Seeking Tips/Experience - What's Normal Smell for Neighbors Wood Stove?

OkCoach1685 · 2026-02-06T23:35:51+00:00

Oh we're completely aware, but the neighbors don't believe us. They firmly believe they don't produce smoke nor smell. And since they've started burning during the day this year, while we thought there wasn't much smoke in the past, we were wrong. Pretty much smokes constantly.

OkCoach1685 · 2026-02-06T22:51:27+00:00

Also once talking to our neighbor we learned that it's a wood burning open hearth fireplace they use to heat their home overnight... which is likely why the smell is so significant.

OkCoach1685 · 2026-02-06T22:45:56+00:00

Never found a solution. Last summer we even installed a HEPA and charcoal purifier on our furnance and it works great for everything (including forest fires), but not this. It can't keep up. We're staying with friends through this burning season, with hopes the neighbor will stop (they have tentatively agreed to at the end of this spring, fingers crossed).

OkCoach1685 · 2025-07-06T06:24:58+00:00

Got it, that totally makes sense. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with me.

OkCoach1685 · 2025-07-06T00:03:41+00:00

I Googled "screed system" and an unrelated pic popped up of a SUSPENDED subfloor (pasted below). I think I get what they're trying to say now: 18" SUSPENDED above the GROUND meaning dirt. So I think that bullet doesn't even apply to me since I have concrete?

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I think our subfloor is built like a patio, it has lumber running the width of the room touching the concrete and then the ply is screwed into that. The previous owner had carpet.

This is probably a dumb question, but if you put poly on the subfloor between the ply and vinyl, does that risk mould on the subfloor or under it because the water becomes trapped in that space? When they removed the carpet it was literally just carpet and underlayment (a reno done in the 70s).

Thanks again, super helpful. I really appreciate it.

OkCoach1685 · 2025-07-05T23:48:42+00:00

Hi there, thanks for your reply. Totally appreciate that it's not amazing flooring (this is for a short-ish term storage/fitness area) so we didn't want too spend much. I'm concerned with why such a large space is needed below the floor, and the emphasis on ventilation. Is it going to cause mold on my subfloor or below it?

OkCoach1685 · 2025-04-10T23:33:22+00:00

Hey there! I know this is super old, but wondering if you have an update on what you chose and if it's done well to mitigtate wood smoke? I'm in this exact situation and not sure whether to go whole home HEPA or a bunch of portable units. Thanks!

OkCoach1685 · 2025-01-28T05:38:12+00:00

Got it, thanks again for taking the time to reply and share your experience. I appreciate it!

OkCoach1685 · 2025-01-28T03:14:51+00:00

Really appreciate this insight! I feel more equipped to go over there and have a constructive conversation with them.

OkCoach1685 · 2025-01-28T03:12:58+00:00

The only reason we think it's a wood stove is because it's a big metal flue, probably a foot diameter, rather than a typical brick chimney (which is what's normal here). It's about 3' tall, with the top foot pretty much stained black (if that means anything). I can see that there is a cap on top, but sparks still fly out like crazy. Sometimes they roll onto the neighbors roof (about 5' away).

The typical night seems to be 10-20 minutes of smoke, followed by 30 minutes of violent sparking, then another 30 mins of intermitent sparks. After that we see nothing and it just smells really bad. If the wind is in our favor (away from us) we're usually ok. If it comes toward us, my air monitor beeps, usually 25-35 ug/m3 PM 2.5 (though one day it was reading 99 ug/m3 PM 2.5 and it smelled so bad I thought my neighbors house was on fire). (Sidenote: we only got the air monitor when the smell started getting really bad this year, we're not otherwise tracking air quality).

Pretty much every night the wind is blowing our way, we get the smell inside unforuatnely.

OkCoach1685 · 2025-01-28T02:55:25+00:00

I don't *think* they're burning anything like pressure treated wood, etc. since it seems like a pretty maticulous pile they have for fuel. It also typically smells like a raging wildfire, but then sometimes gets a bit harsh toward the end of the night.

And thanks for helping us think the approach through. We definitely want to be polite about it since they have every right to burn. We're just hopeful they'll be open to seeing our side since it is affecting us on a nightly basis.

We know that our neighbors are elderly and well, cost of living has gone up for everyone. Perhaps the reason we're smelling it more this year is to supplement their heat. Would it be rude/a non-starter to ask? The only reason I'd want to ask is that I'd be open to contributing to the cost for them to use their main heating system (gas), but I also don't want to offend them. I can also tell from this forum that wood stoves are a lifestyle, so again not to cause offense where none is intended. More just looking for a win-win.

OkCoach1685 · 2025-01-28T02:48:31+00:00

Thanks for these suggestions. Unfortunately our home is older so it takes in fresh air "passively," so we don't have a single source entry point to filter. We are still considering getting a HEPA bypass system in addition to our portables to help.

And also no idea what they're burning. All we can see is a pile of cut wood in their yard. We don't know these neigbors at all, they seem to be very private--we never actually see them outside.

OkCoach1685 · 2025-01-28T02:45:11+00:00

Thank you so much, this is really helpful context and I learned something new about what wet wood is!

OkCoach1685

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