Build a cleaner fire this winter season

Woodsmoke contains fine particles
that may affect your health.

It's not just during the holiday season - all winter long, families and friends will gather around fires in woodstoves or fireplaces.

But how you build that fire – and what you burn – can have a significant impact on air quality and health, both inside your home and out.

Whether you’re using a woodstove, pellet stove, or your fireplace, seeing smoke from your chimney means your fire isn’t burning efficiently or cleanly as it could.

Woodsmoke contains fine particles – also called fine particle pollution or PM2.5  -- which can harm the lungs, blood vessels and heart. People with heart, vascular or lung disease, and older adults and children are more at risk.

Here are some simple tips for building cleaner-burning fires this holiday season:

• Burn only dry, seasoned wood. Wet, or green logs, create excessive smoke – and waste fuel. How do you tell if wood has been seasoned? Listen for a hollow sound when you strike two logs together.
  
• Wood burns best when the moisture content is less than 20 percent. You can purchase a wood moisture meter to test the moisture content of your wood before you burn it. You can purchase these meters for as little as $20 at most home improvement retailers.
  
• Start a small fire with dry kindling, then add a few pieces of wood. Be sure there’s space between the pieces of wood – and give the fire plenty of air until it’s roaring.
  
• A smoldering fire, “dirty” glass doors on a wood stove, or smoke from the chimney are all signs that your fire needs more air – or the wood is too moist.
  
• Never burn household garbage, cardboard, painted or treated wood, or any wood that contains glue, such as plywood or particle board. These items release toxic chemicals when burned -- and if you’re using a woodstove, they can damage it.
  
• Check your air quality forecast on airnow.gov before you burn. Some local areas limit woodstove and fireplace use under certain air quality conditions.

If you heat your home with wood, using an EPA-certified wood stove can help you save wood while putting less smoke into the air.

In January 2014, the agency proposed updates to its requirements for newly manufactured wood heaters that will make new woodstoves, outdoor wood boilers and other wood heaters cleaner in the future. EPA anticipates issuing final requirements by Feb. 3, 2015.

Source: EPA

Concerned about smoke and chemicals in your home? AllerAir offers a wide range of indoor air purifiers for the home and office, with a complete air filter system containing activated carbon, HEPA and UV (optional). Contact AllerAir for more information and speak to an IAQ expert to find the right air purifier for your needs.

Wood-burning fireplaces add to air pollution

Wood-burning stoves and fireplaces can contribute
to the air pollution inside and outside.

It’s the holiday season – time to cuddle up by a warm and cozy fire, with a mug of steaming tea and a good book, right?

Well, the firewood you are burning in your fireplace may contribute significantly to the outdoor and indoor air pollution in your area.

A California-based organization warns against burning firewood, since wood smoke is a trigger for people suffering from lung diseases such as asthma.

Long-term exposure to wood fire smoke has been linked to reduced lung function, chronic bronchitis or even premature death.

The danger in firewood smoke lies in the fine particles the smoke contains, which can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause inflammation.

Experts recommend

• Banning wood fires in your fireplace at home, especially during smog-filled days and nights
• Limiting outdoor activities in the evening when wood smoke levels are highest
• Avoiding exposure to smoke and secondhand smoke, which can compound the effects of air pollution on the lungs

Source: Alameda Sun

Room air purifiers can help improve indoor air quality

When houses are sealed up tight to prevent cold air from seeping in, regular ventilation systems are often unable to filter out common indoor air pollutants coming from building materials and household products.

A powerful portable room air purifier can help move the air around and remove a wide range of indoor air contaminants, including many chemicals, odors, gases, dust, particulates, mold, bacteria and viruses.

In homes where wood smoke or tobacco smoke is a problem, AllerAir recommends choosing the 5000 DS or 5000 DXS air purifiers, which feature a deep-bed activated carbon filter for optimal adsorption of gaseous pollutants, HEPA for particles and special tar-trapping pre-filters to prevent clogging.

For more information and options, contact AllerAir directly.