# Tree Hugger Trying to Shut Me Down



## s37d (Feb 8, 2012)

So I live next to this real tree hugging whiner who has for whatever reason made it his main goal in life to shut my wood burning down. I'm in a suburban environment, but there are other wood burners near us, all within a 100 foot area of each other. It's New England, Near Boston, right on the ocean. It gets very cold and wood burning here is an American tradition going back hundreds of years to the founding of our nation. This guy claims that, even though there is another wood burner the same exact distance from his home, only my stove affects him. He also just so happens to not like my father and is friends with the closest other wood burner, who he's never complained about. Go figure. I always burn clean dry wood, and there's never an unusual amount of excess smoke. This guy is so hellbent on shutting me down, here's a list of things he's done thus far:

-Visited the town building department numerous(10+) times, forcing them to visit our home and make sure the install is to code and inspected. It of course was, and they've now labeled him a nutcase.

-Visited the fire department, prompting the fire marshal to visit. The marshal said this nut actually took a picture of my stack one day when it was a "smokey" fire, which probably stopped smoking seconds after he took the pic. The fire marshal turned out to be a good guy who said he had driven by the house several other times and couldn't even see any smoke. He also said that he even allowed outdoor fire pits, and had no problem with burning clean wood(showed him my clean wood pile). Now we have another town official labeling him a nut.

-Contacted board of health. I got a letter from the board of health(ridiculous, I know). The nut must have portrayed me as someone who burned trash in my stove, as I'm sure he did with the other two officials, because the clown at the board of health included what looks like a google copy and paste of 'tips for clean burning', which I've been fully aware of and followed since I was a kid. "Only burn clean dry wood, if your insert is old replace it(it's not, it's new), etc. 

The last sentence of the letter from the director of public health reads "...I request that the wood burning unit not be used when the wind is coming from North Westernly direction toward the property..."

When it's coming from that direction? Are you kidding? Yeah sure, I'll just monitor the wind direction constantly and when it shifts, pour a bucket of water on it. How can such a thing even be enforced? This is a legal install with other wood burners in the immediate area, and they want to impose such a restriction on me? My guess is they'd open up a bag of worms if they tried to enforce it, and I don't plan to stop burning, ever. 

Anyway, bounce your ideas back, let me know if anyone's experienced similar situation.


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## Ductape (Feb 8, 2012)

I hate to suggest it, but perhaps the positive findings by the town officials, along with a letter from an attorney threatening action against him would be appropriate. Might be the best couple hundred you ever spent?


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## atlarge54 (Feb 8, 2012)

Document all this activity, times, dates, names of officials. You may need it in the future. He probably won't let up. 

If you don't have one already, put up an Obama sign. He sounds like one of "them".


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## Ductape (Feb 8, 2012)

P.S. If that doesn't work, perhaps go to southie to give Vinnie a couple hundred to pay your neighbor a visit???


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## dave_dj1 (Feb 8, 2012)

Give them an inch and they want a mile!
I would invite him over and firmly explain to him that it is my god given right to burn just as it is his right to complain. Once we had "an understanding" I would release his neck, um I mean tell him he is free to go about his merry little way. Don't forget to mention you heard there is a sale on Birkenstocks downtown! 
These people are going to be the demise of us free spirited Americans!


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## Rob1276 (Feb 8, 2012)

Ductape said:


> I hate to suggest it, but perhaps the positive findings by the town officials, along with a letter from an attorney threatening action against him would be appropriate. Might be the best couple hundred you ever spent?



I think this would be your best option too


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## bbxlr8 (Feb 8, 2012)

Some people are crazy and you will never get through. It is your right and approved. I second the document everything just in case.

BTW: It doesn't matter where or how much space you have. I have a woman neighbor (on the next 12 acres mind you) that complained to me about my smoke "rolling down the valley". She did have a point - it was after I moved in an before cleaning chimney's to my spec's... but here's the kicker; this 75 y/o say's this as she is smoking her way through a pack during our talk!


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## kodiakattack (Feb 8, 2012)

The "key words" in that letter you recieved from the public heath is - I request !!! That is the same as asking you !!! Keep burning brother and kill 'em with kindness !!! These pepole are not worth hitting because somone else will end up doing it !!! Burn baby Burn !!!!


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## Stihl310 (Feb 8, 2012)

Definetly document each encounter and any interaction with public officials. Names, dates, anything... As others have said it may make a huge difference down the road, especially when the public officials start back peddling on what they told you.


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## Oldtimer (Feb 8, 2012)

You must be a saint. He'd be in his closet drooling and rocking back and forth in abject terror by now...


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## lone wolf (Feb 8, 2012)

Save your money get the best lawyer for the Court there and beat him the right way!


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## CTYank (Feb 8, 2012)

atlarge54 said:


> Document all this activity, times, dates, names of officials. You may need it in the future. He probably won't let up.
> 
> If you don't have one already, put up an Obama sign. He sounds like one of "them".



OK, which are "them" and which are "us"? On the face of it, your statement is bogus. IMHO. Or is it just some sort of paranoia.

From what we've heard, the unnamed person is just a nut demanding special treatment. Like the Bachmanns, you know.


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## Walt41 (Feb 8, 2012)

Honestly I can't believe the crap you guys put up with. I would have broke his jaw on the first complaint, 3rd degree assault, ACD-problem solved. BTDT-6 times.


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## lone wolf (Feb 8, 2012)

Walt41 said:


> Honestly I can't believe the crap you guys put up with. I would have broke his jaw on the first complaint, 3rd degree assault, ACD-problem solved. BTDT-6 times.



Would that be a probation violation cause if you did it before?


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## Walt41 (Feb 8, 2012)

lone wolf said:


> Would that be a probation violation cause if you did it before?



Longest probation I got was a year and that was for screwing the barrel of an AK in the back of a punks head that I caught lawn jobbing my front lawn before I moved to the country. After court you just have to ride out your time and be careful, knock on wood I have been incident free for the last 18 months.


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## sawinredneck (Feb 8, 2012)

I've got four, maybe five, wood burners within 100ft, no problems here with smoke! Not sure what you are on about there Dan!
My fix for this, get an old riding mower, remove the muffler and run a straight pipe then add a quart or more used motor oil in the gas tank when the wind is in his direction. Nothing in the books about lawn care!


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## lone wolf (Feb 8, 2012)

Walt41 said:


> Longest probation I got was a year and that was for screwing the barrel of an AK in the back of a punks head that I caught lawn jobbing my front lawn before I moved to the country. After court you just have to ride out your time and be careful, knock on wood I have been incident free for the last 18 months.



What were the charges assault with a deadly weapon, possesion of a deadly weapon and intent to use a deadly weapon?


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## avason (Feb 8, 2012)

If you are within state regulations then you are good to go. We have some real issues here in CT that are not going to get better anytime soon, (some towns have actually legally banned them). I don't think they can touch you...I just feel bad for you neighbor. They should put more restrictions on these things...especially in dense towns.


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## Walt41 (Feb 8, 2012)

lone wolf said:


> What were the charges assault with a deadly weapon, possesion of a deadly weapon and intent to use a deadly weapon?



All they could get was menacing, I never gave a statement and there were no witnesses willing to come forward. One thing I learned Is never give a statement, that is what lawyers are for.


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## lone wolf (Feb 8, 2012)

Walt41 said:


> All they could get was menacing, I never gave a statement and there were no witnesses willing to come forward. One thing I learned Is never give a statement, that is what lawyers are for.



Lucky one of his friends did not video it on his phone.Never give a statement is right.


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## zogger (Feb 8, 2012)

You aren't violating any laws, and have passed numerous inspections. This neighbors behaviour is close (not there, but sorta similar) to what is called vexatious litigation, although he hasn't sued you directly in court. He probably will though, come up with some wild claim.

Get a lawyer, give him the details and records you have, if and when he tries to take you to court, you'll have immediate defense and then your lawyer can push for the vexatious litigation angle and try to get a judge to dismiss the guy and order him to back off with some sort of restraining order.


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## Walt41 (Feb 8, 2012)

To the OP, I think you already realize that this situation is not going away and will only get worse. Town officials will not back you up and are the biggest two faced liars on the planet, most of them have calendars and are just running out the clock till retirement, I'd guess they were on your neighbors side when talking to him. Only way I see this going away is a face to face with no weapons and no witnesses, nobody wants to take nutrition thru a straw, it is time for you to at least talk to him directly, my guess is he will back off once he knows the stakes.


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## GeeVee (Feb 8, 2012)

Del_ said:


> Four wood burning homes within 100ft. of each other? How sad.
> 
> This is the kind of thing that is going to screw it up for all wood burners.
> 
> ...



I'm his neighbor. I burn wood too. can you support me? My BIL lives next door, Support him? What shall be your threshold of support? None of us? Because we don't have fifteen acres, we can't have a stove or fireplace?


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## dhopkins55 (Feb 8, 2012)

Explain to the Tree Hugger that burning wood is actually "carbon neutral." That'll make him and his Obama-like buddies happy!!:hmm3grin2orange:


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## mattfr12 (Feb 8, 2012)

I was gonna put a wood burner in my house but now can't they where banned in my town last year. outdoor wood furnaces are no more. the people that had them had to stop use. one guy had over 10k in his furnace did water and everything. a few people got together and complained and shut them down permanently.


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## Rob1276 (Feb 8, 2012)

sawinredneck said:


> I've got four, maybe five, wood burners within 100ft, no problems here with smoke! Not sure what you are on about there Dan!
> My fix for this, get an old riding mower, remove the muffler and run a straight pipe then add a quart or more used motor oil in the gas tank when the wind is in his direction. Nothing in the books about lawn care!



Dude that's great I can barely type I'm laughing so much just picturing that


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## s37d (Feb 8, 2012)

Some good feedback here, thanks. We do have a good lawyer and I will look into the vexatious litigation suggestion.



Ductape said:


> P.S. If that doesn't work, perhaps go to southie to give Vinnie a couple hundred to pay your neighbor a visit???



That's pretty funny, lol. I am half Italian/Irish. Southie is Irish, would have to go to the North End for Vinnie. I wouldn't tap connections for this, anyway. He's more of a nuisance, and I knew you guys would enjoy the story.


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## Chris-PA (Feb 8, 2012)

Some folks use any opportunity to trot out their favorite political boogyman. From the OP description this has not much to do with "tree huggers" or us dreaded environmentalists, and everything to do with a personal feud between neighbors. Some people are just a-holes - I live next to one.


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## Whitespider (Feb 8, 2012)

This type of thing is exactly why I live where I do… in the sticks.
With that said, I also have spent my share of hours looking at the wrong side of jail bars because I have no time for self-righteous azz-holes like that… and it was worth it every single time!

After his first complaint I would have had a stern, private conversation with him, explaining exactly what would happen if the BS continued.
After the second complaint I’d have still made it private, but he wouldn’t have even seen me coming.
And I’ve never found there’s a need for a third meeting, no matter what the outcome or aftermath.

And I’ve also learned to never give a statement… just best to smile and talk about the weather.


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## shelbythedog (Feb 8, 2012)

If the fool keeps pushing to shut the OP down, it will reach a point when everyone burning becomes affected. If the county, township, city, etc. gets involved in an actual shutdown of burning at the OP's residence, they will have to shut everyone down. Get your other wood burning neighbors on board with shutting the nut case down, they will be willing to help if their burning is in jeopardy, too. No question, there is power in numbers.


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## Rob1276 (Feb 8, 2012)

mattfr12 said:


> I was gonna put a wood burner in my house but now can't they where banned in my town last year. outdoor wood furnaces are no more. the people that had them had to stop use. one guy had over 10k in his furnace did water and everything. a few people got together and complained and shut them down permanently.



Time to get a lawyer and start fighting or put a for sale sign up. This country going to hell quick screw over the masses to please the few.


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## THE PLUMMER (Feb 8, 2012)

CTYank said:


> OK, which are "them" and which are "us"? On the face of it, your statement is bogus. IMHO. Or is it just some sort of paranoia.
> 
> From what we've heard, the unnamed person is just a nut demanding special treatment. Like the Bachmanns, you know.



In this case "them" = koolaid drinkers, people who support laws as long as they don't effect their lives, greenies that spew the first headline they read without an ounce of fact or research on their own, 1 of the 52 million proven uneducated morons that voted for the socialists in charge, someone who supports electric vehicles but can't afford one without other tax payers money in the form of an $8,000 government rebate, people still dumb enuff to support the guy who has passed more EPA restrictions than any other president in history and stifling the economy and growth. Who do you think put the ban in place on all wood burning heating equipment. Oh maybe we wouldn't have to heat our homes with wood if someone didn't restrict or ban the fossil fuel industry causing the price of fuel to more than double. I wonder what all these wood burning haters do when they go camping? oh but thats ok then, cuz they are doing it. Fact is wood burning isn't harmful to you at all, unless you are the one huffing off the stack. You have to do some real research not just the articles that suit your point of view. Ask a fire marshal for some real first hand air analysis of just wood smoke. Obama supporters hate facts as much as they hate their own miserable lives, thats why there's msnbc,cnn,cbs,pbs.........they aren't happy until everyone is as miserable as they are. One way to tick thy neighbor off is to always be happy


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## MarylandGuy (Feb 8, 2012)

Curious, but how old is your woodstove? Is it a newer EPA approved stove? If not, you might consider upgrading.

I know that sounds crazy, but it will make a huge difference in smoke. And you will probably burn at least half as much wood.

I upgraded my old stove to a newer EPA approved unit. I cut my wood usage to about a third of what I used to burn. And when it is running correctly, you never see smoke coming out of the chimney.


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## Chris-PA (Feb 8, 2012)

Rob1276 said:


> Time to get a lawyer and start fighting or put a for sale sign up. This country going to hell quick screw over the masses to please the few.


So in that area do you think the outdoor wood burners outnumber the others? Which are the masses and which are the few?

My neighbor burns his trash, including leftover chemicals from his illegal paint shop that he built after lying to me and the township. He runs his illegal business using my private property to access his land-locked place. Did I file every complaint against him I could? Damn straight. But first I went to him, whereupon he showed his true colors. 

At this point he has sworn in court that he is not running a business, a point I never fail to remind him of, and he has to work so hard to hide his activities that it's pretty much put an end to it. He can't put a toe out of line without me all over his butt. I can guarantee you it would not end well if he came over to give me a "stern talking to". On the other hand, I'm smart enough to not give him anything he can use against me legally - I will not be losing my home or property in order to show how manly I am. He watches me swinging an axe for hours, I think he gets the picture.

A cool head is better than a hot head.


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## s37d (Feb 8, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> Some folks use any opportunity to trot out their favorite political boogyman. From the OP description this has not much to do with "tree huggers" or us dreaded environmentalists, and everything to do with a personal feud between neighbors. Some people are just a-holes - I live next to one.



Yes, he is, on top of all else, an a-hole. The yacht-club wannabe snob variant.


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## Guido Salvage (Feb 8, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> He runs his illegal business using my private property to access his land-locked place.



Does he have a deeded right of way or prescriptive easement across your property? I do not know the circumstances of the property subdivision, but I believe that a prescriptive easement is obtained in PA by continuous use over a 21 year period of time. If he has neither, you may want to talk to a lawyer about shutting him out.


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## CWME (Feb 8, 2012)

Why would you let these people into your home? Code enforcement or the Fire marshall. Is there some law that states that they can search/inspect your home without a court order? Even more violating is because it is on the word of a third party. That is scary buisness if they can come in when ever they so choose. They would have been turned away at the door at my house.


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## Chris-PA (Feb 8, 2012)

Guido Salvage said:


> Does he have a deeded right of way or prescriptive easement across your property? I do not know the circumstances of the property subdivision, but I believe that a prescriptive easement is obtained in PA by continuous use over a 21 year period of time. If he has neither, you may want to talk to a lawyer about shutting him out.


There is no formal lane use agreement, but the residence has been there for 50years so that is grandfathered. Even if it weren't so legally, it was there when I bought the place it so I do not have any interest in bothering about that. The business has not, the structure is new and he has sworn there is no business. The pro-business judge required receipts to prove he was running a business, an almost impossible standard to meet. However, he cannot not now establish any precedence of using my land for accessing his business since he swore there was none, which was my goal.

At this point I could prove it, but I cannot justify diverting my family's funds towards a pissing contest. His health is failing and of late we are both trying to live next to each other without so much conflict, although he will always be what he is. I intimidate him a lot, which is to my advantage, and he believes he cannot rattle me or make me loose control.


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## Iska3 (Feb 8, 2012)

I'm glad I live where I do. We have a gal down the road who goes wild with the smell of smoke from a outdoor fire pit and she'll do everything she can to stop them. I've burn wood in my OWB going on three years now and not a word has been said. Most of the people around me never knew I heated with wood until this fall and if they did, no one said anything to me.

I found it's best to work with my neighbors as a form of respect. It’s hard for anyone to be upset with a person who is always kind and willing to work with them. What little smoke that might come from my OWB to me is not a big deal because I’m seeing $aving$ and the other person might be a bit envy of me when the LP truck pulls up to their tank. 

It might not by your stove that upset them, it might be the stove down the road that is causing the troubles and you just happen to be the one living next to them. Then again, it could be something totally different making them upset and the smell of the smoke is the little bell that goes off in their head and they take it out on you. 

I would find a way to work with them and not against them before it gets out of hand and the LP truck is now pulling up to your tank next week. 

Send them a Smoked Turkey for Christmas....

A lot of what Plummer said is true…


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## Chris-PA (Feb 8, 2012)

CWME said:


> Why would you let these people into your home? Code enforcement or the Fire marshall. Is there some law that states that they can search/inspect your home without a court order? Even more violating is because it is on the word of a third party. That is scary buisness if they can come in when ever they so choose. They would have been turned away at the door at my house.


Sounds to me like he did himself a big favor by letting them in and establishing a good relationship with them. You never know who you'll end up dealing with, but I've found it a big advantage to be on good terms with my local government in the place I live. There are rules and official practices, and then there are human beings with emotions in official positions, and often they are good folks. They can do a lot for you if they want to.

EDIT: That doesn't extend much past my local government, say township level - people I can meet and get to know personally.


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## Walt41 (Feb 8, 2012)

CWME said:


> Why would you let these people into your home? Code enforcement or the Fire marshall. Is there some law that states that they can search/inspect your home without a court order? Even more violating is because it is on the word of a third party. That is scary buisness if they can come in when ever they so choose. They would have been turned away at the door at my house.



Anyone ever heard of just not responding to public officials? I had a building inspector with a complaint about one of my outbuildings leave notices at my front gate for six months once, I just ignored him and he moved on to greener pastures. As far as letting any of those tax payer funded lackies in my home...never happen unless they have two SWAT units backing them up, even then I could take em if need be.


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## Iska3 (Feb 8, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> Sounds to me like he did himself a big favor by letting them in and establishing a good relationship with them. You never know who you'll end up dealing with, but I've found it a big advantage to be on good terms with my local government in the place I live. There are rules and official practices, and then there are human beings with emotions in official positions, and often they are good folks. They can do a lot for you if they want to.
> 
> EDIT: That doesn't extend much past my local government, say township level - people I can meet and get to know personally.



I found it's best to work with them. Like you said " I've found it a big advantage to be on good terms." They put their pants on just like the rest of us..


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## ks_osage_orange (Feb 8, 2012)

Reading this thread just makes me happy to live where I do. Mostly open farm ground with no close neighbors. (anybody within a mile drive is considered a neighbor here. I have an OWB and am the envy of my "neighbors". I only know of 2 others with an OWB in a 50 mile radius, but almost everybody in the country here burns wood in some way. I feel sorry for people who live in such close proximity to each other. It definitely takes some extra work to just get along. If it is illegal to burn wood in some of the places you guys live, I would find a new place to live. To the OP, burn responsibly and you will be fine. If you end up not being fine, and your right to live free is important to you, find a new place to live.....Go west, but not too far west unless it's Alaska.


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## 1project2many (Feb 8, 2012)

> Why would you let these people into your home? Code enforcement or the Fire marshall. Is there some law that states that they can search/inspect your home without a court order?



You would be amazed at the power the board of health has in Massachusetts. And if the OP has children, the neighbor could make life a real nightmare by calling the Department of Social Services. DSS might take children from home or from school without even notifying parents.


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## RAG66 (Feb 8, 2012)

Our rules state that there be "no visible smoke after a 20 minute start up period". I assume it means on reload too. I have a tight quarters situation here too. My next door neighbor use to burn so he knows what it is. I have worked exceedingly hard to get ahead on my wood, to achieve truly seasoned wood. I burn hot to avoid smoke and smell. Don't be a jerk but also don't ask permission. At all cost have no interaction with him, I mean nothing.


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## Dogsout (Feb 8, 2012)

mattfr12 said:


> I was gonna put a wood burner in my house but now can't they where banned in my town last year. outdoor wood furnaces are no more. the people that had them had to stop use. one guy had over 10k in his furnace did water and everything. a few people got together and complained and shut them down permanently.



It is hard to believe that some type of grandfather rule would not come into effect for the people that already have them in use. So in your town if you just laid out $10,000 on an ODW system last year you would be SOL this year? Not doubting just hard to comprehend. I am on the council of the small little berg I live in in NC Iowa and would have a very hard time trying to come up with wording for an ordinance that would put an end to EXISTING units that would hold up in court. Any owner running an ODW *responsibly* should be able to put up a pretty good case for exemption to a new ordinance. This type of showdown my becoming to my neck of the woods soon if energy prices keep going up with no end in sight and more people would turn to this option. As it stands for the moment I personally do not know of another existing ODW with in 10 miles of me. If and when it does I sure as heck won't go down without a fight! JMHO.


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## Como (Feb 9, 2012)

Why not just ignore him?


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## s37d (Feb 9, 2012)

Como said:


> Why not just ignore him?



We do ignore him, lol.


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## Dono (Feb 9, 2012)

Next sunday throw an old tire in there....:eek2:


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## Whitespider (Feb 9, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> *A cool head is better than a hot head.*



I could not agree more.
During confrontation, physical or otherwise, a cool, calm head will always prevail... and don't forget to keep breathing.


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## CWME (Feb 9, 2012)

Unless he got something in writing from each inspector stating that his install was legal and to code he has done nothing to help himself by letting them in. The political winds change quickly when their jobs are on the line. If it would benefit them to throw him under the proverbial bus they would. 

I said nothing about being rude to the individuals. I understand that they are humans and put on their pants one leg at a time. However the local code enforcement "officer" in my town is the biggest blowhard I have ever met. He would inspect the wood burning appliance and then fine me for putting in the outlet to run the blower on said furnace without getting a permit. Simply inspecting the furnace would not be his primary goal, inflating his authority over his subjects is his goal. 

Anyway, the point being is that the guy next door was allowed to violate your home because he had a hair across his behind. That is plain wrong in my book. 




WoodHeatWarrior said:


> Sounds to me like he did himself a big favor by letting them in and establishing a good relationship with them. You never know who you'll end up dealing with, but I've found it a big advantage to be on good terms with my local government in the place I live. There are rules and official practices, and then there are human beings with emotions in official positions, and often they are good folks. They can do a lot for you if they want to.
> 
> EDIT: That doesn't extend much past my local government, say township level - people I can meet and get to know personally.


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## logbutcher (Feb 9, 2012)

*The Pee Rule*

I do feel for the OP on this. Too many people are in the "get a life" mode.

Other than the keep your head and ignore advice, you could move. Seriously.

Retiring gave us the opportunity to choose how and where we wanted to live. I wanted a woodlot for firewood. We followed the *Rule of Pees* when looking for land in a rural region here in Downeast Maine : *live where you can pee in all directions without disturbing or offending neighbors.* It's effective. Our nearest neighbors also own woodlots, work the wood, and understand the 'noise' of saws or brushcutters running. And I defer to them by not cutting on Sundays, when they have guests staying over, early mornings before 0700, or when they ask me. 

Suburban or semi-urban environments always seem to attract the OP's kind of neighbor no matter how conscientious one is with wood burning. It's a lose-lose game unfortunately. It's here also: people bringing their suburban gestault with them. " That lobster bait smells." " Your shooting disturbs me and is offensive." " Your pig farm lowers my property value." " We need hydrants near my driveway." " Why isn't there trash pickup." " Wood smoke is carcinogenic." " Hunting is immoral." And so on...

Think Pee.

JMNSHEO


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## lone wolf (Feb 9, 2012)

Whitespider said:


> I could not agree more.
> During confrontation, physical or otherwise, a cool, calm head will always prevail... and don't forget to keep breathing.



:jester::msp_biggrin:


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## Whitespider (Feb 9, 2012)

SHUT-UP *logbutcher*!

If'n ya' convince 'em all to move out'a suburbia... there won't be any non-suburbia left for us.
It's already closing in on me out here again... I've moved twice already to get away from the influx of suburbanites into my space.


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## lone wolf (Feb 9, 2012)

Whitespider said:


> SHUT-UP *logbutcher*!
> 
> If'n ya' convince 'em all to move out'a suburbia... there won't be any non-suburbia left for us.
> It's already closing in on me out here again... I've moved twice already to get away from the influx of suburbanites into my space.



I know what you mean about people they cant mind their own damn business!And they call cops on you for doing things on your own property!I had to move because trucks were illegal in town!I got a ticket for a rooster crowing!


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## Garmins dad (Feb 9, 2012)

To the OP, I would be getting a letter from each individual that inspected my place stating what they found and why it was inspected to show you you are doing things right. This would help a lot if you end up in court. Ohhh yaa.. If he has a nice lawn.. make icecubes with killex in it and toss the cubes on his lawn in the middle of the night.. :msp_biggrin: of course you might want to wait till summer for the cubes


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## cajunhillbilly (Feb 9, 2012)

I have a fairly close neighbor that is like this that always want to "send them a real stern letter", he's done this to me, once!! HAHA!!

Find some dirt on him, if you can't find any well...

Blackmail always works.:msp_scared:


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## Chris-PA (Feb 9, 2012)

What's funny is that I live in a rural place. You can't go far enough to get away from jerks, you can only reduce the density. And the number of witnesses.


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## Marc (Feb 9, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> What's funny is that I live in a rural place. You can't go far enough to get away from jerks, you can only reduce the density. And the number of witnesses.



I agree.

Another axiom about jerks- they will never be happy. If you know you're in the right, never capitulate, because once you do, they'll find something else they're unhappy about to take up arms over. Some people will never be happy unless they're not happy. And have something to gripe about.


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## jrider (Feb 9, 2012)

lone wolf said:


> I know what you mean about people they cant mind their own damn business!And they call cops on you for doing things on your own property!I had to move because trucks were illegal in town!I got a ticket for a rooster crowing!



I am in the Pines too, what town are you where roosters can't crow?


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## lone wolf (Feb 9, 2012)

jrider said:


> I am in the Pines too, what town are you where roosters can't crow?



That was by the Ocean in a populated town I moved South West of there!Roughly what general part of Jersey you from?


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## Constrictor (Feb 9, 2012)

Does the neighbor have kids? if so and you have run out of option, call the social services on him and report how his kids are abused. they will come visit him every week for at least 6 months. Its sad but you are going to have to play dirty.:angry2:


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## Chris-PA (Feb 9, 2012)

Constrictor said:


> Does the neighbor have kids? if so and you have run out of option, call the social services on him and report how his kids are abused. they will come visit him every week for at least 6 months. Its sad but you are going to have to play dirty.:angry2:


When you throw away your own integrity you always lose more than you gain.


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## jrider (Feb 9, 2012)

lone wolf said:


> That was by the Ocean in a populated town I moved South West of there!Roughly what general part of Jersey you from?



Wharton Forest area


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## ponyexpress976 (Feb 9, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> What's funny is that I live in a rural place. You can't go far enough to get away from jerks, you can only reduce the density. And the number of witnesses.



That's funny cause I have used the line "I have access to 150 acres and a backhoe, they won't find all of you" before. Said with a straight face and a twitching eye. They are never truly sure if you are serious or not.


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## Vibes (Feb 9, 2012)

Heres a list of AHOLES that I'm familiar with

1 My brother. He smokes a pack of Marlboros a day, then botches cause his neighbors burn " smelly wood" He's all for gas drilling but is opposed to the pipeline thats needed to get said gas on line.
2 One of my X bosses. She says she's allergic to everything. Super allergic! To the point that she had to smell new hires. She complained to the locals when she saw a neighbor making his own wine. That neighbor had been making wine for years. She never saw him in the act, but after she did, all of a sudden, " It smells bad" I used to go into her office after a 12 hr shift in a power plant. I would remove my Ti Vek suit, and change shoes but not my clothes. Now you would think someone with extra sensitive allergies would sneeze there head off. No she just wanted the good news. Total hypochondriac. But she always gets her way.
3 My old twshp code enforcment officer. Had a few problems with him when he first started his new job. I had an old neighbor who was pizzed that he didn't get my property. He didn't know it was for sale when I bought it. I always figured he was sliding CEO a few vacations a year because the guy was a slumlord and he got away with a lot of crap. Well he called CEO on me a few times and he started putting the heat on me. Well I've never been known to play nice, or fair. Once he found out I had a few freinds in higher places, and a kickazz lawyer freind who traded labor for labor, he backed off in a hurry. No problems again.

But it suckes having to use those cards when you shouldn't.


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## Walt41 (Feb 9, 2012)

Whitespider said:


> SHUT-UP *logbutcher*!
> 
> If'n ya' convince 'em all to move out'a suburbia... there won't be any non-suburbia left for us.
> It's already closing in on me out here again... I've moved twice already to get away from the influx of suburbanites into my space.



I cashed in my 401 and bought a plot of forest that was slated to be a subdivision, I parceled it into three slices and built my house in the middle, I also put both sides of me in my sons name in case I needed any variances approved by my next-door neighbors. For the borders I dozed up 10' high berms and planted over 6,000 pines...no issues with neighbors as I make sure there is random gunfire from time to time and always talk to myself or start screaming when anyone is walking by and I am near the front gate.


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## lone wolf (Feb 9, 2012)

Walt41 said:


> I cashed in my 401 and bought a plot of forest that was slated to be a subdivision, I parceled it into three slices and built my house in the middle, I also put both sides of me in my sons name in case I needed any variances approved by my next-door neighbors. For the borders I dozed up 10' high berms and planted over 6,000 pines...no issues with neighbors as I make sure there is random gunfire from time to time and always talk to myself or start screaming when anyone is walking by and I am near the front gate.



That's always good when you do get in trouble and the Detectives ask the Neighbors what you are like and do you think he is capable of the crime!


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## Walt41 (Feb 9, 2012)

lone wolf said:


> That's always good when you do get in trouble and the Detectives ask the Neighbors what you are like and do you think he is capable of the crime!



Only one neighbor knows my real name and that is because he was building a garage and needed a variance from my son, naturally we had no objection and said his land his business but, we expected the same courtesy, three years later we have never had to speak again. I would bet out of the four neighbors near me that most could not pick me out of a lineup, I always have a hat and dark glasses on due to an anorism in my left eye also, I let a landscaper friend of mine store his trucks and equipment in my extra parking lot so I'm sure they really have no idea who is who with vehicles coming and going all the time.


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## s37d (Feb 9, 2012)

Walt41 said:


> Only one neighbor knows my real name and that is because he was building a garage and needed a variance from my son, naturally we had no objection and said his land his business but, we expected the same courtesy, three years later we have never had to speak again. I would bet out of the four neighbors near me that most could not pick me out of a lineup, I always have a hat and dark glasses on due to an anorism in my left eye also, I let a landscaper friend of mine store his trucks and equipment in my extra parking lot so I'm sure they really have no idea who is who with vehicles coming and going all the time.



Haha, that's great. I'm of the same mentality; leave me alone, I won't bother you if you don't bother me. I think many of us are cut from the same "mind your own business" self-sufficient cloth, which is probably what, among other things, makes wood burning so appealing.


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## lone wolf (Feb 9, 2012)

Walt41 said:


> Only one neighbor knows my real name and that is because he was building a garage and needed a variance from my son, naturally we had no objection and said his land his business but, we expected the same courtesy, three years later we have never had to speak again. I would bet out of the four neighbors near me that most could not pick me out of a lineup, I always have a hat and dark glasses on due to an anorism in my left eye also, I let a landscaper friend of mine store his trucks and equipment in my extra parking lot so I'm sure they really have no idea who is who with vehicles coming and going all the time.


Well that helps.


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## s37d (Feb 9, 2012)

Just got off the phone with the director of the board of health, and now three departments think he's a loon. The director sounded like a good guy too, and explained that the request was just a request that he had to send out, as it was his job. He then said he had talked to the fire marshal and already knew all about this guy, and that it was the last letter he'd be sending. He explained it wasn't a demand to cease burning, but was just informational, as in, "I can't stop you from burning". :msp_thumbup:


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## Chris-PA (Feb 9, 2012)

s37d said:


> Just got off the phone with the director of the board of health, and now three departments think he's a loon. The director sounded like a good guy too, and explained that the request was just a request that he had to send out, as it was his job. He then said he had talked to the fire marshal and already knew all about this guy, and that it was the last letter he'd be sending. He explained it wasn't a demand to cease burning, but was just informational, as in, "I can't stop you from burning". :msp_thumbup:


Excellent - you're now in much better position than if you had done something rash and more immediately gratifying.


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## Rob1276 (Feb 9, 2012)

I would still get everything I could in writing. Things change and so someday there maybe new officials in place who aren't as level headed and may take his side because they drink the kool aid too


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## logbutcher (Feb 9, 2012)

Whitespider said:


> SHUT-UP *logbutcher*!
> 
> If'n ya' convince 'em all to move out'a suburbia... there won't be any non-suburbia left for us.
> It's already closing in on me out here again... I've moved twice already to get away from the influx of suburbanites into my space.



The Pee Rule is only for you sweetie,don't tell anyone. Keep it between ourselves. :hmm3grin2orange:

We knew that it was your time of the month Spidy. I will SHUT-UP .You gotta take it slow with those raging hormones. You're gonna burst something. :hmm3grin2orange:

The 'they' is already in what is now termed "Semi-Rural". About 3 hours' drive south from Paradise here is Portland. We can tell when nearing the Portland suburbs: the clean ( often white -sorry Don ) new full size SUVs, thinner well made up coiffered (sp.) soccer moms, driving mode is "gotta get the kids to practice" fast, cut offs, piggie looks if you're not going at least 20 MPH over the limit, and the usual honk up your tailpipe if you don't jackrabbit off the red light. It is like we were back in the rat race in Boston. Yes, I forgot, the usual middle finger sign of the user's IQ. 

Now here, rural areas, since Maine has the highest CCL in the country, one does not interact negatively. The rule is "you never know who's carrying".


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## CTYank (Feb 9, 2012)

s37d said:


> Just got off the phone with the director of the board of health, and now three departments think he's a loon. The director sounded like a good guy too, and explained that the request was just a request that he had to send out, as it was his job. He then said he had talked to the fire marshal and already knew all about this guy, and that it was the last letter he'd be sending. He explained it wasn't a demand to cease burning, but was just informational, as in, "I can't stop you from burning". :msp_thumbup:



I hope for your sake that you get confirmation of this phone conversation in writing. Or have him initial your transcript of the conversation. Short of a stake in the heart, some kinds just won't go away.

Just for the record, how did you ever characterize this one as a "tree hugger"? To me, sounds totally irrelevant- just someone with a load in his diapers.


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## bobt (Feb 9, 2012)

s37d said:


> Just got off the phone with the director of the board of health, and now three departments think he's a loon. The director sounded like a good guy too, and explained that the request was just a request that he had to send out, as it was his job. He then said he had talked to the fire marshal and already knew all about this guy, and that it was the last letter he'd be sending. He explained it wasn't a demand to cease burning, but was just informational, as in, "I can't stop you from burning". :msp_thumbup:



Good for you! It sounds like all the "agencies" have come to know that your neighbor is a jerk.

It would be funny as hell if when the wind was just right, and was blowing directly from your chimney to his house, YOU DECIDED TO QUIT BURNING WOOD, AND STARTED TO BURN COAL! Good old coal smoke, the blacker the better! Now that would be rich!!!!! If he thought he had a problem before, that coal smoke would change his mind in a hurry! Haha!

Bob


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## lone wolf (Feb 9, 2012)

bobt said:


> Good for you! It sounds like all the "agencies" have come to know that your neighbor is a jerk.
> 
> It would be funny as hell if when the wind was just right, and was blowing directly from your chimney to his house, YOU DECIDED TO QUIT BURNING WOOD, AND STARTED TO BURN COAL! Good old coal smoke, the blacker the better! Now that would be rich!!!!! If he thought he had a problem before, that coal smoke would change his mind in a hurry! Haha!
> 
> Bob


Why look for trouble has it gotten to all out War yet?


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## s37d (Feb 9, 2012)

CTYank said:


> I hope for your sake that you get confirmation of this phone conversation in writing. Or have him initial your transcript of the conversation. Short of a stake in the heart, some kinds just won't go away.
> 
> Just for the record, how did you ever characterize this one as a "tree hugger"? To me, sounds totally irrelevant- just someone with a load in his diapers.



We've had problems with him for years. Here's a little story. There was an old tree on his property, leaning onto ours, which was obviously going to come down at some point in the near future. We asked him if we could take it down to avoid harm as we had kids living there at the time, and of course property damage. He declined. "I have faith in that tree" is what he kept saying, like the oddball he is. Sure enough, one hot summer night, the thing came crashing down, thankfully onto his property. It could just have easily come onto ours and killed someone. It doesn't get much more tree hugger than that.

As far as letters from the town officials backing my rights, I already have them from both the building and fire department. I ended the phone call to the director of the board of health with a request for written confirmation of his findings, and he's sending one tomorrow. I'll have all the documentation necessary if he wants to push it any further.


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## bobt (Feb 9, 2012)

lone wolf said:


> Why look for trouble has it gotten to all out War yet?



Nah, I wasn't promoting all out war,,,,,,just trying to be funny. I hope you saw the humor in my post! But,,,well,,,,black coal smoke,,,,,,,,precious!

Bob


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## superwd6 (Feb 9, 2012)

I hate "grandfathering" ,it makes it hard for everyone else to install epa equiptment while the offender who is "grandfathered" continues to make a cloud so thick you can't see the house beside you.I had to talk to my nieghbors myself and install my E-classic boiler without permits because of one idiot 15 years ago. So the township continues to lose permit & tax money as everybody just hides them. I feel bad for you man , We have a Geothermal unit customer who was forced to stop burning wood from the house beside him.It was cheaper to just switch then fight in court where only the lawyers get any money!Just think about every kid that can't take a peanut butter sandwich to school now because of ONE kid with allergies:msp_confused:. I would've starved as a child Get a new clean burning epa unit if you haven't already!


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## bower4311 (Feb 9, 2012)

Guy across the road from my wood pile that is all cut and split by me and my brother with an axe by hand (for the most part), has a huge problem with it. Says its devaluing his house and he can't sell it becuase it looks bad. We did have an old truck next to the pile which is what he was complaining about. In the writeup he said that he doesn't see anything on site burning the wood as if it isn't allowed to be there (we have a wood furnace two hundred feet away in our house). Well we technically live on a farm so there is nothing he can do about it. THe lady from the town told him we're doing nothing wrong and she doesn't know why he can't sell his house haha. My dad is putting a stone driveway in that lot of land and he made sure to chop every tree down so when he moves all his equipment for storage over behind our wood that it will clearly be visible from the guy's house right from our land. Needles to say my dad was not happy with it and me and my brother are sure to give dirty looks every time we see him, or curse at his foreign car...


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## cheeves (Feb 9, 2012)

We went thru a very similar situation which lasted until the " Nut Case" finally moved!!! It was one of the happiest things that have ever happened to me. In our case it was a woman that complained to every person and dept. in authority in our town. She evewn complained to our State Rep., who we have supported for a number of years. The harrasment was unrelenting for 4 years! Calls in the middle of the night, visits from the fire dept, from the bldg. inspector, you name it. This time last year I piled in the wood so hard and heavy she couldn't take it anymore! The For Sale sign went up and she was gone in 6 months. Good riddance!!! My new neighbor is the complete opposite. Loves the smell of wood smoke( burn mostly dead standing red oak) and the sound of the chainsaw!!! UNREAL! Hang in there Brother! Miracles do Happen!


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## s37d (Feb 9, 2012)

cheeves said:


> We went thru a very similar situation which lasted until the " Nut Case" finally moved!!! It was one of the happiest things that have ever happened to me. In our case it was a woman that complained to every person and dept. in authority in our town. She evewn complained to our State Rep., who we have supported for a number of years. The harrasment was unrelenting for 4 years! Calls in the middle of the night, visits from the fire dept, from the bldg. inspector, you name it. This time last year I piled in the wood so hard and heavy she couldn't take it anymore! The For Sale sign went up and she was gone in 6 months. Good riddance!!! My new neighbor is the complete opposite. Loves the smell of wood smoke( burn mostly dead standing red oak) and the sound of the chainsaw!!! UNREAL! Hang in there Brother! Miracles do Happen!



That's a great story, and from a fellow Massachusetts guy. How bout this mild winter? I'm surprised I even have to burn at all to keep the place warm.


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## Chris-PA (Feb 10, 2012)

cheeves said:


> We went thru a very similar situation which lasted until the " Nut Case" finally moved!!! It was one of the happiest things that have ever happened to me. In our case it was a woman that complained to every person and dept. in authority in our town. She evewn complained to our State Rep., who we have supported for a number of years. The harrasment was unrelenting for 4 years! Calls in the middle of the night, visits from the fire dept, from the bldg. inspector, you name it. This time last year I piled in the wood so hard and heavy she couldn't take it anymore! The For Sale sign went up and she was gone in 6 months. Good riddance!!! My new neighbor is the complete opposite. Loves the smell of wood smoke( burn mostly dead standing red oak) and the sound of the chainsaw!!! UNREAL! Hang in there Brother! Miracles do Happen!


Sigh - my jerk neighbor is still hanging in there after 9 years. He's had several strokes, a quadruple bypass and lost a few toes from what I hear. I was complaining that it's taking way too long getting rid of him one piece at a time.....


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## ponyexpress976 (Feb 10, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> Sigh - my jerk neighbor is still hanging in there after 9 years. He's had several strokes, a quadruple bypass and lost a few toes from what I hear. I was complaining that it's taking way too long getting rid of him one piece at a time.....



Keep the faith brother...by the sounds of it, he's not to keen on taking care of himself. So maybe one day soon, he'll "take care of himself".


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## ETpilot (Feb 10, 2012)

When I lived in the big city we had a neighborhood nut case that had problems with all the neighbors. A real pain in the rear. Then one day his attention was diverted. It appears he subscribed to tons of magazine subscriptions. He needed to tend to his magazine collection. Things eased up in the neighborhood.


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## zogger (Feb 10, 2012)

ETpilot said:


> When I lived in the big city we had a neighborhood nut case that had problems with all the neighbors. A real pain in the rear. Then one day his attention was diverted. It appears he subscribed to tons of magazine subscriptions. He needed to tend to his magazine collection. Things eased up in the neighborhood.



+1...pretty funny, too! 1,657 new mag subscriptions would sort of get tedious to deal with....


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## logbutcher (Feb 10, 2012)

ETpilot said:


> When I lived in the big city we had a neighborhood nut case that had problems with all the neighbors. A real pain in the rear. Then one day his attention was diverted. It appears he subscribed to tons of magazine subscriptions. He needed to tend to his magazine collection. Things eased up in the neighborhood.



And there you go: silent, effective, guerrilla move. Brilliant.

For more ideas along this line---Most hunting shops sell eau de your choice--coyote, lion, male deer, but especially, skunk urine. Spread discreetly in targeted vehicles and/or homes ( N.B. You are now breaking the law. You may want to be aware of this. :msp_scared a message is clear and certain, while the perp ( you ? ) is unknown . Your mileage may vary.

Please recall the ultimate solution: Move. "There is too much in this life to waste so much on waste" ( Ops Instructor, Camp Elgin, Pensacola ).


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## mattfr12 (Feb 11, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> So in that area do you think the outdoor wood burners outnumber the others? Which are the masses and which are the few?
> 
> My neighbor burns his trash, including leftover chemicals from his illegal paint shop that he built after lying to me and the township. He runs his illegal business using my private property to access his land-locked place. Did I file every complaint against him I could? Damn straight. But first I went to him, whereupon he showed his true colors.
> 
> ...



The wood burners are the few. I'm in the process of building a house that is wood reliant but I'm 10 acres from my neighbor so I'm not gonna get into it. But I know of at least 4 guys on my street that can't burn wood anymore. What they did was put in code that m made it impossible for one to be in use. I know one of the rules is two hundred feet from the nearest property line. No one has enough room on my street to do it, it's impossible. So theirs around fifty grand of junk wood burners in my town now. Well they are as good as junk now.


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## Rob1276 (Feb 11, 2012)

mattfr12 said:


> The wood burners are the few. I'm in the process of building a house that is wood reliant but I'm 10 acres from my neighbor so I'm not gonna get into it. But I know of at least 4 guys on my street that can't burn wood anymore. What they did was put in code that m made it impossible for one to be in use. I know one of the rules is two hundred feet from the nearest property line. No one has enough room on my street to do it, it's impossible. So theirs around fifty grand of junk wood burners in my town now. Well they are as good as junk now.



You know that's just sad. I hate saying this cause I feel so guilty because there are men and women fighting for our freedom and those in the the past that have but I'm almost ashamed to be a American anymore we just keep letting our rights slip away. Rights that thousands have died defending and thousands who still are fighting for them. When will it stop if ever


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## cajunhillbilly (Feb 11, 2012)

bobt said:


> Good for you! It sounds like all the "agencies" have come to know that your neighbor is a jerk.
> 
> It would be funny as hell if when the wind was just right, and was blowing directly from your chimney to his house, YOU DECIDED TO QUIT BURNING WOOD, AND STARTED TO BURN COAL! Good old coal smoke, the blacker the better! Now that would be rich!!!!! If he thought he had a problem before, that coal smoke would change his mind in a hurry! Haha!
> 
> Bob



I know and old man who still burns coal. It actually is more of a gray smoke, it is a very heavy smoke as it drops out his chimney, My wife and I love the smell of it, some do some don't.


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## ijon1 (Feb 11, 2012)

Burn some pig crap, he will be happy when you burn wood again.:msp_wink:


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## Chris-PA (Feb 11, 2012)

Rob1276 said:


> You know that's just sad. I hate saying this cause I feel so guilty because there are men and women fighting for our freedom and those in the the past that have but I'm almost ashamed to be a American anymore we just keep letting our rights slip away. Rights that thousands have died defending and thousands who still are fighting for them. When will it stop if ever


Wait a minute - how come only the rights of one group matter? Wasn't the complaint that the few are more important than the many? 

I have no idea the particular situation on that street or how crowded it is, and maybe the wood burners are being treated unfairly, but when you have a bunch of homes in a small area what people do affects others and life gets more complicated. What percentage can burn wood before it gets really foul? How do you keep control over the few who burn junk? Maybe it's not a good place to burn wood - not every place is. There are advantages and disadvantages to living in various types of areas, but in general if you try to live in a populated area as if you were in a rural one you'll have some problems.


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## Whitespider (Feb 11, 2012)

Rights????? A complicated issue.

The _rights_ of one cannot nullify the _rights_ of another, but the simple truth is that you do not have a _right_ to clean, pristine air… nowhere does the Constitution state such. You do have the _right_ to pack up your belongings and move if you’re not happy where you live… but you have no _right_ to change what makes someone else happy so you can be happy. It is the “_pursuit of happiness_” that is guaranteed by the Constitution, not happiness itself. If you’re not happy where you’re at, you have the _right_ to pursue it elsewhere.

A fine example of this is the smoking bans being enacted all over the country by state governments. The _rights_ of private building and business owners to choose has been removed because people believe they have a _right_ to a smoke-free environment wherever they go… THEY DO NOT HAVE THIS _RIGHT_! But they do have the _right_ to choose not to patronize a business that allows smoking, nothing more! Because Americans have fallen into the trap that Government is there to “entitle” them, we slowly give up our _rights_ and lose sight of what living in freedom is all about.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with a local community government banning the use of wood-burning appliances if that’s what the *majority* of residents want… wood burners will have to pursue happiness elsewhere. State and Federal governments cannot enact such bans (in a Constitutional sense), and local governments can only do it under narrow guidelines (community vote, for example). And no government, even local government, can enact laws that infringe upon _rights_ specifically protected by the “Bill of Rights” no matter what the majority wants… unless the _right_ protected is infringing on the _right_ of another (freedom of speech does not give you the _right_ to scream fire in a crowed building).

There seems to be two sides on this issue… but it’s not as cut-and-dried as either side believes.


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## Stihlasaurus (Feb 11, 2012)

I cannot publish my suggestions, but a little imagination, chemistry and research should go a long ways.

There is no good way to deal with this kind of person. I was taking down a large bettle infested pine leaning over a residential road for a widow in our neighborhood. The tree was going to come down on its own if not taken care of. We talked with her neighbors on both sides of her property and they were happy it was being removed. I put out the traffic cones as I was going to fell it on one side of the road (virtually no traffic anyway) and remove in a couple of minutes of felling. About half way through the back-cut the neighbor from across the street came storming over telling me to stop cutting. He informed me that he had not been given notice that the tree was being taken down and that we needed to get a permit from the city. He was also concerned that it would fall on his property. I explained that there was no chance of the tree coming close to his property as I was felling it in a different direction and it was not tall enough to reach his property if I were sending it his way. He again demanded that I stop. I explained that this tree was going to come down in the next hour whether or not I continue to cut and that he should just get out of the way. He refused. I started my saw, put it into the tree and he finally moved. The tree fell where it was suppose to, I quickly removed it from the road and a couple of minutes later the city guy arrived. He explained that there was no problem and they were grateful I removed the tree because they were going to have to do it anyway.

This past election cycle, the guy who treated me and the widow this way was running for city council. I made of point of telling my story to everyone who would listen, concluding that we don't need someone who thinks like him in our city government. He lost by a few votes. What comes around goes around.


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## 1project2many (Feb 11, 2012)

> Originally Posted by s37d View Post
> Just got off the phone with the director of the board of health, and now three departments think he's a loon. The director sounded like a good guy too, and explained that the request was just a request that he had to send out, as it was his job. He then said he had talked to the fire marshal and already knew all about this guy, and that it was the last letter he'd be sending. He explained it wasn't a demand to cease burning, but was just informational, as in, "I can't stop you from burning".





> Excellent - you're now in much better position than if you had done something rash and more immediately gratifying.



And now that you've done the right thing, it's time to get that Killex ice cube plan in order. Make a game out of it. Drop some here and there on the lawn, a few more every couple of weeks. It first it will look like random spots but by the end of the summer it will obviously spell out the message of your choosing!

The magazine thing works. So does signing him up to all sorts of adult products and offers, especially from overseas (once they get his address they'll never stop). Then you've got a case for "dirty old man next door" to mention when town officials are agreeing he's a nutcase. Just something to do in your free moments. Or stop in at garage where guy gets vehicles fixed and mention to mechanics the neighbor said they're incompetent. You won't have to be an active part of what happens after his next visit to the shop. Is there a hangout for the kids nearby? Convince 'em Mr. Neighbor is trying to get them all arrested. Then go to the neighbor and tell 'em you just found out the neighborhood kids are planning to vandalize the house. He's probably paranoid anyway so this will narrow his definition of "them" and give him focus. First time he calls the cops on the kids they'll know you were right. That little war will keep him busy for years. Really, there are plenty of ways to keep the neighbor busy if you truly want to. But watch out for Karma because stuff does seem to come back around from time to time.

Here's a good story from western MA. Friend of mine had a race car. Mean Old Lady across the street decided to make him lose the car, the crew, and who knows what else. She called the cops, town officials, etc to complain all the time. Friend followed most requests not to run car after 9pm, not to run car on Sunday, not to run business out of home, ensure no minors are drinking, ensure no illegal disposal of hazardous waste from vehicles, etc. "We all need to live together." Still plenty of calls to cops. One Saturday we were running the car and cops showed up. Another complaint. We got the impression the officer was having a bad day. We said the car hadn't been making significant noise and Old Lady was crazy and complained when there was no need to. We also said we were done anyway and wouldn't run the car again that day. About an hour (and a couple of beers) after the cop left we called a race buddy who lived down the road, said "Bring up your stock car on the trailer." Backed trailer into driveway out of sight of Old Lady, fired the car up and wound 'er up to 7 grand for about three minutes. Then after a minute or two, buddy drove off with car on trailer. Cop shows up but our car is cold. "See! She's crazy! Been making stuff up for years!" It took two more times that day for the cop to get fed up. Last time he promptly marched across the street, banged on door, and proceeded to shout at Old Lady about wasting his time, filing false reports, costing valuable money, "And I don't give a damn who you know in this town or in this state but if you make one more peep about this I'll make sure you won't get as much as a drop of public water if your house burns down." Wow! I think we all went back into the garage and just sat in silence with our beers for a few minutes to enjoy the cease fire. Never expected that good a response. She never did lob another complaint at us. So yes, miracles can happen.


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## an?qus (Feb 11, 2012)

s37d said:


> That's a great story, and from a fellow Massachusetts guy. How bout this mild winter? I'm surprised I even have to burn at all to keep the place warm.



Yeah, miracles do happen, but did he mention that he never went a day without praying for it?? (He was a lot better at that then I was, I gotta admit). To elaborate on Cheevers' (remember Bruins' goalie Jerry Cheevers??) comments, the guy would come over banging on our door at all hours. "She's over there freaking out!" (You mean she's have another temper tantrum??) "WE're pregnant again." Mind you, she was so conscious of the "risk" that "they" got pregnant, not ONCE, but TWICE while they were here. THEY'RE pregnant, so that means we have to change OUR lifestyle?? She left nasty messages on our answering machine at all hours. We started leaving the phone off the hook. He eventually left a message offering us $1000 and 4 electric heaters to stop burning, and if we didn't accept their kind offer, they were going to see a lawyer. We never called them back. We believe they saw a smart lawyer who told them to forget it. Our State rep called us and tried to convince us to stop burning wood and go for fuel assistance. Come to find out, he heats with wood too. You can tell I'm still pretty hot about the whole affair.

She was a nut case from jump street. She was single at the time she move in and paid about $100K more than the shack was worth. Then they did some work on it. We did happily raise our chimney by another 4 feet for this whacko, and the new one doesn't clamp together nicely like the old one. Cost us about $1200. Cheevers has to get onto the roof and onto a ladder and unscrew it now...in the snow or whatever...to clean it, if he doesn't plan it well. After they left, the new neighbor doesn't care but he left the extension on the chimney. She says to cheeves, "I miss the sound of your chainsaw out back when you're not here," and "I LOVE the smell of the wood smoke." Go figure. 

Coincidentally, I found out tonight that the former owners took about a $75K soaking when they sold it in September, they wanted out so bad. I think the fire department finally told them that if they called them out any more, they were going to start charging them. 

I'll pm you our #.



WoodHeatWarrior said:


> Sigh - my jerk neighbor is still hanging in there after 9 years. He's had several strokes, a quadruple bypass and lost a few toes from what I hear. I was complaining that it's taking way too long getting rid of him one piece at a time.....



Sigh is right! We feel for you, and we'll pray you get a new neighbor HALF as good as ours.


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## sb47 (Feb 11, 2012)

I have a guy that lives behind me and he is the same way. This guy will call the EPA on me all the time and they have to come out and investigate any complaint. 
After he had called them many times for my burning he had the nerve to come ask if he could put a fence up on my side of a fence line between the two of us.
I told him “hell no” but you can take down the barbwire fence and put the fence up on the line where it belongs. The only problem was that there was some large tallow trees that had grown up on the fence line and he had to take them down so the new fence could go on the property line. 
Well he rented a tractor and cut the trees down but he had a very large pile of wood on his property and had no room for the rest. So in an effort to get on his good side (that was a mistake) I agreed to let him pile the rest on my property with him knowing full well I was going to burn it when it dried out.
So he gets his fence up and all is good or so I thought.
A few months pass and I burn the pile of wood that he pilled up on my property and, you guessed it, he called the EPA on me for burning his wood.
The EPA shows up as there required to and make an investigation and finds that I’m in compliance with all the rules for outdoor burning.
I tell him what is going on and because he’s the same guy from the EPA had come out so many times before he just shook his head in discussed. I told him that he had planed to burn the pile that was still on his property and he perked up and smiled.
You see this guy had pilled a bunch of treated lumber and PVC in his pile along with the wood from the trees.
The EPA guy said he was going to go and rite him up for having the PVC and treated lumber in his pile even though he hadn’t burned it yet.
Now I’m ecstatic at hearing this and sure enough he drove over there and stayed for an hour. I don’t know if he actually wrote him up but he had a long talk with him I’m sure.
About a year later the EPA shows up for a fire I had outside and it was the same guy that had come out so many times before. I noticed that my neibour was out in the yard I called him over to the fence so we could chat.
I told the guy the this was the same guy that has come out on almost every call he has made on me and I was going to take him to court a sue him for harassment and I was going to have the guy from the EPA show up in court for my side and testify ageist him.

Well the calls stopped and he hasn’t called them since.

So my advice to you is document everything, take pictures and be prepared to take him to court for harassment. Inform him of what you plan to do and follow through if you need to.
Don’t let people try to run your life, stand up for your rites. Chances are if you threaten him with legal action he may back down.

Good luck! Dennis


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## THE PLUMMER (Feb 11, 2012)

Direct quote from head of building and Mayor , even tho the resident currently complies with all codes ( state,twp-fire & EPA) all it will take is a lawsuit against the cash straped city. Unfortunately we aren't in the business of defending residents in court. The codes might say what they do now but when EPA or individuals claimed health is at stake they will have no choice but to write a cease and desist order. So if you sell the home the new owner has to comply with current codes, no grandfathering unless its the sole source of heat for the building or dwelling. Each locality has the choice in MI to make its own rules, so its different across the state. Infringement on freedoms


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## DeAvilaTree (Feb 12, 2012)

I have a rental complex next door a 100 yards or so from the property, a woman one day yells over to me and asks "what is burning over there?" I said "it's our wood stoves". She then asks "why do you use wood?" I said "to heat the house". She then says "can you put them out it stinks, I don't like the smell", I said "sure, should I have the oil bill sent directly to you or do you want to pay cash?". That was the end of the conversation.:wink2:


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## mattfr12 (Feb 12, 2012)

Well I'm in the process of getting/ building a new home and want to make it wood dependent. What would be my best bet on an outdoor burner for 3000-3500 square feet.

Thought this might be a good place to ask since most that heat with wood are gonna read this thread.


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## jeeptj19992001 (Feb 12, 2012)

burn his house down, f his wife, and all will be good


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## 603doug (Feb 12, 2012)

I to live off the beaten path so no problem with smoking out neighbors but mine is a gassifer so little smoke. But we do have a subdivision about 1500 ft thru the woods that we call snottyville. One #####ed(kicked their kids on 4 wheelers off the property chasing deer so they do not like me) that my donkeys and peacocks were to loud and called the cops which got a good laugh. I now get them to bray every time I go out so they know I am still here. The neighbor I care about enjoy the critters so we are not bothering them


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## svon89 (Feb 12, 2012)

Neighbors can be crazy at times. I have been fortunate to never have an issue with my burning, but I do have one really good story.

Almost two years ago there was some flooding taking place in RI, and portions of CT. There was a period of time where the two roads leading into my neighborhood were flooded out with several feet of water. When the water was first starting to rise behind my house, it was also finding its way into my basement. So I started pumping it out and into my side yard. My one neighbor who is not quite the most stable person, had come over to ask us how we were getting out with the flooded roads. She saw the constant flow of water out of the sump hose, and told me to stop pumping my basement. I was filling her yard with water. 

When the national guard came around asking if we were evacuating, we did not leave with them (we had a boat), I explained to them they really needed to get her out and get her checked out. They all got a good laugh out of me filling the area with water by pumping my basement. 

And to keep it firewood relate: I had a couple cord of wood float away during that time. I still find split firewood here and there in the woods.


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## tigersaw (Feb 12, 2012)

Go WEST young man


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## rob206 (Feb 13, 2012)

Holy ####, I'm glad I don't have the problems with neighbors that many of you guys have. I know of at least 1 dozen OWB's within a 5 or 6 mile radius of my home, and litteraly countless other wood burning devices inside people's houses in that same radius. I guess maybe the rural area where I live hasn't had the mass influx of knuckleheads that many areas of the US have.

It's unfortunate that our society has litigated the "gut check" out of existence. If the clown described in the OP had to use people skills and mettle, he likely wouldn't have started this crap. Unfortunately, in place of intestinal fortitude, he has at his disposal heaps of bad government piled on top of bad government that he can use to make another person's life miserable. I'm glad it worked out for the OP though, or at least seems to have worked in his favor.


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## CTYank (Feb 13, 2012)

rob206 said:


> Holy ####, I'm glad I don't have the problems with neighbors that many of you guys have. I know of at least 1 dozen OWB's within a 5 or 6 mile radius of my home, and litteraly countless other wood burning devices inside people's houses in that same radius. I guess maybe the rural area where I live hasn't had the mass influx of knuckleheads that many areas of the US have.
> 
> It's unfortunate that our society has litigated the "gut check" out of existence. If the clown described in the OP had to use people skills and mettle, he likely wouldn't have started this crap. Unfortunately, in place of intestinal fortitude, he has at his disposal heaps of bad government piled on top of bad government that he can use to make another person's life miserable. I'm glad it worked out for the OP though, or at least seems to have worked in his favor.



Where did you see ANY "bad government" involving the OP? Winter mirage? Seems to me all officials involved acted very reasonably.
Bet you wouldn't like any "enhanced interrogation" used on you. Bullies are mostly cowards.


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## rob206 (Feb 13, 2012)

CTYank said:


> Where did you see ANY "bad government" involving the OP? Winter mirage? Seems to me all officials involved acted very reasonably.
> Bet you wouldn't like any "enhanced interrogation" used on you. Bullies are mostly cowards.



Well, personally I see nearly any form of gov't as "bad gov't". YMMV. No need to be a bully, but the jackass in the OP certainly was trying to be a bully by using gov't to exert his will. This same phenomena occurs in many facets of our society today. Heck, there are many stories of people moving to rural areas and trying to shut down farms here on this board. I'm not a bad ass and don't tend to #### with other people.


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## zacker (Feb 13, 2012)

Ductape said:


> P.S. If that doesn't work, perhaps go to southie to give Vinnie a couple hundred to pay your neighbor a visit???





Vinnie? Dont you mean Shaun? lol....


I'd watch this nut, point a camera at his property and anytime he did anything wrong, complain.


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## zacker (Feb 13, 2012)

avason said:


> If you are within state regulations then you are good to go. We have some real issues here in CT that are not going to get better anytime soon, (some towns have actually legally banned them). I don't think they can touch you...I just feel bad for you neighbor. They should put more restrictions on these things...especially in dense towns.



I'm in CT too, do you have any lists of these towns? id be interested to see them. But, as far as I can tell, theres no regulations I can think of where I am... I can see in the bigger cities maybe... even that would be a bit suspect. Forcing someone to use oil, gas or to buy a _Different type stove _just seems wrong.

Out here in the woods, almost everyone has a wood burning stove or uses their fireplace. I cant recall anyone near me who uses a (I dont even like saying it...) Pellet stove except for the newer folks in their McMansions who buy their two acres in the new developments popping up all over the place and have it all clear cut to make room for the lawns they think they need. (dumping tons of chemicals into the grounds so their grass is green... funny, they like the green grass but not the green water they end up with cause they polluted the well with fertilizers and bug killers...lol

As for the rest of us, we are surrounded by trees, lots of them, falling over in storms, dying, needing to be thinned out. I know of restrictions on wood burning furnaces (the outdoors types) that are kind of tight, but as for a stove or fireplace, I have never heard of any being banned. Yeah, if someone is burning dirty, Smokey fires, with thick smoke.. thats one thing but the newer (and some older) stoves are so efficient, they actually use up about 80 to 90% of the smoke as fuel and burn cleaner than most oil fired boilers.


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## Chris-PA (Feb 13, 2012)

CTYank said:


> Where did you see ANY "bad government" involving the OP? Winter mirage? Seems to me all officials involved acted very reasonably.
> Bet you wouldn't like any "enhanced interrogation" used on you. Bullies are mostly cowards.


Well said. I like the idea of living in a society were the rule of law is evenly and universally applied. We've never really achieved this ideal, but in the times of prosperity and plenty after WWII and the age of oil we got fairly close, at least for some people in some places. As our middle class is destroyed the ability of average people to make the legal system work for them will continue to degrade. 

A fish rots from the head, and we can see how the universal rule of law has broken down at national and sate levels, but often at local levels it's still intact, and I'll enjoy those protections as long as they hold up. There are other, older systems for dealing with such issues, and you can see them at work in other places all over the world, and beginning in places in the US too. When the warlords building power in Mexico move into the US southwest then the way people deal with such disputes there will change. Maybe some look forward to this, but I don't and I suspect many will be severely disillusioned with what replaces the rule of law and their ability to get what they want out of that system. How about some private corporate armies administering justice with immunity in your region? That's now the law of the land. What is your recourse when you don't like what they do? 

Change, big change, is coming whether we want it to or not, but don't be so quick to kiss way the benefits we've all enjoyed from the system we've had. The OP has a jerk neighbor who tried to use the local governmental agencies to serve his own personal interests in some power play on the OP. It didn't work. The OP had some reasonable conversations with some reasonable people, probably made some good connections and is personally in a more powerful position relative to the jerk than he was to start with. No physical force was used and no one got paid off. If the OP had been burning tires and the neighbor was reasonable the decision would have probably gone the other way, as it should. Kind of refreshing I think. Enjoy it while it lasts.


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## mitch95100 (Feb 13, 2012)

light a bag of dog #### on fire on his front porch and ring the door bell.


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## zacker (Feb 13, 2012)

ever notice that everyone has that one neighbor who just waits around to moan and complain about all the others? they are on every street in america. youre too loud, your dog barks, your cat walks acros my lawn, your guests park infront of my house, your wife turns around in my driveway, your kids balls come over the fence into my yard..blahh blahh blahh.. I get so sick and tired of this stuff it makes me mental! If everyone just gave eachother a little slack, life would be so much more enjoyable.


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## rob206 (Feb 13, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> Well said. I like the idea of living in a society were the rule of law is evenly and universally applied. We've never really achieved this ideal, but in the times of prosperity and plenty after WWII and the age of oil we got fairly close, at least for some people in some places. As our middle class is destroyed the ability of average people to make the legal system work for them will continue to degrade.
> 
> A fish rots from the head, and we can see how the universal rule of law has broken down at national and sate levels, but often at local levels it's still intact, and I'll enjoy those protections as long as they hold up. There are other, older systems for dealing with such issues, and you can see them at work in other places all over the world, and beginning in places in the US too. When the warlords building power in Mexico move into the US southwest then the way people deal with such disputes there will change. Maybe some look forward to this, but I don't and I suspect many will be severely disillusioned with what replaces the rule of law and their ability to get what they want out of that system. How about some private corporate armies administering justice with immunity in your region? That's now the law of the land. What is your recourse when you don't like what they do?
> 
> Change, big change, is coming whether we want it to or not, but don't be so quick to kiss way the benefits we've all enjoyed from the system we've had. The OP has a jerk neighbor who tried to use the local governmental agencies to serve his own personal interests in some power play on the OP. It didn't work. The OP had some reasonable conversations with some reasonable people, probably made some good connections and is personally in a more powerful position relative to the jerk than he was to start with. No physical force was used and no one got paid off. If the OP had been burning tires and the neighbor was reasonable the decision would have probably gone the other way, as it should. Kind of refreshing I think. Enjoy it while it lasts.



"we the people". Ever hear that phrase? Gov't today is run by career minded folks trying to amass wealth at the expense of the citizens. Glad you think it's great. Not everyone agrees. The OP never should have had to jump thru the hoops he did. Period.


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## Rob1276 (Feb 13, 2012)

zacker said:


> ever notice that everyone has that one neighbor who just waits around to moan and complain about all the others? they are on every street in america. youre too loud, your dog barks, your cat walks acros my lawn, your guests park infront of my house, your wife turns around in my driveway, your kids balls come over the fence into my yard..blahh blahh blahh.. I get so sick and tired of this stuff it makes me mental! If everyone just gave eachother a little slack, life would be so much more enjoyable.





Agreed live and let live. My sister in law has neighbors from hell. They call if they now their yard because they don't like to hear the lawn mower running. If they they let the dogs out they call if the dogs even make a sound when they are out they call. If the kids are playing on swing set they call police for noise if brother in law changes oil in the car they call. I swear every time they step outside their neighbors are calling police or someone. 

In fact it pisses me off and I don't live there some people just need to get a life


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## zacker (Feb 13, 2012)

Rob1276 said:


> Agreed live and let live. My sister in law has neighbors from hell. They call if they now their yard because they don't like to hear the lawn mower running. If they they let the dogs out they call if the dogs even make a sound when they are out they call. If the kids are playing on swing set they call police for noise if brother in law changes oil in the car they call. I swear every time they step outside their neighbors are calling police or someone.
> 
> In fact it pisses me off and I don't live there some people just need to get a life



Yep! in the summer, I can hear the kids who live on the corner of the next street over if im in my driveway and they crack me up. I think the son is about 5 or 6 and the girl is a little older, anyhow they have this really loud friend who is a yeller and some of the stuff they say kills me...lol One time I was working when I heard, very loudly, "Ewwww, he's peeing on the bushes!" I was giggeling to myself.. Ahhh to be a kid again. The only neighbor who gets on my nerves is the guy behind me's son.. a kid, maybe 20 - 21 years old, who rides his stupid ATV up and down their gravel driveway all day.. And its no so much the noise or anything, its more or less just the fact that he's got nothing better to do.. go to work or get a girl friend.. go do something instead of riding up and down, up and down.. I want to stretch a wire across the driveway and lop his head off and punt it across the road so the Coyotes can chew on it.... lol


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## Chris-PA (Feb 13, 2012)

rob206 said:


> "we the people". Ever hear that phrase? Gov't today is run by career minded folks trying to amass wealth at the expense of the citizens. Glad you think it's great. Not everyone agrees. The OP never should have had to jump thru the hoops he did. Period.


Please don't put words in my mouth that I never said. The upper level of most every Gov'ts everywhere are run by career minded folks trying to amass wealth at the expense of the citizens. Our system did it with less intrusion on the citizens for a time. Smaller local governments attract less of that stuff. 

But I'm glad to hear that everything I do is OK by definition simply because I do it. This makes life so much easier. I'll print out that you told me this and show it to anyone I have a conflict with, and I'm sure they will quickly agree that my interests trump theirs.


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## Kevin in Ohio (Feb 13, 2012)

Glad to hear your local officials are taking the right approach to it. I can see the problem when living in close proximity to others and common sense with wood burners is needed as well. A catalytic or compliant stove would be in order there.

When I first got my boiler cover 8 years ago it was the first one in the area. I'm in a rural area and it does smoke pretty good when ramping up. Always have dry wood and it's in a building along with the wood. One night a Sheriff stopped by and asked about the smoke as he thought the building was on fire. Showed him the set up and till he left he wanted the contact info to look into one for his place.

The best one though was when a township policeman stopped in and said it was illegal to burn plastic and such and was going to write me a ticket. He's known in the area as a REAL pain is on a "power" trip. You know the type. Anyway, I said I burn only dry wood and will show him. We walked out and just as I approached the building I heard the damper clank shut. Opened the door and the temp was reading 186. I told him we'll have to wait a while till it cools down to open it up as it's starving for oxygen. He looked at me like I was nuts and I insisted we wait. After about 5 minutes I cracked the door and I temp was at 184. I shut it back as it was still too hot. Next thing I knew he pushed me away and said,"Quit stalling."

With that he swung the door open and a fireball woofed out. How I kept from laughing I still don't know but I bet he had some comments at the station on having basically no eyebrows,singed lashes and the hair in front of his hat being gone. He quickly scampered back to his car saying something about those things are dangerous, I assume he needed to change his shorts as well! No ticket as it was just wood and he never came back. I was quick to tell a friend on the force the whole story and the hairless egghead has since moved on to another area. Priceless


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## zacker (Feb 13, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> The upper level of most every Gov'ts everywhere are run by career minded folks trying to amass wealth at the expense of the citizens.



i hear that!

every time i hear about someone wanting to go into politics i have a chill run up my spine and I feel like grabbing them by the scuff of their A** and throwing them off a cliff. lol Our forefathers must be looking down at us from where ever and thinking... "you bunch of numbskulls, you let the country get away from you!" Maybe we should just start paying taxes back to england and get back under their rule...


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## Jkebxjunke (Feb 13, 2012)

zacker said:


> i hear that!
> 
> every time i hear about someone wanting to go into politics i have a chill run up my spine and I feel like grabbing them by the scuff of their A** and throwing them off a cliff. lol Our forefathers must be looking down at us from where ever and thinking... "you bunch of numbskulls, you let the country get away from you!" Maybe we should just start paying taxes back to england and get back under their rule...



maybe what we need is some level headed people get into politics and get the idiots out


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## tawilson (Feb 13, 2012)

Term limits. And tort reform. But that's another thread.


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## zacker (Feb 14, 2012)

yeah, maybe this thread is taking a turn down a long, slippery path...lol Anyway, back to the OP.

Have you tried killing this guy with kindness? or have your wife get on his wifes good side? You'd be surprised at just how babyish people can be. Say, he feels slighted by you for some reason, you didnt invite him over for dinner but you invited someone else over, or maybe you dont say hello and BS with him enough.. or maybe he just wants to or wanted to hang out, shoot the breeze and have a beer or two with you and thinks you dont invite him to because you dont like him? maybe invite him over for a beer this summer and see if he is cool or not? try to find out whats up his keester.. theres gotta be some underlying problem.


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## Whitespider (Feb 14, 2012)

Jkebxjunke said:


> *maybe what we need is some level headed people get into politics and get the idiots out*



Nice fantasy; unfortunately that's all it ever will be. "Level headed" people are smarter than that!


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## TRTermite (Jan 3, 2015)

s37d said:


> So I live next to this real tree hugging whiner who has for whatever reason made it his main goal in life to shut my wood burning down. I'm in a suburban environment, but there are other wood burners near us, all within a 100 foot area of each other. It's New England, Near Boston, right on the ocean. It gets very cold and wood burning here is an American tradition going back hundreds of years to the founding of our nation. This guy claims that, even though there is another wood burner the same exact distance from his home, only my stove affects him. He also just so happens to not like my father and is friends with the closest other wood burner, who he's never complained about. Go figure. I always burn clean dry wood, and there's never an unusual amount of excess smoke. This guy is so hellbent on shutting me down, here's a list of things he's done thus far:
> 
> -Visited the town building department numerous(10+) times, forcing them to visit our home and make sure the install is to code and inspected. It of course was, and they've now labeled him a nutcase.
> 
> ...





s37d said:


> So I live next to this real tree hugging whiner who has for whatever reason made it his main goal in life to shut my wood burning down. I'm in a suburban environment, but there are other wood burners near us, all within a 100 foot area of each other. It's New England, Near Boston, right on the ocean. It gets very cold and wood burning here is an American tradition going back hundreds of years to the founding of our nation. This guy claims that, even though there is another wood burner the same exact distance from his home, only my stove affects him. He also just so happens to not like my father and is friends with the closest other wood burner, who he's never complained about. Go figure. I always burn clean dry wood, and there's never an unusual amount of excess smoke. This guy is so hellbent on shutting me down, here's a list of things he's done thus far:
> 
> -Visited the town building department numerous(10+) times, forcing them to visit our home and make sure the install is to code and inspected. It of course was, and they've now labeled him a nutcase.
> 
> ...


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## TRTermite (Jan 3, 2015)

Rob1276 said:


> Dude that's great I can barely type I'm laughing so much just picturing that


Not the answer but for entertainment value. Make some wood shreds by rip cutting some firewood then have it utilized as cat litter then SORT of dry it and use it a little at a time for kindling or firestarter (only when the wind is from the NW) be cautious not to alienate other neighbor/friends Maybe then your neighbor will appreciate good ole pure wood smoke... A wet work boot is not a pleasant smell for the record. You mite try documenting your firewood as "ORGANIC" for the health nuts.


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## TRTermite (Jan 3, 2015)

s37d said:


> So I live next to this real tree hugging whiner who has for whatever reason made it his main goal in life to shut my wood burning down. I'm in a suburban environment, but there are other wood burners near us, all within a 100 foot area of each other. It's New England, Near Boston, right on the ocean. It gets very cold and wood burning here is an American tradition going back hundreds of years to the founding of our nation. This guy claims that, even though there is another wood burner the same exact distance from his home, only my stove affects him. He also just so happens to not like my father and is friends with the closest other wood burner, who he's never complained about. Go figure. I always burn clean dry wood, and there's never an unusual amount of excess smoke. This guy is so hellbent on shutting me down, here's a list of things he's done thus far:
> 
> -Visited the town building department numerous(10+) times, forcing them to visit our home and make sure the install is to code and inspected. It of course was, and they've now labeled him a nutcase.
> 
> ...


this neighbor is not a tree hugger he is a smoke protester/arsehoe


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## jdogg (Jan 3, 2015)

I haven't read the whole thread so I don't know if you said what kind of wood stove or furnace you are burning? I know you said you only burn seasoned wood which is good. As we all know a freshly lit fire will emit smoke untill the stove and chimney warm up. I'd lay a fire in a cold stove and chimney and go to neighbors house and stand in yard and see if you can smell smoke and for how long, if its a constant smell I would check into a more efficient stove that may help a lot. Have you ever talked to the man face to face? The only time smoke ever
bothers me is during the summer if a neighbor to the west is burning trash or a bonfire. I can smell it though my open bedroom window late at night. But I don't complain cause I burn my indoor wood furnace all winter long. A constant fire smokes way less IMO. In the winter all my windows are shut and I smell nothing from any neighbors.


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## 066blaster (Jan 3, 2015)




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## Deleted member 116684 (Jan 3, 2015)

psycho.....


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## Chris-PA (Jan 4, 2015)

It's an old thread revived by someone who joined yesterday. It's not hard to guess who it is.


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## blacklocst (Jan 4, 2015)

I was hoping it was logbutcher.


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## Pulp (Jan 4, 2015)

Here's the solution to this TMI thread: right on, smother the fools with *extreme kindness*.
So, bite the bullet (butt), swallow your pride (  ) and choose which of the offending parties will have 
intimate sex with you.  No more complaints. Very friendly neighbor. End of story.


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## s37d (Jan 4, 2015)

Thought I already replied to this thread with the ending to the story but I guess not. The guy ended up trying to win via court but the judge dismissed the case and the guy tucked tail and ran(put his house on the market and bought a new one a few towns over). He lives at this new location now and hardly ever comes back to his property, which is still on the market. The house is vacant now and it's been peaceful ever since. You could say we smoked him out. In addition to this, another neighbor on the other side of us just installed their own wood burning stove. Now 4/5 people in our area burn, so things have turned around completely. It's a good lesson. You have to fight for your rights or you'll lose them.


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## Rburg44 (Jan 4, 2015)

s37d said:


> Thought I already replied to this thread with the ending to the story but I guess not. The guy ended up trying to win via court but the judge dismissed the case and the guy tucked tail and ran(put his house on the market and bought a new one a few towns over). He lives at this new location now and hardly ever comes back to his property, which is still on the market. The house is vacant now and it's been peaceful ever since. You could say we smoked him out. In addition to this, another neighbor on the other side of us just installed their own wood burning stove. Now 4/5 people in our area burn, so things have turned around completely. It's a good lesson. You have to fight for your rights or you'll lose them.




Awesome!


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## svk (Jan 4, 2015)

s37d said:


> Thought I already replied to this thread with the ending to the story but I guess not. The guy ended up trying to win via court but the judge dismissed the case and the guy tucked tail and ran(put his house on the market and bought a new one a few towns over). He lives at this new location now and hardly ever comes back to his property, which is still on the market. The house is vacant now and it's been peaceful ever since. You could say we smoked him out. In addition to this, another neighbor on the other side of us just installed their own wood burning stove. Now 4/5 people in our area burn, so things have turned around completely. It's a good lesson. You have to fight for your rights or you'll lose them.


Good work.


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## flotek (Jan 4, 2015)

Glad it worked out. What a goofball I would have done what was suggested earlier and just put up an Obama Biden sign in the front yard . Once he saw that he would likely get a strange tingle down his leg and consider you a fellow comrade


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## Mr Good Wood (Jan 4, 2015)

s37d said:


> So I live next to this real tree hugging whiner who has for whatever reason made it his main goal in life to shut my wood burning down. I'm in a suburban environment, but there are other wood burners near us, all within a 100 foot area of each other. It's New England, Near Boston, right on the ocean. It gets very cold and wood burning here is an American tradition going back hundreds of years to the founding of our nation. This guy claims that, even though there is another wood burner the same exact distance from his home, only my stove affects him. He also just so happens to not like my father and is friends with the closest other wood burner, who he's never complained about. Go figure. I always burn clean dry wood, and there's never an unusual amount of excess smoke. This guy is so hellbent on shutting me down, here's a list of things he's done thus far:
> 
> -Visited the town building department numerous(10+) times, forcing them to visit our home and make sure the install is to code and inspected. It of course was, and they've now labeled him a nutcase.
> 
> ...


I heard that coal burns nice and clean, figure out a way to burn that.


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## Hddnis (Jan 4, 2015)

Good to hear the conclusion of the case.



Mr. HE


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## Vangellis (Jan 5, 2015)

Mr Good Wood said:


> I heard that coal burns nice and clean, figure out a way to burn that.


Anthracite does, but not bituminous. I burn anthracite, good stuff.
Glad the OP got resolution.


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## stratton (Jan 5, 2015)

Vangellis said:


> Anthracite does, but not bituminous. I burn anthracite, good stuff.
> Glad the OP got resolution.


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## stratton (Jan 5, 2015)

Thank god it worked out...


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## tawilson (Jan 5, 2015)

s37d said:


> Thought I already replied to this thread with the ending to the story but I guess not. The guy ended up trying to win via court but the judge dismissed the case and the guy tucked tail and ran(put his house on the market and bought a new one a few towns over). He lives at this new location now and hardly ever comes back to his property, which is still on the market. The house is vacant now and it's been peaceful ever since. You could say we smoked him out. In addition to this, another neighbor on the other side of us just installed their own wood burning stove. Now 4/5 people in our area burn, so things have turned around completely. It's a good lesson. You have to fight for your rights or you'll lose them.


Closure is good. Thanks.


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