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Teaching my neighbor to keep the volume down

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Re: Teaching my neighbor to keep the volume down

#421

Post by robocat »

modo_mario wrote: post #380
robocat wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The stink remains even for efficient fires. Smoke is often correlated of course. I'm in Christchurch, New Zealand which gets winter smog,. The city council enforces rules and woodburners need to meet strict emission standards. They regularly tighten the rules so that if you want a woodburner you need to replace it every 15 years or so. But they do still smell. The rules have radically improved the air quality here an…

>They regularly tighten the rules so that if you want a woodburner you need to replace it every 15 years or so. What's that supposed to achieve? Also what do you do if you build your own woodburner/fireplace?

It achieves cleaner air, which I personally like, and which is especially great for anyone with lung problems like asthmatics.

I suspect part of the rule tightening is to slowly squeeze to get rid of fires altogether (the outcome with the cleanest air).

> what do you do if you build your own woodburner/fireplace?

You couldn't afford to do it legally (I expect emissions testing is expensive). I don't know what the penalties are for illegal woodburners/fireplaces. My personal experience is that it isn't enforced. I'd guess penalties can be avoided unless you're a repeat offender with a complaining neighbour.

Note that outdoor braziers are legal AFAIK. Although Outdoor fires have some restrictions - especially if very dry and high fire risk.

Firewood is not cheap for heating. Even if you have free trees then it costs a lot of time (in my experience) and often equipment or transport is expensive too.

Here's some historical data that shows very significant improvement over 25 years: https://www.ecan.govt.nz/your-region/your-environment/air-qu...

The smog was horrific before 2000 when those statistics start. Apparently low air quality was implicated in many deaths per year here.

Re: Teaching my neighbor to keep the volume down

#422

Post by IanCal »

throw20251220 wrote: post #387
IanCal wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you smoke you might not realise just how absolutely awful it smells and how it sticks to material. Sounds of children don’t.

So does poor hygiene, smelly dog, a strong perfume you like but maybe not everyone, a newborn poop smell. And for all of those we have washing machines.

If your neighbours have so many kids that the newborn poop smell is filling your home if you open the window for a while and making your curtains and clothes stink of it because it’s that strong you are well within your rights to complain.

Do you smoke? These comparisons are quite odd unless you don’t realise just how strong the smell is.

Re: Teaching my neighbor to keep the volume down

#423

Post by modo_mario »

namibj wrote: post #420
modo_mario wrote: post #380

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>They regularly tighten the rules so that if you want a woodburner you need to replace it every 15 years or so. What's that supposed to achieve? Also what do you do if you build your own woodburner/fireplace?

No one is forcing you to get/build one that doesn't far exceed the current regulations to the point where it is expected to exceed them until the end of its useful lifespan.

What do you mean? A fireplace can last far far longer than that timespan and it's efficiency is not tied to it's age.

Re: Teaching my neighbor to keep the volume down

#424

Post by modo_mario »

robocat wrote: post #421
modo_mario wrote: post #380

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>They regularly tighten the rules so that if you want a woodburner you need to replace it every 15 years or so. What's that supposed to achieve? Also what do you do if you build your own woodburner/fireplace?

It achieves cleaner air, which I personally like, and which is especially great for anyone with lung problems like asthmatics. I suspect part of the rule tightening is to slowly squeeze to get rid of fires altogether (the outcome with the cleanest air). > what do you do if you build your own woodburner/fireplace? You couldn't afford to do it legally (I expect emissions testing is expensive). I don't know what the pen…

>You couldn't afford to do it legally (I expect emissions testing is expensive).

An honest answer at least and something i hope we don't see here. But I think similar legislation is going to become common trough the EU (something is already on the books i believe) and is already a thing in Germany.

It's silly too in a time when most still heat with fossil fuels, pumping up more and more that could be avoided and i can build a fireplace with outside air intake or get a damn near ancient finish masonry heater that's far more efficient than anything one can get at the store.

>Firewood is not cheap for heating. Even if you have free trees then it costs a lot of time (in my experience) and often equipment or transport is expensive too.

I live in Western Europe but it's been cheap. If I counted up the time invested and compared it to equivalent time worked for money to spend on other heating with fossil fuels then it comes out far far cheaper. Even if i add some egregious estimates for the cost of a chainsaw, trailer and wheelbarrow it's still only a fraction of the cost.

Re: Teaching my neighbor to keep the volume down

#425

Post by tpoacher »

SpaceNoodled wrote: post #229
blazers777 wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it's impossible to tell who is normal in these stories. for example, the guy can start smoking inside, and it will always smell like smoke. or, the guy can get his own buzzer. i've had oversensitive neighbors sit there and bang on pots all night because fireworks or construction noise. like another comment mentioned, apartments are just built really badly. you can hear anything. which leads to friends of mine complai…

> people aren't total idiots. You clearly haven't met that many people.

Reminds me of that Terry Pratchett quote:

"You know how dumb the average person is? Well, statistically, 50% of people are even dumber than that."

Re: Teaching my neighbor to keep the volume down

#426

Post by birksherty »

blazers777 wrote: post #367
ornornor wrote: post #317

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The rule is simple IMO: whatever you’re doing, if it impacts people beyond your own sphere then you’re the problematic one. Playing loud music, your neighbours can hear it => you’re the problem Smoking and having the smoke pollute your neighbours air => you’re the problem

the problem is that there's oversensitive people and you actually do impact their lives by being a nurse that comes home at 3 am. if you cook some dishes, and some oversensitive person doesn't like the smell, then you're impacting them. it becomes not so simple, especially when you are a building manager and two people have a problem with each other. it's not always easy to figure it out. Then you have cases like a o…

Maybe but this is not what the issue was here.

Playing loud music, tv is not acceptable. Or smoking outside that impacts others.

Is your want to do that, live alone in a forest.

Re: Teaching my neighbor to keep the volume down

#427

Post by tripzilch »

matheusmoreira wrote: post #147
gljiva wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

> you just declare them awful people just because smoking is part of their lives They're awful people because they are drug addicts who insist on making their unbearable smoke part of our lives too.

> They're awful people because they are drug addicts

what the hell man, that is an awful thing to say, have some compassion

> our lives

if "our" is to mean people with such an awful opinion about addiction, then I wish it on you

Re: Teaching my neighbor to keep the volume down

#428

Post by SpaceNoodled »

tpoacher wrote: post #425
SpaceNoodled wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> people aren't total idiots. You clearly haven't met that many people.

Reminds me of that Terry Pratchett quote: "You know how dumb the average person is? Well, statistically, 50% of people are even dumber than that."

I thought that was George Carlin.

Re: Teaching my neighbor to keep the volume down

#429

Post by taneq »

laggyluke wrote: post #343
irishcoffee wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ignoring the entirety of the rest of this story, I desperately want to know why: "Fortunately it landed in the garden on the other side." was so notable.

Because it didn't land on someone's head?

Yeah, I read this as "fortunately it didn't land on anyone and didn't damage any valuable property." (Value judgements about gardens aside...)

Re: Teaching my neighbor to keep the volume down

#430

Post by robocat »

modo_mario wrote: post #424
robocat wrote: post #421

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It achieves cleaner air, which I personally like, and which is especially great for anyone with lung problems like asthmatics. I suspect part of the rule tightening is to slowly squeeze to get rid of fires altogether (the outcome with the cleanest air). > what do you do if you build your own woodburner/fireplace? You couldn't afford to do it legally (I expect emissions testing is expensive). I don't know what the pen…

>You couldn't afford to do it legally (I expect emissions testing is expensive). An honest answer at least and something i hope we don't see here. But I think similar legislation is going to become common trough the EU (something is already on the books i believe) and is already a thing in Germany. It's silly too in a time when most still heat with fossil fuels, pumping up more and more that could be avoided and i ca…

> when most still heat with fossil fuels

Christchurch doesn't use much fossil fuels. Coal, Coal gas[1], Coke, and LPG were used in the past for home heating. Electricity generation can come from coal when hydro lakes get dry. Utility Solar will replace that usage.

I use firewood for heating when I'm using the living area but I'm not sure I'd replace the current woodburner. I currently use gas for hot water for showers but LPG is getting more expensive so when the gas califont fails it will be replaced with electric heating.

I have access to free trees, but I've been slowly finding that my "free" firewood is expensive (because I value my time highly). I'm not sure how to account for the risks of hurting myself, or the benefits of exercise!

We had a massive problem with smog, and although the regulations definitely have some bad side effects, the regulations have worked.

[1] https://www.engineeringnz.org/programmes/heritage/heritage-r...

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