Risk to Health?

[Stella]

Some very kind person has just sent me this link http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_28/12/2012_476299

I live in a fairly lightly populated rural area of the Southern Peloponnese with no industry other than tourism and olives for miles around. I think I will take my chance but would be interested to hear others' views.

 

[jharkin]

Such reports come up on this side of the Atlantic from time to time as well. Usual the study is found to relate to old data, and or people that use (sadly all too common) poor burning practices and burn slow smouldering fires of wet wood.

If your wood supply is well seasoned/dry, you burn hot and clean, and you are do not have any improper design/install issues that would cause smoke back drafting into your home I believe you are quite safe. In other words, if you don't smell smoke don't worry.

 

[Stella]

Thanks for reassurance. No smell of smoke inside house at all, outside is a slightly different matter. We nearly all burn wood (mainly olive) here and there is a lovely smell of woodsmoke as you walk along the lanes during the winter. Actually it is so warm today I have not yet lit the stove and yesterday did not light it at all, pretty good temps for late December in our neck of the woods!

 

[katwillny]

Some time ago there was a city council person who I guess read some poorly written article lacking in facts and tried to pass legislation in my city trying to ban woodstoves. the bill didn't get very far as i live in a mountain city and a great amount of people burn wood stoves and or fireplaces. As mentioned above, if wood is properly seasoned and proper precautions are taken EPA approved stoves operate very clean. On most days, I can look at my chimney and not see any smoke coming out, just a white mist. One of the main issues is that people buy "seasoned" wood from a wood seller and take them at their word and thats never a good idea.

 

[Pallet Pete]

We had a village law recently stating no outside wood burners allowed all because of am idiot down town who heats his truck facility with soaking wet logs. They did not force removal of existing outdoor burners but did stop all others. Thereby not addressing the real issue MR. stinky pants himself. O well stupid resolutions to issues ! Humans have been heating with wood since fire was invented granted there are a lot more of us now.

Pete

 

[raybonz]

Some very kind person has just sent me this link http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_28/12/2012_476299

I live in a fairly lightly populated rural area of the Southern Peloponnese with no industry other than tourism and olives for miles around. I think I will take my chance but would be interested to hear others' views.

First let me say welcome to the forum Stella! Wow I think you're the 1st person from Greece that I've seen in this forum! I read the article you posted and if people are burning wet smouldering fires with old technology stoves yes there will be lots of air pollution! In the USA the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated cleaner burning wood stoves since around 1990 and it has indeed reduced the pollutants from wood burning stoves. The upside is we now burn about 1/3rd less wood so it's less wood to buy, cut, stack and carry If you go outside when these EPA stoves are burning and everything is right there is little to no smoke coming from the chimney! If Greece hasn't mandated clean burning reburn stoves they should consider doing so ASAP. Sadly if they don't the next step would probably be to ban wood stoves altogether. Please post a pic of your stove along with make and model so we can understand what you're using..

Ray

 

[Stella]

My stove is a Supra Mulhouse imported from France by a dealer in Kalamata my nearest big town. This is what it looks like and this is part of my olive grove where my wood comes from. Olive crop very poor by the way this season, so my trees are not yet pruned. Hope I have uploaded correctly as not very computer literate.

 

[raybonz]

My stove is a Supra Mulhouse imported from France by a dealer in Kalamata my nearest big town. This is what it looks like and this is part of my olive grove where my wood comes from. Olive crop very poor by the way this season, so my trees are not yet pruned. Hope I have uploaded correctly as not very computer literate.

Great pics Stella! Looks like your stove is a clean burning stove from what I can tell it is a reburn stove with long burn times.. Thanks for posting the pics!

Ray

 

[remkel]

I changed over to the EPA technology two years ago....I had doubts about heat output etc. but have come to learn that I am not losing any heat with the new technology AND I do not have to clean the chimney nearly as often.

As for the article, there are forces out there that do not want people burning wood. I do not have the methodology of the study to review, but it would not surprise me if these people went around looking for the smokiest stacks and knocked on those doors to conduct the study. If they had any integrity, they would do two studies- one on old technology and one on new technology- and then provide some beneficial information showings how burning newer stoves reduce the PM10 and PM 2.5 particulate over the old stoves.

 

[simple.serf]

Thanks For the pics, Stella! They made my wife, who spent several years in the (now mostly former) olive groves of the West Bank,Palestine, very happy to see.

I will add that one way people in my area are getting around the laws against dirty outdoor boiler laws are by installing outdoor coal boilers and burning wood in them.

 

[katwillny]

Welcome To the forum Stella. My wife sends her greetings, she loves your country. She went there some years a go and talks about it very fondly. she went to Mikonos i think. Would love to take her there one of these years. nice Pics, very nice stove.

 

[Stella]

Welcome To the forum Stella. My wife sends her greetings, she loves your country. She went there some years a go and talks about it very fondly. she went to Mikonos i think. Would love to take her there one of these years. nice Pics, very nice stove.

Thank you for your greetings. What I have really liked about this forum is that everybody has been so helpful and friendly. I love my stove and my adopted country! Mikonos is now a very expensive island so bring your wife to mainland Greece, I am sure you would have a wonderful holiday with memories to keep forever.

 

[begreen]

Hmm, kalamata olives. I love them. We haven't been to Greece for almost 30 years and loved it. Mikonos was charming, but overrun with tourists even back then. We only stayed a day and then moved on to the quieter Naxos.

 

[Kevin Dolan]

My stove is a Supra Mulhouse imported from France by a dealer in Kalamata my nearest big town. This is what it looks like and this is part of my olive grove where my wood comes from. Olive crop very poor by the way this season, so my trees are not yet pruned. Hope I have uploaded correctly as not very computer literate.

View attachment 86825 View attachment 86826

Awesome looking stove Stella.
Do you get much wood from the olive trees?
I have never been to Greece but have done a lot of business with Greek farmers. They are very hospitable and courteous, so I imagine you have lots of good neighbours. Great to hear from people all over the world who share a passion for wood stoves !!
Kevin

 

[Stella]

Nearly all my wood is from my 46 olive trees, supplemented by pine from the pine tree fell down in last February's high winds from a Greek friend's taverna. There were thousands upon thousands of pine cones which are fantastic for fast starting the fire, I have many sacks of them, plus much of the tree which my kind Greek friend has chainsawed for me. The heat from the pinetree is amazing.