How to Reduce Air Pollution from Wood Burning Fireplaces

A wood-burning fireplace can cause pollution and be harmful to lungs. But with some small changes, a home owner can make a big difference. Here are some tips to help reduce pollution from a wood-burning fireplace:

1. Choose not to burn when air quality is already poor. Check the AQMD Air Quality Index in your local newspaper or visit www.aqmd.gov to monitor when the air quality is poor.

2. Reduce the need for fuel. Make homes more energy-efficient by installing ceiling insulation, weather stripping and caulking windows and doors.

3. Have the chimney professionally cleaned. Keeping a chimney swept and the ash area clean improves air flow and reduces emissions. Chimney cleaning prevents creosote buildup and reduces the potential for chimney fires. Store wood outdoors, off the ground and with the top covered.

4. If wood is burned, start fires with softwood kindling such as pine or fir. Always burn “seasoned” or dry wood. These woods are generally low in density, ignite easily, burn fast and hot and will heat the firebox and flue quickly. Hardwoods such as oak can take longer to ignite, but they burn slower and produce less smoke.

5. Never burn garbage and other materials. It can cause toxic smoke that can be extremely harmful.

6. Watch chimney for smoke. Properly burning fires should give off only a wisp of white steam. The darker and thicker the smoke, the more pollution the fire emits and the more fuel it wastes.

7. Beware of overnight heating. Do not leave open fires unattended or let them burn overnight. This can lead to a backdraft of smoke in your home, causing hazardous indoor air pollution. Build a small, hot fire and let it burn out completely, closing the damper when finished.

8. For heating, switch to a cleaner wood-burning alternative. An EPA-certified wood stove emits up to 70 percent less particulate emissions and uses 30 percent less fuel.

9. Replace your wood-burning fireplace with a natural gas insert. The inhalable particle pollution from one wood stove is equivalent to the particle pollution emitted from 3,000 gas furnaces producing the same amount of heat per unit.

10. Remember … If you can smell smoke, you are breathing smoke!