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REDUCE THE NEGATIVE IMPACT YOUR STOVE OR OPEN FIRE CAN HAVE ON YOUR HEALTH
Having a Solid Fuel Appliance in your house has become more popular over the years. They are nice for you and your family on a cold winters day and creates a sense of well-being; they are calming and relaxing. To Ensure you keep your and your family safe follow these 3 simple steps:
- CHECK IT – Get your Appliance installed by a Hetas or Oftec installer registered on a competent person scheme. Have your Appliance serviced once a year.
- SWEEP IT – It is important to maintain your Appliance by getting your chimney swept at least once a year, twice a year if you burn wood, by a professional chimney sweep. Soot and tar build up in your chimney over time can reduce its efficiency and increase the risk of chimney fires.
- FEED IT – When buying your fuel always look for the Approved Coal Merchants Logo and Ready to Burn Logo you can be confident that you are choosing the cleanest available fuels. Check the manufacturer’s instructions to make sure which specific fuels can be used. Make sure any wood you burn at home is dry (this means it has a moisture content of 20% or less) and also make sure it has the Ready to Burn Logo.
If you need any more information about the Check It Sweep It Feed It Campaign
please click on the link: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/burnbetter/
ALWAYS BUY YOUR FUEL FROM AN APPROVED COAL MERCHANT
Now that house coal sales to consumers are banned in England, please be reassured your local Approved Coal Merchant has plentiful supplies of authorised smokeless fuels to replace house coal. These alternatives can give more heat, less ash, last longer and are less polluting to the atmosphere.
Scottish and Welsh governments are in the process of considering the direction of their own Clean Air programmes and we will keep consumers up to date when either government decides on their next steps.
In the meantime, house coal can still be purchased from your local Approved Coal merchant in Wales and Scotland along with a wide variety of authorised smokeless fuels and anthracite.
Speak to your Local Approved Coal Merchant and always look for the sign.
For more information, please contact the Solid Fuel Association.
Is your chimney ready for the festive season?
“You girls and boys won’t get any toys if you don’t pull me out!” (Traditional)
Don’t forget to stock up on your solid fuel & wood
Order your fuel well before the Christmas Holidays from your local merchant here : solidfuel.co.uk/approved-coal-wood-merchants
Don’t wait until the last minute or you may be left in the cold.
Carbon Monoxide Detectors & Smoke Alarms
Is your Carbon Monoxide Detector and Smoke Alarm in good working order? Test your alarms at least once a week to make sure that they are fully working. If you are in any doubt whatsoever replace the alarm or detector. Carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms are available at most DIY/Hardware stores and Supermarkets for just a few pounds … It Could Safe Your Life!
Joy of the Fireplace – Yorkshire Prose
Social media’s Yorkshire Prose has created a poem that is scientifically proven to warm listeners as temperatures start to plummet. The piece ‘Joy of the Fireplace’ was crafted around the feeling of being sat by a fire on cold winter’s night, featuring onomatopoeic words that are said to spark memories and nostalgia. To assess the power of the warming poem, scientists tested the response of 12 participants.
Using photoplethysmography (skin flush) technology they were able to determine heart rate, while a FACS (facial action coding system) analysed 43 different muscle groups for signs of increased pleasure.
FUELS LEGISLATION
DEFRA’s new legislation came fully into force in England on 1st May 2023, but there is no need to change your fire or stove to comply with the new law.
House coal
- House coal is now banned across the whole of England for domestic use, consumers can use up the coal that they purchased prior to May 2023 but after it is finished consumers can no longer buy it and should change to an authorised smokeless fuel (as described below).
- Anyone selling house coal to a domestic consumer after 1st May 2023 is breaking the law.
- Always look for the Approved Coal Merchants Logo when buying your fuel.
Manufactured Smokeless Fuels
- Since 1st May 2021 only authorised manufactured smokeless fuels are allowed for sale. They will be easily recognised by bearing the Ready to Burn logo with its relevant unique individual number (see example shown). There are a wide variety of authorised Ready to Burn manufactured smokeless fuels on the market to choose from.
- If the fuel you are buying does not show the logo or MSF number, either on the packaging or on the paperwork it is not legal to burn in England.
- Since 1st May 2021 wood logs sold in small quantities, i.e. less than 2m³, are required to have a moisture content of less than 20% and must always show the Woodsure, Ready to Burn logo on the packaging
- Wood sold in quantities of over 2m³ should by law be accompanied by guidance on how to season the wood before use.
Anthracite
- There is no change to the sale of anthracite as it is a naturally occurring smokeless fuel.
For more information on fuels please visit our literature page or for any other advice please contact us by telephone or email.
(Content is correct at the time of publishing)
Carbon Monoxide Detectors & Smoke Alarms
Carbon Monoxide Detectors & Smoke Alarms
Is your Carbon Monoxide Detector and Smoke Alarm in good working order. Test your alarms at least once a week to make sure that they are fully working. If you are in any doubt whatsoever replace the alarm or detector. Carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms are available at most DIY/Hardware stores and Supermarkets for just a few pounds – It Could Save Your Life!
CARBON MONOXIDE SCARE COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED!
An incident in Devon which triggered a family’s CO alarm could have been avoided by the occupants storing any hot ashes outside their property.
The report in the North Wales Daily Post newspaper had a startling headline ‘The hidden carbon monoxide danger for families even if wood burning stoves or coal fires are safe’. The headline may have caught many peoples attention, but dealt with correctly hot ashes should not be dangerous. Hot ashes should be taken outside and left to cool down before disposing. Keeping them in a bucket smouldering indoors is probably the worst way to deal with any hot ashes, but fortunately the family concerned had a carbon monoxide alarm which did its job.
This unfortunate episode just shows how important a carbon monoxide alarm can be, in this instance it could even have been a lifesaver.
Remember to test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms regularly.
CHIMNEY SWEEPING AND APPLIANCE MAINTENANCE
It’s a good idea to plan for your chimney to be swept in the Spring or Summer months and to carry out any necessary servicing and maintenance of your appliance at the same time. The best tradesperson to contact is a professionally qualified chimney sweep who can provide a comprehensive service to ensure you can start the next heating season fully confident that your home and you will be safe.
Go to the Useful Links section of this website and scroll down to Chimney Experts to find your local sweep.
BURNING SMOKELESS FUEL VERSUS LOGS ON A MULTI FUEL STOVE
The many benefits of burning a smokeless solid fuel when compared with burning logs on the same appliance can be seen in a VIDEO HERE …
KEEP SAFE WITH THE SFA
‘Safety Guide for Solid Fuel Users’ is available for download from this site. The guide clearly highlights the three golden rules of safety for solid fuel – proper ventilation, regular sweeping and the correct fuel.
This guide is also available as an A4 double sided leaflet from the SFA and can be ordered on our literature page.
As well as the private solid fuel user, the guide may be of particular interest to local authority housing departments for distribution to their tenants.
… download here
WHAT HAVE DOGS, CATS AND MICE GOT TO DO WITH SOLID FUEL?
It’s a question that people sometimes ask about our distinctive SFA logo…
… Well, to get the answer you need to go back to 1988 and our iconic “Real Fire” adverts.
Visit our YouTube account and view the “Real Fire” video
WORRIED ABOUT HIGH WINTER HEATING COSTS ?
Here are just some of the benefits of Solid Fuel and Wood heating systems:
- Heating a single room with Solid Fuel is usually cheaper than by oil or gas.
- Most Solid Fuel appliances are multi-fuel meaning you can burn both coal and wood.
- A Solid Fuel appliance with a boiler can be linked to many central heating systems to enable you to cut the cost of heating bills whilst you enjoy the benefits of a real fire. For more information download the Link-Up leaflet from our website literature page.
- A chimney promotes healthy circulation of air in a dwelling.
- Simple open fires and stoves do not need electricity to operate.
- There are over 500 Coal Merchants throughout the UK who can deliver fuel straight to your bunker. Supplies of pre-packed wood and coal are also available from supermarkets, DIY stores and garage forecourts but for economy and convenience always buy from your local coal merchant. For details of your nearest Coal Merchant look on the FIND A FUEL MERCHANT section of our website.
A Solid Fuel Heating System could save you money and add to your comfort and security.
SOLID FUEL HEATING - FACTS ON HEALTH BENEFITS
There are certain health benefits associated with the open flue function that is necessary for combustion in all solid fuel appliances. The open flue way not only removes the products of combustion safely out of the home but also draws in fresh supplies of air. British Standards specify the minimum ventilation rates for various rooms in domestic dwellings – gas radiant fires and electric heating compare poorly with solid fuel in this respect.
- The constant cycle of air coupled with continuous heat has two direct benefits:
- It minimizes the incidence of condensation and mould growth problems which plague so many gas and electric heated homes. Spores of mould are allergenic and a source of bronchial irritation. It removes via the chimney other gases and particles in the air which may give rise to bronchial disorders.
- It removes via the chimney other gases and particles in the air which may give rise to bronchial disorders .
Your chimney has other benefits too. It acts as a heat store and will release heat into the dwelling after the fire has gone out.
NO CHIMNEY ? - NO PROBLEM
Installing a chimney these days is not as difficult as you might think. There are specialist installers who can survey your home, provided a quotation and undertake the most suitable installation. With a chimney available, the choice of solid fuel appliances is vast. Contact us for free advice and information.
SAVE MONEY BY BUYING FUEL IN OPEN SACKS
If you buy your fuel in prepacks from cash & carry outlets, consider saving money by buying in open sacks from your local coal merchant. The fuel will be delivered directly to your bunker or if you haven’t got a bunker they can deliver in prepack bags also.
THINKING OF RENEWING OR UPGRADING YOUR SOLID FUEL HEATING SYSTEM?
Let industry experts guide you every step of the way. The Solid Fuel Association has a range of leaflets (many of them you can download from this site) that will tell you all you need to know about solid fuel heating. More than that – we can give you advice on all aspects of solid fuel heating to the choice of appliance and fuels. There are many experts who we can direct you to such as HETAS registered installers and the National Association of Chimney Engineers (NACE) or help you with suppliers for appliances and ancillary products.
A HETAS Registered installer can come and give you a quotation for all your heating requirements. In addition, we can help you with many of the technical aspects and guidance on Building Regulations.
So, if you are thinking of updating or putting in a new solid fuel or wood burning system, get in touch.