The right indoor climate when heating with wood-burning stoves and fireplaces
How to avoid excessively dry air and high levels of CO2 and particulate matter when heating with wood
Who can resist? When the temperatures drop, a crackling fire creates a cozy atmosphere and makes cold winter days much more bearable. But wood-burning stoves and fireplaces have a far greater influence on the indoor climate than you might think. They can quickly dry out the air and also increase levels of CO2 and particulate matter. This not only has an unpleasant effect on the indoor climate, it can also affect your health. We'll show you how to maintain a comfortable climate throughout your home while you enjoy a pleasantly crackling fireplace.
The effect that heating with wood has on the indoor climate
If you use a wood-burning stove or fireplace during the cold winter days, you should pay even more attention than usual to maintaining the ideal temperature, as well as ventilating regularly. This is because burning wood usually draws oxygen from the indoor air to prevent the fire from going out. That means that the level of CO2 in the air increases and must be replaced with fresh air.
In combination with the heat, the indoor air can fall below the recommended 40-60% humidity and become too dry - this is so-called "dry heated air". The low humidity can be experienced as unpleasant and irritate the mucous membranes. That is one of the reasons why we get sick more often during the winter.
Besides excessively dry air and increased CO2 levels, there is also a third factor: particulate matter. This is produced when wood is burned and has a significant impact on your air quality and health. According to the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA), it has now been proven that particulate matter has a negative impact on health and can cause asthma, allergies, cardiovascular problems and even lung cancer.
https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/service/uba-fragen/warum-ist-feinstaub-schaedlich-fuer-den-menschen
Heat the fireplace correctly to reduce hazardous particulate matter
But you can actually do something to reduce particulate matter emissions somewhat. Try to avoid improper use such as overfilling the stove or fireplace, adding new logs too late, improperly igniting or burning newspaper. The way you store the firewood is also important and makes a difference. Use dry wood that is properly stored, for example not directly leaning against the wall, to mention just one point. Then there are fewer emissions when they burn. It also helps you to reduce particulate matter. The optimal solution for filtering fine dust and other harmful substances from the air, is an Air Purifier or Airwasher.
The convenient way to create good air quality
Our Airwasher will help you to always have good, clean indoor air and still be able to enjoy the warmth of the fire. It provides both optimal humidity and clean air. Does the air contain an excessive amount of particles such as dust, fine dust and/or ash particles? Or is the air perhaps too dry? No problem, because the Airwasher responds in real time to low humidity and high pollutant levels. If this is the case, it independently adjusts its performance accordingly and automatically humidifies or purifies your air.
Do you want either just clean air or optimal humidity? Then you can rely on our air humidifiers or air purifiers. The Air Humidifier helps you achieve and maintain optimal humidity all year round, whereas the Air Purifier ensures clean and pure indoor air (eliminates 99.995% of airborne pollutants). If necessary, the Air Purifier can also be equipped with an active carbon filter. This filters out unpleasant odors that can result from heating with wood or coal briquets, down to 0.0002 microns.
Tip - This is how to constantly keep track of all important air factors:
In order to be able to continuously monitor the various factors such as temperature, humidity, CO2 and particle level of the indoor air, we recommend AirSense, our professional air quality meter. Is the CO2 level of the indoor air too high and needs ventilation due to using the fireplace? Then you will receive a recommendation about what to do via the app. The air quality meter AirSense measures, monitors and analyzes airborne substances, the indoor climate and environmental influences in real time, and alerts you to changes in air quality.
