11-08-2025
How to use a wood heater properly to limit smoke pollution, and why it matters
Robin Phillips was taking the bins out when his airways erupted with pain.
The Launceston resident said he gasped for breath as smoke from a nearby wood heater scorched his eyes, nose and throat.
He abandoned the rubbish and struggled back to the house.
"It was shocking."
Mr Phillips, an asthmatic, said he went to hospital for tests and spent the next four days coughing and sick, following the incident last August.
Tasmania's valley regions have long suffered wood heater-fuelled air pollution, prompting some residents to leave the state entirely during winter.
John Innis, the air quality specialist at Tasmania's Environment Protection Authority, said a single, poorly operated wood heater could have a profound impact on a local area.
He urged users to refresh their technique.
Dr Innis said many assumed if their wood heater was warm, they must be using it properly.
But he said it could still be far too smoky and reminded owners to review their practices.
For starters, he advised checking there were no holes or leaks and the flue sealed well and was clean.
When it came to lighting the fire, he recommended using small bits of dry wood and putting newspaper on top of the flame to encourage air up the flue.
He said the air vent should be fully open.
"Get a good roaring fire going and hear the air being sucked into the firebox and going up the chimney," he said.
He said it was a bad sign to see a lot of smoke in the firebox or out the chimney.
He said the "capital mistake" was to throw a large chunk of wood on the fire, before shutting off the air and going to bed.
"They smoulder all night and make a lot of smoke," he said.
Instead, he said big logs should be placed on the fire with the air fully on.
"Get those bits of wood really well lit before you turn it down," he said.
"It's more like half an hour before you want to go to bed."
He urged wood heater users to see the EPA's Burn Brighter campaign website for more information.
Launceston resident Mr Phillips has long been an asthmatic.
But his response last year was so severe, he suspected toxic fumes had entered his airway.
Dr Innis said it was possible he breathed fumes from chemically treated wood.
"Sometimes it's really hard to know… if [wood] has been treated," he said.
Mr Phillips said he reported the incident to the West Tamar Council.
West Tamar mayor Christina Holmdahl said it contacted a property owner after receiving a report about alleged burning of treated wood in August 2024 and no further complaints had followed.
She said if a wood heater owner was deemed to be a "nuisance" an infringement notice could be issued, but most of the time that was unnecessary.
The Launceston City Council said it received about 25 reports of poor wood heater use last year, a similar number to the year before.
"Generally when residents become aware their wood heater is causing problems for other people, they do their best to rectify the matter as the vast majority of people want to be good neighbours," the council's chief executive officer, Sam Johnson, said.
But Mr Phillips said the issue should be taken more seriously, with fire pits tested for toxic materials following complaints and fines issued for improper wood heater use.
The Launceston man, who said he once ran a firewood business, also suspected many wood heater owners used wet or poor quality wood, resulting in excessive smoke.
"It is stressful when it's bad," he said.
"You've got to stay inside. You've got no choice.
"You're basically imprisoned in your own home.
"So it'd be nice if something was finally done."
