Campaign reminds people of proper wood burning methods
Emissions from wood burning can be reduced by learning how to use your fireplace correctly. This will also allow your fireplace to provide more heat.
Wood burning reduces air quality
HSY is responsible for air quality monitoring in the Helsinki metropolitan area, and according to our measurements, wood burning generates a large amount of fine particles and PAHs that increase the risk of cancer, among other things. Emissions from wood burning are not only a challenge to the air quality of detached housing areas, as wood is also burned in the inner city.
However, everyone can influence how cleanly their wood burns. The type and condition of the fireplace also affect emissions. As a rule of thumb, newer fireplaces have lower emissions than older ones.
Burn only dry wood
Our Burn Wood Cleanly website offers tips for good wood burning. In 2022, our most popular page has definitely been “What is the best wood species for burning?”. Our Expert in Air Quality Outi Väkevä explains what kind of wood should be burned.
“Many fireplace users wonder what kind of wood they should burn to maximize the benefit. The answer is dry wood. The quality of the firewood is more important than the wood species used”, Outi says.
If you burn wet wood or rubbish, the emissions can be many times higher than when burning only dry wood and otherwise using your fireplace correctly.
“Not all combustible material is suitable for burning in a fireplace. Burning milk cartons, plastic packages and other rubbish, for example, damages the fireplace and produces a particularly large amount of smoke and compounds that are harmful to health”, Outi points out.
The colour of the smoke indicates how the wood burning is going
Some people may have only recently started burning wood. Whether you are a new fireplace user or have been burning wood for years, it is important to learn how to use your fireplace correctly. The colour of the smoke coming from the chimney is a good help in this regard.
The colour of the smoke always darkens for a little while when lighting and after adding wood. However, the colour should become lighter within a few minutes. Nearly colourless smoke coming from the chimney means that the fire is burning well.
If the smoke from the chimney is dark or bitter-smelling, it means that there is too little air for burning, combustion fumes are being generated to excess, or the wood is wet. In this case, you should try different kinds of firewood loads, ways of stacking the wood or air supply settings to see if the amount of visible smoke decreases.
Five tips for low-emission wood burning
Here are five tips to help you significantly reduce the emissions from wood burning:
- Use only dry wood. Do not burn rubbish.
- Follow the instruction manual of your own fireplace.
- Fill no more than half of the firebox. Burn the wood in several batches.
- Light from/near the top unless otherwise instructed in the instruction manual.
- Make sure that there is enough air available for the combustion.
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