Wood & Pellet Stoves and the Aggrevation of Asthma and Other Allergies

My wife has modest asthma and she does just fine with our woodstove. I've found that as long as you get a good fire going quickly and don't open the door to the stove unless the wood is down to coals, then you don't get smoke in the house. Have to keep the door gasket in good shape also. I had to tighten mine halfway through our first burning season to ensure it kept a tight fit.

I have asthma and use a wood stove. Even when smoke does get into the house it is not in the quantity that flares me up. I have truly noticed no ill effects of burning wood. With that in mind, if your wife's asthma is not controlled by steriods (ie Advair etc) then she might have issues. My advair allows me to never use an inhaler. I use to go through 2 two hundred count inhalers a month. Now, one inhaler will last me well over a year!

Griz

And of course there is more than meets the eye. For example, the most common mistake new wood burners make is to burn not properly seasoned wood. It is natural because they simply do not know what seasoned wood is nor do they know even what kind of wood they are burning. If your wood is not properly seasoned, I can see where that would be a big problem with someone who has asthma.

So if you are seriously looking at burning wood, then I suggest to you to buy or cut your wood even before starting the plan on a wood stove. Let that wood sit for at least a year before you burn it. That way you will have a whole lot less smoke and/or creosote. Also get a good stove, not a cheap one. Get one that burns extremely clean.

Please do not take this wrong (I'm not bragging but only trying to show what can be done), but the wood we are burning is a minimum of 4 years cut, split and stacked. The stove we use is a catalytic stove which burns very clean. Yesterday, it warmed and the fire went out. My wife (that's right! My wife) checked the chimney. There was a little fly ash at the bottom but the rest of the chimney is clean. This chimney was put up in the summer of 2007 and has not been cleaned yet! That is what you call clean burning and that would no doubt allow someone with asthma to burn wood.

EDIT: Forgot. Welcome to the forum Ted.

I have mild asthma and the wife moderate.
This is all very good advice. Creosote smell has been the worst irritant for me in the past. It stopped when I started drying my wood for 3 years.
I have noticed that locust smoke will set me off immediately. Other wood smoke does not bother me.

That's great Ted. You will love this stove. Now get out there and get some wood. Do not wait on this most important step. You will be very happy next winter!

Congrats on the Fireview Ted, Can't wait to see that install. I'm sure you'll be very happy with that stove, as It's gotten just about the best reviews I've seen on any stove, from the company, to the workmanship, to the burn quality.

Ted

Welcome to the board. In addition to the dry wood - an essential point - pay close attention to your chimney set up during your install. Optimising flue type and length (flex vs rigid liners vs clay tile flues) will do a lot to reduce smoke spillage, as does understanding the other factors that promote and reduce draft. Recommend you look at some articles on chimney issues on this site, as well as www.woodheat.org - great article there on smoke spillage and chimneys. Alos, check the link in my signature on the Guide to residential wood heating - good points there too.

Beyond that, BrotherBarts comment on letting the fire burn down to coals before poking around (respecting the fire cycle) is the number one way I have reduced smoke entry into our house this winter.