Heating

How can you make less smoke?

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How can you make less smoke?

Many people do not realise that smoke is wasted heat that costs money. If the gases from the fire go up the chimney instead of being burnt, there is less heat available to heat your house. You can minimise the amount of smoke from a woodheater if you:

  • burn only dry, seasoned, untreated wood;
  • use smaller logs instead of only one large log;
  • do not pack the fire box too full as this will starve the fire of oxygen and cause it to smoulder;
  • keep the fire burning brightly for the first 20 minutes after lighting and reloading – the faster you can get the fire going the les smoke there will be;
  • always have a visible flame if you plan to keep the fire going overnight.

If you are buying a new woodheater, make sure you buy one that conforms to the Australian Standard ‘AS 4013’. Woodheaters are also rated for their efficiency so one that is 65% efficient will burn less wood for the same amount of heat than one that is only 60% efficient. Check the label. You will also be better off if you choose one that is the right size for your house. If you buy a heater that can produce more heat than your house needs, you will have to set it to burn slowly. A big heater burning slowly makes more smoke than a smaller heater burning more quickly.

Changes in technology and better woodheater design now mean that many heaters are rated to burn with much lower levels of emissions than required by the Australian Standard. Consider purchasing a woodheater with the lowest level of emissions possible.

Buy your heater from an Australian home heating association member.