Nelson City Council

If you have an enclosed burner you can help improve Nelson’s air quality by following these tips.

Clean your chimney once a year

Cleaning your chimney improves safety and will help your fire burn more efficiently.

Follow the burner’s operating instructions.

To ensure your fire runs properly and efficiently, read and follow the instructions provided with the burner.

Only burn dry wood

Order from a registered GOOD WOOD supplier. Order wood before winter and before you run out.

Find a GOOD WOOD supplier in Nelson.

Store wood correctly

Store firewood in a dry, well ventilated place off of the ground. Cover the top of the wood to shelter it from the rain. Unseasoned or green wood will take 6 – 12 months to dry.

Prepare the fire bed

Use plenty of crumpled paper and kindling placed on top and behind the paper. Start with small wood and gradually increase the size of the pieces as the fire builds up, adding two or three pieces at a time to keep the fire burning.

Open the vents to start

Fully open the air supply when lighting a fire or adding wood. Ensure that the wood is well alight before reducing the air supply.

Burn small pieces of wood

This provides more surface area to burn bright and strong.

Check the fire is burning bright

The fire is burning efficiently when the flames are bright and the door glass is clear. Smoke from your chimney should be almost invisible after lighting the fire.

Don’t bank up the fire overnight

A slow, smouldering fire creates lots of extra smoke and tests have shown that this does not keep the room any warmer than burning the wood efficiently.

Be safe – don’t burn rubbish

Don’t burn rubbish, glossy printed material, plastics, treated or painted wood as they can release toxic chemicals harmful to you and your neighbours.

Don’t burn coal

Coal creates more harmful pollution than wood. It also burns hotter than wood and can damage your wood burner.