Top considerations when buying log burners

[Blue Day 10]

Iirc most of Sheffield is a smoke free zone so you have to be careful what you burn. We use mainly kiln dried logs and sometimes smokeless bricks for extra warmth and they burn longer

 

In all honesty because we buy the logs we don’t save much as opposed to a gas fire or central heating, BUT there are advantages.

 

Looks great

 

Easy to clean (once a week in winter to empty Ash )

 

Guaranteed warmth. If there’s ever power cuts your CH / gas fire could be out of action. With a burner at least you’re always warm

[Itrytoplease 10]

About £2000 for a decent burner hearth and install depending on liner length

 

Be careful spending this kind of money, I've always wanted one but this has put me off, and you can guarantee Sheffield council will adopt it.

 

 

Most-polluting wood burners could be banned in effort to improve UK air quality - The government is planning to bring in tougher regulations on household wood burners and fires in a bit to cut UK air pollution.

 

New legislation will mean that only cleaner fuels and stoves will be sold for domestic heating, under the proposals being put out for consultation.

 

Councils will also be given new powers to bring in "clean air zones" by limiting what people can burn or bringing in "no-burn days".

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/wood-burners-ban-government-legislation-air-pollution-strategy-uk-a8362601.html

[geared 321]

New legislation will mean that only cleaner fuels and stoves will be sold for domestic heating, under the proposals being put out for consultation.

 

This is a very good move anyway, and it's utterly stupid that it's not already been done.

The more polluting coal is cheaper to buy and whats more stupid is that shops in smoke-control areas are allowed to sell the crap.

 

If it was sorted ages ago there would be much less of an issue now.

[ivan edake 13]

I can remember when Sheffield was a dirty, smoggy city. I don't understand why we have to have log burning fires or stoves in a city. Quite simply they stink up areas and even Sheffield council won't stem the tide of these things. They are not necessary with gas and electric fires and stoves available in houses. Even pubs with log burning fires stink inside and out and yet the owners see them as a positive. What ever happened to the clean air act and the right to not smell smoke?

 

If we want to reduce Sheffield pollution we need to ban these appliances.

You are absolutely right,these things smell disgusting.Come winter the smell of burning wood will be everywhere and runny eyes and sore throats from the particles they produce becomes the norm.

[HotStuff669 10]

I have complained to the council about the smell of smoke but they say they will not act unless there is smoke coming out of the chimney for more than 20 minutes. It is worst in autumn and our upstairs and garden stinks. How can the council seriously expect us to monitor and photograph a smoking chimney after dark without a night camera and specialist video equipment? We have sold our house and are moving to an area where none of the local houses have chimneys. It's the only way to breathe clean air again, but we shouldn't have to move for that reason. A more violent person might have taken a different course of action, so just bear that in mind when you install these things.

[ivan edake 13]

I have complained to the council about the smell of smoke but they say they will not act unless there is smoke coming out of the chimney for more than 20 minutes. It is worst in autumn and our upstairs and garden stinks. How can the council seriously expect us to monitor and photograph a smoking chimney after dark without a night camera and specialist video equipment? We have sold our house and are moving to an area where none of the local houses have chimneys. It's the only way to breathe clean air again, but we shouldn't have to move for that reason. A more violent person might have taken a different course of action, so just bear that in mind when you install these things.

 

I know how you feel and I hate to tell you that just because you are moving to where houses have no chimneys does not necessarily mean you will get away from these monstrosities.The houses on our estate have no chimneys but a bloke had a wood burner fitted last year and a chimney was run up the side of the wall.It hardly kicks any smoke out but it smells disgusting and gives you an instant sore throat.Our window frames have specks of soot on them and if he lights it when we have any washing out we have to re-wash the lot.The council would do nothing.I would really like to give this bloke the pasting he deserves but unfortunately he has about 50 years youth on his side.However if he uses it again this winter things just might change,there are other methods worth considering.

[WarPig 78]

Sounds like he’s burning chipboard or treated wood. Shouldn’t get any smells from dried split logs.

[Blue Day 10]

Sounds like he’s burning chipboard or treated wood. Shouldn’t get any smells from dried split logs.

 

Exactly. He’s obviously burning rubbish which, depending where he lives, is illegal. There are 3 of us with logburners within 10 doors of each other and you can’t smell anything when they’re burning.

[geared 321]

The council can't/won't do anything because it's so labour intensive to police it's just not worth it.

You'd literally have to have people wondering the street at night trying to check who's chimney is kicking out the fumes.

 

Even then they could end up chasing a smelly bonfire going on half a mile away.

 

---------- Post added 01-08-2018 at 10:36 ----------

 

I would really like to give this bloke the pasting he deserves but unfortunately he has about 50 years youth on his side.However if he uses it again this winter things just might change,there are other methods worth considering.

 

If you're more than willing to assault someone for using a log burner in their own home then you probably deserve the pasting you'll get as well.

 

but from the sound of it, you're just a grumpy old man.

Edited August 1, 2018 by geared

[Blue Day 10]

Would such an offence be controlled by the council or by the environmental agency?

[Olive 10]

This is a very good move anyway, and it's utterly stupid that it's not already been done.

The more polluting coal is cheaper to buy and whats more stupid is that shops in smoke-control areas are allowed to sell the crap.

 

If it was sorted ages ago there would be much less of an issue now.

 

I was surprised there don't seem to be any controls in place. The first time we visited the coal merchant I thought they'd be strict on what they could and couldn't sell you, depending on where you live, but when I asked, they reckoned there weren't any rules.

 

We have the original open fire in our living room. We use it very occasionally, since we inherited a lot of logs with the house (they'll last us years), but quite honestly, if the fire wasn't there already, and we didn't have a huge log supply, I wouldn't even consider installing one.

 

On the plus side:

- looks great

- toasty warm

- you can make fantastic toast

- we have a load of free fuel

- you can use the ash as grit when it's icy

 

On the minus

- we still have to spend money buying coal to supplement the logs

- we spend ages chopping wood up and you need the tools to do it (and there's the added risk of death by chainsaw to consider)

- the log basket and coal scuttle need filling up regularly, which means a trip outside in the cold/dark/rain

- it's mucky - you need to rake out the ash and clean up the debris after every use. Clouds of ash when you venture outside with the ash pan. Not only that, the muck gets around - you should see the soot which comes off the inside of the windows when I clean them

- the chimney needs sweeping at least every year, otherwise a chimney fire is a real possibility

- it only warms up one room, so either you have to heat the rest of the house anyway, or you stay in the living room and freeze when you go into the rest of the house

- you have to be home all day/evening to make it worth while lighting the fire, otherwise it takes ages to warm the room up, and you still have to clean the blooming thing up the next day

 

But the toast is exceeeeeedingly good.

 

Of course, modern log burners aren't quite so bad as an open fire, but still a faff.

[geared 321]

I was surprised there don't seem to be any controls in place. The first time we visited the coal merchant I thought they'd be strict on what they could and couldn't sell you, depending on where you live, but when I asked, they reckoned there weren't any rules.

 

There aren't really, for them anyway, it all falls on the end user - who then isn't policed in what they do. The entire system is a complete charade.

 

It's not just the coal merchant, every large supermarket and discounter will have pallets of coal available during the winter.

The approved fuel is usually 20% more expensive than the incorrect stuff - which is sat right next to it.

 

Customers will buy on price, and they usually buy the cheaper illegal to use coal.

It just shouldn't be on sale in the first place.