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Posted by Dan Musicant on October 24, 2009, 11:24 am
No central heating, so I used to occasionally start a fire in my
livingroom fireplace. The wood I burned was from my two plum trees,
using some white paper scrap from my scrap printer paper to start things
or other scrap paper without colored inks.
Wayne, are you there? Wayne Whitney who traffics this newsgroup told me
that fireplaces release particulate matter which has been shown to
shorten one's life.
Well, last year I stopped making fires, not wanting to suffer from the
smoke. I had noticed a not nice smell after fires, but staying warm had
me still doing it in he winter. I used to just make a small fire to get
nice and toasty and after 10-15 minutes, I'd put no more wood on the
small fire and let it burn out. I don't hang out in my living room,
anyway and have other things to do.
So I was talking to an insurance agent the other day and the
conversation turned to home insurance and the fact that I don't have
central heating. That fact seems to be a showstopper when applying for
standard home owner's policies (I currently have California Fair Plan
policy, which is basically fire with few little addenda). I mention that
I've stopped burning wood in the fireplace because I heard that the
particulate matter released is detrimental to the inhabiants' health. He
says "depends on what kind of wood you're burning."
So, how much truth is there in what he said, and how is plum tree wood
in the spectrum?
Dan
Email: dmusicant at pacbell dot net
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Posted by Frank on October 24, 2009, 11:39 am
Dan Musicant wrote:
> No central heating, so I used to occasionally start a fire in my
> livingroom fireplace. The wood I burned was from my two plum trees,
> using some white paper scrap from my scrap printer paper to start things
> or other scrap paper without colored inks.
>
> Wayne, are you there? Wayne Whitney who traffics this newsgroup told me
> that fireplaces release particulate matter which has been shown to
> shorten one's life.
>
> Well, last year I stopped making fires, not wanting to suffer from the
> smoke. I had noticed a not nice smell after fires, but staying warm had
> me still doing it in he winter. I used to just make a small fire to get
> nice and toasty and after 10-15 minutes, I'd put no more wood on the
> small fire and let it burn out. I don't hang out in my living room,
> anyway and have other things to do.
>
> So I was talking to an insurance agent the other day and the
> conversation turned to home insurance and the fact that I don't have
> central heating. That fact seems to be a showstopper when applying for
> standard home owner's policies (I currently have California Fair Plan
> policy, which is basically fire with few little addenda). I mention that
> I've stopped burning wood in the fireplace because I heard that the
> particulate matter released is detrimental to the inhabiants' health. He
> says "depends on what kind of wood you're burning."
>
> So, how much truth is there in what he said, and how is plum tree wood
> in the spectrum?
>
> Dan
>
>
> Email: dmusicant at pacbell dot net
Not quite an answer here:
http://www.woodheat.org/environment/smoke.htm
but, if most particulate is tar or pitch, pine is the worst and
hardwoods the best.
Smoldering fire gives off most pollution but hot burning one burns the
tars before they are emitted in the smoke.
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Posted by Harry K on October 24, 2009, 12:08 pm
> No central heating, so I used to occasionally start a fire in my
> livingroom fireplace. The wood I burned was from my two plum trees,
> using some white paper scrap from my scrap printer paper to start things
> or other scrap paper without colored inks.
> Wayne, are you there? Wayne Whitney who traffics this newsgroup told me
> that fireplaces release particulate matter which has been shown to
> shorten one's life.
> Well, last year I stopped making fires, not wanting to suffer from the
> smoke. I had noticed a not nice smell after fires, but staying warm had
> me still doing it in he winter. I used to just make a small fire to get
> nice and toasty and after 10-15 minutes, I'd put no more wood on the
> small fire and let it burn out. I don't hang out in my living room,
> anyway and have other things to do.
> So I was talking to an insurance agent the other day and the
> conversation turned to home insurance and the fact that I don't have
> central heating. That fact seems to be a showstopper when applying for
> standard home owner's policies (I currently have California Fair Plan
> policy, which is basically fire with few little addenda). I mention that
> I've stopped burning wood in the fireplace because I heard that the
> particulate matter released is detrimental to the inhabiants' health. He
> says "depends on what kind of wood you're burning."
> So, how much truth is there in what he said, and how is plum tree wood
> in the spectrum?
> Dan
> Email: dmusicant at pacbell dot net
If you are worried about it in the air _inside_ the house, don't. If
you can smell the fire inside, you have a serious chimney problem,
something is interfering with a proper draft.
The "danger" of particulate matter in smoke is grossly over stressed.
Yes, if you are not burning cleanly, there can be enough to cause
asthma suffers some problems but that is about it. Listen to the
'nuts' enough and they will have you thinking that just breathing pure
air is dangerous.
Harry K
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Posted by cshenk on October 24, 2009, 12:20 pm
"Harry K" wrote
Dan Musicant wrote:
>> So I was talking to an insurance agent the other day and the
>> conversation turned to home insurance and the fact that I don't have
>> central heating. That fact seems to be a showstopper when applying for
>> standard home owner's policies (I currently have California Fair Plan
That makes no sense. Central heating isnt a requirement for insurance.
Space heaters are perfectly legal and many all electric homes have them.
> The "danger" of particulate matter in smoke is grossly over stressed.
> Yes, if you are not burning cleanly, there can be enough to cause
> asthma suffers some problems but that is about it. Listen to the
> 'nuts' enough and they will have you thinking that just breathing pure
> air is dangerous.
Correct Harry. Dan, just avoid resinous ones like pine.
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Posted by Ivan Vegvary on October 24, 2009, 6:46 pm
> "Harry K" wrote
> Dan Musicant wrote:
>>> So I was talking to an insurance agent the other day and the
>>> conversation turned to home insurance and the fact that I don't have
>>> central heating. That fact seems to be a showstopper when applying for
>>> standard home owner's policies (I currently have California Fair Plan
> That makes no sense. Central heating isnt a requirement for insurance.
> Space heaters are perfectly legal and many all electric homes have them.
>> The "danger" of particulate matter in smoke is grossly over stressed.
>> Yes, if you are not burning cleanly, there can be enough to cause
>> asthma suffers some problems but that is about it. Listen to the
>> 'nuts' enough and they will have you thinking that just breathing pure
>> air is dangerous.
> Correct Harry. Dan, just avoid resinous ones like pine.
Sent out several faxes to get insurance quotes (home and auto) two years
ago. Did find a suitable company, however, AARP called back and asked me,
"What do you use for heat", I replied that most of the time we use the
pellet stove in the family room and have the back half of the house closed
off. "Sorry, but we cannot insure you if you use a pellet stove or a
fireplace for heat". When I mentioned that I do also have central heating,
the rep said, "well it's too late now, you already told me you use a pellet
stove".
Go figure?
Ivan Vegvary
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> livingroom fireplace. The wood I burned was from my two plum trees,
> using some white paper scrap from my scrap printer paper to start things
> or other scrap paper without colored inks.
>
> Wayne, are you there? Wayne Whitney who traffics this newsgroup told me
> that fireplaces release particulate matter which has been shown to
> shorten one's life.
>
> Well, last year I stopped making fires, not wanting to suffer from the
> smoke. I had noticed a not nice smell after fires, but staying warm had
> me still doing it in he winter. I used to just make a small fire to get
> nice and toasty and after 10-15 minutes, I'd put no more wood on the
> small fire and let it burn out. I don't hang out in my living room,
> anyway and have other things to do.
>
> So I was talking to an insurance agent the other day and the
> conversation turned to home insurance and the fact that I don't have
> central heating. That fact seems to be a showstopper when applying for
> standard home owner's policies (I currently have California Fair Plan
> policy, which is basically fire with few little addenda). I mention that
> I've stopped burning wood in the fireplace because I heard that the
> particulate matter released is detrimental to the inhabiants' health. He
> says "depends on what kind of wood you're burning."
>
> So, how much truth is there in what he said, and how is plum tree wood
> in the spectrum?
>
> Dan
>
>
> Email: dmusicant at pacbell dot net