Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
All-Purpose OWF Discussions => General Outdoor Furnace Discussion => Topic started by: w3_30 on November 22, 2011, 06:46:49 PM
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Hey everyone,
I am new to the forum and new to wood burning although my father inlaw has been burning for 9 years.
Well here is the deal we bought a new house earlier this year that had the option of a wood burner. The wood burner that would have come with the house was 3 years old and the old owner wanted full price of a new one for that one. So I figured he could take that one and I will spend my $8500 on a brand new one. Well I have been burning for a month now and get home today and there is a not from the Zoning/Building Department. They say that the unit is not inspected, which it wasn't and not allowed in that location. Funny thing is I placed my new burner in the same locaation as the old one.
So question is what would you do in my situation and what are the options?
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u r going to take int in the shorts! Most existing installations would be grandfathered in and you'd be able to repair, but if removed for any reason, new rules apply. Are you tired of gov. regs. yet? I am.
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Sounds about right ( Land of The Dictated) Maybe thats why he wanted new price he knew the red tape had some value, or the little people thought they needed some additional zoning and are flexing there commy muscles? My jerk reaction would be to tell them to kiss my white but and lawyer up. But in reality you will probably be the one doing the but kissin. Unreal!!!
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Some town official got word of a new or changed installation of a furnace..Id tell them to prove it first..Some people just need to mind their own damn business..Your doing nothing wrong..
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Thinking about the lawyer up. I hate when people try to tell me what I can do on MY property.
I will first make them prove that it is a new unit. If they can do that then I am going to look into the regulations on outdoor coal burners. If that does not work has anyone ever built a non-permanent building around a burner and called it an indoor unit?
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What state/city/township are you in? I would think that if you had a hvac guy come in and document that it is your only source for heat ;), and you have small children living with you ;), that it will be very hard for them to prevent you from finishing up heating your home for this year at least. If nothing else, it would buy you some time. This fight that you are having hits very close to home for every one of us out here who are providing wood heat for our family homes. I guess if it were happening to myself or one of my family members or close friends, I would definitely involve any and all of my congressmen, senators, and state representatives if at all possible.
Please keep us posted.
Marty
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Did the person you bought the house from have problems? did you talk to him about the situation? or did he just set the OWB that he paid for on his personal property like most of the rest of us did?
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Did you replace the whole installation or just the furnace? If it was just the furnace it would not need to be inspected like a complete install would. I would argue with them that you only repaired the existing system by replacing part of it.
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On what grounds are they ruling that the unit is not allowed in that location - too close to a building? , too close to a property line? Or is it just that it was never initially inspected? If it is the later than perhaps it is a matter of some official showing up and signing off on the install.
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Big fish in a little pond.
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This is a case where 'going hat in hand' is better than telling them to 'pound sand'. It would be nice if you could take the angle that your new one is 2010 0r 2011 EPA tested/approved and you were making and upgrade. You can make the argument that it is newer/more efficient/less smoke/safer even if you can't prove it. Then ask what you can do to adhere to the law, I agree with BoilerHouse below. So long as neighbor isn't complaining you should have a chance.
If that doesn't work then it looks like you may explain that your only choice is to escalate via lawyers and board meetings. They really don't like people raising hell at the monthly township meetings.
Godd luck.
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Inspections? I didn't check with anything or anyone to see if it was ok to install my OWB. Maybe my note is on the way...
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Inspections? I didn't check with anything or anyone to see if it was ok to install my OWB. Maybe my note is on the way...
Lol.you guys would enjoy still living in parts of ky. Little college inspectors be damned is what I hear a lot. It is actualy common here when any type of inspector show up on your property they end up Getting escorted off via shotgun lol
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So, what finally happened?
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In Pennsylvania we can burn ANY KIND of household trash we want to: plastics, osb etc...
However you cannot burn wood in an unapproved furnace if purchased after April 2011.
Yeah ... have to meet EPA regs... One of only 5 states....
Hope you are not in one of the 5 with the wrong burner.
That's why we bought the 3200, only one that met the new regs.
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Actually in PA you had the OK to buy a non EPA unit until May 31 2011. I know, I just made it under the wire.
Ok, it wasn't that close, I had six weeks. But why push it? lol
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In Pennsylvania we can burn ANY KIND of household trash we want to: plastics, osb etc...
However you cannot burn wood in an unapproved furnace if purchased after April 2011.
Yeah ... have to meet EPA regs... One of only 5 states....
Hope you are not in one of the 5 with the wrong burner.
That's why we bought the 3200, only one that met the new regs.
Yeah well i'm sure that will end soon of burning trash..Couple yrs ago NH passed a law saying can't burn construction wood (osb, plywood, pressure treated, etc).. Not a fan of the EPA lol
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I am in ma we have EPA regs I had to spend $400 for a engineered plan and everything else under the sun
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Well finally had the township meeting today. No go on the wood burner, not supprised considering the fact that I didn't meet 3 of the regulations.
But the neighbor's that showed up were real a-holes. Guy who lives a way north of me says that he can hardly stand the smell when he walks out side. Guess what buddy west michigan winds never blow north, ok maybe 1 percent of the time.
Now I need to put my wood burner inside, actually 20' to the south of where it is, in my barn. Anyone know anything about getting permits for an outdoor wood boiler inside a barn. Building inspector said if I could get manufacture set back regs and what not. It is an EMPYRE unit anyone know some one there?
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That's pretty stupid, even with it in the barn, you are still gonna be blowing smoke out of the stack. Inspectors and county officials can be a pain in the @$$, they generally don't have first hand knowledge, they just read it in a book..
I have my cb installed in my barn, but I didn't get a permit. The cb manual had all clearance information in it, even though it says it's not designed to be put inside.
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Move to ky and run them off with a shotgun lol
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that sucks for you. i would try to comply and get them off your back before it cost you lots of $. if i were you i would get the largest insulated water storage tank and have your owb heat that,large enough to be able to store enough btu's for 24 HRS then start your burning after dark when no nosey f@#k can see the smoke.
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Found the set back regulations for my wood burner.
Anyone know anything about firewalls. What to use what's better than what, ect. I don't want my burner 4' from the back wall or to rip down my loft. 60" clearance for the top really the sides are 6", o-well. :bash:
neighbors can't say sh1t now >:D
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Found the set back regulations for my wood burner.
Anyone know anything about firewalls. What to use what's better than what, ect. I don't want my burner 4' from the back wall or to rip down my loft. 60" clearance for the top really the sides are 6", o-well.
you might look up your local building code but ithink where i am you can bet by with 2 layers of 5/8 drywall as a fire wall (perhaps with steel studes i am not sure)
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Yep 5/8 fire code drywall in my area too
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I can tell you that drywall works. My pickup burnt up in my attached garage. It got so hot that it melted the aluminum on the motor. The only damage it did to the drywall was pop the nails. It saved my house from burning to the ground.
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go to the town and pull the old permit if it passed fill out the new permit with the specse on how deep the water lines are you may have to pull the old electrical permit also. if you change nothing other then the OWF you should be good unless they changed the zoning on them
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I guess it is to late to buy one just like the old one and tell them it was getting reconditioned and it is grandfathered ;D