This brochure is a guide on how to use your wood heater to maximise the heat obtained from your wood and reduce woodsmoke pollution. The facts are clear

Many Australian households Many people don’t realize that use woodheaters and open smoke from their woodheaters fireplaces for home heating. and fireplaces can present a real As a consequence, in some hazard to their neighbours, of our towns and cities, levels causing physical discomfort of winter air pollution are for those with respiratory unacceptably high. problems, especially older people and young children. This pollution is made up of very small particles that can be taken directly into the lungs and contains a number of toxic and cancer causing agents.

for cleaner wood heating Australia’s woodsmoke problem

Woodheaters and open fireplaces are often the major contributors to outdoor air pollution levels in cities and towns during winter. They are used extensively throughout Australia and their use varies quite dramatically from suburb to suburb and town to town. In some areas, over 60% of households use wood as their main fuel for home heating. Wood can be an efficient and Managing a woodheater takes time, economical way to heat your home. effort and planning. All woodheaters, However, its use can lead to poor air when operated well, should produce quality. heat without smoke. You can help to improve air quality in your local area One obvious feature of this poor air and ensure your community breathes quality is the brown haze often seen easier by operating your woodheater over residential neighborhoods on better. clear, cold nights. Sometimes whole cities, such as Launceston or Armidale are affected. This haze is a result of temperature inversions, This brochure offers advice often combining with limited air about how to operate your movement leading to woodsmoke woodheater to ensure you being trapped at ground level. do not create an unhealthy environment for your neighbours and other community members.

for cleaner wood heating The secret of successful burning:

When wood is completely burned, Incomplete combustion will lead to you are left with carbon dioxide and the generation of toxic pollutants, water vapour, which escape into the such as particles and carbon air, and an ash residue. monoxide, and also means you are Complete combustion is important to wasting both wood and money. the performance of your woodheater and to reduce woodsmoke. The How a typical following conditions are needed for modern woodheater works your woodheater to achieve complete combustion: • dry, seasoned firewood; • a fire that is hot enough; • sufficient air flow to provide enough oxygen for combustion; • sufficient mixing of air and the hot gases given off by the fire; and • enough time for burning to be complete.

If there is a lack of any or all of the Primary air [A] is drawn in through above, incomplete burning will occur. a sliding or hinged air control mechanism, You can tell if you have enough heat, usually above the door. The air is pre heated before being directed down the air and mixing if the coals are inside of the door, helping to keep the glowing brightly and there are bright glass clean. It then enters the base of the swirling flames. Dark, smoldering fire. This primary air supply determines fuel and a lot of smoke in the firebox how quickly the firewood burns. indicate incomplete burning. Secondary air [B] is heated to a high temperature before entering the firebox just below the baffle. This air does not influence how fast the fire burns, but is critical in ensuring a strong flame and a clean burn, even when the heater is burning slowly. for cleaner wood heating Start out right: Keep it burning brightly:

When lighting a cold woodheater Wait for the fire to be fully established always use sufficient dry kindling to before adding extra fuel. Larger pieces establish a good fire quickly. Place of wood should only be added after a kindling and small wood in the bed of coals has been established. If a firebox so that there is at least 2cm woodheater is operating well 20 minutes after lighting or loading, between each piece. This allows air there should be no visible smoke. to circulate freely and leads to faster combustion and cleaner burning. Open the air controls fully every time you add more firewood. Failure to do As well as putting plenty of paper this can generate a lot of smoke. If underneath, put two or three loosely there is a vigorous flame established crumpled sheets of newspaper on when you add more firewood, then top of the wood when first lighting most of the smoke will be burnt the heater. The paper will burn before it reaches the flue preventing rapidly, heating the flue and creating it from polluting the atmosphere. a draught quickly. Burning this smoke means you are producing more heat, as well as It is also important to get the reducing pollution. woodheater hot as quickly as possible. To do this the air controls After 20 minutes, when all the wood is should be left fully open for at least burning fiercely, you may then turn down the controls to give a 20 minutes to create the right comfortable fire. If it begins to smoke conditions for the wood to burn you may need to open it up a little completely and cleanly right from the start. A hotter fire means there will • Use plenty of paper and be less smoke. small kindling Always leave a bed of ash in the • Paper will produce a hotter fire firebox on which to light the next more quickly than fire lighters f i r e , • Only use larger wood when a bed as this will assist burning. of coals has been established.

for cleaner wood heating Managing your fire

Air flow is important for good Another common mistake is to put a combustion. Modern woodheaters single large log on a fire to keep the are designed to warm the air before fire going longer. This causes a lot of it enters the firebox. This stops the smoke because there is not enough firebox from cooling and helps to surface area for good combustion. burn the wood completely. If your woodheater is old, it may not Most modern woodheaters draw their have an effective air supply or it may main air supply for combustion down have other design faults that mean the inside of the glass on the door. that you may not be able to stop This constant supply of clean air helps it from smoking. In this case, you may the wood to burn efficiently and at a have to consider replacing it. higher temperature. If a large log is loaded parallel to the door of the heater it will stop this air supply getting into the base of the fire, where • Do not block the it is needed for good combustion. incoming air supply with pieces of wood Packing your firebox too tightly will also cause it to smolder. This causes • Do not pack the firebox the worst woodsmoke pollution and too tightly is what your neighbours are most • Do not use wood too likely to complain about. big to burn properly • Do not use a single large log on the fire • Replace your woodheater if it won’t stop smoking

for cleaner wood heating Keep a flame burning at all times

1 3 2 4

This sequence shows a well maintained fire. New pieces of seasoned wood are added only when a good bed of coals are established. This makes the fire burn efficiently producing less smoke and saving you money.

for cleaner wood heating Use the right fuel for your woodheater

When purchasing your wood you It takes at least a year to should buy wood that is fully season firewood properly. Well-seasoned firewood can seasoned. You can test whether the give up to 40% more heat. wood is fully seasoned by striking Burning green wood may block two pieces together. Dry wood gives your flue, causing fires. Check a sharp ‘crack’ while unseasoned you flue and clean it regularly. wood sounds more like a dull ‘thud’.

If you collect your own wood, or If the wood gets wet, keep it inside or prefer to buy unseasoned wood, plan on the porch for a day or two before to get it a year ahead. It takes green using it. If it is already fully seasoned wood at least one year to dry out it will dry out quickly ready for use. sufficiently to ensure it will be fully Freshly cut wood from living trees has seasoned. Some wood may take a moisture content of around 50%. If longer. cut to firewood lengths and stacked To season wood, split and open stack in the open it takes roughly 12 it in a criss-cross fashion to allow for months for the moisture content to maximum air circulation. A roof to drop to good levels for burning ­ prevent the rain from wetting the below 30%. Precise drying rates vary wood will speed drying, but from one wood species to another ventilation is more important than and are climate dependent. Warm cover. Do not totally cover the and windy conditions with low woodpile with plastic or a tarpaulin humidity are best. as this creates a high humidity environment, drawing moisture out of the soil.

for cleaner wood heating Check your chimney or flue for smoke every now and then

Make it a habit to occasionally go If the smoke is black it means there is outside and check your chimney or a lot of carbon, or soot, present. flue for smoke. Black smoke suggests the fire is too hot, and may damage your heater If, after 20 minutes of operation, or flue. there is continuous visible smoke from your chimney or flue, check that As well as inhibiting proper burning, you are following the operating tips the moisture and sap in unseasoned in this brochure. wood generates smoke and toxic pollutants. When you use unseasoned With a little care, even the first few wood, a dark sticky substance known minutes after lighting the heater can as creosote is produced that attaches be relatively smoke free. Try moving to the walls of the flue. This will the logs in the heater to improve the cause the flue to block up and can air flow or adding a bit more lead to fire in your flue. Creosote newspaper to increase the draught. production can be minimised by Each model of heater will have burning at higher temperatures. certain ways of loading the fuel that Smoke is wasted fuel so the more give the cleanest burning. You will a heater smokes the more fuel have to use trial and error to get the is wasted. best arrangement for your heater.

for cleaner wood heating Overnight Burning

Many people keep their woodheaters Don’t put large pieces of wood in it burning through the night when it is that can’t burn properly and only cold. To do this, they reduce the air reduce the air flow to a level where flow and maintain a low flame. there is no visible smoke. If you do this you will need to inspect the flue and chimney regularly for Let your fire go out at night tar and soot build-up. Clean it if To reduce the level of woodsmoke necessary, as this will maintain the pollution in badly affected towns and heater’s capacity. A clogged flue cities it is strongly recommended decreases performance increasing that you do not burn your heating costs and could catch on fire. woodheater overnight on reduced air flow. If you wish to keep the fire alight overnight, burn it on high for at least Even if your woodheater goes out twenty minutes before retiring to after the family goes to bed, a well bed, to ensure a good bed of coals is insulated house should still be warm established and all gases are burnt off. in the morning.

It will cost only half as much to let your woodheater go out over night and run an electric heater in the morning for 2 hours, than to keep your woodheater alight for the night causing unnecessary smoke.

for cleaner wood heating Selecting a new woodheater

When selecting a woodheater, the appropriate heat output for your house is important. Operating a woodheater that produces more heat than required will lead to increased heating costs, and create pollution for neighbours when operated on low air flow. It is better to operate a smaller woodheater at its full Preferably purchase a cleaner- capacity than a larger one at a lower burning woodheater, one that emits capacity. less than 2g of particle pollutants per 1kg of dry wood. For all new Some design features that promote woodheaters a plate is required to be complete burning in your fixed to the heater stating its woodheater are: emission levels. • provision for preheating the Check with your local Council before incoming primary air to be directed having your woodheater installed, as through the active fire or the approval is required under building secondary air above the fire; and codes. Make sure the woodheater is • insulation of the flue as high as properly installed in accordance with possible to minimise condensation manufacturers’ instructions. fouling and assist both dispersion The installation of second hand and air flow to the fire. woodheaters is not recommended. Before buying a new woodheater However if you should do this the check with your supplier that it heater must be certified to comply meets Australian Standards. with Australian standards.

for cleaner wood heating Don’t burn rubbish Ensure your flue or treated wood is well designed and maintained Remember, your woodheater has been designed to burn firewood. Make sure your flue or chimney is high enough to allow the combustion Plastics, such as bags and nappies, gases to disperse. If you are unsure if are especially bad to burn as they your chimney or flue meets minimum create unpleasant odours and toxic height requirements, check with an fumes. Burning these items are most accredited installer or your local likely to lead to complaints from Council. neighours. Burning these also reduces the performance of your Do not fit a ‘Chinamans cap’ or any woodheater. rain protector which restricts the upward flow of the hot gases. Be careful not to use wood treated Fit only concentric rain with copper-chromate-arsenate (the excluders (shown here). green colour in playground logs) as it If you have a cap on your releases poisonous fumes when flue and have tried other burnt. Wood collected from the measures to reduce woodsmoke seashore is not suitable as it contains without success, try removing the cap. corrosive salts.

Don’t burn garbage, painted or treated timber or particle board as these produce toxic fumes.

for cleaner wood heating Save money and insulate

If your ceiling is uninsulated, If your ceiling is already insulated between 30 and 40% of the heat check the insulation to ensure it is from your woodheater is going still adequate. Some types of straight through the roof. This means insulation pack down or move over you need to burn more wood which time and loose some of their costs more money and results in insulating properties. more air pollution. Other areas of heat loss are windows If finance is a problem, do one room and doors. Thick curtains with at a time beginning with pelmets and draught proofing the room with the woodheater around doors will also assist in in it. You will probably find the room maintaining heat in the house over stays warm enough that night. Close the doors to any rooms you can let your heater go out you do not wish to heat. overnight without waking up to a cold house. If your house is well insulated it will be around 7ºC warmer than an uninsulated house.

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for cleaner wood heating Avoid using your woodheater on poor air quality days

In some locations forecasted air heat, even if just for a night or pollution levels are reported two. Even well operated during winter in the daily press. woodheaters emit some smoke 50 micrograms of particles per during lighting and refueling. If cubic metre* of wood burnt is you need to use your woodheater the accepted Australian Standard make sure you let it go out for particle pollution. Above before you go to bed, rather than 50ug/m3 the air quality forecast will having it smolder overnight. be ”poor”. You may have some form of At this level, particle pollution is alternative heating such as oil, likely to cause adverse health gas, or a fixed electric heater. effects, especially among the Consider using these on those elderly, the very young and especially cold nights and sensitive groups such as those mornings. Think seriously about with lung disease, heart disease topping up the gas cylinders or and asthma. buying a few gallons of oil for the oil heater. These measures If the weather prediction is for will help to reduce woodsmoke levels of air pollution above when high levels of pollution are 40ug/m3 you might think about forecast. using an alternative source of * ug/m3

for cleaner wood heating Woodsmoke is an Environmental Nuisance

An environmental nuisance is any Under these programs specially emission of a pollutant that trained environmental health may unreasonably interfere with officers are on hand to assist a persons enjoyment of the householders with woodsmoke environment or cause harm to the problems. You may wish to environment. contact your local government Environmental Health Depart­ Some Councils have provisions for ment or State Environment penalties against householders Protection Authority who may who cause an environmental be able to assist you with nuisance by operating excessively information about programs in smoky woodheaters. There may your area. also be State or Territory regulations that impose penalties A woodsmoke training program against householders who continue has been developed by Department to operate woodheaters badly. of the Environment and Heritage and is available for local In some regions of Australia government authorities wishing targeted education programs are to increase their capacity to being conducted to educate manage woodsmoke as an woodheater users in the better environmental nuisance. operation of their woodheaters.

Contact Department of the Environment and Heritage on (02) 6274 1641 for further information.

for cleaner wood heating Quick Tips to Reduce Woodsmoke © Commonwealth of Australia 2002 ISBN No 0 6425 4903 6

Information presented in this document 1. Always use properly seasoned may be reproduced in whole or in part for study or training purposes or to dry wood in your woodheater provide wider dissemination for public response, subject to inclusion of 2. Get a hot fire going quickly with acknowledgement of the source and provided no commercial usage or sale plenty of paper and small kindling of the material occurs. Reproduction for purposes other than those given above requires written permission from 3. Keep air controls set high enough Department of the Environment and Heritage. Requests for permission to keep your fire burning brightly should be addressed to: The Director 4. Only use larger pieces of wood Air Quality Section Department of the Environment and when the fire is well established Heritage, GPO Box 787, Canberra ACT 2601. 5. Check your chimney or flue at least once every evening for smoke Designed and printed by AT&M Reproduced for distribution in South 6. Consider the well-being Australia by the SA Environment Protection Authority 2004. of your neighbours 16501

For more information: www.deh.gov.au/atmosphere/airquality/woodsmoke/ www.epa.sa.gov.au/woodsmoke Australian Home Heating Association (08) 8351 9288