EPA Victoria encourages everyone to avoid burning wood to heat their homes if they can, to reduce pollution and effects on people’s health.
If a wood heater or stove is your only option, the EPA recommends getting it tuned so it produces less smoke and more heat.
EPA Northeast Regional Manager Ben Kneebone says wood smoke and calm winter weather can reduce air quality, but there are simple ways to make your heater safer, cleaner and cheaper to run.
“A wood heater or fireplace provides valuable heating for many Victorians, but maintenance is important and one of the best things you can do is have the flue or chimney professionally cleaned,” Mr Kneebone said.
“That can help to prevent flue fires and ensure the heater produces more heat and less smoke,” he said.
“Checking the wood heater’s operating manual can help you to get the best out of it and give you the knowhow to choose the right fuel.”
The best fuel is dry, seasoned, untreated hardwood, which burns longer and produces more heat and less smoke.
“Using even slightly damp wood means your wood heater will not operate at its best. You wind up paying for heat that is lost in drying out the timber before it can burn, and you get less efficient combustion that creates more smoke,” Mr Kneebone said.
EPA Victoria’s Chief Environmental Scientist, Professor Mark Patrick Taylor, added that reducing wood fire smoke will also help to minimise any health impacts.
“Wood smoke contains very small particles and gases that contribute to air pollution. This can cause problems for anyone with cardiovascular, breathing difficulties and respiratory conditions, resulting in symptoms for some people.”
Professor Taylor encouraged people to reduce their use of wood heaters and fireplaces on still days, and to go outside occasionally to check their chimney for smoke to make sure the heater is working as well as it can.
“Overall, Victoria’s air quality is very good. This is mainly due to initiatives introduced over the years that have reduced emissions from industry and motor vehicles. Another contributor to cleaner air has been the banning of backyard incinerators in residential areas,” he said.
“While the impact of a single wood heater may be small, the cumulative effect is significant, particularly through autumn and winter, and tuning your wood heater for most efficient operation helps reduce impacts on air quality, optimises heating your home and minimises health risks.”
Tips for reducing smoke pollution include:
Get a hot fire going quickly with plenty of paper and small dry kindling;
Keep the air controls set high enough to keep the fire burning hot;
Never overload a wood heater with too much wood; and
Make sure you never leave the wood heater to smoulder overnight, as this starves the fire of oxygen, producing more smoke.
EPA also advises you should never burn household rubbish, driftwood, treated wood such as pine, or old painted wood in your wood heater.
For tips on how to reduce wood smoke visit: epa.vic.gov.au/for-community/environmental-information/air-quality/smoke-from-wood-heaters.
