Solid Fuel Heaters

Solid fuel heaters can either be free-standing units or insert units (installed in an existing chimney).

Impact of wood smoke

Air pollution can be harmful to our health. Some people are more sensitive to wood smoke, including:

• those with heart or lung conditions such as asthma
• those with diabetes
• pregnant women
• babies and young children
• smokers
• those aged 65 or over.

Residential wood heaters in winter are a major source of small particles (PM2.5) air pollution, that can enter the lungs and blood stream. A recent study showed inner west Melbourne as being the highest contributer of PM2.5 due to residential wood heaters. A summary and full report of this study can be found here.

Installation 

The installation of both types must be carried out by a plumber registered in the appropriate category. A building permit is not required.

The following matters need to be considered:

• Heaters (both new and second-hand) must bear a permanent marking such as a metal plate on the back of the heater indicating the maker of the heater and labelled 'TESTED TO AS/NZS 4013'.
  
  
• The heater must be installed according to Australian Standard AS 2918 and the manufacturer’s instructions. This includes hearth size and construction, clearance distances from walls and ceiling, correct flue size, type and height, and with a suitable cowling.

How to choose the right fire wood

The best wood for burning is dry, seasoned, untreated hardwood. This means wood that is dried over time in nature or was kiln-dried, and has no chemicals added to it, e.g. paint, varnish, treated timber or particle board or garbage.

Dry, seasoned and untreated hardwood is best for burning because it makes more heat and less smoke than other wood, and doesn’t clog your wood heater’s flue (The flue is the pipe that releases smoke from your wood heater into the air).

Always use the type of fuel listed on the heater’s compliance plate or check your wood heater’s manufacturers’ guide about safe fuels and always choose small logs.

What you shouldn’t burn in your wood heater

Burning the wrong things in your wood heater can make toxic smoke. This can be a risk to human health and the environment.

Do not burn any of these in your wood heater: 

• Driftwood, treated or painted wood. This wood can contain unwanted chemicals 
• Treated timber or green-coloured pine logs, e.g. those used at parks and playgrounds
• Household rubbish
• Coal
• Coke - This is a fire fuel made from coal

Other practices to be followed:

• Never leave your wood heater to smoulder overnight, let it burn down instead. This produces less smoke and air pollution. 
• Do not block the air supply with too much wood.
• Do not use large pieces of wood when re-fuelling your wood heater.
• Do not use any other materials other than clean firewood.

How to use your wood heater correctly

• Stack wood under cover in a dry ventilated area.
• Ensure that your heaters flue is cleaned before using your wood heater.
• Correctly light your wood heater by getting a hot fire going quickly with plenty of paper, small kindle and small logs.
• Leave your air control fully opened for 15 to 20 minutes when adding logs.
• Monitor smoke emissions when first lighting your wood heater and keep the air control opened enough to maintain a good flame for a day and overnight heating.
• Regularly remove ash from your firebox.
• Ensure that your heaters flue is higher than your neighbours’ roof line – this will help prevent smoke from your fire entering your neighbour’s home.
• Trim back any tree branches that may interfere with the upward flow of smoke from the chimney's flue.

Maintenance

• Get your fireplace checked regularly for backdrafts, leaks or cracks that could bring extra pollution into your home.
• Clean your flue before winter, professionally if needed.
• Make sure creosote doesn’t build up in your wood heater's flue. Creosote is leftover mixed char and oil that burning wood produces. Over time, it can block the flue. This means less air flows through the flue and the wood heater emits more smoke.
• Ash can also build up on top of your wood heater's baffle plate. The baffle plate is the metal part inside the top of the wood heater. It helps produce more heat when burning wood. Ash on the baffle plate stops the wood heater from working well. You can self-clean the baffle plate by taking a metal coat hanger and bending it so you can sweep around and clear ash from the baffle plate.

Alternatives to wood heaters

Where possible, choose an alternative method to heat your home.

Reverse cycle air conditioners (or heat pumps) are a great option to use in urban areas. They are generally more efficient and also avoid transporting firewood to urban areas, saving energy and emissions.

Biomass heating options, including pellet and grain heaters are more efficient and produce fewer emissions than conventional wood heaters. Pellet fuel heaters burn pellets of compressed sawdust. This is the waste product of sawmilling processes. These heaters use a hopper to feed pellets into the firebox. Pellet heaters have very low emissions and are almost smokeless.

Improving the thermal efficiency of your house may also reduce the need for heating. You can regulate the temperature of a house through:

• wall and ceiling insultation
• sealing of draughts
• thick curtains
• using thermal mass in floors and walls.

If smoke from your heater is causing a nuisance to nearby properties, our health officers may be asked to investigate.