no wonder OWB have a bad rap

[hanko]

A new home was just sold in a rual area, dirt , I would consider it country setting. the lot is 1/2 acre. my mother mentioned that the neighbors new shed smokes alot. I new what she was talking about before I even went and checked it out. This moron set his heatmore on what apears to be the property line. here it is 60 degees and this things giving off ploomes of smoke. there is a house not nore than a 100 ft away to the north. smoke going right across there front yard. If i lived there you can bet your ass Id have em in court next week. thats forking bullshirt. I know most of you who post hear are responsible burners, there are allways the arsholes who ruin it for everone else

 

[windthrown]

If they are used right, they should not smoke that much. Chances are he has green wood, or does not have any idea of how to use it. 60 degree days? It should be in smoldering no-air mode... maybe it has a bad damper in it? Or he is burning tires...

Soon... the EPA will be requiring the newer approved OWBs. Federal laws will probably mandate it after 2010. Many states already require them. Two companies have them out now. More expensive though. If I buy a place I am looking at (3 acres) I will put one of the cleaner more efficient CB models in for heating. Here we have over 100 acres, and the nearest neighbor is 1/4 mile away and upwind. The boiler is next to the house, and we hardly ever get any smoke in the house, or even notice it at all. It smokes for about 2 minutes after the damper opens, then burns clean, then shuts off and tiny puffs of smoke leak out the stack, and that's it. Even burning green and wet wood.

 

[hanko]

If they are used right, they should not smoke that much. Chances are he has green wood, or does not have any idea of how to use it. 60 degree days? It should be in smoldering no-air mode... maybe it has a bad damper in it? Or he is burning tires...

Soon... the EPA will be requiring the newer approved OWBs. Federal laws will probably mandate it after 2010. Many states already require them. Two companies have them out now. More expensive though. If I buy a place I am looking at (3 acres) I will put one of the cleaner more efficient CB models in for heating. Here we have over 100 acres, and the nearest neighbor is 1/4 mile away and upwind. The boiler is next to the house, and we hardly ever get any smoke in the house, or even notice it at all. It smokes for about 2 minutes after the damper opens, then burns clean, then shuts off and tiny puffs of smoke leak out the stack, and that's it. Even burning green and wet wood.

well like I said, the majority here are responsible, those who are not, you know who you are

 

[windthrown]

well like I said, the majority here are responsible, those who are not, you know who you are

I think most of them cannot read though... :spam:

 

[redprospector]

A new home was just sold in a rual area, dirt , I would consider it country setting. the lot is 1/2 acre. my mother mentioned that the neighbors new shed smokes alot. I new what she was talking about before I even went and checked it out. This moron set his heatmore on what apears to be the property line. here it is 60 degees and this things giving off ploomes of smoke. there is a house not nore than a 100 ft away to the north. smoke going right across there front yard. If i lived there you can bet your ass Id have em in court next week. thats forking bullshirt. I know most of you who post hear are responsible burners, there are allways the arsholes who ruin it for everone else

I don't know squat about OWB's, but I think your attitude is a big problem in our country today. What happened to the day's when we would walk across the yard and talk to our neighbor's? Maybe not, but there is a possibility that by explaining the situation to the new neighbor that they would try to fix the problem. But the first time they talk to any new neighbors will probably be in court instead of on the porch.
Oh well, I guess we've got to keep the lawyer's in business. Screw the neighbor's.

Andy

 

[bowtechmadman]

My closest neighbor is nearly a mile away. My OWB is 120' from the house and have never noticed smoke in the house...for that matter very rarely even noticed it when out in the yard working etc...Always burning seasoned wood so I believe that makes a difference.
I have the same results as winthrop...some smoke when the blower kicks on then hardly any noticeable smoke once the fan shuts down.

 

[hanko]

I don't know squat about OWB's, but I think your attitude is a big problem in our country today. What happened to the day's when we would walk across the yard and talk to our neighbor's? Maybe not, but there is a possibility that by explaining the situation to the new neighbor that they would try to fix the problem. But the first time they talk to any new neighbors will probably be in court instead of on the porch.
Oh well, I guess we've got to keep the lawyer's in business. Screw the neighbor's.

Andy

sorry you dont like my attitude. I really dont care what you think. My post was one of hundreds in this site about people that dont care about neighbors, as long as there rights are not steped on screw evryone elese. more and more townships are banning OWB's because of issues as I stated here. Im not against OWB's. I think they are a neat idea. Why did you bring up laywers? I dont need non productive leach of society (lawyer) to help me protect my rights. Now say a guy moves next to me and installs a smudge pot 100 ft from me as the one Im refering to is.. I knock on his door and say i dont like the smoke after he has forked out 10 grand. Im sure hell say Oh jeez neighbor sorry, Im remove it right away. I dont think most people are stupid. So i have to figure a guy on a small lot who puts a OWB on the property line 100 ft from a neighbors house probably doesnt give a rats arse about anybody else but him self. My attitude chief is I burn wood, and I will allways want to burn wood, so when i see a blaitent disregard for other peoples rights, I speak up. Im sure anyones who says something that you dont agree to you say they have a bad attitude

 

[redprospector]

If i lived there you can bet your ass Id have em in court next week.

Hanko,
Like I said, I don't know squat about OWB's. They sound like a pretty good idea.
What I disagree with is what I quoted above. I'm just trying to say be a neighbor, and talk to this guy before you "have him in court next week", you might be surprised at what lengths a person might go to to make thing's right with "good" neighbor's.
Of course, "there are always the arsholes who ruin it for everyone else".

Chief,
Um, I mean,
Andy

 

[HardyOWB]

My OWB is about 400ft from my closest down wind neighbors house. I only burn dry seasoned wood, and it only smokes when the fan is blowing. By the time the smoke gets to the neighbors yard it has disapated (spelling?) into the air. When I installed it I spoke to the neighbor and told him to let me know if he has any issues with the smoke, as I was not sure what to expect. He has had zero issues with it. However another neighbor in our neighborhood has a indoor wood stove and he must burn anything he can get his hands on, wet wood, painted wood, tires?? The smoke coming out of his stack is terrible, and his downwind neighbor should be upset. Moral of my little story is that OWB's are a great idea, but there is a place for them and you have to use them right, but the same thing goes for indoor wood stoves.

 

[beerman6]

They could have been burning leaves,the neighbor to the north of me was doing that yesterday.He was pumping smoke all day,while mine only cycled twice.

 

[Zodiac45]

Believe me, this type of problem is the issue and will continue too be. It is the sole reason that regulations are being proposed or are inforce already in many states. It is irresponsible and screws it up for the majority, but thats always how it goes. What's going too happen is space limitations, and expensive technology or outright bans. Sad situation because it plays right into the hands of ........naw never mind not gonna go there.....:angry2:

 

[hanko]

Believe me, this type of problem is the issue and will continue too be. It is the sole reason that regulations are being proposed or are inforce already in many states. It is irresponsible and screws it up for the majority, but thats always how it goes. What's going too happen is space limitations, and expensive technology or outright bans. Sad situation because it plays right into the hands of ........naw never mind not gonna go there.....:angry2:

you are right on friend. Im afraid it will carry over to all wood burning situations. even indoor wood burners. I had a smokey inefficient wood furnace that I gave up for a few reasons, one was the fact that I do have neighbors. I went with a Jotul and my smoke and wood consumption has gone down 50% minimum

 

[beerman6]

I dont have any downwind neighbors but,I am shutting my OWB down today as the other neighbors are getting outside now.I like to stay on the good side of them.

 

[bassman]

I will post a video of the huge amount of smoke mine makes with good dry wood.
better boiler less smoke .
when I run low on wood I will burn anything to keep warm and that is the first law I live by but I also have no close neibours and if I did I would not have chosen a OWB for heat .
In that guys case I see it being a simple costly exchange of his old design smoky unit and into a tarm / garn unit with almost no smoke OR move OR buy propane or fuel oil.

 

[gink595]

I can see this being and continue to be a problem as the economy slows and the price of heating fuels keep rising. People are going to invest in wood burners indoor/outdoor to help survive financialy. I believe inexperience will be the biggest culprit to people seeming to be inconsiderate, if you have never burned wood before you might know what to expect, maybe therefore planning on where to locate the burner or what to burn (people burning tires, no excuse) will cause headaches for others. So maybe talk with people and help them plan ahead and clue them in what to expect, if you know they might be getting one. I'm sure the buyer knows smoke will come out, but might not be aware how much it will produce.

 

[windthrown]

Well, in the end it will all wind up like California, where in places like the bay area you simply cannot build a new house with anything that burns wood, period. Compare the so-called 'inefficient' OWBs to all the stupid typical fireplaces here in the west. 90% of the firepalces in houses here are completely useless. Or worse than useless; they draw more heat up the flue from inside the house than they contribute to the house. They are grandfathered though, even in the CA bay area. Once a house has been built with a fireplace, it can continue to have one. Some cities here like Eugene have burn limitations on stagnant air days though. Fines are pretty heavy for burning on restricted days.

Several of our neighbors have old style useless fireplaces and they go through tens of cords of wood in winter here. And they smoke a lot more then our OWB does. I know in the midwest and northeast it gets a lot colder, and it is a lot more crowded. So states there are more prone to passing laws against OWBs. However, at the same time, states like NY have completely staged BS photos on their anti-OWB sites, and they are obviously using cases that are not typical and sensational to get their point across. And like anything political, people take things to hysterical levels to make changes happen. Good or bad... for example, children making statements to congress about atrocities in Kuwait that never existed, so we go to war...

Out here where we live there are so few houses and people no one cares. Everyone here burns wood. But the population density is about 3 people per square mile. And we are on the edge of a commercial logging wilderness that is hundreds of square miles in size. Only time we do not burn is during the fire season, when they pay attention to smoke. Even then I field burn with a permit. We also burn slash here, becasue we have to by law. I set a few more piles off the other day before this last storm hit. Up in smoke it all goes... too bad there is not some type of energy storage brick that I can toss into them and store the energy released to heat the house with later.

reminds me, I gott'a go cut some more firewood today. Been a colder than average year here this year, and we are running low. Last two years here I shut the OWB off about now, mid April. We had snow here last week and it is freezing here at night. So we are still using the OWB for heat.