat up the chimney , that's why its best to line a chimney if you put a wood burner in as the chimney don't heat up so much as it does with a open fire and can cause the chimney to get condensation in it and cause the soot to sick to it more it make a creosote like substance on the sides ,

[Ergendl]

I cooked on solid fuel stoves for a lot of years and think they didn't help my condition. Running them isn't so bad unless you have a blow back, but the dust they generate when you clean out the ash and soot is not good for lung problems, even if you use a vacuum cleaner to do the job. The wood burner I put in my last house was similar when cleaning. Better to get an electric pretend wood burner.

[Ohtwo]

I have a wood/coal burner. It doesn't bother me. You have to be careful when burning wood. If the wood is not seasoned then it can cause problems as it causes lots of smoke. You also need to ask yourself, can I cope with the hard work that goes with owning one, lighting, cleaning, bringing in the wood. My partner does this before he goes to work. For me I just come down to a lovely cosy room.

Kindest regards

Gwyneth

[Hidden in reply to Ohtwo]

Sounds good Gwyneth..

I normally go up to our bedroom to put on the air conditioning before my wife go's up to bed.

Andy.

[mmzetor]

you should be fine with a wood burner if its working properly the smoke should go up the chimney you shouldn't get fumes into the room , if you get one that is over 5kw you should have a air vent in the room part of building regulations you would have to check that as older houses have different rules to newer houses also you don't have to but best to get the chimney lined , I have a open fire the ash isn't really a problem if you have an ash pan under the grate and carry out side just tip it into a metal bucket , we have oil central heating and a open fire I find my breathing is better with the fire that with the oil heating ,

[Hidden]

A house not too far from me has a wood burner, and when we walk in the evening I have to cover my nose and mouth until we are a few yards away in each direction, because the smell can be quite pungent. I used to love the smell of wood burning

[Tee1008]

We have an open fire that draws well, so no problem with smoke. I agree with MM, it is better than the central heating in the evening. (Better than the TV most of the time!!)

BUT my husband does clean and light it.

Tee

[juzwundering]

We heat with wood. When I first started getting asthma, it seemed like a bad idea to keep it, but, I've found that it dries out the dampness better than other heat sources.

The first autumn we fired up the stove I actually got better.

It's important to keep the draft flowing up whenever loading to keep any 'backwash' out of the house. AND, I always do the ash removal...I'm more careful to not 'stir' it up.

It is a lot of work, but considered good outside exercise. Since we live in a large woods, with lots of hardwood; it's just too hard to resist. (we cut and split all our own)

Also, there's nothing nicer than the warmth and glow of fire, as with a glass-fronted stove. I'm keeping it for awhile yet, but realize that they're not for everybody. Someday, the work will get to be too much.

Hope this may have helped you, Huffalong, it can be done.

all the best to you,

Gail

[Hidden]

I've been meaning to add my two penny's worth to this post for hours.

But everytime I come back to it I start dreaming again.

I can't seem get round they memory lane bit.

Best thing to do ( especially if you have any kind of breathing difficulties ) is see what you like and read up on it.

As long as you have clean air to breath in your lounge...

Is it really cheep to run..how much heat is been lost.

When I lived in Germany with my girlfriend and son we had a wood burning stove that we cooked on...this would even keep as warm in the winter when it was minuses 15 degrees centigrade.

There was no loss of heat as the flue. .also made in think iron was designed to run through as much of the house as possible until it was only cooled fumes that was released through the upstairs bedroom wall...so even warming that room to.

We did move back in her centeral heated flat when Theodore was born...lot to be said for central heat.

Most days we would spend at Theos grandmother farm just 10 minutes drive away....a huge house that was kept warm by wood burner the size of a small car...no need to worry about wood...it took half a day to walk through the Forrest on there farm.

There's so many more memoirs the can be told just by a wood burning stove.

Happy days☺

Andy.

[carpenter60]

hi we have a multi fuel burner , use wood in the autumn when we just use it in evenings . then when it gets colder we use tabrite and keep it going 24/7 . bit of a nuisance emptying in when its dark and cold but well worth it just to see the jack russel curled up in front of it . I have copd and have no ill effects from it . allen

[hufferpuffer]

Hello, I have two multi fuel burners and I love them! One in the kitchen , one bigger one in the big room, for about 32 years....I am uneffected by smells or perfumes though.😃 huff xxx

[willdo]

If not too late, want to add a bit to your question. We have a wood furnace. It's the greatest thing, absolutely love it! As far as breathing goes... the only time it bothers me a tiny bit, is if we have any trouble getting the fire to start, and smoke gets into the house very much. A little is not a problem. Our wood furnace is ...practically in the house, although it is outside, about 3' from the house, but is connected to the house... I think it was a ..mower shed or something like it, which is what they put the wood furnace into.

It was here when we bought, never had one before. We had fireplaces and wood stoves and still have a tiny wood stove back-up (always), as we live in Arkansas, and just like you, are subject to power outages. I survived the 2009 ice storm with that wood furnace, even though we had no power and the fan wouldn't force the air through the duct-work. It was connected up to all the duct-work of an old furnace.

Although it is work to get the wood here by end of Sept., early Oct., it is healthy work and I love to do it. we have noticed, now that I am 64, and my hubby is 65, that I'm not quite as excited about an upcoming winter as I was when I was younger, but the benefits are great. Cost, being one SUPER benefit! The cost to heat our 1700 sq.ft. home is about $350.00 for a 7 month period...Oct-Mar. roughly. we buy our wood from a saw mill, and it is the end cuts, and it is $15.00/load. They load it, I cut and unload it and stack it for winter. We have to cut it ONCE, in half, to fit the wood furnace. It is extremely important to get all of your wood secured by Oct., so it can be completely seasoned and dry and ready to burn for the winter. If there is a saw mill anywhere close to you, it is a great way to secure your wood for the year. Green wood is a nightmare, won't produce enough BTU's, and will SMOKE terribly, so not what you want to have happen. Also, a few wads of paper, or cardboard, thrown into the rear of any stove, where the chimney is, will heat the flue and chimney, and it will draw immediately.

We owned/ran a wood yard (in a prior life...haha) , before we moved here in 2005, and we learned much about wood doing it. If you start using wood, do not cover it most of the time, so your wood will get the sun and wind and rain on it! I only cover some of it when it might rain, if I need some or could need some that isn't all wet... I uncover it when the sun shines, or just leave the tarp across the top only, so it won't mold.

We sold wood once to a customer, and she tarped it solid, down to the ground, and it all molded and rotted! Ground moisture got in there, and couldn't escape.

Personally, we like wood heat best. It keeps humidity down in the house, and we actually never get sick. The heat heats all the furniture and the walls, and doesn't 'dissipate' like propane heat will.

Last, if you are going to put in a wood stove, be sure to check the size of the wood it will hold. Larger pieces are easier, cost less, and requires a person to load it less often. Also, if you are going to use a wood stove, get ingenious, and look up 'heat sinks'... they are brick or rocks, or poured concrete 2"-4" behind and perhaps a bit next to a wood stove. They will soak up the heat directly when stove it burning, but will also release heat for the next...3-4-6 hrs. after the fire has gone out, so it's like an extended heat source. Have fun!

[Hidden]

My neighbour has a wood burning fire place and It certainly affects my lungs. I have COPD.

It would be better if you can find and alternative method of heating.

[hallentine47]

Recently I heard a Radio programme discussing the damage done to our health by camp fires and yes wood smoke which must include wood burners. Nit so bad if its an enclosed version. We used to have the old open fires burning wood. Lovely smell and very cosy but could well be killing us with the carcinogens this programme claimed wood smoke created.

[Parvati]

My son and d-in-law love their wood burner but they don't use it for a day or two before I visit - even at Xmas they have done without it and used a plug in radiator instead, and I am thankful to them for it. Last week I house sat for 3 days and although I don't usually cough much I did nothing but hack and wheeze after I had been there a few hours. I guess it depends on how severe your COPD/lung disease is. I couldn't stay in a room with one that is lit, and the same goes for open fires, bonfires, barbecues etc. Even if I didn't cough it still wouldn't be worth the risk as breathing in the particulate matter can lead to exacerbations. Anyhow, each to own - we are all free to make our own choices - but be aware that they are not good for folk with already impaired lungs.

copd.about.com/od/livingwit...

[Kristicats]

I have a multi fuel stove. It is near to an outside door which is handy to open should any backflow or smoke get into the room by accident. Try not to use it during exacerbations.

My current chest flare up started last week after being choked by the backflow/ smoke of an open fire in a pub, not stopped coughing since.