Problem with smoke from next doors burner.

ThisIsWeird

Black smoke? No, definitely not.

But the biggest tell is the smell. Can you describe it at all? 'Chemical'? 'Acrid'? 'Tary'?

A wood-burner - burning seasoned wood in the correct manner, which is hot and with an air supply from above - should produce very little smoke. And produce only the pleasant, homely, wood-burning smell (obviously a matter of taste).

Mine is on now. If I go outside, I can see literally no smoke.

wazza99

Feel for you we have 2 on our street both bungalows, clouds of "bonfire" smoke most evenings, if your washings out or your windows open you stuffed, both stink. We have to close all windows and bring stuff in well before evening. On a still night whole street is "misty" sorry but like someone else said they should be banned in built up areas.

jonnydeppiwish!

Chickereeeee said:

Anybody that installs a wood burning stove doesn't care about their neighbours. Apart from, maybe, right out in the country, they should be banned.

Really? That’s just like saying anyone who doesn’t repaint the outside of their house every year doesn’t care about their neighbours…..

Why should they be banned? Because you don’t have one? Because it’s significant cheaper to heat a house with one?

Brie

jonnydeppiwish! said:

Chickereeeee said:

Anybody that installs a wood burning stove doesn't care about their neighbours. Apart from, maybe, right out in the country, they should be banned.

Really? That’s just like saying anyone who doesn’t repaint the outside of their house every year doesn’t care about their neighbours…..

Why should they be banned? Because you don’t have one? Because it’s significant cheaper to heat a house with one?

There's a huge difference between someone not painting their house (or even painting it pink with green polka dots) and having a incorrectly used burner.  Biggest on being that inside your house you won't notice the messiness next door.  But you will smell the smoke.

Now I like a nice log fire myself and we had a wood stove at our previous property and a fire place at our current one.  And our neighbours have an outdoor stove that they use almost every day with nice weather spring through to autumn.  So I've got no problem with them being used properly.  Oddly the other day there was a lot of really yellow smoke coming from the back garden next door.  I assume they were burning garbage of some sort.  They hadn't mentioned they would be doing so but then again they also probably saw that our windows were closed so that it wouldn't have bothered us.  

But if one lives in a designated smoke free area then I do agree that things need to be controlled.  If that means banning a cheap mode of heating that might cause health issues for a neighbour then I would go along with it.

plumb1_2

All outdoor barbecue’s should be banned, I find there smoke and smells highly offensive.

Soconfused14

The smell is sometimes like coal burning but sometimes really acrid and cloying. Sometimes you can hardly smell it, others its all round the house. I looked at chimney and definitely black smoke from the top and the flue is blackened at the top. Will try for a photo tomorrow. But need to get this sorted as its becoming a real nuisance. 
They also create smoke in the summer, either from burn bin of rubbish or their frequent barbarcue which is right next to my fence.
Not the easiest of people to talk to though but have no choice. 

JohnB47

Sorry, not that this helps but you sound like you're from my age group. Not many people would know what coal smoke smells like.

Who  knows what is being burned but it seems not like normal 'bought' logs.

I'd be looking at the height of the flue off this thing in order to dispute the use of it, rather than the stuff being burned.

Neighbour problems are a real pain - I speak from past experience.

jonnydeppiwish!

Brie said:

jonnydeppiwish! said:

Chickereeeee said:

Anybody that installs a wood burning stove doesn't care about their neighbours. Apart from, maybe, right out in the country, they should be banned.

Really? That’s just like saying anyone who doesn’t repaint the outside of their house every year doesn’t care about their neighbours…..

Why should they be banned? Because you don’t have one? Because it’s significant cheaper to heat a house with one?

There's a huge difference between someone not painting their house (or even painting it pink with green polka dots) and having a incorrectly used burner. 

But that’s my point, they’ve made a generic statement about all log burner owners, not just the ones who don’t conform to current regulations.
There’s a big difference as already pointed out, a properly used stove will emit minimal smoke and smell.

sevenhills

Soconfused14 said:

Was installed correctly as far as I know ,as guy that did it had works van with company logos on.
I pretty sure its what he is burning. He had another burner a few years ago in his shed and had same issue with that but that was only a few times a month, this is all day every day.

A relatives neighbors had a log burner installed on their extension. The council made them install a longer chimney, as the smoke was entering the neighbours windows.

ThisIsWeird

Soconfused14 said:

The smell is sometimes like coal burning but sometimes really acrid and cloying. Sometimes you can hardly smell it, others its all round the house. I looked at chimney and definitely black smoke from the top and the flue is blackened at the top. Will try for a photo tomorrow. But need to get this sorted as its becoming a real nuisance. 
They also create smoke in the summer, either from burn bin of rubbish or their frequent barbarcue hot or cleanly.  which is right next to my fence.
Not the easiest of people to talk to though but have no choice. 

It could well be 'just' coal, but that is stinky stuff, especially if not burned hot and cleanly. Sooty, too. Horrible - not a nice smell in any sense.

Take a photo of each incident, and log it. It will have far more effect if you can demonstrate that it's a regular or typical occurrence - that will be classed a statutory nuisance. Also a close-up of the sooty flue - that's just since Christmas?! Give it a good week or more to accumulate evidence. Your LA is who to contact. When they ask - as they will - 'have you spoken to them about it?', you just explain how past experience with them has made it clear they do not appear particularly empathetic. Be succinct, frank, and honest. But don't over-egg, or become 'emotive' about the smell, for example. Just factual.

Any other neighbours affected, do you know?