Would this bother you ? Chimney smoke related

PopcornUK

Sorry if this is the wrong section, but I felt fellow fire fans would know perhaps what best to do here

I live fairly rural, in a village. I am approx 30 metres from a chimney of my neighbours, we both have bungalows so the chimneys are low. Since November I think he has some kind of open fire installed, as the previous 12 years I have never seen or smelt anything. The problem is the smoke and smell is getting really annoying. Now it is spring and by 6pm, even on a sunny blue sky day like day, he sets his fire on, and the sheer smoke that comes out of it engulfs the gardens and park around him. The smoke dies down a bit after about an hour but it still bellows out in all directions instead of up, and sadly when the wind blows this way, which is often, my entire house stinks if the windows are open. I now have to keep an eye on the time as once it nears 6pm I go around shutting the windows even though I like fresh air and cool air in the evenings.

I also feel sorry for next door to me who put their clothes out on the line. I am concerned now it is getting hotter and lighter at nights I am going to swelter, the smell can last until 6am or so, all through the night. Sometimes he lights it during the day or something as there will be more stench at random times.

I just wondered what others would do ? He is of course entitled to his fire, but am I within my rights to at least send him a polite letter making mention ? I know a lot of people with open fires don't care less about the smoke or smell for others around them, not sure what this guy will be like as I never see him.

This has been day in day out since November, but as I say, obviously I could understand a lot more in the cold, but now with the change of seasons I don't want to be cooped up inside with windows closed just because it is 6pm.

When do most people with open fires stop lighting them ? Is it May ? April ? Oddly this guy seems to also have gas or oil as sometimes 2 chimneys are bellowing at the same time, one a thin pipe that could just be steam, and the other a main roof chimney with thick smoke.

Any help ? Thanks all.

rustyboy21

I would be having a word with Environmental health dept at your local council to check what he is burning. Normal seasoned wood really shouldn't be causing you all these smoke issues and smell, in effect it is fumes coming into your house.


Get them to check he isn't burning old pallets and scrap timber. If you are in a smoke control area, he can get done for not complying.


This is the problem with stove people now days, they think they can burn everything and it isn't a problem. Part of the smog issues we have had this week, is, according to one environmental spokesman, due to the increase in stove users.

st999

I also have this problem since a neighbour installed a wood burning stove.


Not so much the smoke but the smell.


I thought cigarette smoke was bad until this stove was installed.


People are so inconsiderate in their search to save money.

Swipe

You'll still get the same smell, even if there is little smoke. I get the same when my bathroom window is open and the wind is blowing from the west. I also get tar deposits on my windows and have to meticulously clean my conservatory window frames every year rather than just giving them a hose over. Mind you, I prefer the smell of smoke over the muck the local farmers spread on their fields every couple of weeks. I guess you'll have to just live with it and put it down to one of the annoyances of living in a rural area and the increasing return to popularity of wood/coal fires/stoves. If you are not in a smoke control area, there's not a lot that can be done about it.

Ectophile

Do you know if it's wood he's burning? If it's smelly and tarry, it might be house coal, or one of the oily coal products.

PopcornUK

Thanks everyone for the answers. Sadly I have no idea what he is burning, the smell often changes. Most of the time it is a sickly sooty almost sweet type smell, sometimes it is VERY strong and I can smell it inside with windows closed. Other times it is more mild but easily smelt when outside or windows open. I am wondering if he burns various different stuff, including household waste, because in the height of winter sometimes the smell was unbearable. Now it has settled to a similar sickly smell of smoke and soot.

Does anyone know if it is safe to breathe it if you can't actually see the smoke around you ? Usually when he first lights it the smoke is a lot, but after an hour it calms down and the smoke is visible around his house, but not in our garden by this point, but it still stinks. I guess I am concerned that even though sometimes I can't see the smoke, if I smell it then it is just as bad as if visible. I smell my curtains afterwards, if I left a window open by mistake, and there doesn't seem to be a lingering smell on them like a smoking household might have (although there is in the room for a hour or so).

I just want to know if he keeps this up if in the summer I can sit outside and relax even if the air stinks (when without visible smoke in my garden) without doing my lungs damage.

rustyboy21

No smoke is safe to breathe, especially if you have chest conditions or asthma. I stand by what I have already put, get someone to check what he is burning. It may just frighten him into running it safe.


He may be running his hot water off the stove, in that case, he may have it going throughout the summer. My next door neighbour works in a DIY shed and brings home offcut timber. It used to permeate through into my house. I had a go at him and he got a sweep in and the mid feathers had gone, so smoke coming into mine, Now has a lined flue and wood burner, due tot he cost of the liner, he now only burns seasoned wood. We get a bit of a smell when the wind is in the wrong direction, but it is a quite pleasant smell, certainly not noxious, like you are getting.

If he is burning old timber, you don't know if it has been painted/creosoted/varnished. All of these can give off deadly gases, at least give you a bad chest.

IMO, he is not acting responsibly and needs checking out. Can you see a wood store anywhere? Have you seen a log delivery? What does he do for a living, Work with timber?

PopcornUK

The weird thing is the double chimney. One that spouts out what looks like steam, and the other the main taller smokey chimney. What is likely the steam pipe, oil ? I notice that is on every so often. Today his smoke chimney came on at 6pm sharp, as I had my window open and could suddenly smell it, looked at clock and it was 6pm dot on.

Sadly the house is in a odd location, it is up a long drive way and I only see the side of the very small garden. I would imagine if he had logs and stuff it would be in his front garden which I can't see due to the long drive way. So I have no idea what he is burning.

The other annoying thing is quite often just 10 metres further and the smell drops suddenly (except the occasional time where it goes for a very long distance), so if only my house was slightly further away it would be okay.

Does anyone else here still usually keep their open fire on in April ? If in May he is still doing the same I will have to send a letter or something. What do you people suggest ? A polite letter, or contacting local environment dept ?

ricky9

Is this post for real?
Wood smoke smells nice better than the fumes from gas or oil heating .
Have any one complaining smelled the fumes from petrol when they fill there cars.
If you are not in a smoke controlled area stop complaining about people heating there home.
This is a free country.

[Deleted User]

PopcornUK wrote: »

Does anyone know if it is safe to breathe it if you can't actually see the smoke around you ?
.

It is most definitely not safe to breathe, it consistes of a complex mix of gases and particles. The fine particles get into the respiratory system. It also contains benzine and formaldehyde amongst other things. Formaldehyde for example is something that many people are highly allergic to, the most minor reactions being blocked sinuses with copd and asthma

We have a stove and I could smell such fumes, so we made absolutely sure that all joints in the flu were sealed over with heat resistant tape. This did sort the problem for us. If, on the odd occasion, we get outside smoke in when our stove might be off, then we close every vent until necessary. We have really good air filters in several rooms and one airvax is always on, not to far from the stove. We are well aware of smoke hazards

I feel for you, op. Get in touch with environmental health and check regs for flue height and have a sneaky look to see if he has piles of pallets

Dieselman

As a wood burner with a stove i'd like to comment.

Firstly i burn pallets and soft woods from building sites which are treated, they DON'T give off plumes of thick smoke they can be harmfull if breathed in no different to car fumes and other pollutants but as the chimney is 40ft in the air by the time it gets to ground level it's dilated.

I also burn hardwoods tree logs dried out for 12 months or more which again are clean, the first 30 mins of start up can give off a whiff of smoke which is allowed then it runs clean as the heat gets up.

Black billowing smoke usually is house coal which should not be burnt in a stove but a open fire, better to use smokeless. Or wet wood this gives off smoke and is pointless as poor heat.

Rather than reporting this person why not simply knock on the door be polite and ask them what there burning and tell them about the smoke, they may be complete novices and are unaware.