2010 July 27: CT West Hartford: RAWSEP View: This article does not discuss the health hazards of OWBs: West Hartford To Discuss Ban Of Outdoor Wood-Burning Furnaces
July 27, 2010|By BILL LEUKHARDT
WEST HARTFORD — — Questions about the safety of outdoor wood-burning furnaces have triggered a town council public hearing tonight at 7 on a proposed ban on the devices.
Currently, there are no such furnaces in town. Two council leaders say that is the way it should be.
Mayor Scott Slifka and Deputy Mayor Timothy Brennan want an ordinance prohibiting the furnaces, which they say pollute the air, annoy neighbors and are more a nuisance than a smart fossil fuel alternative. They stressed that any ban would not apply to fire pits, interior wood-burning stoves, barbecue grills or similar equipment.
Currently, there are no such furnaces in town. Two council leaders say that is the way it should be.
Mayor Scott Slifka and Deputy Mayor Timothy Brennan want an ordinance prohibiting the furnaces, which they say pollute the air, annoy neighbors and are more a nuisance than a smart fossil fuel alternative. They stressed that any ban would not apply to fire pits, interior wood-burning stoves, barbecue grills or similar equipment.
However, people who sell and install the furnaces say the boilers work fine — as long as owners use them properly and don’t burn trash, wet wood or junk. Scott Bradley, owner of an Ashford company that has sold more than 1,000 of the outdoor furnaces in Connecticut and adjacent states, said earlier this month that the furnaces are used mainly in rural areas, partially because state regulations require a minimum 200-foot distance from any residence not serviced by the unit.
The outdoor furnace is a wood-fired boiler in a small, insulated shed with a smokestack. It heats water that is piped underground to a house or other building. A furnace is not needed inside the building.
Dennis Schain, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, which regulates outdoor burning, said the agency knows that the outdoor furnaces are an issue of public concern. There are about 2,500 operating in the state, and a half-dozen towns have banned them.
"We’ve responded to 750 complaints since 2005 about outdoor wood furnaces," Schain said. "In the right settings, using properly seasoned wood, these are practical to use. But there are state rules to comply with."
Joan Nichols of the Windsor-based Connecticut Farm Bureau said the devices are widely used by farmers and so the association supports proper use of these furnaces and opposes any blanket bans by individual communities.
"Bottom line is that there is a statute since 2005 regulating outdoor furnaces, and of the 750 complaints since that law was passed, about 300 of the complaints involve just three furnaces," which likely stems from improper use and feuds between neighbors, she said.
"How many legitimate violations have there actually been?" Nichols said. "It’s ludicrous to ban a viable, renewable fuel source that’s an alternative to oil. What DEP should do is do its job and enforce the rules and allow these in places that comply with the regulations."
The proposal must be reviewed and supported by the plan and zoning commission before it can become policy in West Hartford. As far as town officials know, there are no outdoor wood furnaces in town, nor have there been any applications for permits to install them.
Tonight’s hearing will be held in the town hall council chambers.
The outdoor furnace is a wood-fired boiler in a small, insulated shed with a smokestack. It heats water that is piped underground to a house or other building. A furnace is not needed inside the building.
Dennis Schain, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, which regulates outdoor burning, said the agency knows that the outdoor furnaces are an issue of public concern. There are about 2,500 operating in the state, and a half-dozen towns have banned them.
"We’ve responded to 750 complaints since 2005 about outdoor wood furnaces," Schain said. "In the right settings, using properly seasoned wood, these are practical to use. But there are state rules to comply with."
Joan Nichols of the Windsor-based Connecticut Farm Bureau said the devices are widely used by farmers and so the association supports proper use of these furnaces and opposes any blanket bans by individual communities.
"Bottom line is that there is a statute since 2005 regulating outdoor furnaces, and of the 750 complaints since that law was passed, about 300 of the complaints involve just three furnaces," which likely stems from improper use and feuds between neighbors, she said.
"How many legitimate violations have there actually been?" Nichols said. "It’s ludicrous to ban a viable, renewable fuel source that’s an alternative to oil. What DEP should do is do its job and enforce the rules and allow these in places that comply with the regulations."
The proposal must be reviewed and supported by the plan and zoning commission before it can become policy in West Hartford. As far as town officials know, there are no outdoor wood furnaces in town, nor have there been any applications for permits to install them.
Tonight’s hearing will be held in the town hall council chambers.
woodsmokehaz1 