Next door pensioners (elderly mother son combo) are hell bent on trying to kill me with their wood heater. My house is slightly higher than theirs and every time the wind comes in from the north, we get the smoke from the wood heater coming through the front door. Problem is that as they cant afford to buy wood, they burn any old stuff from treated pine ends to broken up pallets.
Pulled them up about it before but as northerly breezes are fairly uncommon and short lived they obviously "forget" and start burning the low grade timber again.
Don't want to put them offside as generally good neighbours, both as deaf as a post so no stereo issues and certainly best guard dog ever (she hands me a list of cars that pull up the drive when we are not home) but I've got a splitting headache from this and a five year old in the house.
Any suggestions for discretely dealing with this.
Select to expand quotelongwinded said..
Next door pensioners (elderly mother son combo) are hell bent on trying to kill me with their wood heater. My house is slightly higher than theirs and every time the wind comes in from the north, we get the smoke from the wood heater coming through the front door. Problem is that as they cant afford to buy wood, they burn any old stuff from treated pine ends to broken up pallets.
Pulled them up about it before but as northerly breezes are fairly uncommon and short lived they obviously "forget" and start burning the low grade timber again.
Don't want to put them offside as generally good neighbours, both as deaf as a post so no stereo issues and certainly best guard dog ever (she hands me a list of cars that pull up the drive when we are not home) but I've got a splitting headache from this and a five year old in the house.
Any suggestions for discretely dealing with this.
Offer quality timber in return for the sons labour (odd jobs - lawns cut).
The son wouldnt work in an iron lung, and you wouldn't let him loose with scissors let alone a lawn mower. Gave them about half a ton of jarrah a few years ago but they went through that in no time. Seems the house is woeful for heating. It has reverse cycle units but they cannot afford the electricity to run them hence the crap they manage to get donated to them by well meaning friends.
Good neighbours are a rare and beautiful thing. I would try at all costs not to break a good neighbourly relationship like the one you mentioned. This is probably a silly question, but have you tried sealing the gaps around your front door with adhesive foam seals ?. This will stop the smoke. You can get it from Bunnings for about $10 I think. I sealed my doors 7 years ago to keep in the heat during winter and it's still working 
Don't stress too much, give it time, burning that crap in the wood heater will eventually clag the whole thing up and they won't be able to burn a thing.
F'ken wood heaters should be banned
My wife is asthmatic and we have to have our house shut up tight all through winter just because of the neighbors f'ken heaters (and I like my neighbors).
It should be made law that if you own a wood heater then there should be a timer attached to the chimney which opens it into your own house for 20 seconds each hour, just so they get an idea on how clean that good dry jarrah burns?
Report them to council and EPA.
Old/poor or not burning unsuitable wood is not acceptable. Same goes for people who use wood heaters with no idea of how to correctly use them.
They are putting your health as well as their own at risk.
I see wood heaters much like jet skis... Play things of the selfish.
There would not be enough wood, nor would the atmosphere remain breathable, if everyone heated their home with a wood heater.
So the ones who burn wood are indulging at everyone else's expense.
I like the taller pipe my idea with a clean out too for a better burn.
But burning painted or poisoned wood is a no no and something should be said
to the ones bring it to them.
That was the worst thing about living in Canberra. Solved the problem by moving to a warmer climate. (Do you even need heating in WA?)
Buy a chimenea put it against the fence in a southerly crank it up right up. Do not stop adding lumber until it looks like a mini volcano.
Now mow your lawn. Gather all lawn clippings dump on top of mini volcano. Instant Pompeii watch as smoke fills there yard penetrating every room in there house. Have a beer celebrate and await the complaint. Feign absolute stupidity.
Oh really, oh I didn't think it would do that. Terribly sorry. Depending on their interpretation you can rest easy or go mow the front lawn to really get your point across.
If you have already ramped it up and they hear the lawnmower again, you know that they know that your gonna dose the fire again and bring back Pompeii.
Childish? Yes
Immature? Yes
Entertaining? Highly
Sense of achievement? Massive
Victory? All yours
Enjoy
unfortunately you have to put your youngster first, if you cant get them to burn a clean fire with a higher outlet, then you probably need to get the EPA or other appropriate authority onto it. Worth some effort to keep a good neighbourly atmosphere if possible but first priority to everyone's health.
When there out go block up there chimney & if there burning treated pine it actually gives off cyanide gas the when arsenic is burned very fatal very fast then you won't have neighbours to give you a problem & after all there trying to kill you get in first.
This is only a joke .
Go tell them about the effects of cyanide poisoning it is one of the most painful ways to die.
Select to expand quotenods said..
burning treated pine/old pallets is dangerous....they give of arsenic gas.
I don't think any pine pallets are made from treated pine. It's all just ordinary cheap untreated rubbish pine.
The reason is, they only last a few years so there is no need to treat against white ants or wood rot.
So,.. generally safe to burn.
The reason it stinks is that it is generally green pine, so lots of sap and high moisture content.
Pine poles and treated structural pine is not safe to burn. Do not burn for the reason stated above.
You will gas yourself and maybe others.
Select to expand quoteactiomax said..
When there out go block up there chimney & if there burning treated pine it actually gives off cyanide gas the when arsenic is burned very fatal very fast then you won't have neighbours to give you a problem & after all there trying to kill you get in first.
This is only a joke .
Go tell them about the effects of cyanide poisoning it is one of the most painful ways to die.
I thought CCA Copper, Chrome & Arsenic treatment in timber was stopped some time ago? Could be wrong though.
pallets are worse than treated pine ..... treated pine has to have safer levels due to domestic use.
as pallets are industrial use they can use higher levels/ potentially more harmful additives....that is before they are used, after use they can be soaked in almost anything...including chemicals that are even toxic for skin contact.http://www.pallettruth.com/2013/03/burning-pallets-5-potential-dangers/
