smoke pollution what to do?

[star1961 (Lisa)]

anyone know what to do about smoke pollution in the area or their experiences? it's spoiling my night viewing.
i know it's cold but i need to breathe!

[mswhin63 (Malcolm)]

Unfortunately it is a really complicated. Most properly installed wood burner do not generate much smoke. The problems are using wet wood which is the most common cause of smokey fires. You will need to check the local laws relating to burning wet wood and see if that can be the cause of the problem. Other than that not much else especially if you live in an urban town.

[AdrianF (Adrian)]

There are 17 houses in my street and 8 of those have wood heaters and 1 have an old combustion stove. With the cold days and nights we are experiencing at the moment and not much in the way of wind we are getting choked out. Makes viewing even if the clouds dissappeared pretty bad. I have virtually given up setting up the scope at the moment due to smoke/clouds.
Even considered selling my scopes.

Adrian

[asimov (John)]

No one said this hobby was easy, smoke at winter time is just part of it unfortunately. Sugar cane burnoff time where I am real soon - Should be fun!

[star1961 (Lisa)]

i have neighbours who sit in their garage with an open fire pit and because i'm higher than them their smoke comes into my place.
not all the time but pretty annoying
nice to know im not the only one
gas fires for all surely cheaper and more efficient
might have to wear a mask!

[Hagar (Doug)]

Originally Posted by star1961

i have neighbours who sit in their garage with an open fire pit and because i'm higher than them their smoke comes into my place.
not all the time but pretty annoying
nice to know im not the only one
gas fires for all surely cheaper and more efficient
might have to wear a mask!

Gas may well be cheaper for you but in my case wood is the only ecconomic heating medium available. Night time tempratures here are often a couple of degrees below zero and bottled gas at $120 for 45L bottle it would almost be cheaper to burn $20 notes. Electricity is the other option but Air conditioners can't cope with the low outside tempratures. I have a LP gas heater which used 2 bottles of gas a week just to heat my living area and only for a few hours a day.
Wood is the go for me.

[star1961 (Lisa)]

it's a shame what's best for the environment is not always the cheapest or easiest available

[Hagar (Doug)]

Originally Posted by star1961

it's a shame what's best for the environment is not always the cheapest or easiest available

I think you will find it quite hard to quantify any environmental benifit in pillaging the environment to get gas or petroleum by products (LPG) for heating in comparison to well burnt wood. We tend to forget the damage the minnig companies do and the byproducts left behind in extracting these so called environmentally fuels. What about the carbon footprint left generating electricity be it coal or gas based.
Cost is of course a big factor for me and always will be while city people get an unrealist proportion of services at very cheap rates. When our small town tried to get a gas main run up the valley to allow us the same services provided to city people or those living along the Melb/Sydney gas main, the quoted cost was $80K per household based on every house taking up the offer and an ongoing gas price almost 3 times the price paid 80KM away.
The drivers of cars running LP gas get their gas about $2 a litre cheaper than I can buy it for my house.

Until these inequalities are corrected many of us will continue to use firewood sourced from dead and fallen trees. Renewable and cost effective.

[Shano592 (Shane)]

Spare a thought for the Chinese (at least, in this town, anyway).

It can be the middle of summer (39 degrees at midnight), and you're lucky to see the full moon through the smoke & smog, let alone a couple of stars.

Right now, the weather is typically in the mid-20's, and I saw some blue sky last week for a couple of hours, after a light rain shower. We talked about that for days afterwards! Ah, the memories...

Roll on the end of July (then I get to go home for a while).