fumes from woodburning

[kozykitty]

We have a woodburning stove insert in our fireplace which we occasionally use during extreme cold or in power outages. Sometimes the wood smells and it has that typically fireplace smell. Is this safe for parrots? Gloria isn't in that room which is in the front of the house. She is in the back of the house but the smell does travel.

We are going to have strong wind gusts tonight which often results in power outages so I want to be prepared. How cold can it get before I have to worry? I can certainly cover her cage with blankets if need be.

Thanks for any advice. Lots to think about as a new parront!

 

[Birdman666]

The smell of burning wood generally isn't toxic. However, if the air quality goes way down, i.e. if it gets too smokey in the house, then I might begin to worry.

In terms of cold, how cold are we talking about here? It's usually over 50 inside the house isn't it?

 

[JerseyWendy]

Just wanted to tell you that I find it APPLAUDABLE how concerned you are about your new 'baby'!!!! KUDOS to you!!!

 

[SailBoat]

Current technology wood burning stoves should only 'leak' the smell of burning wood when it is opened to add more wood. If you are smelling that scent any other time, your wood stove needs to be repaired, retrofitted or replaced. What you smell is not the biggest concern, it's what you can not smell that kills.

And, I fully agree - thank-you for your concern!

Added item: If you have a wood burning stove in your home, for your safety you must have a carbon monoxide alarm!

 

[kozykitty]

We have a woodburning insert in our fireplace. The smell I'm referring to is when some wood is first put into the burner. Not all of it smells. You just don't know when you buy a cord of wood what you are getting though we are assured that it is aged hardwood. As someone with allergies, I'm pretty careful about air quality and I try to avoid using the wood burner as it is so dry. We have hot water baseboard heat which is much nicer.

Anyway--I keep reading that parrots have very sensitive respiratory systems and I've replaced my few non stick pans with ceramic and ceased using the glade plugin in the laundry room. I just want to be proactive. If the wood smell would be a problem then I just wouldn't use the stove.

We've never had it go below 50 in the house when the power went out--that includes the 3 days it was out during Hurricane Sandy. I guess I'm cautious too because years ago we lost a budgie due to cold.

 

[SailBoat]

Your concerns are well founded and will serve you and your parrots very well.

You are correct that different woods and the level they have been dried to does effect their smell. That specific smell, in and of itself, is of little concern. Its the chemicals that are released during burning - both what you can smell and what you can not smell that is the concern. What is lost into your home during the process of quickly adding wood is small enough not to effect your parrot or yourself.

The type of wood burning stove that you have can have their problems, since the stack is hidden with in the fire place. It would be 'best practice' to have the entire installation check, cleaned and repaired as needed by a seasoned professional each year prior to its use. A properly installed and operated wood burning stove should provide very little to no indication that it even exists in your home.

When your wood burning stove is in operation, and based on your statement of a dry home; Placing a cast iron pot on the stove filled with water is a good idea, since it will reduce the dryness in your home.

 

[kozykitty]

Thanks. We keep a big kettle of water on the stove at all times. I hate dry air so that was a given!

 

[kozykitty]

We are expecting a blizzard here in the mid Atlantic region in about 48 hours. This comes with a real possibility of power outages and bad road conditions which may delay the power coming back on. We have a woodburning insert in our fireplace which is in the front of the house and we would use that to keep warm. Gloria's cage is in the family room which is in the back of the house. My concern is how to keep her warm in the event this happens (which is likely). I'm not sure about putting her in the room with the fireplace. Would putting blankets or quilts over the cage help? At least it wouldn't be drafty.

 

[msdeb]

I read a thing on Pinterest that used a (unscented ) candle and two clay pots. The candle is placed on a plate or similar heat resistant holder and a clay pot (with a hole in the bottom) is place upside down over the lit candle. This allows air to enter in through the hole in the pot, but keeps most of the heat inside which heats the clay pot. Another, larger, clay pot is turned upside down and placed over the first. The holes , again, allow the candle to breathe and the second clay pot absorbs and traps the warm air which is then slowly dispersed throughout a room. No danger to birdies from one unscented candle, right? I don't know how much heat this will put out but it shouldn't be expensive to try and in a smaller room I think it would be enough heat to keep from freezing