Woodburners.
Another excellent, stupid headline.NO proper burner would think of using wood that is not say 1) Hardwood 2) matured for 2/3 years, 3) stored dry. Why? because its that that produces heat. Now I can understand that a few "celebrities" have gone for wood burners in Urban areas and the rest have followed, but can you imagine these type having the patience to mature their wood. No chance it has to be instantaneous. Then the wet behind the ears politicians come up with a blanket ban., Just plain stupid. That s the tip of the iceberg. What about the Bio Mass generators, using cut today softwoods and burnt tomorrow with no drying whatsoever. And here we are talking of 10s of thousand of acres per week being cut. The mess the harvesters make are releases all the carbon stored in the ground. Again wet behind the ears politicians thought bio mass was the environmental" answer. You could not make it up. Then factor in the so called pollutants from say the Australian bush fires and there is no hope for mankind. Never mind back to stoking my fire with another few DRY logs.
Comments
-
No mention of a blanket ban Fisherman. It will make it illegal to sell the dripping wet bagged wood from ASDA (look at reviews). 'Wet' wood can be bought in quantities over 2 cubic metres (not a massive amount) but smaller bags must not be the 'wet' stuff and the seller must pass advice in how to store. You can burn anything you like in that regard.
So in effect it will make B all difference except to those buying a few logs for Christmas to burn on their open fire.
0 -
I find myself in the surprising situation that I actually agree with something the current Government is proposing!!! It is a common mistake to look at things from the perspective that changes won't have any impact on world wide CO2 levels. But there are plenty of people in the UK who suffer from breathing problems that might be helped by a reduction in fumes from wood burning stoves. It has been something of a "fashion" in recent years to have a wood burning stove for no other reason than it looks quite chic. Not really a convincing argument to have one?
David
1 -
It's as ET says, Fish, there’s no blanket ban but a prohibition on burning coal or 'wet' wood.
It’s senseless to burn wet wood as it just smoulders and hisses whilst burning dry wood is effectively carbon neutral as it only releases the carbon it has absorbed during its lifetime. It is sustainable and, therefore, planet friendly. 👍🏻🌳
1 -
We only use "fossil fuels" to heat our house - and it will stay that way.
An 70+ year old Aga - solid fuel - backgound heats the kitchen,cooks all our food (no other cooker or microwave), and heats the water.
A large woodburner in the "kitchen" (called the kitchen, but the only kitchen item in it is the Aga, it's a very large room where we live day to day).
A smaller woodburner in the sitting room (used for when we have visitors).
Upstairs is heated by leaving downstairs doors open.
1 -
How long before a blanket Ban. The fire police will soon be out in force. What about the massive use of Bo Fuels? Man has burned coal, coke, peat and wood since he invented Fire,a long time before global warming was invented. Seems strange that Diesel Cars were the answer, wood burning OK and then some wierdo comes up with all the negatives. As with all fuels those who understand it use it properly, ie dried and seasoned with no problem.
0 -
This is interesting by the co founder of Greenpeace. I make no comment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYQ6eZDXXRE
0 -
"As with all fuels those who understand it use it properly, ie dried and seasoned with no problem."
And that is exactly what the Govt's ban on sales of the 'wrong' fuel is aimed at. I'd have thought you'd be celebrating the move, rather than being a harbinger of doom. 🥺
2 -
That is how the heat, when we were kids ,got round our houses,coal fire in the "living room" which was an old black range?with the oven along side and water boiled on opened top of fire ,and the heat from the chimney kept the bedrooms warmer?
Ps the coal was tipped from bags off the coal lorry via the coalmans back ,into our celler via the "coal hole" under the cast iron cover in the front "garden?about 6ft of frontage behind the low wall that had railings on, before they were needed for the war effort
"1 -
I think we've come a long way since we lived in blackened towns and villages, covered in soot and coal dust, breathing in winter smog and suffering all sorts of life shortening illnesses. I remember train journeys via soot caked towns on the way to bracing sea side holidays, Pontefract struck me as blacker than the familiar Birmingham where my grandfather ran a chemical works producing coal by-products and my Gt Uncle ran the gas works next door (both works owned by wealthy northern families.)
This is where my Mum grew up, with a nice view of the coal heap from the blackened back garden!
Maybe the small step of getting people to burn more efficient and less polluting fuels isn't such a bad idea?
This is Nechells and the ground is still so polluted it can't be built on.
0 -
Goldie
I think you have acknowledged in the past that you are relatively isolated from other habitation so your use of solid fuel is unlikely to have any impact on others. Different matter if someone in an urban situation decided to have a wood burning stove (when they have already got a perfectly efficient central heating system) just because it's the fashionable thing to do!!! There will be circumstances where burning wood is the sensible option but in populated areas it has to be questioned.
David
2 -
It’s nothing like a blanket ban. Just to try and stop the sale and use of polluting coals and undried logs. Any sensible owner of a stove, wood burning or multi fuel knows the harm that burning such stuff does to the stove as well as the environment. They have become a chic, must have addition for a lot of folks, and I am sure some of them might not have a clue about what they are burning and the harm it might be doing. But properly stored, matured, dried wood isn’t too big an issue, nor are the smokeless fuels. We sweep our chimney regularly, and get nothing out of it to be honest, unlike the days I can recall in my childhood where the pile of soot was huge!
The ban on coal and wet logs is good. We are having two massive beech trees reduced tomorrow, all will be recycled by us. Wood dried and stored, it won’t be touched for a year. Small branches chipped for garden.
London....yep, I’d ban them there. It sits in a geographic bowl, stewing in its own pollution. And I doubt there’s enough local wood to source, dry and store.
DK, I can assure you that an efficient stove will warm a house through if you get the flows right. Our bills are nothing like our neighbours who use gas and electric heating. We light ours in the evening, and it warms the whole house, certainly the rooms we are using. 🙂
0 -
I don't quite get the idea that wood burning is climate neutral. I thought the idea of planting trees is to suck up the CO2. Burning trees rather defeats the objective does it not?
1 -
Our house is of solid construction I.e, no cavity wall so is inherently cold. This means that a wood burner isn’t a luxury fashion accessory it’s is a way of reducing our gas bills. Our electric bill is also reduced by our solar panels. Our solar panels pay for all our heating, lighting etc costs with a some left over for holidays
0 -
Oh, for goodness sake! Just what is your problem with a sensible move to stop the sale of the wrong fuels, Fish? 😣
4 -
You have confused me well and truly now
!!You cut down a tree -- it is naturally wet yes ??
you A ) allow it to stand, under cover for three years and it seasons / drys naturally. Then you sell it to somebody who burns it. Yes ??
B ) you take the original wet tree, cut it into bite size chunks then sell it to somebody who burns it Yes ??
You have cut down a tree and in either case the moisture has been released and a trees worth of carbon dioxide released.
So WHATS THE DIFFERENCE PLEASE ??
Now I'm off to boil an egg
0 -
Burning wet wood causes pollution -
"Wet - also known as green or unseasoned wood - is often sold in nets and is cheaper to buy.
It contains moisture which, when burned, creates more smoke and harmful particles of air pollution (PM2.5) than dry wood.
Wet wood can also damage chimneys much more, by allowing tar and soot to build up.
Dry or seasoned wood - which has been dried out, often in a kiln - has a moisture content of 20% or less."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51581817
0 -
You are probably right, selling to those who do not understand what wet wood does when burnt, and there will be plenty now , after the latest windy weather ,but then who would question that they are looking for a quick profit rather than being honest with what they are selling ,honest country folk?
0 -
The BHF, British Heart Foundation, produced research papers recently, about PMs (particulate matter.) Apparently domestic wood and coal burning contribute 40% of PMs, industry 29% and road traffic 12%. I don't recommend this as bed time reading...
0 -
Should we all go out and buy damp meters to test the moisture content of our logs?
Now if someone were unable to use their logs in winter because the moisture level was too high and they died of hypothermia would a coroner deliver a verdict of murder by HMG?
0
