Keep The Home Fires Burning - Efficiently - Opinion 250 - News for Northern and Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada

Keep The Home Fires Burning - Efficiently

Monday, December 06, 2010 03:58 AM

Two woodstoves were part of a 'Burn It Smart' workshop hosted by PGAir

Prince George, B.C. - PGAir is not asking people to abandon their woodburning appliances, but they're hoping city residents will burn 'better' fires to reduce the impact on the airshed.

PGAir Air Quality Management Coordinator, Kathryn Graham, says a lot of people question the impact of wood smoke on the airshed, saying there's only a 'few' woodstoves. But Graham points out that's really not the case, with more than 2,000 woodstoves in the city last year.

And she says, "The smoke sticks right in the air where you're living and that's where the problem is -- it's not coming out of a big stack that's 1500-feet in the air that's catching air currents out of the city -- it's right next to you, it's hanging right around your house. It's not only affecting you, but your neighbours and their kids who have asthma, ecetera."

Dalton Hooker agrees. He's a woodburning appliance expert and was on-hand for a free weekend workshop on burning efficient fires, hosted by PGAir at the Fraser-Fort George Regional District office. Hooker says, "It becomes more of a problem in urban areas, where your wood smoke is channeling right in to your neighbour's kitchen window."

"Let's try and burn the smoke in the appliance, if we let it go out the flue and up the chimney, that's where the problem occurs," he says. "We can do that by burning a hotter, smaller fire. We can do that by maintaining good combustion practises and we can do that by avoiding the urge to dampen the fire down, if we dampen it down, we create what's called smoldering - smoldering is smoke." Hooker adds it's also important to burn really dense wood -- birch and fir are the densest firewood in our region.

Hooker says when a stove with secondary combustion is operating properly, all you should see coming out the stack is white heat vapour...if it's burning blue, that's smoke and your fire isn't burning efficiently.

In a bid to improve that efficiency in Prince George, PGAir is continuing its woodstove exchange program this year and into next year. Kathryn Graham says, "Right now, we're offering up to $250 rebate when you exchange your inefficient woodburning appliance for an EPA-certified appliance at local participating retailers -- Dale's Wood and Gas Heating, Furnaceland, Mainline Plumbing and Fraser Plumbing and Heating."

For more information, go to www.pgairquality.com

Previous Story - Next Story

Email |

Print |

Facebook |

Twitter |

Digg |

Del.icio.us

Posted on Monday, December 06, 2010 03:58 AM in News by 250 News

Return to Home

Comments

Posted by: Headshake on December 6 2010 8:26 AM

It is absolutely hilarious that woodstoves are being scapegoated for air quality problems in Prince George.

Posted by: Outwest on December 6 2010 8:28 AM

"Where your Woodsmoke is channeling right into your Neighbor,s Kitchen Window . Who keeps the Kitchen Window open in the Winter , or any window.

Posted by: He spoke on December 6 2010 8:48 AM

I don't have a wood stove, I have a bio carbon combustion chamber.

Posted by: He spoke on December 6 2010 8:50 AM

so thinking out loud. Global warming,

If it is warming up, than why is our winters crapier than it was twenty five years ago.

Sure someone gets all the sun, and we get the crap.

Posted by: Mercenary on December 6 2010 8:55 AM

I'd rather use wood than pay inflated prices for Hydro and natural gas....

How many of those 2000 wood stoves in PG are used on a regular basis...

Posted by: He spoke on December 6 2010 9:01 AM

Burning wood is bad, so lets burn natural gas. I think we leave similar carbon footprints don't we. So lets burn wood pellets, We take crap wood, grind it down to dust, with a bit of adhesive and pressure we compress it into pellets and then bag it and distribute it.

So with firewood, you and bubba goes out in the bush, and find dead fall or dead trees, cut it up load it up in a pick truck drive it home and burn it. You burn up 50 liters of gas to get a cord of wood.

Wood pellets, They bring in the waste wood from a sawmill by sawdust truck, run it thru a grinder that uses electricity. the adhesive has to have chemicals which is produced in a far away place and shipped.
The compressor uses electricity. The plastic bags are made from oil products. The bags are shipped to local stores to be sold. You still have to go to the stores to pick up the wood pellets. Now what ya do with all the plastic bags. Oh just throw it in the garbage, because no one recycles plastic bags.

So, I believe firewood does have the smallest foot print.

Posted by: He spoke on December 6 2010 9:07 AM

What I am really trying to say is, wood pellets for Northern BC, seems a bit of hypocrisy. I can see it being useful as a heat sources in Europe and other metropolitan centers where fibre source is short.

The idea of exchanging inefficient stoves to more efficient stoves make good sense. Government grants for incentives are good idea, it is a part of the carbon tax at work. ( I hope ).

Posted by: pgguru on December 6 2010 9:08 AM

he spoke,its better than a 280 dollar monthly ng bill form taresean or i have seen even people bill hovering around 400monthly for the winters and firewood is the way to go or the pallets

Posted by: He spoke on December 6 2010 9:18 AM

pg guru, perhaps better insulation on the house. It might be worth it to do an assessment on your house and find out where the heat is escaping.

Figure out a long term plan and get at it. A typical 1200 sf home, New windows, doors and resided with vinyl and 1 1/2 inch styrofoam,added insulation in the attic. will likely be $15 to $20k. Likely bring your heating bills down to $120/ month thru the winters.

Posted by: Outwest on December 6 2010 9:22 AM

Pellet Stove are costly to fix and give you lots of Ash, don't work without Hydro unless you want to spent more Money on Batteries . Never seen a Wood Stove Service Truck but have seen the Pellet Stove Service Truck driving around, makes you think. So many dead Pine Trees for Firewood
.

Posted by: hammmy on December 6 2010 9:23 AM

I am surrounded by wood burning fires, and not one of them has a white heat vapor. some smell a sickly sweet smell and well the other guy behind us I would swear he just burns plastic in his.

I have natural gas and what happens is when our heat comes on it draws the outside air into the furnace and when it blows we can smell smoke. I've tried vent filter's, a heavier gauge filter on my furnace and nothing helps.

I spend about 240 dollars a year just on allergy pills and that's not including the occasional puffer that needs to be purchased. Just how much does it cost to have chest ex rays and other visits to the doctor.
Oh, and the poor excuse ( It's my only source of heat ) BULL that home was built with a source of heat, you just refuse to use it. I have electric base board heaters in my addition! Neighbor,use your other source of heat when you are not at home, so your fire is not damped down. When at home open that thing up and burn till your hearts content
In my opinion, above all it's 3rd in comparison to the pulp mill smell and the refinery. Lastly, if you live out of city limits, by all means burn,burn,burn.

Posted by: pgguru on December 6 2010 9:49 AM

i spoke.taresan doesnt care what u have in the wall,sometimes they just give a bill on the average use in the area.

Posted by: gus on December 6 2010 10:30 AM

"PGAir Air Quality Management Coordinator, Kathryn Graham, says a lot of people question the impact of wood smoke on the airshed, saying there's only a 'few' woodstoves. But Graham points out that's really not the case, with more than 2,000 woodstoves in the city last year."

Why does she not identify a much better measure than "not just a few"?

2006 Census figure says the city has 28,2005 private dwelling units. That includes all types, including apartments.

2,000 wood burning appliances (whatever that means - we have a wood burning fireplace, is that included?) means that they make up 7.1% of the total.

How many are in the bowl 20 or so metres from the next door neighbour, and how many on acreage some 50+ metres from that next door kitchen window and not part of the bowl airshed?

Important info I suggest without even going into the quality of the appliance.

Posted by: supertech on December 6 2010 10:25 PM

If the city wants us to change or heaters, they should offer a bigger rebate. I know some seniors who burn wood but just cannot afford a new stove worth 2 Grand. Why doesn't the city pay half of the cost it and fire the dead wood in City Hall??

Posted by: whoawhoa on December 7 2010 12:06 PM

I wish I had a wood stove some times. Plus this is a recurring issue every year! Every year there is the battle of clean air vs. wood stoves. Leave it be. People will burn what they've been burning for years, kicking a dead horse.