Small Cabin

Small Cabin Forum
 - Forums - Register/Sign Up - Reply - Search - Statistics -

Small Cabin Forum / Off-Grid Living / Wood Stove Indoor Polution
Author Message
DaveBell
Moderator
# Posted: 22 Dec 2020 02:23
Reply 


https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/18/wood-burners-triple-harmful-indoo r-air-pollution-study-finds

Made me think about putting an external fan on a tee connection before the cap that could be turned on before refueling. I have an in-duct fan by Fan Tech that I was planning on using on my clothes dryer but its for indoor use.

paulz
Member
# Posted: 22 Dec 2020 08:39
Reply 


Timely subject. Been doing a lot of loading, cleaning and coughing lately. Primary heat source at both my house and cabin for the next few months.

gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 22 Dec 2020 10:54
Reply 


I have COPD, not severe....it got to me about 4-5yrs ago requiring several e-room visits, nebulizer treatments and Rx for a rescue inhaler. I didnt know that crud in lungs is cumulative over one's life and that when you realize you cant breath is when you need to breath but cant.
Whenever Id be around a campfire I had to stay upwind and keep it short. During that time we werent using our old cabin in a heating season with only a woodstove for heat so I didnt know that could be a problem for me too.
Fast forward to now and the 'new' cabin. The early EPA airtight Avalon box stove looked so promising but had some backdraft issues. The through the wall hacked together 'chimney' didnt draft well....stove puffed a lot. I messed about with it over the past year, improved things but as we had need to use it more this past fall Id come home with 'issues'.
This link today confirms my suspicions.
And sadly it looks like a wood stove is a bad idea for me. However, this is timely; I was considering several thousand dollars worth of wood stove 'upgrades' which likely would have been a waste.
Thanx!

Brettny
Member
# Posted: 22 Dec 2020 11:00
Reply 


Through the wall chimney kits never draft good. Same goes for masonry chimneys. I wouldnt even use a through the wall kit even without health issues.

paulz
Member
# Posted: 25 Dec 2020 09:43
Reply 


I see they make chimney fans. Pretty dang proud of them too. I could go for one that I just run while the door is open. Wonder if a 12v all metal car heater fan would survive under the chimney cap.

gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 25 Dec 2020 10:55
Reply 


Maybe when the stove was throttled way back but not when the stove is kickin'.

Brettny
Member
# Posted: 25 Dec 2020 12:16
Reply 


Prob wouldnt last. I have had flames shooting out of the top of my chimney.

Generally any time I'm starting a fire from a cold chimney with any horizontal pipe I will roll up some news paper and light it, then shove it in the chimney. Hot air rises and will start your draft.

Alaskajohn
Member
# Posted: 25 Dec 2020 13:39 - Edited by: Alaskajohn
Reply 


There are risks and rewards in most everything we do. We typically open the windows for a few minutes after opening the stove to add more wood. Even if we don’t see smoke, we still get some air circulating. I do think the -35 would kill me quicker than the smoke, so I do have to put the real risk of harm from smoke in perspective. Wood stove smoke is one of the risk factors of living this lifestyle. I am much more concerned about cabin fires which kill people every winter in Alaska. I am not discounting the health risk of prolonged inhalation of smoke.

paulz
Member
# Posted: 25 Dec 2020 13:57
Reply 


I agree AJ. But I do notice, like right now after burning 24/7 for about a month now, that I'm wheezing a bit at night and coughing up a bit in the morning. Noticed it happening for several years now. It clears up in the spring. Can't be good.

I'll probably run over myself with the tractor or something anyway.

I think I have an old working heater blower off my Blazer. If I find it I'll stick it up there for a few days and see if it still works. The squirrel cage is metal.

Your reply
Bold Style  Italic Style  Underlined Style  Thumbnail Image Link  Large Image Link  URL Link           :) ;) :-( :confused: More smilies...

» Username  » Password 
Only registered users can post here. Please enter your login/password details before posting a message, or register here first.