Smoke from wood burner will air purifier clear this

I'm asthmatic, so could not have one. Yes Herti, air particulates are an issue but everyone has to decide what's right for them. I think the problem also is some folk just burn any old thing in them. I'm not suggesting for one moment thats any people who are in Gransnet. I understand people having them though, especially with fuel prices going up again. Or, if you live in an area with no gas supply.

Once again thank you for all the advice. Have taken it all onboard and happy to report no issues. Top to bottom lighting only dry wood moisture content 20 or less. Wait until embers only before restocking and clear the cold plug. . With help and support we finally got there and are loving the stove now which replaced our faithful parkray which sprung a leak in the back boiler after 40 plus years of warm cosy nights. Looking forward to the next 40 yrs. (god willing) 😂😂😂

I am glad that your stove has settled. Dry well seasoned wood is the ideal, and such logs generally weigh very little when you hold one in your hand.
Unseasoned wood is not dry, will not burn properly, and most importantly will not provide any heat! If you buy bags of wood from various supermarkets, make sure they state the moisture content, they should be less than 20%, should light easily, burn steadily, and provide heat.

We had a new wood burner installed two weeks ago. I did 5 small fires as instructed and gave had 2 or 3 proper fires. It did smoke a bit at first and Dd was here. She had to use her asthma pump and had watery eyes. I won’t light it when she’s here.

My son came at the weekend and he has just had a new stove fitted. He showed me the Top Down method as Karma suggested. This is the way to go.

Son has just messaged me saying the seals on his new woodburner are seeping smoke and has the fitter coming in today.

Trial and error UptoU.
Good luck and enjoy your cosy stove.🔥

Why is there smoke when you are restoking? Surely there should only be embers. I would be concerned if smoke is being emitted when fuel has burned down, Assuming all types of fuel being used complies with recommended standsrds.

If you have smoke from your wood burner, it s either your chimney or the wood you are burning. Check them first, We never get smoke from ours.

*Up2u*very good to read your last post, it does take some time to get used to using a modern stove

Good logs are key and I had mine from a very reputable local person, they were already seasoned. I had a tonne and am only part way through after 2 years. I store mine on wire shelves in a keter store it out

The flue will have a plug of cold air in it at this time of year and that needs to shift. Top down lighting warms the air in the flue , pushes the cold plug away and the smoke goes straight up.

Top down: Logs at bottom with a couple of eco starters in between then a small pile of stacked kindling with a couple of eco starters sitting on the top. Just light the top starters and keep the door open enough to let lots of air in but not open enough to allow any kindling sparks to come out. Both dampers fully open at this stage. Close the door when the logs have caught strongly

I use a thermometer on my flue, when the temperature is in the efficient burning range then I fully close the bottom damper and half close the air wash damper.

We don’t get smoke- is the chimney ok? We have had a wood burner for more years than I can remember and never had a problem. You have to have very long chimneys here,though, for wood burners.

I thought I’d read a while back that wood burners were a high risk item in homes because of the particulates they can emit into the air that don’t easily disperse and are inhaled

Of course they look great and are ‘ cosy’ but I’ve known people with terminal lung conditions from pollutants so personally wouldn't get one

Friend called round. Moisture content in logs varies between 17 and 25. Any over 20 has been taken back to dry out and replaced. Also checked over stove and everything is ok with that he gave other half some tips on lighting and burning and today happy to report no smoke and best of all no headache

Thanks again to all who replied. Really do appreciate it

We don't have smoke when opening the stove door. It's important to establish the cause and correct it. We have a CO monitor - essential in my view. We burn kiln dried logs which generate little smoke. I have asthma and the stove does not trouble me.

Stove is Henley Sherwood eco 21

We do have carbon monoxide monitor in the room and yes the chimney was swept before liner was installed. Have a friend coming tomorrow to check the moisture content of the wood we bought as they think it could be this. Wood burning is new to us as we only ever used smokeless coal/fuel on our old parkray.

We had woodburning stoves for 20 years; what you describe is very abnormal. Inhalation headache could be an early warning of CO poisoning.

Did you have the chimney swept before installing new stove?

Are you burning properly seasoned, non-coniferous wood?

There should be air inlet and exit controls on the stove. Make sure the one between the burn chamber and the chimney is fully open ( to maximise draught up the chimney) before opening the loading door.

I hope you've got a carbon monoxide monitor in the room.

Another tip I’ve learned is not to restock the stove until the embers of the previous logs are all that you can see. Your stove is more likely to puff out smoke if the wood inside is still catching alight, whereas the embers should not puff out smoke.

Thank you for all the advice. The stove is brand new and the chimney lined. Will try the tips on opening door just a crack. It could be we are doing something wrong as our installer is hetas approved will speak to them again Thanks again

My stove does not smoke when the door is opened to restock either.
Do you open the vent before opening the door? It might help.
Also, are you burning totally dry seasoned wood? If you are burning green wood, there will be smoke, and your chimney will suffer too.
You should have instructions to follow for your stove.

However:
If your stove is brand new, it will smoke/smell for a short while. THIS is normal, and it is the metal settling and burning 'off/being seasoned'; these fumes are not pleasant, but you do need to get the heat up to allow it to happen. Open the windows, and stay out of the room while it happens. The instructions should tell you all about this, and how long it will take to 'season' the stove. It may take 2 or 3 burns for it to clear. You do need a good fire each time to complete the process.
This was my experience with my new stove.

I hope this helps.

I do have an excellent modern stove, fully compliant with modern standards

You cam eliminate smoke coming into the room if you equalise the pressures within and outside the stove. That is done by just opening the stove by the smallest crack, you will see the flame change.

I have two big blueair purifiers in two rooms, they are 100% efficient at cleaning the air. They were not cheap but I would never be without them. Excellent air is depicted by blue light and red is polluted with shades in between. One is in my living room, if I do open the stove door too quickly and get a puff of smoke into the room then the blueair quickly cleans that up

I got blueair because my late husband was suffering with asthma

It should not be emitting smoke when you open the door. There is some sort of downdraft going on that should not be there. An air purifier will do absolutely nothing.

Try this link for advice: www.hetas.co.uk/consumer/faqs/#:~:text=Alternatively%2C%20you%20can%20contact%20our,will%20be%20happy%20to%20help.

This is the body that oversees installers.

Wind not end sorry, typo.

Our burner does not emit smoke. I don’t think it’s normal for that to happen. Are you using seasoned wood or might there be a problem with the chimney? Has it been lined?
Friends with an old burner do have problems with smoke especially when the end comes from a particular direction, and their problem is their chimney.

I am sorry but your installer is fobbing you off. The UK has just introduced new stricter standards for solid fuel burning stoves, which all new stoves must meet, and that would mean that your stove should not be emitting smoke when it is restocked. In fact if it is emitting smoke when restocked then it is presumably emitting visible smoke when burning. Have you stood outside to see if you can see a visible plume from our chimney when the stove is burning?

As for an air purifier resolving a problem you should not have, no I can see no reason why an air purifieer should clean the sudden gust of hot air and smoke that comes out of your applience when it is restocked. The purpose of an air purifier is to deal with background air pollutants that are in the ambient air in relatively small quantities, not to deal with sudden short bursts of high intensity pollution.

The best thing you can do, is get another company of stove installers to come in and look at your stove and check whether it has been installed properly and that you are using it properly..

In the meanwhile could you wear a mask when restocking the stove?