Neighbours Wood Fires

[TrevorW]

Hi I not bemoaning someone keeping warm although we haven't had a heater on once so far this winter but with moving towards net 0 emissions isn't it time to ban wood burning fires particularly in metro areas where gas heating and reverse cycle air conditioners are plentiful and cheaper than burning wood.



My two neighbours have wood fires,all I can smell at might is smoke, let alone what that smoke invasion does to my astro imaging work.


Apparently there is at this point in time very little that can be done to mitigate the effect to me without going through a long drawn out process.

[Startrek]

Trevor,
I totally concur but until combustion wood heaters are restricted to only rural and outer suburban areas, folk will still use them in suburban locations. I also have a chap diagonally behind me that burns his all night in Winter ( I’m sure he doesn’t dry his wood out , it’s always a smoke bomb )

Also I have my dear neighbours next to me who leave their exterior backyard and side lights on until late ( and no one is in the backyard) In total there are 6 led flood lights and 4 led side access lights. My yard is like daylight when I image and I’m in Bortle 7/8 too
Photo attached !!
It’s a struggle , narrowband filters are my only line of defence.
I dare not approach them as unfortunately they are not approachable.
A simple timer or motion sensor would resolve the issue. They usually get switched off between 11pm and midnight.
Madness !!
So I put up with a bit of smoke now and again
Cheers
Martin

[TrevorW]

You can complain to council about invasive light pollution :)

[Startrek]

Thanks Trevor,
Yes I know my rights but you don’t know my neighbours
At least I’m very fortunate to escape to my Dome on the south coast NSW ( Bortle 3 ) from time to time to leave all this behind me ( I’m at my Dome now and forecast is clear Tuesday and Wednesday night but with high humidity so dew will form early )
Irrespective of conditions it’s just wonderful be outside under a new moon period and see the huge light band of the Milky Way arc across the night sky.

Cheers
Martin

[Shano592]

A lot of people burning their timber, burn at too low of a temperature... I'm guessing to prolong the burn times of their fuel. This causes the wood to smoke for a much longer time than is necessary.


As a kid, I was taught to get it hot fast, then back it off a bit. The smoke stops in minutes, and you get strong heat for a long time.


Trevor, you being in WA would have access to the beautiful Jarrah lumps. They will burn for hours, even at a good clip.

[TrevorW]

True good wood but wood fires are way too much work and are not cheap these days to run :)

[muletopia]

we are fortunate to have a choice of wandoo jarrah and mallet to collect very dry on our place the only cost is the time to cut it up and stack it the woodshed Best is mallet followed by wandoo jarrah a distant third

[Leo.G]

I live in what was formerly a coal mining town. There's still plenty of old places with ignorant people who burn coal here through winter. You think the wood stinks and emits smoke......

[Matthieu]

I do think there should be a cutoff point with woodfires. Maybe it should map to a council’s population density so it’s not about who has more land but about breathing in congested areas.

I live off grid so use firewood both for heating and hot water which I’m working on remediating. But boy does it smoke whenever it isn’t hot enough or the wood isn’t 100% dry.

[TrevorW]

I have no qualms about wood fires being used in rural areas etc but I do not see the need for them in the burbs in fact there is currently a push to ban them and I note the VIC Govt is banning gas connections to all new homes. Studies show all electric for heating is the way to go :)

[Peter Ward]

Oh mate, I thought my neighbour was difficult, but that is next level !

The drongo that lives next door to us has eternal lighting on all night. Must like energy bills.
.....suffice to say we don't get on.

Thankfully as I image from a dome it makes the glare not much of problem when you raise the lower shutter to shield the scope from an intrusive light.

[Renato1]

An interesting fact - all the wood heaters sold in Australia are illegal in the USA. Over there, their wood heaters have an electrical gadget on top of the heater which zaps particles from the fire, and by law one has to measure the moisture content of the firewood with another gadget, to make sure it's at least 80% dry (I bought such a gadget from AliExpress for about $10).

Thus the solution isn't to ban wood heaters in suburbia, but to require them to be replaced and burn cleanly with the latest US technology.

I live in a low density area where everyone has at least 2/3rds acre blocks and plenty of trees, and my neighbours' wood heaters don't bother us, and mine doesn't bother them. My only neighbour without a wood heater kindly throws all his branches and logs on my side for me to chainsaw and store away till it dries out, and is ready for burning.
Cheers,
Renato

[MortonH]

Last year a neighbour installed a floodlight for their kids' basketball net and frequently left it on all night. I decided to speak to my local council first and was told there's no legislation covering lights on residential properties so there's nothing they can do. The only suggestion they could give me was to lobby the Attorney General!

[TrevorW]

IN WA most Councils under the Local Govt Laws have what is called a Nuisance Act and it states the following regarding lighting. I don't know if similar laws apply in other states.


Division 1—Light
Use of exterior lights
46. An owner or occupier of land on which floodlights or other exterior lights are
erected or used shall not allow the floodlights or other exterior lights to shine
directly onto any other land.
Emission or reflection of light
47. An owner or occupier of land shall ensure that—
artificial light is not emitted or reflected from anything on the land so as to
illuminate premises outside that land to more than 50 lux or so as to cause or
be a nuisance to any person; and (Amended GG No. 15 of 6 February 2009)
(a) natural light is not reflected from anything on the land so as to create or
cause a nuisance to the occupier of any other premises or to a person
lawfully using a thoroughfare.
Notice may require specified action to prevent emission or reflection of light
48. (1) Where—
(a) floodlights or other exterior lights shine directly onto any other
premises;
(b) artificial light is emitted or reflected from anything on the land so as to
illuminate premises outside the land to more than 50 lux or so as to
cause or be a nuisance to any person; or (Amended GG No. 15 of 6 February 2009)
(c) natural light is reflected from anything on the land so as to create or
cause a nuisance to the occupier of any other premises or to a person
lawfully using a thoroughfare
an authorised person may by notice in writing direct the owner or occupier
to take such actions as the authorised person considers necessary within the
time specified in the notice.
(2) The notice referred to in subclause (1) may direct that—
(a) floodlights or other exterior lights are used only during the hours
specified in the notice;
(b) the direction in which the lights shine be altered as specified in the
notice; or
(c) any reflective surfaces be painted or otherwise treated so as to abate
the nuisance
or any combination of these measures that an authorised person believes to
be appropriate to the circumstances.