The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) today reminded people of the benefits to their neighbours and their hip pocket of operating their woodheaters appropriately as the winter weather set in.
Deputy Chief Executive for OEH, Simon Smith, said every woodheater had the potential to run without excessive smoke, but when not operated properly, one woodheater was capable of emitting more than 30 kilograms of particulates per year or produce as much air pollution as five diesel trucks.
"Most of us like the idea of warming up in front of a woodheater on a cold winter's night, but few of us make the connection between that warm glow and that brown haze you sometimes see hanging over cities and towns on a still winter morning.
"Woodsmoke is still a problem in some parts of NSW during the winter months, making up more than 50 per cent of the winter air particle pollution in coastal metropolitan areas and in some inland tablelands and valleys it is the dominant source of winter air pollution," Mr Smith said.
"An excessively smoky woodheater is symptomatic of a heater that is not operating effectively, wasting heat, impacting on local air quality and costing you money.
"By ensuring your woodheater is properly maintained and using appropriated sourced firewood you can reduce smoke impacts on local communities and save yourself money."
Mr Smith said there were a few simple tips people could use to reduce the amount of smoke going up the chimney, including:
- Don't let your heater smoulder overnight - keep enough air in the fire to maintain a flame.
- Always burn small pieces of aged, dry hardwood. Unseasoned wood has lots of moisture, which causes your fire to smoke.
- Store your wood under cover in a dry ventilated area. Freshly cut wood needs to be stored for at least eight to twelve months.
- When lighting a cold heater, use plenty of dry kindling to establish a good fire quickly.
- Use several small logs rather than one large log and stack them loosely in your heater, so air can circulate around them. Don't cram the firebox full.
- Never burn household rubbish, driftwood or treated or painted wood. It is sure to pollute the air and it can produce poisonous gases.
- Keep the flame active. Your fire should only smoke when you first light it and when you add extra fuel (and then only for a few minutes). Open the air controls fully for five minutes before and 15-20 minutes after reloading the heater.
- Check your chimney regularly to see how well your fire is burning. If there is smoke coming from the chimney, increase the air supply to your fire.
- Have your chimney cleaned every year to prevent creosote build-up.
- If you are buying a wood heater, make sure it meets the Australian Standard (AS/NZS 4013:1999) and is installed in compliance with the Australian Building Code and installation standard (AS/NZS 2918:2001).
Article taken from
www.environment.nsw.gov.au/media/DecMedia11060601.htm 
