Newhouse Farm

durham_lass · Elm Sapling Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 59 Location: Durham

Council got back to me and said I had to burn smokeless fuel until October when our stove is due to go on the DEFRA list of approved stoves. I got a bag of smokeless fuel and this is making the wood go further so I don't mind too much just now. However in the long term I would love to just burn wood.

Bayard only parts of Durham are smokeless I live on a 1970's housing estate where it is a smokeless zone. Apparently if I'd lived about a mile down the road the restrictions would not have applied.

durham_lass · Elm Sapling Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 59 Location: Durham

Just had another visit from the Environmental Health. Another neighbour has complained about the smell of the fire. I have not used the stove since at least April so I don't know what they are smelling! We all know how hot the weather has been.

I think it is because we have just had our woodstore built and they have seen this and thought we were burning wood again. I have got this installed in anticipation of the stove going on the approved list in October.

pork · Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 4:36 pm Post subject:

I know it can get cold in the North East but using a wood burner in July is pretty unlikely isn't it? Strikes me that either aforementioned neighbour is trying to cause trouble or maybe they are smelling something that has nothing to do with your stove?
Can you smell anything at all? Do you know which neighbour it is so that you can talk to them, explain about the stove and then if there is a problem try to help them to find out what the smell is?

Having said its unlikely though my ex's mum used to light their gas fire in the summer - they lived in Washington..
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durham_lass · Elm Sapling Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 59 Location: Durham

Its been between 20-24 degrees most days. We have been too hot, desperate to get cool by opening all windows.

The Officers said they have been inspecting the area for over 6 months and each time they have passed they could not see any smoke from the chimney.

I don't know which neighbours are complaining (they are not allowed to say) but I do know it is two different ones.

happymama · Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 7:55 pm Post subject:

We're not smokeless and there are coal fires on at the mo, they were on last week too, mainly old folk who would want the hot water out of the back boiler I suspect.

If we were smokeless the locals wouldn't take a blind bit of notice, anyway!

I get chilly if I'm tired, but did get soaked this morning, came home to dry off then went out in the aft and it was't so warm this aft, either. Have a fleece on now but only a vest under.

I like the smell of woodsmoke, and coal too - this comes probably from being sent as a child to sniff the tar barrel when they were fixing the roads to clear my stuffy cold-filled head. We all did it, and it smells LOVELY.

(I'm still alive and not at all prone to chest infects so it didn't do me much lasting harm, presumably)
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retroburner · Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 9:38 pm Post subject:

the more calls the council get this time of year about the smoke smell must work for you - the council must see there's a vendeta against you

partymad · Hazel Seedling Joined: 19 Jul 2008 Posts: 23

Franco belge have recently had the Savoy MK2 approved but its not the existing stove its a slightly modified stove so when the monaco goes through testing i would say it will be a smoke control model not just the existing monaco

Dave NE · Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 8:56 am Post subject:

I have a Dunsley which is Hetas approved, i havent installed it yet but when i do i will make sure i have all the paper work in place. I have recently found out my next door neighbour has shopped me 5 times over the last 20 years, (dont ask but when times are hard the kids still need feeding), anyway, i am sure i will have a visit from some jobsworth from the council this winter and i will shove the documents under their noses and tell them to clear off, Dave Ne ps i hope you can resolve the issue, its not nice being picked on

Peter Clark · Hazel Seedling Joined: 22 Jul 2009 Posts: 10

john burdis · Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 9:07 pm Post subject:

Make sure that you explained to the retailer that it's the smoke control area version of the Pioneer (just to double double check). This version has a slightly modified secondary air inlet so that it can never be entirely closed down.
The standard pioneer won't comply.

Let the installer do his thing and make sure you get your copy of the HETAS form that (s)he fills in.
(S)he'll also stick a little plate either beside the stove, beside the stopcock or beside the fusebox.

Done.
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John

Mother nature made the cake, it took 400 million years to bake, we've eaten most of it in just 200 years! When will we get the message?

Peter Clark · Hazel Seedling Joined: 22 Jul 2009 Posts: 10

Great,

thanks john.

Peter

MrBean · Elm Sapling Joined: 29 Jun 2009 Posts: 35

I have a Clearview 400, no lining in the flue. I get it swept annually, and burn it for around 5 hours a day in the winter. I only shut it down at night if there is only charcoal left in the fire, no wood. The chimney is clear and mostly it is difficult to see anything coming out of the chimney.

The neighbours may be complaining about wood smoke that is coming from somewhere else, but you could be just the target. We had a similar problem locally with two neighbours arguing over smoke. The police being called at one stage. It was nothing to do with the neighbours fire, it was a farmer with a hedge cutting business, burning the waste in a field half a mile a way. I spoke to the council, they spoke to him, in the end he will stop as the hassle increases.

One thing that may help to reduce the smells at lighting time is to build the fire upside down. I put big logs on first, then some smaller sticks, very dry, then a few bits of paper, then some small kindling. This allows the kindling to get hot and the gases to burn within one or two minutes. That gasifies the sticks and so they add to the flames, that in turn sets the logs alight.

The result is a low smoke start, and the stove gets up to temperature faster, as the smoke is being burnt and not discharged.

durham_lass · Elm Sapling Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 59 Location: Durham

On returning from holiday at the beginning of September we were greeted with yet another letter from the Council. This time it said we were unable to use our stove at all! We arranged a meeting with the people concerned which was today. It turns out the whole thing is because of a particular person complaining, they even made a formal complaint against Enviromental Officers involved. The Officer says he sensed their was a pre-existing grudge against us and is doing all he can to help us. They are coming out next week to watch me light the stove and see how much smoke it produces and for how long. If it passes their inspection he is willing to let us use it for smokeless fuel only.

I asked if we got our installer to replace the stove with one from the exempt list would that be an end to the matter once and for all. His answer was 'Yes'. My concern now is what are our rights concerning this and how likely is our installer to agree to a replacement at no extra cost to ourselves. Before installation the Installer was made aware that we live in a smokeless zone and that we wished to burn both smokeless fuel and wood. Even if the Council say we can use the stove to burn smokeless fuel I will be disappointed at not being able to use wood. As you can tell I am extremely worried/stressed by this( I suffer from ME)and tonight am unable to sleep because of it.

greentwinsmummy · Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 8:10 am Post subject:

Oh DL what a worry for you,the one good thing is the council person seems to be on your side & not automatically assuming because its a complaint the complainer is in the right whcih does often happen

Regards if you could get the stove swopped,I dont know,maybe someone else on here could advise on that.I would think that you have a point as you knew it was a smoke free zone & asked for a stove that did indeed just that.I am not sure if small claims courts type threat works well,most retailers whatever they sell would be daft to risk a bad reputation & not try & sort the matter out with you,even if it was a compromise with you paying extra towards whatever stove it was you ended up with.

because I know how worrying things can be & especially if you are not in the best of health,it can all seem insurmountable x x x
It will get sorted,hopefully sooner rather than later x

Do you know who it is thats grumbled I would find it very hard to not growl at them in the street
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