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Introduction
The community in Tokoroa has ready access to inexpensive wood for home heating. Would it be a good idea to get rid of wood burners completely? Yes it would, but that’s just not practical is it?
This flyer is all about wood burners and how to use them better. It’s all about what we burn and how we burn it. We can burn cleaner fires by taking a few simple steps.
Step 1
 Accept that smoke caused by home heating is a pollutant. Step outside your home when your wood burner is on, and have a look at your flue… any good or pretty horrible? We’re all breathing that – you, your neighbour, our elderly people and our children!
Can we do better? Yes, we can.
Step 2
Use your wood burner responsibly.
Top Ten Tips
 Burn only dry wood.
- Order dry (not green) wood in summer
- Store in a dry area for at least six months before you burn it.
- Burn small, hotter fires that produce less smoke.
- Add wood a little at a time. Half filling your unit is about right.
- Give the fire air. If you can see smoke from the chimney, your fire needs more air.
- Clean the chimney and firebox regularly.
- Choose the right solid-fuel burner for the size house.
- Cut wood to maximum thickness of 10 to 15 centimetres.
- Don’t damp down.
Want to Do More?
- Improve insulation - the better insulated your home is, the less fuel you need to burn to stay warm. This includes drawing your curtains, insulating walls and ceilings and reducing draughts under doors.
- If you can change your home heating, change to electricity or flued gas appliances as an alternative to burning wood or coal. Gas gives off fewer emissions than wood and coal.
- If you want to continue to use a wood burner and can replace your existing old unit with a new one, purchase a solid-fuel burner that is the right size to heat your home. Find out about its efficiency and emissions rating. The more efficient your unit, the less wood you burn, the lower your emissions.
- Very hard woods like oak may take longer than normal to dry.
- Firewood pieces should be cut to a consistent length, about eight centimetres shorter than the wood burner.
- Stack firewood on poles to raise it slightly off the ground. Separate the rows by a pace or two to allow air circulation to carry away the moisture.
What to Avoid Most
- Don’t bank the fire overnight or dampen down the air supply. A smouldering fire makes more smoke.
- Don’t burn treated, painted, green or wet wood.
- Don’t burn any plywood or particle board.
- Don’t burn salt water driftwood.
- Don’t burn rubbish, including plastic and cardboard. Recycle it instead
Damage to Your Wood Burner
Wood burners are tested and certified to ensure that when properly installed and used they will work well. This testing does not involve fuels other than wood. Wood burners are designed to burn clean, dry, uncoated, untreated wood and just enough plain newspaper to get fires started. Your wood burner is not an incinerator.
Don't Burn - Recycle
Kerb side recycling in Tokoroa makes recycling easy for everyone. These days, most forms of paper and plastic can be recycled. Recycling is far kinder to the environment than burning because it avoids immediate air pollution and reduces the consumption of resources for new products. When you burn your garbage, you are creating poisons… poisons we breathe!
Other Steps .... Different Road
- Keep your car well tuned so that it burns clean and creates no visible smoke.
- Whenever possible, try to reduce the number of times you use your vehicle. You could try car pooling, cycling or walking
Did You Know?
- On average, you take 26,000 breaths a day, inhaling a volume equal to 150 full bath tubs of air.
- Combustion of wood in domestic wood burners typically contributes 80 to 90% of fine particles in the air.
- Smoke from burning wood is especially harmful to children and people with respiratory health problems.
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