Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

[brickie in oz]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

Have you considered converting your oven to gas, no smoke, less heat up time, no whining neighbours, its a win win.....

[kebwi]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

What comes out your chimney after you get a fire going? I can't see how any authority, upon seeing heat waves with no visible smoke...

Over the course of the 1.5 - 2 hours that it takes to fire the oven to full capacity the emissions come and go. If it is left to burn for a while, it tends to clear out and produce no smoke. When I throw new wood in or when I stoke, stir, or otherwise rearrange the fire, it obviously starts smoking for a few minutes...then settles down again...just like any ordinary fire of course...but I do tend to the fire quite a bit since I'm trying to keep it going strong. It's not like a dinky campfire that one might let wax and wane over an evening. I'm trying to keep that thing rolling of course so I can saturate the bricks as rapidly as possible...so it does tend to smoke in fits and starts over the duration.

Cheers!

[kebwi]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

Thanks.

Yeah, I desperately want to do some pizza. On an unrelated note, I am somewhat dismayed at the time and effort required to make one or two pizzas for my wife and myself. I don't mind the time prepping the dough. It's the chopping wood and two hours stoking and feeding a fire all to cook pizzas for two or three minutes that gets a little vexing. I love doing pizza parties, but for just the two of us I am learning that I have to overcome a lot of inertia to do pizza...especially during winter.

I should try to put together a pizza party later this month.

Cheers!

[Grimaldi]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

What comes out your chimney after you get a fire going? I can't see how any authority, upon seeing heat waves with no visible smoke coming out of your oven would do anything but admire it. I would be very strong willed in a situation where any authority tried to muscle me over something as basic as cooking food in my own backyard in an efficient and clean burning WFO.

I would be highly indignant if they took this women for anything but a crank.

[Grimaldi]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

If it were me, I would be firing that oven up everyday. I think she is burning up with envy and can't stand it that you have a unique and beautiful WFO oven. Like said above, ignore her.

[kebwi]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

First of all, the fire department apparently isn't in the business of giving a stamp of approval to fire structures (I've asked). All they do is respond to specific incidents (actual fires and/or complaints of violations). In fact, as far as I have been able to determine, no one is in the business of stamping approval in such a fashion as to outright prohibit future complaints. Anyone can complain about anything they want.

Second of all, the nature of such complaints and the determination of their validity is not as objective as we here would hope. If one person's fire is "bothering" another, it is vague at best as to whether they have the right to call the fire department or otherwise have the fire stopped. Bottom line, I would be at the mercy of the mood and personality of whichever particular fire marshal arrived at my house on any given day...and I would probably have absolutely no recourse whatsoever against an order to put the fire out if said marshal suggested I put the fire out to appease my neighbor.

No one is more dismayed than myself that these things are not more cut and dry.

[brickie in oz]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

Why are you even concerned? Just ignore the biotch.

Where the like button?

[Tscarborough]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

Why are you even concerned? Just ignore the biotch.

[Lburou]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

Sigh....snip... I'll just have to deal with her one fire at a time. It's rather slow right now since winter has more or less haulted my oven activities. We'll start doing pizza again in the spring.

Winter then, is time to get your ducks in a row and be proactive behind the scenes. Approach your city officials and get a reading from them about your compliance with applicable provisions of the city codes. A visit to the city attorney wouldn't hurt. Then, when the not so neighborly neighbor complains again, city officials will show her 'how the cow eats the cabbage'.

I know you are an educated man....You probably don't lack for good ideas. Let us know how you proceed.



P.S. Have you considered how a building inspector could help you? He will be certified in differentiating between soot damage & mold damage.

[pduany]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

Not that I am a big proponent of this type of response but it sound like it may be time to have a lawyer craft a response on your behalf. It sounds like she is infringing on your ability to enjoy the fruits of your labors. A well crafted letter telling her to either prove her claims or "cease an desist" might be what is in order so you can bake with out worrying.

[ebbro]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

Why don't you just get the fire marshall there to inspect your oven as others have suggested and try to put an end to it?

[kebwi]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

Sigh. Yeah, I'm uncertain of my long term situation. We fired it up Christmas eve. I set up a big box fan on a ladder pointed at the top of my chimney and directed away from my neighbor's yard. Bottom line is, there is no pleasing this woman. One has to realize that rational discourse is not in the game, and neither is any form of compromise. The only solution she will really "accept" is total prohibition of my oven. She didn't call the fire department but that doesn't mean she's all "oh, a fan, that's great, now you can use the oven all you want." She's a grumpy bully who gets her kicks out of intimidating and threatening other people. I'll just have to deal with her one fire at a time. It's rather slow right now since winter has more or less haulted my oven activities. We'll start doing pizza again in the spring.

[fxpose]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

When I saw this thread:
Wood & Pizza Oven UK Forum :: View topic - Ducting and extractor instead of chimney
I immediately thought about this thread.

[Archena]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

I'm not as nice as you - I'd report her to the EPA. Mold is a major league health issue and if she's exposing the whole neighborhood...

Soot doesn't burn - period. If it's cold enough to settle out, it's not even warm, let alone hot enough to burn. Particulate loses heat fast once airborne. Embers are a different matter - but you'd be having significant damage if it were spitting out enough embers to get to her house and do all that. Soot can't damage paint the way she says - it's just not hot enough. If it were, you couldn't get near any fire because the soot would burn you!

Ya know, if this is mold and it's getting inside - which it probably is if it's damaging wood - then there may be an explanation for your neighbor's kookiness. Some people have really bad reactions to mold and it can cause mental problems under the right conditions.

Or she's just a nut. I'd still report her to the EPA...

I did mention that I'm not as nice as you, right? <evil grin>

[Lburou]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

So, what next?

I don't know if I can sleep tonight with the suspense you have left us in....

Come to think about it, I live downwind of you.....Maybe YOU are the cause of the film on my windows. I want you to come clean them before I call the fire marshal

P.S. On a serious note, some of those spots look a lot like the spots honeybees leave during their 'cleansing flights' in wintertime. Do you know of a beehive in your neighborhood? Other insects could cause similar stains too.