Please note that the new EPA head Lisa Jackson closed down Outdoor Wood Boilers in New Jersery beginning in March 2008 when she was EPA head for emitting 20% opacity wood smoke for 3 minutes in a 30 minute period. If WI Dept.of Natural Resouces laws were enforced, heat exchangers similar to Outdoor Wood Boilers would also be shut down for emitting 20% opacity wood smoke for 6 minutes in a 60 minute period. The WI DNR chooses not to enforce these existing laws and in 2005 wrote a model ordinance for Outdoor Wood Boilers which each municipality would have to pass. 74 ordinances have been passed in 37 of the 72 WI counties as of February 2009. Yesterday, Feb 4, 2009, an ordinance essentially banning Outdoor Wood Boilers passed in the City of Madison, WI. Now citizens of Madison are organizing to educate that wood smoke is hazardous to health, and wood burning is using a renewable, but contributes to fact that Dane County, WI was in Dec. 2008 judged in non-attainment of air particulate levels, and in Jan. 2009 had 4 days of Orange Level Particulate Air Pollution Alert days. Steering people to non-carbon sources of residential home heating by education or fines, and using natural gas furnaces as a bridge to the goal of geothermal, solar or wind residential heating will keep the U.S. from losing it's leadership role in fighting air pollution. Particulates also are the 2nd leading cause of global warming, and stopping particulate emissions is the fastest way to slow climate change.
Please note that the new EPA head Lisa Jackson closed down Outdoor Wood Boilers in New Jersery beginning in March 2008 when she was EPA head for emitting 20% opacity wood smoke for 3 minutes in a 30 minute period. If WI Dept.of Natural Resouces laws were enforced, heat exchangers similar to Outdoor Wood Boilers would also be shut down for emitting 20% opacity wood smoke for 6 minutes in a 60 minute period. The WI DNR chooses not to enforce these existing laws and in 2005 wrote a model ordinance for Outdoor Wood Boilers which each municipality would have to pass. 74 ordinances have been passed in 37 of the 72 WI counties as of February 2009. Yesterday, Feb 4, 2009, an ordinance essentially banning Outdoor Wood Boilers passed in the City of Madison, WI. Now citizens of Madison are organizing to educate that wood smoke is hazardous to health, and wood burning is using a renewable, but contributes to fact that Dane County, WI was in Dec. 2008 judged in non-attainment of air particulate levels, and in Jan. 2009 had 4 days of Orange Level Particulate Air Pollution Alert days. Steering people to non-carbon sources of residential home heating by education or fines, and using natural gas furnaces as a bridge to the goal of geothermal, solar or wind residential heating will keep the U.S. from losing it's leadership role in fighting air pollution. Particulates also are the 2nd leading cause of global warming, and stopping particulate emissions is the fastest way to slow climate change.
We signed the "Ban Outdoor Wood Boilers and Wood Smoke Nuisance" petition!
# 80:
9:26 am PST, Nov 17,Name not displayed, Indiana
I live next door to an out door wood burning furnace. It has a low stack and when in use my back yard, home and garage stay full of smoke, and smell very badly. My kids and I have respiratory problems, such as allrgies from it. I wish they would regulate how and where they are hooked up. This one is beside our property line, upwind beside my house, maybe 10 to 15 feet. I now hate the burners and wish they were all banned. Thanks, Brian...
# 79:
10:07 am PST, Nov 14,Vincent Fracaroli, New York
Several neighbors have these in my neighborhood. They cause flare-ups in my RA, throbbing headaches, wrecked my larynx, eyes, and lungs. I'm only 22 years old--I'm not getting these years back.
# 78:
11:51 pm PDT, Oct 31,Mike Reps, Minnesota
Wood smoke contributes to almost half the toxic pollution in residential neighborhoods. My health insurance is already too high. If people are truly worried about the high cost of health care, they would take proactive steps toward eliminating SOURCES of sickness. Wood smoke is a well documented source of cancer, respiratory disease, and premature death. Reducing wood smoke makes sense any way you look at it. I'm not going to wait until I'm another "statistic". Outdoor wood boilers do not belong in residential neighborhoods.
# 77:
11:20 pm PDT, Oct 31,Margot Menard, Minnesota
We live down wind from a very smokey outdoor wood boiler. We are sick from all the smoke. We complain to everyone to make the never ending smoke to stop, neighbors, city officials MPCA. Our cries fall on deaf ears. No one will do anything.
# 76:
10:17 am PDT, Oct 25,Tom List, Michigan
I live across from a outside woodboiler. It fills our house with smoke almost everyday. Prevailing winds put us directly into the smoke line from the boiler. We have tried to work with the people and even offered to pay for thier heat bills but they continue to burn.
With all the smoking laws today you would think it would be impossiable to smoke people out of their house and contribute to health problems from the smoke . These things are being used as weapons. We all know what a weapon can do if it comes into the wrong hands. Hopefully the courts can decide to do something and hold these poeple accountable for the damage these things cause.
# 75:
9:22 pm PDT, Oct 21,Your an ass Douchebag, Wisconsin
go hug a tree
# 74:
8:23 am PDT, Oct 19,Frank Rtinski, Ohio
Ban all outdoor wood boilers? Are you people stupid! How about banning China from generating carcinogens to our planet. Get a life. Natural Forest fires produce more particulate than all the wood stoves in America produce. Why don't you complain about that! Another item to think about, what about all those carcinogens that your propane or Natural gas furnaces produce. You don't complain about those because you can't see the particulate. These heating devices are far more deadly to breathe, which you are breathing everyday. Want to talk about eyesores, look at someone that installed Solar devices or Wind mills, loud and obnoxious. Oh, and by the way, you may believe that you are going green by setting one of these systems up, but wait till the local government taxes you on the personal property items! The only green is for the government on all the "green" Benjamin's they are receiving for new taxes on these devices!
# 73:
10:26 pm PDT, Oct 17,Jim Vince, West Virginia
Ban woodstoves and outdoor furnaces? Pussies. I can not stand people like you, everyone of you is incapable having a pair, hence why you are all pussies. Someone should complain to obama I am sure since woodsplitting and cutting represent the blue collared "hillbilly side" of American life he will be sure to kill it and make sure that no one can burn firewood ever again. And dont worry cuz you will be covered if you have had health affects from the smoke since we will all have free health insurance! All of you get a life, grow some balls, none of you would have ever made it in any time period earlier than the one you live in now, you pampered pansies. Stop worrying about what other people are doing with their time and money, worry about your own pathetic poor selves. The things that humanity has had to overcome over the last few thousand years and your toughest battle is an outdoor wood stove your neighbor has, why don't you move, and sorry smoke doesn't penetrate a concrete basement foundation.....so stupid...... gotta go, I need to get some more wood gathered for the winter so my family can stay warm. All 72 of you really need to get a freakin life.
# 72:
6:23 pm PDT, Oct 15,Name not displayed, Pennsylvania
I have a half twin home and my neighbors next door, who are morons, smoke us out every time they use their wood stove. A lot of smoke comes into our side of the house mainly through the basement wall. The idiot cleans his chimney while the wood stove is still burning. They are very disrespectful and dumb. I have 2 small children and they have to breath in this wood smoke all winter long. Local authorities can't do anything about it.
# 71:
2:52 pm PDT, Oct 14,Name not displayed, New York
At the very least ban the use of them in the summer time
# 70:
9:12 am PDT, Oct 12,Carrie Kingsbury, Pennsylvania
I am being smoked out of my house, I am forced to move, and sell my house at a loss. My sons athsma has been so bad i had to rush him to the ER. I fought at the local level and lost. My neighbor's smoke stak is level with my BASEMENT door!
# 69:
6:19 pm PDT, Sep 19,Joan Hrovat, Ohio
My family suffered through 2 years being down-wind of our neighbor's outdoor wood burner. We tried to handle the situation directly with him, but his lack of concern for our well being and his rude attitude forced us and one other neighbor to take the matter to our village officials. Fortunately, our local council agreed that the situation was a health hazard and passed an ordinance banning the boilers from our community. Although we are now outcasts in our neighborhood for standing up for our health and our rights, at least we can breathe some clean air.
# 68:
5:00 am PDT, Sep 18,Name not displayed, Pennsylvania
Something needs to be done, I have children with asthma and this smoke comes into our homes, making their safe haven no longer safe. My daughters medication has been increased due to the smoke from outside pitfires and then to make matters worse, these people dont just burn wood. I thought open burning in city limits was not permitted.
# 67:
6:42 pm PDT, Aug 8,Name not displayed, Arkansas
# 66:
8:05 am PDT, Aug 8,Reatha Davis, Tennessee
# 65:
6:22 am PDT, Aug 8,Terry Pritt, Ohio
My neighbor's have a "recreational" fire almost everyday, my house is 15 feet from theirs, the wind blows our way everyday. My house always smells of smoke, we cant open our windows, we cant sit outside, our cars, patio furniture and everything else we have outside is covered with ash. I sent a message to the ohio EPA, he said there is nothing they can do snce Ohio passed the law in 2006 that allows open burning, he told me to ask them kindly to not burn when the wind is blowing this way, well it always blows this way. It's especially nice when they are burning trash or treated wood! If you complain to the authories, then you have to deal with retaliations of angry neighbors! Makes you want to rush home from work everyday, NOT!!!
# 64:
6:42 am PDT, Aug 3,Paul Olsen, Wisconsin
We have a neighbor who was burning his wood in an outdoor portable fireplace just 30 feet from our bedrooms. He told us we could just close our windows when the smoke was blowing into our house. This was on a warm summer day when we wanted fresh air in our house.
# 63:
8:51 am PDT, Jul 28,Carl Rosenstock, Wisconsin
# 62:
12:12 pm PDT, Jul 24,Barbara Norgard, California
Outdoor wood smoke needs to be regulated. It is hazardous to health and the future for life on the planet.
# 61:
8:11 pm PDT, Jul 21,Kristina Figary, New York
To Whom it may concern,
We have been suffering the repercussions of their outdoor wood boiler directly for years. After the refusal of cooperation from our neighbor and the blatant disregard for our family’s health and concern, we have no choice but to ask the DEC for help regarding this unfortunate situation.
The smoke from our neighbor's wood boiler penetrates our home through windows whether they are open or closed all summer long. During the daytime hours our family is constantly forced indoors to avoid having the smoke choke out us and our children, 2 years and 5 months old. Windows must be kept closed or opened only briefly, for the fear of these smoke particles invading our living space and making us sick. We are unable to enjoy our front porch many hours of the day, everyday, for the air outside is unhealthy and unclean. The smoke can become so heavy that you can actually feel the dirt on your face and skin after being outside in this smoke, and have to change clothing once coming inside for the smell permeates anything you're wearing. We as a family have been forced to pack up and go to a park for outside playtime to avoid the health concern and risks associated with this fine particle smoke. We are unable to enjoy our own property due to our neighbor's wood boiler's smoke crossing property lines and invading our home and backyard.
At night, the smoke is heavier even than during the day. Living in a two story home it is typical for the second floor to become very warm during the summer. Our bedrooms are all upstairs and we are unable to sleep comfortably and safely every night due to not being able to open windows or use air conditioners the vast majority of the time, for the smoke seeps through them. We refrained from putting the air conditioner in our bedroom window at all due to the fact our bedroom windows are the closest to our neighbors outdoor wood boiler. Our children’s room has to be constantly checked at night and we have to actually wet towels and put them over windows and air conditioners - sometimes 4 separate times a night trying to filter the air coming into their rooms to keep the smoke out.
Trying to limit our exposure to the smoke from Mr. Sallai’s wood boiler has become all consuming. We spend a majority of the day and night trying to avoid the unhealthy smoke, especially for our children’s young sensitive lungs. We are concerned as parents that the smoke from out neighbor'd wood boiler will cause them long term permanent damage, and are asking for the DEC’s help so that the wood boiler is no longer able to be operated in the summer.
Thank you for your time
Sincerely,
Joshua, & Kristina Figary and family
1025 County Road 27
Oxford NY 13830
(607) 843- 8395
To Whom it may concern,
This is a complaint against our neighbor Robert Sallai and family. We have been suffering the repercussions of their outdoor wood boiler directly for years. After the refusal of cooperation from Mr. Sallai and the blatant disregard for our family’s health and concern, we have no choice but to ask the DEC for help regarding this unfortunate situation.
The smoke from Mr. Sallai's wood boiler penetrates our home through windows whether they are open or closed all summer long. During the daytime hours our family is constantly forced indoors to avoid having the smoke choke out us and our children, 2 years and 5 months old. Windows must be kept closed or opened only briefly, for the fear of these smoke particles invading our living space and making us sick. We are unable to enjoy our front porch many hours of the day, everyday, for the air outside is unhealthy and unclean. The smoke can become so heavy that you can actually feel the dirt on your face and skin after being outside in this smoke, and have to change clothing once coming inside for the smell permeates anything you're wearing. We as a family have been forced to pack up and go to a park for outside playtime to avoid the health concern and risks associated with this fine particle smoke. We are unable to enjoy our own property due to Mr. Sallai's wood boiler's smoke crossing property lines and invading our home and backyard.
At night, the smoke is heavier even than during the day. Living in a two story home it is typical for the second floor to become very warm during the summer. Our bedrooms are all upstairs and we are unable to sleep comfortably and safely every night due to not being able to open windows or use air conditioners the vast majority of the time, for the smoke seeps through them. We refrained from putting the air conditioner in our bedroom window at all due to the fact our bedroom windows are the closest to Mr. Sallai's outdoor wood boiler. Our children’s room has to be constantly checked at night and we have to actually wet towels and put them over windows and air conditioners - sometimes 4 separate times a night trying to filter the air coming into their rooms to keep the smoke out.
Trying to limit our exposure to the smoke from Mr. Sallai’s wood boiler has become all consuming. We spend a majority of the day and night trying to avoid the unhealthy smoke, especially for our children’s young sensitive lungs. We are concerned as parents that the smoke from Mr. Sallai’s wood boiler will cause them long term permanent damage, and are asking for the DEC’s help so that the wood boiler is no longer able to be operated in the summer.
Thank you for your time
Sincerely,
Joshua, & Kristina Figary and family
1025 County Road 27
Oxford NY 13830
(607) 843- 8395
To Whom it may concern,
This is a complaint against our neighbor Robert Sallai and family. We have been suffering the repercussions of their outdoor wood boiler directly for years. After the refusal of cooperation from Mr. Sallai and the blatant disregard for our family’s health and concern, we have no choice but to ask the DEC for help regarding this unfortunate situation.
The smoke from Mr. Sallai's wood boiler penetrates our home through windows whether they are open or closed all summer long. During the daytime hours our family is constantly forced indoors to avoid having the smoke choke out us and our children, 2 years and 5 months old. Windows must be kept closed or opened only briefly, for the fear of these smoke particles invading our living space and making us sick. We are unable to enjoy our front porch many hours of the day, everyday, for the air outside is unhealthy and unclean. The smoke can become so heavy that you can actually feel the dirt on your face and skin after being outside in this smoke, and have to change clothing once coming inside for the smell permeates anything you're wearing. We as a family have been forced to pack up and go to a park for outside playtime to avoid the health concern and risks associated with this fine particle smoke. We are unable to enjoy our own property due to Mr. Sallai's wood boiler's smoke crossing property lines and invading our home and backyard.
At night, the smoke is heavier even than during the day. Living in a two story home it is typical for the second floor to become very warm during the summer. Our bedrooms are all upstairs and we are unable to sleep comfortably and safely every night due to not being able to open windows or use air conditioners the vast majority of the time, for the smoke seeps through them. We refrained from putting the air conditioner in our bedroom window at all due to the fact our bedroom windows are the closest to Mr. Sallai's outdoor wood boiler. Our children’s room has to be constantly checked at night and we have to actually wet towels and put them over windows and air conditioners - sometimes 4 separate times a night trying to filter the air coming into their rooms to keep the smoke out.
Trying to limit our exposure to the smoke from Mr. Sallai’s wood boiler has become all consuming. We spend a majority of the day and night trying to avoid the unhealthy smoke, especially for our children’s young sensitive lungs. We are concerned as parents that the smoke from Mr. Sallai’s wood boiler will cause them long term permanent damage, and are asking for the DEC’s help so that the wood boiler is no longer able to be operated in the summer.
Thank you for your time
Sincerely,
Joshua, & Kristina Figary and family
1025 County Road 27
Oxford NY 13830
(607) 843- 8395
# 60:
9:18 am PDT, Jul 18,Rachel Elizabeth, Oregon
# 59:
10:50 pm PDT, Jul 17,Dan Revel, Oregon
# 58:
10:35 am PDT, Jun 13,Adam Zazieblo, New York
I too have an "OWB" 110' from our house, and we have the same problems as many of you indicated below. My 2 year old son and I have astma and we will have to move from brand new house because of "smokey" is impossible to shut down. Where is state and federal regulations for "OWB"
# 57:
5:41 pm PDT, Jun 10,Lee Radley, Pennsylvania
I too have an "OWB" 120' from our house, and we have the same problems as many of you indicated below. I see that a handful of other states have ordinance's and fines, but we live in Pa. where there is no state requirments for "OWB"
I just wish the federal govt. could put out a national ordinance to proctect people in our stiutition, with a no grandfather clause.
# 56:
7:59 pm PDT, Jun 4,Jeanne Leaver, Michigan
Our neighbor put an outdoor wood boiler 90 feet from our house in 2006. We noticed headaches and respiratory problems right away. We can no longer shovel snow, rake leaves, or enjoy our yard as we wish. The once beautiful smelling air is foul. At times our clothes and hair smell of smoke. We went to city meetings to educate people of the dangers of wood smoke, and the city created an ordinance which will protect others, but the OWB by us is grandfathered. We will have to sell this home of 25 years, what was to be our retirement home. Who will stand up and say that wood smoke kills?
# 55:
8:49 am PDT, Jun 2,Name not displayed, Pennsylvania
I used to Love my home, until my neighbor installed an outdoor furnace. I'ts going to be 74 degrees today, but I have to keep my doors and windows closed, even with that, my eyes are irritated, my throat is sore and every day I feel more and more tired, like I am slowly being poisoned from their smoke.
# 54:
9:36 am PDT, Jun 1,Christine Shamwell, Tennessee
# 53:
5:17 pm PDT, May 27,Todd Land, New York
# 52:
8:18 am PDT, May 23,Paul DiMarco, New York
there's nothing worse then the smell of burnt wood ...especially when the smoke just billows......why should other people be punished over someone elses stinky devices....afterall smokers can't discomfort others with their habit due to new laws.....
# 51:
11:49 am PDT, May 22,Name not displayed, New York
2 of those smokers have been installed in our neighborhood in the past year, one less than 40 feet from our house. What an eyesore, beyond the visual negative, the stacks are short and the smoke permeates into our home. Now that nicer weather is here, we cannot enjoy opening our windows. We wake up in the morning with scratchy throats and burning eyes. Those things should be banned. I have had my heat off for a week, I have an excellent hot water tank off my oil-fired boiler. These folks load that furnace up with more than 20 logs and it seems more of a waste of wood and energy if it is on all the time, burning and smoking. Ban Them PLEASE! Our home will have less resale value because people with any respiratory conditions ( ie, asthma, etc..) will not buy a home that smells of smoke.
