Anyone getting smoked out by their neighbor's fire pit?

The weather is really nice right now here in central Alabama. The humidity has left us and the temperatures have dropped. Went for a 2 hour walk tonight....about 5 to 6 miles. I was walking back home and as I rounded the corner of my block, I could smell smoke....definitely not a barbecue grill...the smell of wood burning. The smell got stronger as I got closer to my house. Well its my new neighbor with their backyard fire pit going strong. They are definitely burning wood. They smoked up most of my street. The fire pits have become very trendy in this area. Unfortunately many don't seem to care or think about their neighbors health. What if some child on the street has asthma. Or some older person could have emphysema or a heart condition. They certainly don't seem to care about their own health. I found out last week that my neighbor on the other side of my house has stage 2 lung cancer and had part of her lung removed.

Is there a local code against burning and having a nice wood fire on your own property. I hope not so your neighbor can continue to enjoy his yard. I’m sure you do something that he may not like too but isn’t whinny about it.

God forbid someone lives their life , in their yard , their way

Don't be disingenuous. It doesn't seem like the smoke is staying in their yard, which is what the OP was objecting to.

Lol

I Know who you are voting for. My neighbors dog barks don’t stop at their property line either but I’m not belly aching about it. Maybe you should move into a condo with super strict rules against living life

I dunno man, unless there's an actual ordinance that prohibits it, I don't think there's anything you can do about it.

Smoke is a regular thing around here. In the summer, everyone is firing up their BBQ pits. In cooler weather, its firepits, so you smell smoke pretty much all year. As long as its not a big ol' bonfire threatening to burn down the neighborhood, there ain't squat we can do about it. About the only time it really annoys me is not being able to sleep with the windows open during cooler weather.

My neighbor who has been in this subdivision for 30 yrs says its ALWAYS been that way.

As long as you have neighbors, there will always be issues, weather it be smoke, or neighbors who complain about smoke.

People have been sitting around in front of a fire since the dawn of man, I don't think it's going to change anytime soon.

Have you tried actually talking to the neighbor about it?

Unless there's an ordinance about people using fire pits, there's probably nothing you can do.


Where we live which is rural, some people burn their trash rather than have it picked up. (it's legal)

The other evening we got to smell burning trash and burning plastic, now that's an awful smell.

Around my neck of the woods some people heat their homes and shops with wood burners and pellet stoves. I guess that should be stopped too. Lol.

If you get a fire hot enough, it won't smoke or smell. I learned that from a police officer who showed up to my property when I was burning after clearing land.

I don't mind when my neighbor is burning, if he's doing so responsibly. Burning huge piles that smoke and cause a nuisance to others isn't "enjoying your land", it's being a poor neighbor.

Sounds like he is using green wood or isn't building the fire properly. Or sometimes the fire pits that people build in their back yards using metal rings or stone blocks are built up so tall on the sides that the fire can't get any oxygen and smokes like crazy

Normally the smoke from a well-built campfire like that should be minimal.

P.S. Reading this post I am reminded why I don't go on social media or watch the news too much anymore. Some people have to make a federal case out of everything and never want to find any middle ground. Whatever happened to "yes I have the right to build a campfire in my yard, but I'm going to try to do so in a way that I'm not being a jerk to my neighbors." The Golden Rule....

I doubt they are burning smart. Maybe need to learn to stack up a camp fire the right way. One's dealings stop at their property line but when it does not there are two options. Approach and try to help them understand and failing that check local codes (I suggest doing that yourself).
Here burn barrels are outlawed, but one can use "pits" low walled dishes of sorts that allow air for proper burning and also have a screen to catch embers.
We had a nice fire a couple weekends ago. And plan for one this weekend as well.

I wish we could stop forest fire smoke at the state line. Lol.

"The right to swing your fist ends before it hits my nose."

Is it any different if the "fist" is smoke instead?

While the neighbor does have the right to have a fire, he also has an obligation to be a good neighbor and minimize the smoke as much as he can.

DOES he have the right to have a fire? Here, you can only have a fire to cook - which kinda leaves things open but it does discourage bonfires. Even in the county there are rules - no burning leaves, grass, waste, etc..

I got several neighbors that love having pits/open fires/meat smokers/bbq's/etc,etc....sometimes the stink is horrible, sometimes the smoke is unbearable but I don't complain,...But I do remind them when they do complain about my emissions of paint/bodywork/fiberglass/air chisel/ratchet/impact/hammering/grinding/ sounds to deal with it, like I deal with their fires/smoke/drinking late night partying that goes on year round....the o'l "what's good for the goose. is good for the gander"... I've found that if you want to bitchh out your neighbor, they'll wait until the shoe's on the other foot to bitchh you out, so basically deal with it, it's a trivial matter....

I have a fire pit and really enjoy it, neighbors on all 3 sides, I make sure wood is dry and seasoned, no problems, I put it out once because of to much smoke

Exactly. Mind your own damn business and live your life because this is America not some far left country. You know what I hate? People that dump a gallon of cologne or perfume on to go shopping. Cigar and cigarettes even out in the open, loud cars or worse yet motorcycles, pool party’s and drunks when I’m not invited, people that use leaf blowers everyday in the fall, barking dogs, etc. But I’m smart enough to know I’m not the perfect neighbor. And I bet you aren’t either so stick your nose up you know where

I do very little outdoor burning, but I am darn glad the OP doesn’t live anywhere near me.

It never hurts to try and be a good neighbor. I run a smoker and so does my buddy nextdoor. I tolerate his smoke and he tolerates mine. However, one night it was REALLY hot and I had to open up all the windows and he had some strange fire that didn't go out (he wasn't cooking any longer by then) and the smoke was terrible. I just texted him and asked if he could put the fire out, he said sorry and did. When he asks me to chill out on something (which is, like almost never) I do - happily - as an accommodation to a good neighbor.

So for the OP, I'd think about first building a friendly neighbor relationship and then down the road seeing if the neighbor could improve his technique and/or fuel to burn cleaner. This doesn't have to be a libtard vs. freedom issue - it's really just managing relationships and being a good neighbor both ways.

Context matters. Burning is usually prohibited in subdivisions or where houses are close together. If everyone is on 5 acre lots then typically nobody cares. OP didn't provide many facts so everyone is just guessing. Where I live we have burn bans in the summer but can burn the rest of the year. There are rules about recreational fires vs. yard debris burning. Trash burning is not allowed and dense black smoke isn't allowed so no burning of any plastic or rubber or anything toxic. In the fall lots of people burn leaves even though that does produce some smoke. I burn a lot of yard debris in the fall but my nearest neighbors are all more than 100 yards away so they only get a whiff of smoke now and then.

We live in a semi-rural community about a 10 minute drive from the city. Recreational firepits are the norm, as are dirt bikes, snowmobiles and other outdoor recreational activities that are disallowed in the nearby urban wasteland. It's why most of us moved here. My home has an indoor fireplace as well as the backyard firepit.

People tend to be grown-ups and respectful of their neighbours. We generally keep the fires in our pit small, for roasting hotdogs or sitting around having a drink on a cool evening. Occasionally someone burns garbage or garden waste in theirs, but a visit from a group of neighbours usually rectifies that.

If you have not seen one of these nearly smokeless trash burners, they are really effective:

https://patents.google.com/patent/US3855951A/en

I bought a stainless steel one that fit on top of a 55 gallon barrel about 1982.
It was similar to this:

https://www.elastec.com/products/portable-incinerators/smartash/

I later built a large stainless steel one 72 inches in diameter and 48 inches tall to burn wet wooden mining “props” and other trash using a small Rootes blower that was surplus from a “Froth Cell” coal cleaner.

On this large one we made the top double walled so that the air was pre-heated before it created the internal tornado of fire.

When my father saw the big one running, he said
“I bet that would smokelessly burn a truck tire”
and insisted that we try it once.

To my surprise it did burn the truck tire with nearly no visible smoke,
and the steel cords were a least 50% turned to rust too.

I'm glad to see so many forum members provided feedback. I called the Health Department and they said that since the burning is contained, a resident can burn in their pits. So my only option is to talk to my neighbor and have a civil discussion about the burning. I have attached a link to the Health Departments website: https://jcdh.org/SitePages/Programs...tionProtectionDivision/OpenBurning.aspx. By the way, our air quality is not good: https://www.jccal.org/Default.asp?ID=1071&pg=Air+Quality


I live in a subdivision that is not rural. Our lots average about 1/2 acre. I agree that everyone should be able to enjoy their backyard. But what if a resident's behavior harms their neighbors? As I said in my original post, what about the possibility of the surrounding neighbors having health issues. Should the kids a couple of doors down be able to play in clean air? What if one of them has asthma? What if an older couple wants to sit on their back deck to enjoy the night air? Also, this is a good time of the year to open the windows to let in a little fresh air. Last night I was 5 houses down from my neighbors house when I starting smelling smoke. So the smoke traveled a good distance.

Odd, that no one addressed the last part of my post about health concerns.

And of course my post turns political. "I Know who you are voting for." No you don't. I voted for Trump in 2016. Not this time around. And I will not vote for Biden. The Dems are way to far to the left for me. So this will be the first time in my life that I will not cast a vote for a presidential candidate. For me, there is no lesser of two evils in this election.

Lesson learned: I need to limit my posts to automotive subject matter only.

I'd be willing to bet there are nuisance rules administered by your county or state environmental regulatory agency. Fugitive smoke from a neighboring property is most definitely covered by those nuisance rules.

Alternatively, you're probably better off taking some beers over to his house and having a civil conversation. Who knows, you may even make a new friend who'll keep an eye on your stuff when you're out of town.

Why is it people want others to change their behavior to accommodate them?

Here there's a bylaw against open fire in urban areas that includes fire pits and the only ones you can use are the propane ones. Our neighborhood is also very wooded so it's not just the smoke that's a problem but the risk of spark.

I live in a town of 2000. The subdivision I'm in is all 1 acre lots. EVERYONE has burn pits in their backyard. I've had smoke roll through my yard from neighbors and I'm sure I've rolled smoke through theirs. We pay $15/year for a permit and can burn when we want. I try to watch winds and keep my fire hot enough to minimize smoke but...stuff happens. Many of us have smokers as well.....my neighbor says he loves it when I fire up my Traeger! I would never grumble at my neighbor about smoke from a fire and I've never had a neighbor grumble at me. It's one of things you get living in a small town and I wouldn't give it up for anything!

In fact, go over there with a few beers and dont even talk about the fire pit. In the end, it's trivial. Exersize tolerance. You could become good friends. It's not unlike paying it forward. I'll bet that you'll be rewarded in spades. Maybe end up sitting around the fire pit, upwind, laughing and drinking beers.

I try to keep my yard fires small and unnoticed.

In PA we love grilling outside, building a big campfire and kicking back with an adult beverage, and minding our own business

Well said! Around here if there's a "glow" in your backyard it's kind of an invite. Pack up a cooler and head on over. Pull up a seat, relax and shoot the breeze. I have great neighbors and never have to worry about my place when I'm gone(and my neighbors don't have to worry either) BTW....great fire!!!!(I may get some looks if I built one THAT big!....lol)

If there is anyone with health concerns then it is their concern, not yours, unless of course it's you. If it bothers them then they can deal with it, Why are you concerned with it? Trying to find some way to bolster your argument?

We burn yard debris and cardboard all the time and trust me there is plenty of it here in the woods.

My state is on perpetual fire, so I would never notice

Don't take it (^^^) so seriously. A very good friend of mine is "that guy" you're talking about. (yeah, I would would not do that, but...) BTW, I have a drug dealer cattycorner across the street from me. That house has been raided twice in the past year, and the tenants charged, yet the show goes on (just more subtly). You want to trade neighbors???

Me too. Oh, not the burning, I 'm glad you don't live near me.

That's exactly what Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has been telling the rest of the world.

pittsburghracer, that is quite a resume you have there. I know its none of my damn business, but have you thought about a second job as a Gender Reveal Planner?

I live in one of the outer boroughs of NYC. The houses in my neighborhood sit on mostly 40x100 lots, so backyards are small and decent people try to be considerate of their neighbors as the houses are very close.
If im working late in the garage my wife is always telling me about making to much noise. My neighbor has one of those fire pits which is illegal with in city boundaries. He uses it every so often. Outside I deal with the smoke but. the problem is when I have the windows open the smoke comes right inside the house. You cannot stay in the house its that bad and the place stinks. We dont complain and what I do is shut the windows and put on the AC.
When my wife gets on me for noise to late or to early, I like to remind her about that fire pit next door

Since this evening was our normal Wednesday Mopar "guys night" as I was sitting there watching the fire burn I couldn't help but think about this thread.

At one of the Mopar guys house in South St.Louis County, in a subdivision.

lol, ok Karen

I am so happy that I grew up and live in a rural area. My neighbors don't complain about my loud car, the shooting I do or when I burn tree limbs and we help each other out when needed. Hopefully I'll never get the "get off my lawn" neighbor.

I burn rubber at night. I took my regular trek last night...about 6 miles. I go through a lot of New Balances. Having to mix walking and running right now. The street where I do most of my running, there were no wood fires going. Have to admit, for me, it makes for a more pleasant outing.

I tried to put this thread out of my head. I stirred up a hornets nest on this one!

Your are right. There is a big difference between a rural life and living in the suburbs. Growing up I heard "don't cut through my yard", "have you guys been picking my pears", "don't ride your bicycle down my driveway", etc. That is the only life I have ever known. And I don't intend my statement to be an excuse for my opinion.

I like where I live. Been here for 23 years. I have lost a number of my neighbors. Most of them having passed away. They are being replaced by younger couples...drawn here because of the school system. There is definitely a generation gap between us. And that is a factor also.

I live in a rural area and still have to put up with idiots.What you see is a pile of old plastic pools,old plastic lawn chairs ,some roofing shingles a few tires and god knows what else,one hundred yards across the road.The township I live in has codes to cover this and a host of other violations.That pile of garbage will be burned by weekend,probably Sat evening. We don't have a code enforcement office any more,said was not cost efficient,hell if they would enforce and collect the fines that are designated ,they could pay a decent salary and still make money.

You want to see smoke,stop by !!

Hey man, I'm sorry an honest question got turned into a political affair. Tis the season I suppose.

Anyway, you said this neighbor is new. Have any interactions with him before? I moved into a house in a sub and within a week I had the city called on me without warning. Neighbor to the left of us, someone whom we had never even talked to took issue with the way we positioned the new downspouts. This neighbor was in the right, and I would have happily moved them once it was brought to m attention. Instead I got a visit by code enforcement. Soured our relations for some time after that. She was an older lady and I encountered her that winter trying to shovel her way out of the driveway after the plow came through. I'm not that big of a vindictive dick, so I walked over with my blower and cleared it for her. Things improved after that.

I guess I'm saying stake your concern, but do so in a non-confrontational way. This could have a huge impact on how relations go from here on out. Only escalate legally with code enforcement if you absolutely have to. Your concerns to a reasonable, empathetic human being are valid.

Something I never thought about. How do people living in a rural area dispose of their garbage? Is there a facility that you can drive to that will accept it? When I moved into this neighborhood, we were unincorporated, so I had to pay for pickup. When we got annexed into the city bordering us, the city started paying for the service. But my property tax more than doubled.

By the way, I spent 13 years on and off, working on a project in the Lehigh Valley. Beautiful country. When I wasn't working, I used to cruise the countryside. Loved those stone farmhouses and matching barns. I used to fly into ABE every week when work ramped up. Still mad at myself that I never made it to the Martin Guitar factory. Good thing I didn't have a home there. I would have never got anything done....would have spent to much time going to car shows and cruise-ins.

David

Mark, I agree with you 100%. Looking back, I should have toned down my original post. This issue deals with individual rights and personal freedom. So it became political. In a nutshell, this is my philosphy on the matter: Yes, a family should be able to enjoy their backyard as they wish. On the flip side, I don't own the air in my yard or my neighbors yard. Nor do I own the air in my neighborhood. So I have no right to control it or alter it or pollute it. We all have to share the same air. I believe that everyone is entitled to clean fresh air.

I have only had a couple of conversations with the couple next door. Both were very cordial and friendly. They moved in about six months ago. I am not going to go knock on the door and complain. I am going to try to catch up with them when they are outside and have nice conversation with them. If the moment feels right, I will bring up the smoke from their fire pit. If not I will wait for another time to discuss it.

I wish people would switch to natural gas for their fire pits. It would be so much more healthy for all.

David

I live in the middle of nowhere. It's 12 miles into the woods off the 2 lane road. We have garbage pickup and mail delivery. Garbage pickup is once a week, up to six bags for $46 per quarter. But it has to be in a bag. They bring a smaller shuttle truck back here as a regular garbage truck can't get back here.
We have been cleaning up 3 old burn sites at the rear of the property, what a mess. Broken glass, bed springs, nails, you name it. The place has been here for over 100 years, no one knows for sure how old it really is so I'm sure that was the only way to get rid of trash for a very long time. There are two scrap piles as well back there, they are next to get cleaned up. Thankfully there aren't any dead vehicles on the property that I know of yet, but haven't seen all of it either.

i will add to the garbage topic.

where i live is semi rural. i didn't have garbage pickup so i just took my garbage and tossed it into the dumpster at work. i wasn't the only one doing this.

Here is my new burn pit, increased it's size this spring. I cut down a few trees a year, and clean up dead fallen trees, and burn them. I keep asking people if they want free fire wood. But nobody comes for it. I guess they want me to deliver it and stack it for them. This picture faces my closest neighbor, who burns garbage 3 to 5 days a week.

Burn pit facing back of my property.

I started camping when I was 5 (now 64) so I was raised on campfire smoke and love it. My Dad and 8-10 other families would pitch in and buy loads of firewood or go out on cutting days. This weekend at the race track we will have a fire Friday and Saturday night with friends after racing. Nothing as relaxing as a beautiful evening around a fire with friends.

Usually when I start the fire pit going the neighbor asks what they can bring and we end up having a nice meal and good conversation. Did it a lot during quarantine times in fact. Now through this summer we didn't get together much as I have been working every night on a home remodel. Once it is done I'm sure we'll be back to almost nightly fires to cook on or stand around. BTW I do live in the country and have 40 acres to do what I want on.

I enjoy sitting around a fire, it's relaxing, add a few friends, some hot dogs and a cold beverage and it becomes a big time. I grew up using wood for heat and used it myself until I was 36, nothing feels better after being out in the cold than backing up to a good hot wood stove.

We have trash pick up available but the dumpster location is just a couple miles from me so when my can gets full, usually 6 bags, I take it there. It cost me $3 about every three weeks. I do burn all my cardboard and paper trash.

Interesting stereo equipment. Is it ever audible past your property lines?

No sir. Would not be fair to my neighbors. Plus, I'm worried about damaging my hearing too!

OK guys, this city boy got a "beat down" on this thread. I am definitely in the minority on this one. So far it is about 52 to 1. I am officially raising the white flag and retreating to the Restoration and A12 forum.

I don't think there is anything wrong with your post. Smoke can be a really big hassle or downright dangerous depending on how much there is. Where you live sounds like smoke is going to be an issue. 1/2 acre lots are a little too small for everyone to have a fire pit. Most of my neighbors are on 5 acre lots so we have 10x the space. Even on 5 acres I can smell the neighbors burn piles or fire pits. Since they are 100 yards away I typically only get a whiff now and then which isn't a problem. If the smoke was blowing towards me all the time while I was trying to enjoy a drink on the patio then I'd go say something about it.

If you were in the city then fire pits would not be allowed. If you were further in the country then nobody would care. Sounds like you're right in between so it will most likely be an issue that doesn't go away.

I wish I had some of the problems you guys complain about. Life would be great.

My biggest problem is trying to keep the shopping cart from rolling away while I unload the groceries in to the truck.

I wish fireworks didn’t make any noise

I wish fireworks would come back down in the exact same spot they left

Until then

Leaf burning season is right around the corner , let the smoke commence

Take that neighbors

Rolling away!!! Hell mine are usually almost to hard times push or pull right crashing right into pretty girls butts.