Neighbors, Township, Meeting
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Hogwildz said:
They work Bubba. They actually work.
Become one with your daily newspaper. :coolgrin:
Congradulations on the correct handling of silliness, however serious. Nice job under stress.
As a former Prof at what has to be an unnamed institution, some inside info on chosen fields: we always noticed that the PhD students in Psychology were loopy and "in search of". Two doors down from my office , a psychology Professor and his minions thought that the large sign on his door was "cute". It was:
"HELP, STOP ME BEFORE I KILL AGAIN."
As a former Prof at what has to be an unnamed institution, some inside info on chosen fields: we always noticed that the PhD students in Psychology were loopy and "in search of". Two doors down from my office , a psychology Professor and his minions thought that the large sign on his door was "cute". It was:
"HELP, STOP ME BEFORE I KILL AGAIN."
Hey Guys, don't they make some kind of traps for those varmits?
Enjoy your weekend away.
do you recall that grumpy old men movie where they put a brown paper bag with a fish in the back seat of someone's car? Bet that'd take their attention off that smelly old smoke..
Enjoy your weekend away.
do you recall that grumpy old men movie where they put a brown paper bag with a fish in the back seat of someone's car? Bet that'd take their attention off that smelly old smoke..
Webmaster said:
Yeah, why hate whole groups of people, when there are so many reasons to hate people on an individual basis! ;-)
Before you all gang up on the wierdo neighbour you might consider this.
(broken link removed to http://www.lung.ca/protect-protegez/pollution-pollution/outdoor-exterior/heating-chauffage_e.php#wood)
The OP never answered the question about his burning practices or how dry is the firewood, Is it nice dry maple or some stinky old damp birch with the bark still on??
In our town we have a real problem with air quality so we are doing a few things to clean it up. One is the Woodstove exchange program. So first we try and get everyone to trade in the old belchers and install an EPA appliance. But then the hard part. Teach these people how to use it properly, Around here it's called the " Burn It Smart" program. It’s a no-brainer for most of us but my guess is 80% of the wood burners around here, new or old stove, are still smoking up the neighborhood buy “Burning it Dumb”
I’m not saying the OP is, but it’s not been very clear if that might be part of the problem.
That neighbor really needs to fix the bad air flow issue or they will always smell something.
Do you use manure on your garden? You might want to try some this spring..
(broken link removed to http://www.lung.ca/protect-protegez/pollution-pollution/outdoor-exterior/heating-chauffage_e.php#wood)
The OP never answered the question about his burning practices or how dry is the firewood, Is it nice dry maple or some stinky old damp birch with the bark still on??
In our town we have a real problem with air quality so we are doing a few things to clean it up. One is the Woodstove exchange program. So first we try and get everyone to trade in the old belchers and install an EPA appliance. But then the hard part. Teach these people how to use it properly, Around here it's called the " Burn It Smart" program. It’s a no-brainer for most of us but my guess is 80% of the wood burners around here, new or old stove, are still smoking up the neighborhood buy “Burning it Dumb”
I’m not saying the OP is, but it’s not been very clear if that might be part of the problem.
That neighbor really needs to fix the bad air flow issue or they will always smell something.
Do you use manure on your garden? You might want to try some this spring..
^I think he said he had a PE Summit...that would be one of the new EPA smokeless stoves, right? I don't follow inserts that close though.
Hogwildz said:
I guess its hard to teach a old HOG new tricks
Just shove some small stuff on top of the pile, the more the better, then fire the stuff up any which way you can. Fire from the bottom will reach this kindling and top down it will burn.Some hot air systems are designed to take in a small amount of outside air (for the ducts, not the fire) to keep indoor pollutants from accumulating. If your neighbor has this kind of system, she is pulling in your smoke everytime her furnace runs. Possible fixes, in order of cost, are to plug the outside air intake with some insulation (free), furnace electronic air cleaner (? cost), residential version of Hospital-grade HEPA filtration ($700). More information is available at http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/outsidea.html. It appears that none of the previous posters knew about this outside air system so maybe your neighbor doesn't either. The intake will be a duct, flexible in my case, that runs from an outside wall to the furnace ducting.
Another solution is for your neighbor to move closer to her workplace. This would also reduce her carbon footprint. I haven't heard of any colleges in Belleville. There is probably some nice neighborhood in AA or Ypsilanti where there are not many wood burners.
Another solution is for your neighbor to move closer to her workplace. This would also reduce her carbon footprint. I haven't heard of any colleges in Belleville. There is probably some nice neighborhood in AA or Ypsilanti where there are not many wood burners.
I thought just about every furnace system had a "makeup" air system. Everything around here does anyway, even older systems. They normally would only pull air in when the house pressure becomes extremely negative though. The normal cheap system would have a flex duct going to an outside vent. Just before it enters the return air line it has a damper with a weight on it. When the pressure gets too negative the force of the air trying to come in over powers the weight and opens the damper.
Mike from Athens said:
You are right about hating everyone. After "dealing with people" for most of 30 years I much prefer the company of machines. Much more straightforward and honest. As for my observations about educational sorts I stand on it 100%. You deal with people like I do for as long as I have and one gets like Nostradamus. Its weird but you can figure out a lot about them, what they are doing and if it makes sense in a few sentences. Professor types just have to be so very evasive for no reason like answering a few questions violates their civil rights. Cops on the other hand are usually exactly one way or the other, very nice or complete a$$#@^&*. They tend to get our attention too since they often have the look and bearing of mobsters. At the end of the day give me a machine any day, turn a key and they stop. There is a certain beauty in that.
Driz said:
Yeah, but professors don't shove broom sticks up your ...., break your arms and legs and make you into a pin cushion. Neither do they run you down with their cruisers or steal your dope or girlfriend.....well, maybe your girlfriend!
Uh Oh, I better stop now! As Steve Jobs says "People are basically nice, it is just when you get two or more of them together....." I agree!
Well
apparently I've really started a stir here -but I will keep you posted as the saga continues.
To confirm - I am running a PE summit -- and it's darned clean running --- EXCEPT at start up - and I'm working to help that.
My wood is not as seasoned as I would like -- but it's not wet - most of it has been standing dead for some time before we cut it, then split and seasoned for at least a few months before burning.
The summit shows NO smoke at all except when adding wood.
Here's the latest --- the neighbors were so happy that I let them know we'd be out of town for the Easter weekend (therefore no smoke to complain about)
that they left a nicely wrapped package in our mailbox (apparently they don't understand that's mail fraud) containing a cute little Easter bunny with candied pretzels inside ---- I'm afraid to eat them though - for fear they maybe poisoned with something! ;-)
apparently I've really started a stir here -but I will keep you posted as the saga continues.
To confirm - I am running a PE summit -- and it's darned clean running --- EXCEPT at start up - and I'm working to help that.
My wood is not as seasoned as I would like -- but it's not wet - most of it has been standing dead for some time before we cut it, then split and seasoned for at least a few months before burning.
The summit shows NO smoke at all except when adding wood.
Here's the latest --- the neighbors were so happy that I let them know we'd be out of town for the Easter weekend (therefore no smoke to complain about)
that they left a nicely wrapped package in our mailbox (apparently they don't understand that's mail fraud) containing a cute little Easter bunny with candied pretzels inside ---- I'm afraid to eat them though - for fear they maybe poisoned with something! ;-)
milner351 said:
Now you have your prime opportunity! Have a friend go over and quietly keep your stove stoked for the weekend. After all, it would be a shame for your heat to run all weekend.
bokehman
That's a real personal statement to write about a guy you hardly know! ---
I digress.
Yea -- some of the wood we've used I'm sure is not properly seasoned, -some is quite well seasoned....
However --- I'm quite confident that the problem is about 10% our firewood, and 90% their house / heating system / hypocondriac disorder.
-- The township supervisor now tells me that they seem to be stalling with regard to the inspection of their home...... interesting huh?
as for the top down bit --- top down ROCKS! even with 1/4 of a super cedar - it was all I needed to get the fire going quickly and without a fuss after 4 days of down time.
It did give me a great chance to clean out the stove and replace the summit 2ndary burn baffle gasket.
That's a real personal statement to write about a guy you hardly know! ---
I digress.
Yea -- some of the wood we've used I'm sure is not properly seasoned, -some is quite well seasoned....
However --- I'm quite confident that the problem is about 10% our firewood, and 90% their house / heating system / hypocondriac disorder.
-- The township supervisor now tells me that they seem to be stalling with regard to the inspection of their home...... interesting huh?
as for the top down bit --- top down ROCKS! even with 1/4 of a super cedar - it was all I needed to get the fire going quickly and without a fuss after 4 days of down time.
It did give me a great chance to clean out the stove and replace the summit 2ndary burn baffle gasket.
I was just pointing out that you have mentioned several times that you know your wood is not well seasoned, unless you believe "a few months" is well seasoned. I wonder what other people think about smoking for 20 minutes on a reload. My insert doesn't smoke on a reload once the new wood has flames, unless it's nearly cold. Also smoke at start-up can be greatly reduced if you start a top-down kindling fire with softwood.milner351 said:
Last week in response to a post floating around here I tried burning a load of frozen wet wood that had escaped the pile and penetrated the ground, now on a full bed of coals that wood didn't burn for jack...mostly it simmered. But when I checked my chimney it still wasn't smoking.
My point being if milners chimney isn't smoking how can the neighbor smell smoke? And how can the township say... 'yeah we agree with the neighbor look at all that smoke.'
Milners stove is a EPA phase II so it shouldn't smoke except if he engages the start up air...which should be rare since he burns 24/7. If his stove smokes there's a hardware problem that has to be fixed.
My point being if milners chimney isn't smoking how can the neighbor smell smoke? And how can the township say... 'yeah we agree with the neighbor look at all that smoke.'
Milners stove is a EPA phase II so it shouldn't smoke except if he engages the start up air...which should be rare since he burns 24/7. If his stove smokes there's a hardware problem that has to be fixed.
I guess it really depends on what you call smoke.
The neighbors definition is pretty much ANYTHING coming out of the chimney!
I must admit that I have not been scientific in the time measurements of when or for how long the stove smokes on a reload - and if it is not a morning reload where the splits have been reduced to coals - but a "partial load" of a split or two just to keep things going good and hot - there is little if any visible smoke at all.
I think while we were learning to operate the stove (and before I found this site and started reading up) we were guilty of shutting down the air supply to the summit too early, creating a rich condition with smoke.
Since reading here, I leave the door open a bit longer on a morning reload, and leave the air control on a higher setting than I used to when I leave for work - then my wife puts in a split or two from time to time during the day to keep it good and hot. With the wood we've been burning lately - we don't shut the air control down completely any more - usually run around 20% most of the time.
The neighbors definition is pretty much ANYTHING coming out of the chimney!
I must admit that I have not been scientific in the time measurements of when or for how long the stove smokes on a reload - and if it is not a morning reload where the splits have been reduced to coals - but a "partial load" of a split or two just to keep things going good and hot - there is little if any visible smoke at all.
I think while we were learning to operate the stove (and before I found this site and started reading up) we were guilty of shutting down the air supply to the summit too early, creating a rich condition with smoke.
Since reading here, I leave the door open a bit longer on a morning reload, and leave the air control on a higher setting than I used to when I leave for work - then my wife puts in a split or two from time to time during the day to keep it good and hot. With the wood we've been burning lately - we don't shut the air control down completely any more - usually run around 20% most of the time.
Looks like you're not the only one with neighbor problems!
(broken link removed to http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080325.wstove25/BNStory/National/home)
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