Woodburners, nice or nasty?

I understand that the local Fire Service can check these out regarding air toxicity. Such a waste of a 999 call. Also, a complaint to local Authority for investigation. The more complaints they receive, the more action can be taken. My neighbour has just had one installed but seems to think anything can be burned to save them taking household rubbish to the local tip. I can't understand why they don't notice anything.

I dread visiting my son’s house in the winter. His log fire makes me cough and brings on my lung problems 😫

We live in a rural area, been here two years. We replaced the wood burner in the house we have, has isn’t easily installed. It does smell a little at night outside. We don’t have street lights. Some of the properties are Victorian and some newer, like ours. I think if I had the choice again I would reconsider not having it installed. It cost too much to change it now, we also had a new boiler and oil tank. Too much to change the system now.

Has is gas

I had one for a couple of months when we moved in, but husband played with it like a toy putting logs on all the time, I found it to be a dust creator
I like the smell of woodsmoke but I couldn’t smell it in my house only outside, anyway I had it taken out and and replaced with modern marble fireplace with electric fire with realistic flames

We do have a fireplace and chimney as it’s a Victorian house but instead have a fake woodburner, easy to turn on and off and very realistic too.
Real woodburners are bad for the environment.

Maybe people are just burning all the recyclable waste the councils have decided they don't want, or can't be bothered to collect.

Since this so called "government " cut the winter fuel allowance we rely on our Woodburner in the winter. We live in a very rural village and the houses are far apart from each other. Most of our neighbours have them. In my opinion there are too many rules and laws preventing us living our lives, as long as we don't affect anyone else

I like the smell of woodsmoke too, but I really sympathise with the OP - all the time, other peoples' smoke? that's really unfair.

Love woodburners, look & atmosphere, but have never bought a property with one, & if we had one I'm not convinced I would ever go to the trouble of using it.

We had a log burner for some years but change over to an electric flame effect- so much cleaner- no fumes, better for the environment and the house gets alt less dusty- no more cleaning it out or lumping logs about

Daisycuddles Most people use woodburners in the winter so not sure why it would effect washing on the line / people who have their windows open etc
Those of us that don't have tumble dryers still dry our washing outside when it's not raining, even in winter. And I like to have windows open for a while to air the house, couldn't be doing with living in stale air all winter.

Rosie51

Daisycuddles Most people use woodburners in the winter so not sure why it would effect washing on the line / people who have their windows open etc
Those of us that don't have tumble dryers still dry our washing outside when it's not raining, even in winter. And I like to have windows open for a while to air the house, couldn't be doing with living in stale air all winter.

I don’t have a tumble dryer, the environmental damage regarding micro plastics is appalling. But that’s for another discussion.
In the winter washing dries overnight on an airer in the room with the residue heat from the woodburner.

We had one in Spain, but as Lesley60 experienced OH was incapable of leaving it alone so I was forever repainting the walls. It was also no good at heating the bedrooms even though it’s a single storey villa. Had a revamp, got rid of it and I’ve never repainted the walls in that room since then!

Love mine, but we do live in the far northern Highlands in a freezing old cottage that would cost a small fortune to keep the oil boiler going all day during the very long cold winters. Our wood is seasoned (dried) for at least two years prior to use at we don't have any close neighbours. But I totally get that with close properties all burning wood and other items the problems begin. Definitely need to be pretty isolated to use them.

I'm sure I put a post on here but it seems to have disappeared??

I may complain about woodburning stoves and I know a poster on here wasn't happy about the complaint. Unfortunately, asthma is not a condition I chose to have. Hopefully you will never have to find out what it's like. Just as an aside, I don't fly or travel abroad. Woodburners are fine in rural areas, but in built up areas it's very inconsiderate. However they are allowed, so people have them.

If they are allowed, then how is it inconsiderate?

Nice and cosy.

They are not environmentally friendly as their
owners claim and should be banned in built up towns and cities.
Real irritant to people with breathing problems like myself.

Might be OK for rural areas.

Also agree about BBQ's smelling the place out. Bonfire night competitive. Real fire hazard.

Was fascinated to hear from OO that one of their neighbours still uses coal.

I thought that coal went out with the Clean Air Act in the 1960s. Smokeless fuel including anthracite then North Sea Gas took over.

My father was a Miner so l remember this well.

👎🦹🔥🌋

Steam engines run on coal so maybe you can still get coal for domestic fuel?

25Avalon

Steam engines run on coal so maybe you can still get coal for domestic fuel?

Yes, you can certainly still get coal - at least around here. I have a few neighbours who regularly get it delivered.

Vice Versa, just because something is allowed does not necessarily mean it does not affect other people in a negative way. I just feel woodburners are more suited to rural areas. They are allowed in my area, I'm asthmatic, they affect me badly. They are allowed, nothing I can do to stop them. I cannot complain as nothing can be done. People do not think how the particles affect other people, but then consideration for others in today's society really does not exist very much.

ViceVersa

If they are allowed, then how is it inconsiderate?

Seriously? Everything that is allowed is considerate?

We have a wood-burner, but only rarely use it, if it gets really cold. The wood is from our trees, pruned/lopped over time, dried for a couple of years, and mostly it's apple wood. If the stove is going, the smoke doesn't have a special aroma.

What DOES light up (!!) the local F'book is if people light bonfires on a summer evening, you can smell THEM from several roads away, and the immediate neighbours go ballistic!

We have a woodburner in the kitchen, the hub of our 17th century farmhouse. We live on a farm down a long drive in the middle of the country & have no close neighbours. We burn our own seasoned wood - fallen timber on the farm is a nuisance so we got the woodburner primarily as a way of disposing of it. It may sound like it's free fuel but there's a lot of time and effort involved in cutting it up in situ, lugging it, storing it then cutting when it's dry. However, we love it but I can't imagine why people in more built up areas would want one & I know the cost of logs is very expensive