Spare the air days ...

[slowp]

That clears things up, thanks. I figured that it had something to do with air quality, was just unsure what triggered it.
How often does this type of situation occur?
How long do the bans usually last?
If often and lengthy, I can see this situation creating a significant financial burden for some families, as well as being a general pain in the ass.
When a ban is in effect, is it only wood burners that are shut down, or is industry that contributes to the problem affected as well?

In our state, it is only woodburners and outdoor burning. Some folks in our valley are clueless and light their slash piles off during inversions which does more to smoke it up than wood stoves. I think our rules are copied from Collyfonia's.

The bans generally start after a couple days of clear, cold, dry weather and last until a storm moves in. Usually November is a very nasty month weather wise, but we've had about a week of inversion. Last winter we skiers rejoiced in January or December. The valleys and base of the ski area were socked in with cold air and fog. The upper part of the mountain was clear with a warm breeze and even hit 50+ degrees one day. That lasted about a week.

The good thing is that many areas of our state have "socialist" power companies and electricity is low priced as compared to other regions. 90% (I think) of our power comes from hydro. In fact, I maintain that my cost of heating with wood is comparable to heating with electric heat when I factor in the equipment/time/transportation costs. I like the constant heat of a fire and it gets rid of my friend's logging slash. My thoughts on passive solar come from visiting at a house that was built with a wall of windows facing the south. The rare days of winter sun provide so much heat in that house that windows have to be opened to cool things off. During the summer, the sun is blocked by their eaves. It takes some planning to do that right.

 

[Whitespider]

We don't have "Save The Air" days out here... or save the seals, or save the wales, or save the chipmunks, or save the frogs, or save the bay, or save the chimps, or save the Tree Octopus, or save the Redwoods, or save the tiger, or save the elephants, or save the river, or save the arctic, or save the oceans, or save the dunes... but we save our used oil for startin' fires

 

[flotek]

Every day I toss more wood in my furnace I participate in our local save the oil program or "save the propane days" ..I can't understand why anybody would willing desire to live on the west coast

 

[labdad]

Never heard of 'spare the air days', but sounds unfriendly for ya. Sorry to hear it. I'm in a pretty user-unfriendly state myself.
I read a report this morning from the 'climate summit' that's going on in Poland. One thing that struck me was a comment that a year of California's efforts at 'being green?' are negated by one week of China's just doing what they do. I won't comment further on the likely ramifications of this imbalance.

I'm all for clean air but...while we spend thousands of dollars a year on emission saving devices on our vehicles and power equipment and the power companies spend millions and the manufacturing companies spend billions to help clean our air people in India and China and God knows where are burning the electronics that you being a good dobie took to your local recycler. Who do you think is paying for all that clean air, we are just so the rest of the world get a free pass. Just like everything else in life, we are footing the bill.
Sorry for the rant, just caught me at the right time.

 

[GeeVee]

I'm so speechless about some of the crap regs you have to deal with, I'm better off not saying nothing about any of it.

I can go on a flame that would make a sailor blush.

All I can say is, this is America, where you can make a choice to give them one finger, or both.

 

[stihly dan]

If you burn dry wood in a good appliance, how do they no your burning. New neighbor asked me the other day if I sold firewood. Said no, I burn wood for heat. That's impossible, he said. Your piles get bigger and we never see any smoke coming out of your chimney. Ahh that's the way I like it.

 

[srb08]

We don't have "Save The Air" days out here... or save the seals, or save the wales, or save the chipmunks, or save the frogs, or save the bay, or save the chimps, or save the Tree Octopus, or save the Redwoods, or save the tiger, or save the elephants, or save the river, or save the arctic, or save the oceans, or save the dunes... but we save our used oil for startin' fires

Old tires work good too.

 

[srb08]

I'm all for clean air but...while we spend thousands of dollars a year on emission saving devices on our vehicles and power equipment and the power companies spend millions and o be able to the manufacturing companies spend billions to help clean our air people in India and China and God knows where are burning the electronics that you being a good dobie took to your local recycler. Who do you think is paying for all that clean air, we are just so the rest of the world get a free pass. Just like everything else in life, we are footing the bill.
Sorry for the rant, just caught me at the right time.View attachment 319985

We need to build a giant wall to keep our clean air in and the rest of the worlds polluted air out. Although if Yellowstone erupts, we need to be able to take it down pretty quickly.

 

[jaroh]

That clears things up, thanks. I figured that it had something to do with air quality, was just unsure what triggered it.
How often does this type of situation occur?
How long do the bans usually last?
If often and lengthy, I can see this situation creating a significant financial burden for some families, as well as being a general pain in the ass.
When a ban is in effect, is it only wood burners that are shut down, or is industry that contributes to the problem affected as well?

Here is something new our tax money is paying for this year. And to answer your last question, in our county it says 53% of fine particle pollution comes from wood burning devices.

http://www.airsafepiercecounty.org/facts

And yes I would like to kick 2 of my neighbors asses on their burning practices of smoking out the neighborhood. One of them calls the sheriff when somebody burns a small slash pile and causes her breathing problems to "act up", even though she smokes, alot. But it is ok for her to burn her green wood smoking up the neighborhood and I can't do a thing about it because it is her only heat. The other one doesn't come out of the house but once a year to tell her dog not to bark. Surprised the house doesn't burn down from all the creosote build up I can see from well over 50 ft. I need to stop now. Bad wood burners really piss me off.

 

[srb08]

Thanks Jaroh, that's a lot of good information and let's the rest of us know what you all are dealing with.
I found the pollution percentages from the various sources surprising. You must have a lot of people out there who heat with wood.
In Missouri, where I live, I'd be surprised if 1 in 100 suburban homes are heated with wood. Lots of people have fireplaces but they aren't used as a heat source and aren't used regularly.
What percentage of the homes in your area actually heat with wood, either as the only source or to supplement another type?

 

[Photog95]

. Thanks for the useless gas cans, btw.

I actually like the little 1 gallon can I got for saw gas, but any of the others I have been forced to buy in the past few years, I would like to drive to CA and shove them all right up some moron engineer/politician/ bureaucrat .... well you know the rest. I guess I dont see to point of not having a vent on a gas can. By the time you get a gas can empty you have splashed half of it on the ground, and all over your shoes. I dont see how this is eco friendly at all. More like hazardous waste spill. Oh I also need to have a spare funnel strapped to the can in case I need to put gas in a car or it will all end up on the ground instead of half.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Well, that's strange..does that apply to mexican trucks and truckers as well? I am not being snarky, just wondering, because it appears to be a lot of exceptions to the rule when it applies or can be applied to south of the alleged border people and things that go on, like two sets of laws.

I don't know, but probably, what with SoCal being a suburb of Mexico these days.

 

[pennsywoodburnr]

If you burn dry wood in a good appliance, how do they no your burning. New neighbor asked me the other day if I sold firewood. Said no, I burn wood for heat. That's impossible, he said. Your piles get bigger and we never see any smoke coming out of your chimney. Ahh that's the way I like it.

That's exactly what I was thinking too, Dan. I've got a regular old heatilator type fireplace, nothing special. By a lot of guys opinions on here, this would be considered a smoke dragon. But you know what? The only time you'll see smoke is when we first get it going (usually 5, maybe 10 minutes in), or you'll get a little puff when another split gets thrown on. Other than that, it's burning clean. If you're at the end of my driveway (maybe like 80 ft from the house) it's tough even seeing the heat mirage coming off of the chimney cap.

 

[robespierre]

the inspectors looking for woodburners are usually notified by a bad neighbor and that is what they ask you to do.Tell on your neighbor.The inspectors have a device that detects heat emitting from the home.

 

[Alan Smith]

I'm all for clean air but...while we spend thousands of dollars a year on emission saving devices on our vehicles and power equipment and the power companies spend millions and the manufacturing companies spend billions to help clean our air people in India and China and God knows where are burning the electronics that you being a good dobie took to your local recycler. Who do you think is paying for all that clean air, we are just so the rest of the world get a free pass. Just like everything else in life, we are footing the bill.
Sorry for the rant, just caught me at the right time.View attachment 319985

What rant you told the truth

 

[slowp]

I fear that Whitespider has moved here. When I got close to home last night, it was foggy and smelled like somebody was burning tires The outdoor air still reeks of that this morning.

I hope there was not a house fire.

 

[Whitespider]

No girl... ya' got it all wrong.
If'n I was livin' there the "fog" would be so thick ya' couldn't see enough to get home

 

[olyman]

We need to solve this inversion problem. Maybe bore a huge tunnel out of the valleys and plumb it directly to the state capitol building. That'd solve a lot of problems. Many of you might not know this, but after the first of the year it'll be illegal (with exceptions to the in-state industries of course) to drive a semi truck older than 2008 into Kalifornia. All because CARB wants to be the world arbiter of what's "clean". Thanks for the useless gas cans, btw.

yup..friend of mine told me this..big fines if you try to drive the truck in...

 

[olyman]

please don't forget this crap the next time the polls are open

yup, send allll the greenies and leftys packing.....like what has happened to the co gun finks!!!

 

[olyman]

Well, that's strange..does that apply to mexican trucks and truckers as well? I am not being snarky, just wondering, because it appears to be a lot of exceptions to the rule when it applies or can be applied to south of the alleged border people and things that go on, like two sets of laws.

better not!! those are ovomits voters!! cant keep them out. besides,,half the state is inhabited by illegals...............