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Backyard Burner Has Neighbors Steamed

Environment | Sat, 09/10/2011 - 2:49 am | Updated 36 weeks 3 days ago | Read 6475 | Commented 10 | Emailed 4

By Jack Fichter

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ERMA — Neighbors of Pawel Banach have complained to Lower Township Council about the wood-burning boiler he has in the backyard of his S. Andrielle Lane home.
Adjoining property owners and folks who live down the street have complained to the township that the boiler sends smoke inside their homes.

Banach told the Herald the wood-burning boiler is no different than a fireplace. Everyone else in the neighborhood has a fireplace, he said.

“I was told if it was in my house, it would be okay,” said Banach.

The item in question is Central Boiler E Classic 2400. According to the manufacturer’s website, the E Classic 2400 “shatters virtually every preconceived notion about emissions and efficiencies of wood heating. The E-Classic uses a three-stage combustion process to burn wood so completely that combustion efficiencies approach 100 percent. With the patent-pending, self-cleaning heat exchanger, the E-Classic produces extremely low emissions per BTU of heat delivered and is one of the cleanest ways to heat with wood. It can heat multiple buildings, domestic water, shops and more, and can replace multiple indoor wood stoves. Burning wood (a totally renewable resource) results in no net increase in carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas emission.

It carries a price tag around $10,000.

At a Sept. 7 meeting, Township Council discussed creating an ordinance to govern outdoor wood-burning boilers.

Township Solicitor Michael Donohue said enforcement was a Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) mechanism in terms of regulation of the units. He said training was necessary to enforce rules on outdoor wood-burning boilers.

Donohue said a current township ordinance deals with smoke and fumes. He said the best the township could do, if council was inclined to create clearer regulation on the devices, was to clarify the ordinance and add a specific provision for outdoor wood-burning boilers.
“And make it clear that those units have to stick to the DEP standards, if they’re not and if the neighbors want to sign a complaint, they’re entitled to do that,” said Donohue.

He said if a township official makes a sufficient observation and can form an opinion that the boiler is in violation of the ordinance, the official could sign a local ordinance complaint as well.

The proposed ordinance clarifies an existing ordinance and expands it to include the boilers and include a provision that a township official in addition to a citizen, after proper observation, may sign a summons. Donohue said the township would not be enforcing DEP regulations but would observe if there was an “offensive or obnoxious quality” to the smoke from the unit.

Donohue said there was a penalty provision in the ordinance, a $100 fine for the first offense which increases with subsequent incidents.

During public comment, Michael Hayko, who said he lives 50-feet away from the boiler, said he couldn’t keep his windows open last summer due to the device.

Mayor Michael Beck said it would be a good idea to send the matter to the zoning board and perhaps require a larger lot for a wood-burning boiler.

“This thing belongs in the Poconos on a 30-acre parcel, not in a residential neighborhood like we live in,” said Hayko. “I can’t sell my property because of this wood burner, somebody is going to have to pay.”

Councilman Tom Conrad said Banach’s wood burning boiler may be “grandfathered in” under any new regulations.

Neighbor Nick Thompson said the effort put forth on the proposed ordinance was “very cursory and elementary and missed a lot of key elements.” He asked who he should call if the burner is operating at night.

Beck told Thompson he could call police and neighbors could sign a complaint as a group and go to court.

Banach told the Herald after initial complaints, he traded the boiler for a different model. He said he increased the height of the smoke stack from 4 feet to 40 feet tall.
The boiler heats his house, water and swimming pool and reduced heating costs from $1,000 to $8 last year. He said he hasn’t run the boiler this summer and would only use it from Nov. 1 to May 1.

“It’s all legal, it’s government approved. There should be no issues with it,” said Banach.

Print | Email Updated 36 weeks 3 days ago

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Wed, 09/14/2011 - 9:23am - Posted by: alpovideo

$8 per year? man, i am going to get one now before they pass the ordinance.

Wed, 09/14/2011 - 6:12am - Posted by: DirtyAviston

Hey Chicken Little…The Sky IS NOT FALLING!!! No need to get all excited that fireplaces, indoor wood stoves, and camp fires would be banned…The issue is Outdoor Wood Furnace (OWF) also known as an Outdoor Wood Boiler (OWB). I have responsibly used an indoor wood stove for over 15 years, I know how wood is to be used responsibly. OWF/OWB wood burning is irresponsible! By design, the OWF/OWB are not capable of burning clean. The OWF/OWB works by surrounding the firebox is a water jacket that is heated. The OWF/OWB cycles water through the water jacket to deliver hot water to the building. Water pipes run underground to deliver the hot water. OWFs/OWBs have a cyclical operating pattern to control the fire and, in turn, the water jacket temperature which does not go above 180 degrees. When the water temperature in the water jacket reaches 180 degrees or less, an air damper closes off air to the unit until the temperature drops and the air damper re-opens, creating an on/off cycle. When the damper is closed, the fire smolders and cools until the temperature of the water drops to a lower set point and the damper opens. Keep in mind that a fire must burn at 1000 degrees to burn clean, the OWF/OWB design does not allow this. These on/off cycles may go on 24x7x365. This is the difference between the OWF/OWB and a fireplace, indoor wood stove, and camp fire. Comparing a fireplace, indoor wood stove, and camp fire to the OWF/OWB is like comparing apples to oranges…

Tue, 09/13/2011 - 7:36am - Posted by: capemay08204

“Improper use or failure to maintain the outdoor wood boiler may cause nuisance conditions. Persons operating this outdoor wood boiler are responsible for operation of the outdoor wood boiler so as not to cause nuisance conditions. "Breathing wood smoke has been shown to be hazardous to people’s health. This is not only true for the person who tends the fire, but for the people and neighbors that surround it. This is also true for campfires, but most people do not keep their campfire going 7 days a week."

I guess you never worked in a smoking environment before it was banned for health reasons. Living near a refinery, energy generating plant or even a manufacturing plant can also hazardous to your health. We burn fossil fuels and imported oil daily in machines that emit toxic fumes. If the combustion engine was so clean, run your car in your garage with your doors shut. You may have a long peaceful sleep.

The operation of any heating system needs to be done correctly. As stated, "Improper use may cause nusiance conditions...." I burn my fireplace every night once it gets cold until it warms up again in the spring. I guess you want that banned as well? The campgrounds do burn wood fires 7 days a week times hunderds of sites times thousands of campgrounds all season long throughout the state. There are no air baffles to recycle that unburned fuel as it goes up in smoke.Generations of people have heated with wood and the systems are becomming more efficient in their processing of that fuel.

Some people will find fault in everything. Negativity is counter productive to a balanced life.I will write to my mayor and council and urge them to not ban this form of heating system. These burners also work well with coal. Power generating companies also generate electric by burning coal. Maybe someday they will use a reactor core to make electric power. Oh right, they already do. I suppose you do not want to live next to them as well but enjoy the lights and heat when you want it.

Tue, 09/13/2011 - 6:25am - Posted by: DirtyAviston

If the Outdoor Wood Boiler (OWB), Outdoor Wood Furnace (OWF) owners were able to keep their toxic smoke on their property, there would be no problem. Once the toxic smoke crosses-over onto someone else's property this is a major problem with the toxic smoke negatively impacting their health, property , property value, and enjoyment of property. I know first-hand because I lived next door to an OWB/OWF. Because of this, I launched a website in order to educate the public on the OWB/OWF. DirtyAviston.com contains videos of OWBs/OWFs in action, reference material, and news articles. There is even an “Industry Reference Tab” where OWB/OWF manufacturers have stated that their products are a nuisance and wood smoke is harmful.

OWB/OWF Manufacturer Stated: “Improper use or failure to maintain the outdoor wood boiler may cause nuisance conditions. Persons operating this outdoor wood boiler are responsible for operation of the outdoor wood boiler so as not to cause nuisance conditions. Even proper use and maintenance of the outdoor wood boiler, and meeting the distance and stack height recommendations and requirements in State and local regulations may not always be adequate to prevent nuisance conditions in some areas due to terrain or other factors."

“Breathing wood smoke has been shown to be hazardous to people’s health. This is not only true for the person who tends the fire, but for the people and neighbors that surround it. This is also true for campfires, but most people do not keep their campfire going 7 days a week."

"Never buy an outdoor wood furnace if you live in town."

"There is not a manufacturer that makes a furnace that never smokes."

"All wood stoves will smoke at any time and could cause you problems with your neighbors."

Sat, 09/10/2011 - 10:56pm - Posted by: mischief3178

get a life how about this guy calls the cops when your having bbq's, cause the smell of your food or the smell of the gas or carcol smoke? or when its winter and you have your fire places going? or your out door fire pits and out door fireplaces? the stones you break today is the butt you kiss tomorrow!

Sat, 09/10/2011 - 12:06pm - Posted by: capemay08204

Take a ride at night past the campgrounds with the fires burning every evening. Smells like smoke. Fireplaces are burning wood all winter. Many people heat their homes with wood stoves. Some people just do not like it when a neighbor gets the same heat for a lot less than paying out to Atlcntic City Electric or any propane delivery company. They seem to be safer than a fireplace in the house since the firebox is separate from the home structure. These outside fireboxes have been around for many years. They have evolved into cleaner burning systems with newer technology. Firewood is a renewable resource unlike foreign oil. Go to: www.outdoorfurnacefacts.com for information so you can make your own decision on outdoor furnaces. This source of heating should not be ordinanced out of use because of some disgruntled neighbor.

Sat, 09/10/2011 - 11:01am - Posted by: whitespider

If you look at the 2nd photo you will see black carbon emission marks coming from the door which also smudge the top front of the unit. This exude should be going up the chimney. Something is wrong with this heater, the door has a faulty seal most likely, which explains why the smell is obvious. Usually, these advanced heating units are efficient and odorless, used by most of us who understand the requirements of being off grid and how to survive in the coming 10 years. He needs to check the installation and make use of the warranty. Too bad his neighbors are of an unenlightened mindset. Why in the world is he living around people like that? Oh, right, it's Cape May County....

Sat, 09/10/2011 - 10:16am - Posted by: amberjack

Hey Paul, why not paint it brown and put a Caprioni sign on it? Tell people it's a portable toilet.

Sat, 09/10/2011 - 9:08am - Posted by: Dave G

Maybe there is a FAA thing, Marmoracat. But did you notice all of the trees around it that are taller? Why did one neighbor say he couldn't leave his windows open during the summer, but the homeowner says he doesn't use it in the summer? Is the water heated conventionally during the summer? Maybe there's something missing from the story. Why does it bother people? Millions of fireplaces inside houses burn all of the time, as the homeowner noted. People want solutions to energy problems. Oh, "But not in my backyard." Just like windmills. They were a great thing. Now, they kill birds and make too much noise.

Sat, 09/10/2011 - 8:40am - Posted by: marmoracat

The homeowner stated the smoke stack is now 40 feet tall. Did he get a variance for a structure more than 35 feet tall? I believe Lower Township limits structures to 35 feet tall without a variance. Also wouldn't there be some FAA regulations or model ordinances to cover this type of device in such proximity to an airport? The height of the smoke stack for one, and secondly smoke could be a hazard/obstruction for aircraft to see runway lighting. The FAA has a model ordinance for height restrictions in an "airport zone" which I'm almost certain the property in question is included in some part of, but I'm unaware if Lower Township has adopted one for the airport area: http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/advisory_circular/150-5190-4A/150_5190_4A.PDF




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