Aibu wood burning hot tub?

[Bigbumfatthighs]

New to this, looking to get unbiased views! We’ve recently installed a wood burning hot tub in our garden. We generally use it Saturday and Sunday evenings which involves starting a small fire with wood once alight we add smokeless coal for a slow burn to heat the water. Yesterday I started the burner at just gone 4pm, I always check neighbours don’t have washing out etc prior and never start it in the day time. Within 10 mins a neighbour 2 doors down knocked to complain the smoke was blowing into her garden , I apologised and explained i had added coal and the smoke should be dying down shortly which it did. That night at 8pm she then shouted out her window that the smoke was going into her house. For reference it’s blowing an absolute gale in our region so I’m not sure how she could smell it. So as not to drip feed I think we are good neighbours generally, always take parcels in , don’t park on the road, no loud parties etc. We live in a pretty busy housing estate and although I know it’s not ideal I kind of think you have to deal with some noise / environmental pollution living in a built up area. The smell produced is similar to a bbq if that helps and the flume reaches the top of the house. Are we BU ?

[Princessmushroom]

How is the smell any different to log burners you can smell around?

[Faster]

It’d piss me off no end. The smell sticks to clothes, skin, would mean the windows would have to be closed. It’s not the same as an an occasional bbq if it’s four four hours a night at the weekend.

[MrsEricBana]

I tend to think yabu if you are making bbq level of smoke on a Sat and Sun evening at this time of year that other people can smell inside their houses, despite the fact that you definitely sound as though you are trying your best to be considerate. I don't think I'd like it. Sorry.

[Bigbumfatthighs]

It’s effectively a log burner submerged in water so exactly the same, a few people have them round here as I can smell it in the air but couldn’t tell which ones, logs go on first to get heat then smokeless coal to keep the heat

[Duckyneedsaclean]

I absolutely hate it when dh has a fire in the garden, the house stinks of smoke for days afterward. I can only imagine how much it is getting on her nerves if you're burning wood twice every weekend.

[PrestonsFlowers]

How very unusual to have a wood burner hot tub, and to light it when a storm is forecast.

[MrsTerryPratcett]

I love the smell so you can move in next to me.

[cheaperthebetter]

Just ignore her!
She will get over it!
Enjoy your hot tub 😊

[soulrider]

I'm presuming the smoke isn't exiting via a chimney at roof level?

[endevo]

This would annoy me a lot too

[Bigbumfatthighs]

The flume in which the smoke exits is roof level , although once the wood has burnt and only coal remains there’s very little smoke

[Smilingthru]

Absolutely would do my head in if it was every sat and sun every week!!! Selfish for both weekend nights. If u can smell others then u must know people can smell yours too?? Not every likes or wants to smell it! YABVU

[Faster]

See to me if the smell was in my house for several hours at the weekends I would find that just as intrusive as the noise from a party for example. And I certainly wouldn’t be just getting over it. I’d be making sure you knew exactly how I felt each time it happened. Why should your enjoyment trump other people’s enjoyment of their homes?

[Whatdoyouknowwhenyouknownowt]

I have one & it's not a small fire unless your tub is minute. Plus it's for a long, long time. I can tell the difference between wood & coal...coal is just acrid. How close are your houses?

[Isitmybathtimeyet]

You're BU to have such a polluting item full stop. Even 'smokeless' fuel releases particulates, let alone coal.

[Bluntness100]

Thr clue on these is quite short, it's not like a log burner in your house where it comes out at roof level, this is a few feet, so clearly going to piss thr neighbours off if you live in close promising to others.

[MyKingdomForBrie]

I think people wading in don't get the set up at all - it's not an open fire in OP garden, it's exactly the same as having a wood burner in the house and it does not make anything smell of smoke like an open fire does!

YANBU OP she's just being a misery.

[MrsBungle]

I think yabu. She can obviously smell it or there’d be nothing to complain about - she wouldn’t even notice. Every Friday and Saturday I think is antisocial.

[Bigbumfatthighs]

We’ve got an extended flume on ours so it reaches the top of our house however the neighbour does have a three story so that might be the issue..

[FlossieTeacakesFurCoat18]

The gale will be what's blowing the smoke into her house! Of course she can smell it! I think YABU, sorry.

[SwedishEdith]

We rented a house on holiday with one of these. But it was in the middle of the French countryside with the owners of our rented house on one side and fields on the other. It was lovely but I can't imagine they're at all suitable for a suburban housing estate.

Estonian hot tubs - like this. Very nice though. Much nicer than a chemical hot tub thing.

[stayathomegardener]

Yabu woodsmoke in small doses is lovey. Although not every night or in a housing estate.
Coal smoke on the other hand I think smells awful.

[TheSmallAssassin]

I think you mean flue, rather than flume! Unless you've got a slide into your hot tub 😁

[IHateUncleJamie]

Personally I would be irritated by this every single Saturday and Sunday night; yes it’s your garden but assuming you live in a row of houses close together then your hot tub is impacting on potentially lots of people.

As an aside, why the hell would you want to be sat outside in a hot tub in a howling gale?

[FascinatingCarrot]

Was the coal smokeless. It does have its has its own smell, and can be pretty harsh. Maybe it was that and not the wood?
As an aside I would so sit in a heated hotub in a gale