Wood burning stove experiences please

[Bonefish Blues]

There is a thing called The Clean Air Act. Just a quick google throws up stuff like this: https://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/conte.../air-quality/guidance-on-wood-burning-stoves/

My appliance is on the (massive) list of approved (exempted) appliances - which varies according to country, I note. It won't burn anything other than ultra-dry logs. Well I suppose it would, but I won't, IYSWIM.

 

[furball]

Sure, but at domestic level there's no enforcement.

Smoke can cause an odour nuisance which is enforceable under the Environmental Protection Act.
Incorrectly sized and inappropriately sited flies commonly result in odour nuisance.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Incorrectly sized and inappropriately sited flies commonly result in odour nuisance.

Yes, and that embarrassing damp patch around your crotch gives away who's responsible.

 

[Drago]

Yes, and the world's full of selfish daffodils who would happily burn anthrax. Look where it's got us.

Not sure I'll take log burner pollution criticism from a car driver. When you've sorted your own chlorfluorobenzinated, nitrous oxide, or particulate emissions (or all three) then you'll have the moral authority to tut. Tailpipe emissions kill up to 40,000 people a year in the UK, but you're quite happy to be a member of that polluting club.

I only use my burner to keep warm in winter or, occasionally, heat food. Both legitimate uses. I doubt every single car journey you've ever taken was similarly important or essential.

 

[furball]

Yes, and that embarrassing damp patch around your crotch gives away who's responsible.

Oops

 

[Heltor Chasca]

[QUOTE 4979030, member: 45"]Well, I'm quite getting into this. Learned how the stove likes to work. Log store full of wood, chopped smaller with my Aldi axe. The Aldi reciprocating saw helped me quickly convert a number of pallets (free from work) which are now starting to shrunk to kindling with a hand axe.[/QUOTE]

I quite like making kindling. I make mine from slabs I split from leylandii rounds. Satisfying 'pwaaanggfrrrrr' as the batons spring away from the grain. I use a Gränfors Bruks Splitting Hatchet for this. Beautiful tool. Only 1.5kg https://www.gransforsbruk.com/en/product/gransfors-splitting-hatchet/

Making kindling is probably more risky than using my maul https://www.gransforsbruk.com/en/product/gransfors-splitting-maul/ on the big rounds so I wear a thick glove on my left hand. The hand that isn't holding the hatchet.

 

[mickle]

Morsø Squirrel with ribbed sides at Chez HC. Fitted myself which made the bill MUCH cheaper.

View attachment 356536

We too have a Squirrel. It's very good..

 

[PaulSB]

We have a multi fuel Much Wenlock stove which is 20-25 years old. It has always performed well but is now performing too well!!

The change we have made is this. This summer the chimney was lined. At the point where the stove chimney attaches to the stove we have rope when previously it was fire cement. The company who did the work have a very high reputation.

Recently I have replaced the door rope on both upper and lower doors. I have used a thicker rope than previously. The rope appears to fit the groove exactly does make the door fit very snugly although one has to push it hard with a stick to close the latch.

My problem is the fire now burns too quickly and hot. Historically we have been able to bank up the fire with coal and it would take 10-12 hours to burn. We have just used coal for the first two times since the summer lining. When banked up the fire burns through the whole of the coal bank at once rather than slowly from the bottom - all the coals glow intensely.

I feel too much airflow is the issue but can’t fathom how this is happening.

Any thoughts?

 

[PaulSB]

[QUOTE 5081372, member: 45"]It's possible that lining the chimney has increased the draw, and that's why it's pulling air through more quickly. Does it have a stainless liner now whereas before it was an unlined chimney breast?[/QUOTE]
Yes it is a stainless steel liner and I agree with your theory. My wife doesn’t which is why I’m having to ask questions!!!!!!!

Since the liner went in we can hear birds sitting on top of the chimney and the wind blowing across the top. Never heard this before.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Does your stove have a dampers to throttle back the through flow of air?

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/control-air-wood-burning-stove-48872.html

 

[gasinayr]

My neighbour has a wood burning stove. Sometimes I get to sleep in a bedroom that stinks of woodsmoke. You might guess but I think they are just an anti-social polutant.

Wood smoke contains 10 times more carbon monoxide that a faulty gas boiler. We had the same problem with a stove fitted next door. My wife was diagnozed with cancer and there is a strong possibility that it was triggered by the CO. Clown next door knew that his stove was faulty and refused to repair it. Council, Environmental Health and Hetas did nothing to help. Moved house 5 months ago to get away from it.
A lot of states in America are banning stoves because of the amount of deaths caused by them, problem is anyone can install them. If you are hell bent on getting one, make sure you use an approved installer.

 

[TVC]

Wood smoke contains 10 times more carbon monoxide that a faulty gas boiler. We had the same problem with a stove fitted next door. My wife was diagnozed with cancer and there is a strong possibility that it was triggered by the CO. Clown next door knew that his stove was faulty and refused to repair it. Council, Environmental Health and Hetas did nothing to help. Moved house 5 months ago to get away from it.
A lot of states in America are banning stoves because of the amount of deaths caused by them, problem is anyone can install them. If you are hell bent on getting one, make sure you use an approved installer.

It has been fine so far this winter, I must assume they've had it fixed.

 

[Globalti]

Yes it is a stainless steel liner and I agree with your theory. My wife doesn’t which is why I’m having to ask questions!!!!!!!

Since the liner went in we can hear birds sitting on top of the chimney and the wind blowing across the top. Never heard this before.

This is definitely the reason for the improved draw. An unlined flue takes ages to warm up (the feeble flow of hot gases won't help) and the cross-section being larger, you will be creating a wide, sluggishly rising column of warm smoke. Confine those gases to a narrow insulated smooth pipe and they will rise faster, drawing in more oxygen and causing more vigorous combustion.

 

[PaulSB]

@Globalti I’m delighted you posted this as I’ve just worked through it myself so this is good confirmation.

My thought is this. I’ve noticed the stove creates hardly any smoke meaning we have more efficient combustion. Nothing has changed bar the liner. Our stone built, 165 year old, chimney has been very poor for years and when the guys cleared it pulled out a twelve foot** deep crow’s nest!!! Logic says that even with the fire fully closed down the increased combustion, which results from better chimney flow, must draw in more air and help stimulate further the improved combustion.

** Apparently crows return to the same nest each year and rebuild simply by dropping more nesting materials on to the old nest hence the depth of nest.

Thanks to all for helping me work through this. I need to learn how to manage the new situation.

 

[Globalti]

Good to see that the new flue is working so well. By opening and closing the bottom vent and the airwash you should now have perfect control of the oxygen supply and hence the combustion temperature. The best advice we were given when choosing our stove was to err on the smaller size so that we would be burning the stove hotter and hence cleaner - nothing looks worse that a big stove shut down and idling and all smoked up. When you light the stove, leave the door ajar for 10 minutes until it's roaring and the combustion temperature is hot enough that the fuel is not smoking, then gradually close it down. The best fire is a bed of glowing embers, made either from smokeless nuggets or small pieces of wood, with a couple of nice dry chunks of hardwood on top, beginning to glow and with the dancing flames of secondary combustion, which is effectively very hot glowing smoke. That takes an hour or so to build but will last all evening if you feed it occasionally.

If you can't shut the stove down enough have another look at that rope seal; it may be admitting air at a corner.