Allergic to wood smoke (Caribou, Houlton: home, neighborhood, buy)

[PenguinMom]

Originally Posted by families for clean air

Surely you know about the downside of using a wood fired boiler.

I live in NORTHern Maine. The temps here will be well below freezing for a significant portion of the year. ALL of my neighbors use either wood or pellet stoves to heat their homes.

It would take some doing to convince me having propane trucked over here from who knows where is more environmentally friendly than using wood or wood by products from local responsible forestries.

There are more than enough pine trees in the Allagash to make up for my families heat.

If you have a helpful solution, I am all ears.

[maineguy8888]

Originally Posted by families for clean air

Surely you know about the downside of using a wood fired boiler.

This has to be one of the strangest posts on here I've ever seen..........has a CD identity been created to respond to just one individual's issue and posting??? Bizarre.

[Kristin85]

Quote:
Originally Posted by families for clean air
Surely you know about the downside of using a wood fired boiler.

Originally Posted by maineguy8888

This has to be one of the strangest posts on here I've ever seen..........has a CD identity been created to respond to just one individual's issue and posting??? Bizarre.

Just googled the poster's name and apparently he/she represents an organization that's anti-burning wood. How bizarre that he/she targeted the Maine forum for his/her propaganda...there is also an active thread on wood stoves on the CT board; I'm surprised the poster hasn't hit that one up yet, too.

[RMoore007]

I just went to the House section here on CD and searched 'pellet stove'. There are lots of recent threads concerning your questions. Just in case you hadn't decided yet.

My niece in Dover has one. Loves it. Plus uses a couple portable elec. heaters and closes off rooms she doesn't use. hth

[flycessna]

I dont know much about heating with wood or pellets so this is more of a question then a suggestion...

Would it be possible to heat with a wood stove from the basement.. My theory is that depending on the layout of your home you could crank that baby down in the basement. Would there be enough residual/radient heat coming from the floor to keep the home reasonably acceptable.. maybe a small space heater in the one room when your in there...if necessary??

this could help with dust and the dirtyness of heating with wood or pellets.

I know that personally I can't sleep with heat.. Other then keeping my pipes from freezing my heat is basically turned off at night and "no lying" I often keep a window in my bedroom ajar during even the coldest nights.. I have electric heat and though expensive (subjective) every room in the house is basically zoned out so it is extremely convienent.

[Kracer]

Curious as to how you know you are allergic to wood smoke?
Were you tested or did you conclude yourself to be allergic?

As wood smoke contains many elements which one would it be?

How does your allergy manifest itself? Swollen sinuses, lung congestion, difficulty breathing? what relieves your symptoms?

As there is little smoke indoors from a woodstove, do you think it may be something else that bothers you?

Consider the dryness produced by the heat may be iritating your sinus mucosa? Makes you susceptible to other infections and irritants.

Related to the type or age of wood burned?

I use a wood stove as my primary heat source and found a humidifier as well as a kettle of water on the stove helps.

[PenguinMom]

Kracer, I am allergic to trees (yes, all trees), many types of molds, several types of grasses, rodents, cats, and ragweed. Since wood stove smoke contains allergens from trees and from several of the molds to which I am allergic, I am highly reactive to it. I currently take allergy shots every other week and am on as many prescription antihistimines as a person can legally be on.

You are right that a good stove, used properly, doesn't emit much smoke into the house. It was my allergies, and some good detective work from neighbors and citi data members, that led us to the conclusion our current stove is faulty.

Being in a room with a "normal" woodstove I'll feel a little stuffy, and have a small headache. Being in the house we just purchased, if the stove is running, I feel like I've been punched in the face. The sinuses in my nose and eyes swell, I feel like I can't breath. I get a pounding headache, become irritable and dizzy. I eventually pass out.

Netti potting, sudafed, benadryl, and lots of hot hot tea will help. Unfortunately the combination of sudafed and benadryl at the same time makes me pass out (learned that one today).

Cessna, your question about having the stove in the basement is a good one. Apparently our basement is not suitable. We did ask, though.

My husband ordered the P68 Harmon. I'll let everyone know how it works when it gets here. I have no idea why he chose that over the outside wood boiler, I was out cold after taking sudafed and benadryl at the same time.

I am sorry. This is sounding more like a rant. I'm sick, I'm grumpy, and I'm wondering why someone from the San Francisco Bay area feels they have the right to question my burning of wood in Northern Maine!

[Maineah]

Sounds to me like you really should move to Arizona. I had as friend who had similar symptoms and basically the same reactions to virtually the same irritants. He moved to Florida and it helped him alot. He eventually went to Arizona and is fine now. Maine as you know is full of molds, pollen, dust wood smoke and every other irritant imaginable. If I had your problems living here I'd be somewhere else.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by families for clean air

Surely you know about the downside of using a wood fired boiler.

True.

Urbanites when they pack in real tight into housing on top of each other, so they can smell each other's exhaust will tend to have problems with outdoor wood boilers.

Anywhere else should not have a problem though.

[maineguy8888]

Well I hope the new stove works, PM. Don't worry about the pushback, the FFCA guy deserved it lol.
And to answer another post, YES having a wood stove in the basement can work. I have seen old homes here that did it, most had a big, ornate floor grate right above the wood stove so that the heat could rise right up into the living area. I've often wondered why this went so out of style.