Is it safe to burn wood in your fireplace?
Burning wood in your fireplace all winter may feel cozy and keep you warm, but smoke from those fires can also cause health problems. Wood fires release tiny particles that get into the lungs and can harm people with underlying health conditions. This can affect the lungs and the heart as well.
How long can I burn wood in a fireplace?
A fireplace burning at on high (HHV) will produce 55,000 BTUs and burn for a duration of 2.5 hours. The same fireplace burning on low (LHV) will produce 18,000 BTUs and burn for a duration of 8 hours.
Is burning wood toxic?
Wood smoke can irritate your lungs, cause inflammation, affect your immune system, and make you more prone to lung infections, likely including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that cause COVID-19.
Does wood-burning fireplace produce carbon monoxide?
Fireplaces and other fuel-burning appliances are the leading sources for exposure to carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is produced when fuels such as wood, gas, charcoal, kerosene, and oil are burned.
Is it OK to leave a fire in the fireplace?
Never leave a fire in a fireplace unattended. Before leaving the house or going to bed, make certain to fully extinguish the fire. Allow ashes to cool completely before disposing of them and note that ashes can take several days to cool completely.
How do you slow down a fire in a fireplace?
Build fires using the top-down method to slow down a fire right from the start. Burn wood that is between the recommended 15% and 20% moisture content for firewood rather than really dry wood. Try to use hardwood logs in your fire instead of using softwood logs as they can burn for longer periods of time.
Can wood-burning fireplace cause carbon monoxide?
Can fireplace smoke make you sick?
It is poisonous if inhaled in too big of a quantity and can kill you. It causes nausea, headaches, and dizziness, and can also aggravate the health condition of people with cardiac issues. Over a long period, inhaling wood smoke can cause chronic lung disease and cancer.
Should you open a window when you have a fire in the fireplace?
Open a window when using the fireplace to prevent the room from becoming smoky. The air coming in from the window will go up the chimney. Before making a fire, open the glass doors, pull aside the screen curtains, and place the kindling, newspaper and logs inside. Use fireplace tools to handle burning logs.
Is fireplace smoke harmful?
“Exposure to wood-burning smoke can cause asthma attacks and bronchitis and also can aggravate heart and lung disease.” In addition to the fireplace smoke that can be released inside the home, research has shown that up to 70% of smoke released via the chimney re-enters your home.
When should you close the flue after a fire?
Close Fireplace Damper When Fire Is Completely Out. Shut the damper when the fire is completely, absolutely out. That means ashes are cool to the touch even when stirred. If you close the damper before that, you risk carbon monoxide poisoning.
How do you make logs burn slower?
If you are finding that your fire is burning fast and is therefore extinguishing quickly, you need to restrict the air into the chamber. Simply start closing the vents off once you add your logs (without completely shutting them down) and your fire will burn slower which means it will last longer.
What is the worst wood to burn in a fireplace?
Driftwood. Unless it’s the only way to heat your cave on your castaway island,don’t burn driftwood indoors,and best not outdoors either — it takes on salt water while
How to properly burn wood in a fireplace?
Burning wood produces particulate matter that Be smoke free: Wood stoves and fireplaces should be smoke free when properly installed and used correctly. Check your chimney: If opaque smoke is rising from your chimney, it means your fire is inefficient
What is the best firewood to burn in your fireplace?
Green Wood or Unseasoned Wood. Wood that makes the best firewood for a fireplace is seasoned wood not green wood.
Is burning wood in your fireplace bad for the environment?
Wood smoke is also bad for the outdoors environment, contributing to smog, acid rain and other problems. One greener alternative to burning firewood in a fireplace is to burn wood pellets, which are made from sawdust and other lumber byproducts that would have otherwise been landfilled and gone to waste.