The Dangers of Burning Wet Wood

Burning Wet or ‘Green’ wood can be dangerous for your health, your flue, your appliance and your property. Here are a few reasons why.

Burning wet wood which contains a lot of moisture creates lots of smoke and steam. This means your wood is burning at much lower temperatures. It’s dangerous for your health as it releases a lot of Pollutants and Particles into the air.

It also causes a build-up of creosote in your chimney / flue which becomes a fire hazard over time and is near impossible to put out once alight.

A lot of energy is lost also – Vaporising a pound of water in your logs wastes an average of 1200 British Thermal Units (BTU).

It also weighs a lot more – So if your buying your wood by weight your paying more for less quality.

Did you know that if you do have a fire and it’s proven that you’ve been burning wet wood. Your Insurance company may not pay out for any damages to your property.

Health Implications

Creosote carries many health implications and should be handled with care. Exposure can cause Skin and Eye irritation as well as minor chemical burns. It can also create respiratory problems if the small Creosote particles are ingested and can lead to infection. Creosote is also carcinogenic which will eventually lead to cancer through prolonged exposure.

For more information on government policy please see here.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Eliz2/4-5/52/enacted