Hassle from neighbors burning wood?

[cheeves]

I recently had a neighbor move out after a 4 year battle over my burning wood. What a relief!!! They went to everybody except the FBI trying to shut me down. They would call up at midnight complaining of my smoke.

We've been in this house for 18 years. The whole time burning wood from an existing class 2 chimney. I've been burning wood since the oil embargo of the 70's! My ancestors, who came over on the Mayflower burned wood. Thank God they have their house under agreement to sell! What a pain. At one time they had the building inspector, the fire dept., and the State on our backs. We never backed down! There is no law in this town or the state against burning wood. But some states have enacted strict guidelines on the amount of particles in the residential smoke from burning wood. Wood burners unite!! The tree huggers are trying to shut us down! They filed a bill last march but it was defeated in three weeks. But they'll try again.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

I recently had a neighbor move out after a 4 year battle over my burning wood. What a relief!!! They went to everybody except the FBI trying to shut me down. They would call up at midnight complaining of my smoke.

We've been in this house for 18 years. The whole time burning wood from an existing class 2 chimney. I've been burning wood since the oil embargo of the 70's! My ancestors, who came over on the Mayflower burned wood. Thank God they have their house under agreement to sell! What a pain. At one time they had the building inspector, the fire dept., and the State on our backs. We never backed down! There is no law in this town or the state against burning wood. But some states have enacted strict guidelines on the amount of particles in the residential smoke from burning wood. Wood burners unite!! The tree huggers are trying to shut us down! They filed a bill last march but it was defeated in three weeks. But they'll try again.

Sounds like your neighbor was more of a garden variety whacko than a tree-hugger. Congratulations nonetheless..glad I don't have neighbors like that.

 

[audible fart]

I recently had a neighbor move out after a 4 year battle over my burning wood. What a relief!!! They went to everybody except the FBI trying to shut me down. They wood call up at midnight complaining of my smoke.

We've been in this house for 18 years. The whole time burning wood from an existing class 2 chimney. I've been burning wood since the oil embargo of the 70's! My ancestor's, who came over on the Mayflower burned wood. Thank god they have their house under agreement to sell! What a pain. At one time they had the building inspector, the fire dept., and the State on ou backs. We never backed down! There is no law in this town or the state against burning wood. But some states have inacted strict guidlines on the amount of particles in the residential smoke from burning wood. Wood burners unite!! The tree huggers are trying to shut us down! They filed a bill last march but it was defeated in three weeks. But they"ll try again.

You can't reason with an unreasonable person. I've had unreasonable neighbors in the past. It needs to be made clear, very clear, and right away that if they choose to keep hassling you that you can make their lives unbearable. I even started a rumor a decade ago that i would sell my house specifically to a large family of minorities just to ruin the complainer's lives if they thought my stove was bad. Everything stopped. You simply can't let them get away with meddling, especially if you always mind your own buisness.

 

[sunfish]

I Love the smell of wood smoke on a cold clear morning... :msp_smile:

 

[WVwoodsman]

I know how neighbors can be. We have people around here that burn trash and who knows what. Last year while I was out of town working, my wife said that a man was here at my house from the EPA because someone complained about smoke that supposedly came from my OWB. Before I installed it, I called the court house and made sure that I wasn't in violation of any law or code and I was told that I could go ahead and install it. Last year marked the fourth winter of heating with it and up until then I had no problems or complaints from anyone. My wife asked who it was that filed the complaint and the EPA rep. wouldn't tell her. Before I fire up the OWB this fall I will be adding another 3ft. section of pipe to the stack to get the smoke up higher. I only burn dry seasoned wood. During winter around here there are lots of people who burn wood, so I find it hard to believe that my burning of wood is the real issue. I have started last winter to document one person who burns trash by taking pictures, so next time if mr. epa man comes by I will have proof. I know that burning dry seasoned wood helps to aleaviate the heavy smoke that is sometimes associated with wood burning. Just make sure that your wood is good and seasoned and it will help to reduce the amount of smoke and keep your neighbors happy.

 

[REJ2]

You can't reason with an unreasonable person. I've had unreasonable neighbors in the past. It needs to be made clear, very clear, and right away that if they choose to keep hassling you that you can make their lives unbearable. I even started a rumor a decade ago that i would sell my house specifically to a large family of minorities just to ruin the complainer's lives if they thought my stove was bad. Everything stopped. You simply can't let them get away with meddling, especially if you always mind your own buisness.

Ah, playing the "there goes the neighborhood card" , brilliant I say

 

[Ash_403]

Also, how old is your stove? Does it have a catalytic convertor, or a secondary burn of any kind?
Besides the dry and seasoned wood mentioned, and draft, these other things have a good effect on smoke output.

My stove is a few years old, and has the secondary burn tubes. Once the fire is good and hot, I can step outside and not even see any smoke coming from the chimney. I like it (more complete burn=more heat), and I'm sure my neighbors don't mind it either.

I'm not saying you should go out and buy a new stove, but there are stoves out there that burn very cleanly.

Cheers

 

[ponyexpress976]

Several two word phrases come to mind for people like that.......this being a family show all I can say is that most of them start with the letter F.

Really,people need to make sure their side of the fence is squeaky clean and spotless before bit@&ing about what anyone else does. If they can't do that then they need to shut up and go back inside.

 

[cheeves]

Love West Virginia!

I know how neighbors can be. We have people around here that burn trash and who knows what. Last year while I was out of town working, my wife said that a man was here at my house from the EPA because someone complained about smoke that supposedly came from my OWB. Before I installed it, I called the court house and made sure that I wasn't in violation of any law or code and I was told that I could go ahead and install it. Last year marked the fourth winter of heating with it and up until then I had no problems or complaints from anyone. My wife asked who it was that filed the complaint and the EPA rep. wouldn't tell her. Before I fire up the OWB this fall I will be adding another 3ft. section of pipe to the stack to get the smoke up higher. I only burn dry seasoned wood. During winter around here there are lots of people who burn wood, so I find it hard to believe that my burning of wood is the real issue. I have started last winter to document one person who burns trash by taking pictures, so next time if mr. epa man comes by I will have proof. I know that burning dry seasoned wood helps to aleaviate the heavy smoke that is sometimes associated with wood burning. Just make sure that your wood is good and seasoned and it will help to reduce the amount of smoke and keep your neighbors happy.

WVwoodsman, howdy! Used to live in Belmont Co. Ohio. Fished in Wheeing Creek. Won a tennis tournament with a coal mining friend in Moundsville, Wv. Love West Virginia! Wished I lived there right now. Yup, burn mostly dead red oak from the stick. Thanks for responding! Oh how I love West by God Virginia!!! What deer hunting! Bob

 

[belgian]

I burn a bit of firewood myself, but make sure that all my wood is very seasoned, ensuring a nice burn.
You have sometimes irresponsable people who burn everything in their stove, going from paper, painted wood, etc. that indeed may cause smoke or smell which may be a nuisance to neighbours, especially in a dense populated area. As always, some selfish people may spoil things for the whole group.

Especially with the government having no revenues from burning wood, it may well be that in the future we'll have to buy more advanced burners, install filters or give up wood burning after all due to new regulations. In Germany, it started already that you need to install smoke filters on your chimney ($$$).

Make sure you burn correctly, and maybe we can avoid from speeding up new regulations. Bad neighbours are everywhere, so if you burn wood correctly, just ignore them.

 

[Guido Salvage]

Just carry a weapon like everyone else here and your problems will be solved....

 

[TreePointer]

Just carry a weapon like everyone else here and your problems will be solved....

Oh, behave!

 

[Rio_Grande]

I have been through a similar fight for over ten years. Not much to add other than dont be pushed around and learn the laws. Give it out harder than you get it and play hardball. If you are nice to politicians they will wisper sweet nothings in your ear while they violate your backside.

Of our ordeal the best was when we recieved a letter one day then a court summons the next. first letter notified us tht we had yard debris in violation of a local ordinace. the next day I recieved a certified letter and summons ordering me to appear in county court for my repeated failure to keep the yard debris out of my yard. We were supprised cause we keep a pretty nice yard, mowed and no trash in the yard. So we were a bit supprised and we had just been notified there was a problem the day before. I called everyone involved and nobody would answer the question what is the debris in my yard? On the day of the hearing the attorney refused to discuss it with me and we had to go in fornt of the Judge. I was asked how I responded to the charge and I explained I diddnt know what I was being accused of. The judge told the other side it was not clear what I ws accused of and they responded that I had fire wood stacked outside of my garage and that constituted debris in the yard. The next words out of the judges mouth was "you are kidding me" We diddnt loose but it was a major BS hassle. I dont recomend having to go to court over this stuff but that was the start of one heck of a fight that has spanned 10 + years and I wont give an inch and have never been found at fault yet. Sad really lost time at work to fight it, aggravation not worth it but it s the point of the whole thing.

Keep fighting!!

 

[Hedgerow]

Just carry a weapon like everyone else here and your problems will be solved....

Or keep a skunk as a pet like Guido...:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Iron Head]

Where I'm from all my neighbors burn wood. But then we all have 5 or more acres.
And if wood is my only source of heat, then I burn it all year round.
Actually wood is my only source of heat and will be for along time.

 

[ratso]

Good news is there gone.Bad news is there going to get bother someone else.As long as your wood is seasoned there should be very little smoke.

 

[Hedgerow]

Good news is there gone.Bad news is there going to get bother someone else.As long as your wood is seasoned there should be very little smoke.

That's true, but a jerk is a jerk... And sometimes the only way to deal with them is deal firmly... The jerks have been running the show for too damn long... It's time for the quiet responsible folks to take the situation back...

 

[ponyexpress976]

Guido has it right...an armed society is a polite one, even if the weapon of choice is a skunk.

 

[logbutcher]

Let's get serious here without all the blowhards pulling sidearms.

Yes there are are A-hole neighboors. If you chose to live closely with others them adapt, adjust, or move. Check out our Pee Rule for living room; you don't want to have jerks living beside you, then move where all you got are bears, skunks, deer, coons, etc.... Pee Free or Die ( N.H. motto ).

Now for the bottom line: many don't know HOW to clean burn. That incomplete burn of creosote does stink. ( Some of you sound like the kid inclass farting, who shouts "who farted?" There are many who have "....burned wood for decades this way..." "Don't tell me how to burn wood." :censored: Throw a load ( green, wet, rotten, tires, trash, Kotex ) in the stove or OWB, damp it down, walk away. Their stacks are cleaned at least 3-4 times each season and they don't know why. They have special ladders plugged into their roofs to clean out the flues all year. The OWB with short stacks don't worry about it: "I burn everything". Great.

Burning clean with or without an EPA reg stove or OWB is simple: load, get the fire up to a solid burn, THEN damp down. Most here know this.

So, when you're whining about those "jerks" next door, take a close look at your burn. Done right, the only smoke should be when you first load. Needs telling ?

JMNSHO

 

[cheeves]

Let's get serious here without all the blowhards pulling sidearms.

Yes there are are A-hole neighboors. If you chose to live closely with others them adapt, adjust, or move. Check out our Pee Rule for living room; you don't want to have jerks living beside you, then move where all you got are bears, skunks, deer, coons, etc.... Pee Free or Die ( N.H. motto ).

Now for the bottom line: many don't know HOW to clean burn. That incomplete burn of creosote does stink. ( Some of you sound like the kid inclass farting, who shouts "who farted?" There are many who have "....burned wood for decades this way..." "Don't tell me how to burn wood." :censored: Throw a load ( green, wet, rotten, tires, trash, Kotex ) in the stove or OWB, damp it down, walk away. Their stacks are cleaned at least 3-4 times each season and they don't know why. They have special ladders plugged into their roofs to clean out the flues all year. The OWB with short stacks don't worry about it: "I burn everything". Great.

Burning clean with or without an EPA reg stove or OWB is simple: load, get the fire up to a solid burn, THEN damp down. Most here know this.

So, when you're whining about those "jerks" next door, take a close look at your burn. Done right, the only smoke should be when you first load. Needs telling ?

JMNSHO

logbutcher, I've been burning wood with a Tempwood since 1977. Primarily dead oak. When I add wood the stove is usually close to 500 degrees. I can open the tubes on this sove and it gets like a blast furnace.! Best invention for burning wood ever. Before I go to bed at night I run this stove nearly wide open to get the wood really burning before closing the discs on top for a slower burn. I've been burning this way for a long ,long time and never had anyone complain before. I was already in this house burning the same way for 15 yrs. before the girl moved in next door. They have lately sold out! One other thing. the guy that helped me build this addition on my house worked on her house next door. He went to reshingle a spot on the house and found all the old pine boards rotten. It is the original firestation. Close to 2 hundred years old.