fossil said:
I can understand wisps. The OP made is sound like a steamstack. And at 7 degrees his stove ought to draft much better than mine on on a cold day.
Neighbor Issues
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I can understand wisps. The OP made is sound like a steamstack. And at 7 degrees his stove ought to draft much better than mine on on a cold day.
There are times when my fire appears to be burning clean yet when I go outside I can smell burning wood while there is no visible smoke or steam or water vapour. I wouldn't care to have the smell inside my house, and if the wind were blowing the wrong way, I'd close a window if I had to.
Someone in my neighborhood heats with oil and there are times I get the stench of incomplete burning of fuel oil in my house. Should I complain? Should I tell the neighbor he needs to tune up his burner or convert to gas?
Someone in my neighborhood heats with oil and there are times I get the stench of incomplete burning of fuel oil in my house. Should I complain? Should I tell the neighbor he needs to tune up his burner or convert to gas?
Erm, probably. In new England oil is a pretty common heating fuel and I've never smelled it once in my 34 years...
I like most all of my neighbors and try to keep up good relations with them. Respect their space and they'll respect yours.
I mentioned to my next door neighbor that when his oil furnace ran I could see some black smoke and maybe it needed servicing. He had it checked out and it turned out that the flue was partially clogged by an interior breakdown. They had it stainless lined, thanked me and I haven't seen a wisp of smoke there since.
We're all in this together. If a few days a year of non-burning when atmospheric conditions are bad means that relations with the neighbor are improved, it seems like a small compromise.
I mentioned to my next door neighbor that when his oil furnace ran I could see some black smoke and maybe it needed servicing. He had it checked out and it turned out that the flue was partially clogged by an interior breakdown. They had it stainless lined, thanked me and I haven't seen a wisp of smoke there since.
We're all in this together. If a few days a year of non-burning when atmospheric conditions are bad means that relations with the neighbor are improved, it seems like a small compromise.
heffergm said:
What I was getting at was that people still have fire places and people still burn them.
I used to work for the Dept of Env but the problem is that most wood burners out here use smoke dragons and wet wood so there's no hope. Here's my two cents though:
- Talk to your neighbour and get his concerns. Allow him to speak: perhaps someone has a respiratory issue in the house or is allergic to smoke? What is driving his concern? It sounds like you are a very responsible wood burner so don't get discouraged. For what it's worth I burn 100% wood only and when I told my neighbours they said "you burn wood??" They are about 50-75 feet away.
- After you hear him out and read his studies/info. package work with him by acknowledging his concerns and explaining how your stove is different than the old smoke dragons he is aware of. Heck, invite him over and discuss over beer/coffee as you light up the fire. Once you show him how clean burning the stove is after 10-15 minutes he'll be sold. Perhaps the important piece is to illustrate the clean burning aspect of the stove. The more friendly you are with him the better in my opinion.
- Talk to your neighbour and get his concerns. Allow him to speak: perhaps someone has a respiratory issue in the house or is allergic to smoke? What is driving his concern? It sounds like you are a very responsible wood burner so don't get discouraged. For what it's worth I burn 100% wood only and when I told my neighbours they said "you burn wood??" They are about 50-75 feet away.
- After you hear him out and read his studies/info. package work with him by acknowledging his concerns and explaining how your stove is different than the old smoke dragons he is aware of. Heck, invite him over and discuss over beer/coffee as you light up the fire. Once you show him how clean burning the stove is after 10-15 minutes he'll be sold. Perhaps the important piece is to illustrate the clean burning aspect of the stove. The more friendly you are with him the better in my opinion.
[quote author="LLigetfa" date="1261957702 people calling me worried about the EMR from their omputer yet they are talking all day on a cellphone or thumbing out text messages with their crackberry in their lap just inches from their gonads.[/quote]
lol...
lol...
This isn't going to help, but I just wanted to paraphrase a recent quote from our friend Lee in Maine. "Fifty percent of all neighbors are douche-bags!" Hopefully, that isn't the case in your situation! ;-)
send him my way, he can live here when the neighbor 1 mile away spreeds liquid pig poop....smells bad for a week :sick:
Maybe he has a problem with his house if the smoke smell is coming in. There is no way to get around some smoke at start up and re-loads, if you're burning clean keep on doing what you're doing. Until they make a law saying you can not burn wood you'll never have a problem from a legal stand point. Like others have said maybe you can have him over for a beer and show him how clean the stove burns. Do what you can to address his concerns within reason, living with a disgruntled neighbor will not be fun.
I can smell my neighbor's smoke dragon when I'm outside on occassion. Sometimes it's really strong but usually it's just a hint of it in the air. There is always a steady stream of smoke billowing out of his chimney which seems really short and it's a ranch. Even at it's strongest I've never smelled it inside my house.
One time when I first got my stove I burned some junk mail in it (maybe 10 envelopes) and it smelled horrible outside, like burning trash. Will never do that again. The only smell I've noticed from my stove this season was a combination of kind of a burning trash and hot smell when I was outside. I'm pretty sure it was coming from my stove but everythng was fine. Flue temp was normal, stove was running fine and I've burned nothing but red oak, birch, maple, cedar scraps, 2x4 scraps and newspaper. The only thing I could think of was maybe there was build up in the chimney from when I burned the junk mail and it was burning off sin e it was kind of the same smell. Haven't smelled it since so who knows.
One time when I first got my stove I burned some junk mail in it (maybe 10 envelopes) and it smelled horrible outside, like burning trash. Will never do that again. The only smell I've noticed from my stove this season was a combination of kind of a burning trash and hot smell when I was outside. I'm pretty sure it was coming from my stove but everythng was fine. Flue temp was normal, stove was running fine and I've burned nothing but red oak, birch, maple, cedar scraps, 2x4 scraps and newspaper. The only thing I could think of was maybe there was build up in the chimney from when I burned the junk mail and it was burning off sin e it was kind of the same smell. Haven't smelled it since so who knows.
I can smell smoke outside quite often in the fall. Neighbors burning open fireplaces up on the hill someplace. Never smell it in my house. My windows are not that old, but they are crap and leak.
Maybe there is just something wrong with his house.
Maybe there is just something wrong with his house.
My neighbor who helped me install my insert lives about 25 feet from my chimney. He works in his garage with his door up from time to time when the weather permits. His garage door is right next to my chimney and we both live in ranch houses. I asked him if he was ever bothered by the smell of my stove burning and he said that he did not think I was using it this year. There are at least two other people on our street with older stoves one is wood and one is coal,not to mention the fireplaces that are still used. Both of the houses with stoves are several hundred feet from us but you can sure tell when they are burning. Luckily he is a smart enough guy to realize where all the smell is coming from.
lol.
i lucked out with my neighbors.
i too live in suburbia. my closest neighbor says he enjoys the smell of my stove in the morning on his way to work.
i figure, any time that people have windows open, i will not be burning as it will be too warm to burn, so i am A-OK
best of luck with your neighbor issues, if they are the kind who like to groan and moan only to hear them self complaining, just tell them there is nothing you can do about it, and you are 100% within your rights to heat with wood.
i lucked out with my neighbors.
i too live in suburbia. my closest neighbor says he enjoys the smell of my stove in the morning on his way to work.
i figure, any time that people have windows open, i will not be burning as it will be too warm to burn, so i am A-OK
best of luck with your neighbor issues, if they are the kind who like to groan and moan only to hear them self complaining, just tell them there is nothing you can do about it, and you are 100% within your rights to heat with wood.
Next time he comes over to complain make no answer. Just stare at him with an extremely bored look. Eventually he'll wilt and slink home.
Even if you are burning unseasoned wood (sounds to me like you are) smelling the smoke in his house is very unlikely. He can probably smell it outside, but not inside. If I were you, I would season my wood better for next year and make the splits smaller, to encourage a faster hotter fire.
I run a pre epa stove, see no smoke, however do smell a hint of smoke around the house depending on wind direction. My house is only one story tall.
I run a pre epa stove, see no smoke, however do smell a hint of smoke around the house depending on wind direction. My house is only one story tall.
My neighbor saw me outside and said that he was upset with me. I asked why and he said his wife can smell my stove burning (I just started a fire) and now she wants him to start a fire in their fireplace.
He said he hasn't had a fire in the house for 19 years and he doesn't want to start now. He said it was all my fault.
I told him that he has a code to my garage door for emergencies. When I leave for work in the morning him and his wife can go in my house and sit around the stove.
The rest of the people in my neighborhood have always complimented the smell of wood from my house. Overall I have decent people around me.
He said he hasn't had a fire in the house for 19 years and he doesn't want to start now. He said it was all my fault.
I told him that he has a code to my garage door for emergencies. When I leave for work in the morning him and his wife can go in my house and sit around the stove.
The rest of the people in my neighborhood have always complimented the smell of wood from my house. Overall I have decent people around me.
Where in Rockland County are you? For those not familiar with Rockland, it is an ozone non-attainment area - and CO2 I think - depending on the time of year.
1 - There is a large power plant in Stony Point and the air quality in Rockland is not really the best, depending on the season.
2 - the proximity to the hudson river will result in thermal inversions from time to time - but this will be more likely to happen in the spring and fall and tthat is where I would expect more issues.
3 - As others have noted, I would offer to show him the stove and some of the EPA literature. Show him your start up of the stove and how quickly it gets clean combustion.
And for all the attempts at knocking the fireplace - why? When I burned my fireplace, that thing burned hot and clean. I barely had to clean my chimney in 4 years. It is the same as a stove - burn it right and it burns clean - burn it wrong and you get smoke.
1 - There is a large power plant in Stony Point and the air quality in Rockland is not really the best, depending on the season.
2 - the proximity to the hudson river will result in thermal inversions from time to time - but this will be more likely to happen in the spring and fall and tthat is where I would expect more issues.
3 - As others have noted, I would offer to show him the stove and some of the EPA literature. Show him your start up of the stove and how quickly it gets clean combustion.
And for all the attempts at knocking the fireplace - why? When I burned my fireplace, that thing burned hot and clean. I barely had to clean my chimney in 4 years. It is the same as a stove - burn it right and it burns clean - burn it wrong and you get smoke.
my neighbor behind me burns in an open fireplace, we split his wood this year as i explained he needed small splits for any hope to burn (it was red oak) he burns it gets smokey for aawhile then nothing comes out ... the rest of my neighbors hate me cause they can see all my wood in the backyard (i live on a corner) and it isnt pretty enough .... so this summer will be putting up some 3-5' hemlocks
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i have secondaries going stove is about 575 went outside and their is smoke coming outta my stack... i can smell it.... it is the wood, it sizzled a bit on startup.... this wood has been sittiing c/s for at least 1.5 years ..... so just a fyi check your stack from time to time cause it could be smoking even with secondaries going
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i have secondaries going stove is about 575 went outside and their is smoke coming outta my stack... i can smell it.... it is the wood, it sizzled a bit on startup.... this wood has been sittiing c/s for at least 1.5 years ..... so just a fyi check your stack from time to time cause it could be smoking even with secondaries going
Hmmm . . . I wonder if this guy is smelling the smoke inside or outside (as another person mentioned) and if he is smelling it inside if there isn't some reason for this . . .
While I can occasionally smell wood smoke outside (even from my own very cleaning burning and tall chimney -- no visible smoke does not equal no smell of smoke) I have yet to smell it inside . . . and I can't say as though I've ever smelled any of my smoke from any of my neighbors who also burn with smoke dragons.
While I can occasionally smell wood smoke outside (even from my own very cleaning burning and tall chimney -- no visible smoke does not equal no smell of smoke) I have yet to smell it inside . . . and I can't say as though I've ever smelled any of my smoke from any of my neighbors who also burn with smoke dragons.
Man I am glad we moved out of the subdivision we lived in for 18+ yrs. Cheese what a nightmare, only thing worse is to have a neighbour hood watch-dog-rules and regulations bs. to go along with it.........
Live out in the county now about anything goes even can burn trash and brush..
Live out in the county now about anything goes even can burn trash and brush..
CTwoodburner said:
My sister used to live in Rockland county in a small lake community that sat between the hills (Spring Valley?). In winter that bowl would be cooler than the surrounding areas by several degrees and wood smoke would just pool up in the valley there. The air quality could get pretty bad.
When I saw this post yesterday I checked the weather conditions for Rockland. No wind, pressure low and falling. It looked like it would be a less than ideal burning day for some areas of this suburban county.
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