Nanna Corbell's tips for running your fire

We dry our clothes outside. Today was an excellent drying day. There’s probably only a few weeks in winter where you can’t have clothes outside. If we can’t do that it gets hung in the garage.

GardeningGirl said :

Where do people dry their clothes?
Back when I was a young mum everything went on the line and thicker things could stay out all night if needs be. Eventually when it turned into check the air around 9-10am to see if you can put the washing out and then start checking again around 3-4pm to see if you have to bring it in I gave up and switched to using a dryer and buying disposable nappies.

Outside on the line during the day – inside on the clothes horses when I’m lazy. I have a dryer but it’s not plugged in.

But then there will allways be folks that piss and moan about anything and everything fires being one of them

Where do people dry their clothes?
Back when I was a young mum everything went on the line and thicker things could stay out all night if needs be. Eventually when it turned into check the air around 9-10am to see if you can put the washing out and then start checking again around 3-4pm to see if you have to bring it in I gave up and switched to using a dryer and buying disposable nappies. I know some people use their wood heaters properly and some don’t (I’d say one neighbour produced at least three quarters of the smoke). So I’m sorry to those of you who are doing the right thing. But even if everyone was responsible it wouldn’t be a form of heating that would work if every single house relied on it in an area that gets cold air inversions. Why “incentives”? Why can’t the government, which can do all sorts of things like ban incandescent lights, why can’t it ban old smoky appliances and ban irresponsible owners from woodfire ownership? It’s been 20 or 30 years of “education” and “incentives”. Again to those of you doing the right thing sorry. We had one neighbour with an excellent wood heater, a small intermittent and surprisingly pleasant 5 to 10 minute wisp of smoke. He should of given lesson on how to do it. You couldn’t have a whole suburb of 300m2 blocks all giving off intermittent whiffs but in older suburbs a few heaters operated like that are allright, the inconsiderate people again ruin it for everyone.

460cixy said :

Anyone know what the scoop is in getting one fitted as in approval and red tape?

I have been thinking of it for some time – I would really love a good wood heater.

I heard an interview on PM yesterday evening and thought I would post the link to RA. Not very long, but it makes for interesting reading. Health costs in NSW from wood fires are estimated to be 8 billion dollars alone by 2030.

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2013/s3829969.htm

Anyone know what the scoop is in getting one fitted as in approval and red tape?

I have a modern slow combustion fireplace (a large one) and it is sensational.

schmeah said :

It’s amazing what authority 1100 primary votes will get you.

Yes, because the above advice/tips was so dictatorial, right?

I’ve got not much positive to say about Corbell, but there’s very little in the above media release that could be considered authorative/prescriptive.

Watson said :

Ducted gas systems surely aren’t the most environmentally alternative? I’ve lived in 2 houses with ducted gas. One at least had the ducts in the floor and you could close vents off in rooms that weren’t in use. I still had very high gas bills though. And the fairly new system seemed to need repair at least once a year.

The other one had fixed vents in the ceiling. THE most wasteful and inefficient heating I’ve ever had. It probably would’ve been cheaper and more effective to just burn bank notes to keep warm.

You are assuming that because the heater is on for longer its less environmentally sound. However, gas is so much better for the environment than wood (in terms of particles etc) and coal/electricity that the level of use is not an issue.

Obviously the best method is solar or hydro or wind powered in some way; but failing that gas is definitely the best.