About fire pits?

[Notcontent]

In London, at least, you are not allowed to use an open fire place, because of the smoke pollution. Currently you can use wood burners that meet a certain standard (as they produce fewer harmful particles due to reaching higher temperatures) but I understand that will change soon and these will be illegal as well.

So how on earth are things like fire pits legal? They produce as much smoke pollution as open fire places, and are probably more anti social, as the smoke is not going up through a chimney but at ground level, so more likely to get into your neighbours’ houses.

I was just thinking about this as was reading an article about people having fires in their gardens to socialise outside.

Well I would assume it's because with wood burners in winter your likely to use it most evenings wheras a fire pit is outside and likely it would be used much more rarely therefore it doesn't need regulation?

Yes, but it does seem inconsistent. There is nothing to stop someone having a fire pit on a daily basis.

Isnt it more to do with the fuel used?

Open fires use coal mostly which is a huge pollutant, I don't think anyone would be using coal on a fire pit.

No, I don’t think anyone uses coal anymore! Wood is pretty polluting too in an open fire, and wood that has not been properly dried is even worse.

Our neighbour has a fire pit. As soon as the weather gets nice they start lighting it a few times a week and keep it burning for hours on end. It's horrible as with all the smoke we have to close our windows which is annoying in the height of summer. Sorry. That was really just a chance for me to vent.

I'm surprised if s allowed OP, in residential areas. It's bloody inconsiderate at best.

Out in the countryside, fine. On a housing estate or densely populated area, no, you're a selfish knob! Same goes for bonfires!

Wood burners are not about to become illegal. The wood that is sold to be burnt is now regulated and a certain type is not allowed.

I love a good fire pit (sadly don't have my own) but they should be used in gardens rarely as they do smell.

My neighbours have built a patio about 1 meter away from the side of our house (it's at the end of their garden) and when they light their fire put the smoke comes in all our side windows and makes the upstairs of the house smell. I have sympathy for them doing it a couple of times....but every day in the summer is too much. Especially when the weather is hot and you want the windows open. But I'm British and have said nothing!

Open fires are allowed in London, you just have to burn smokeless fuel (you can buy smokeless coal, it's v expensive but it chucks out a lot more heat than regular coal).

Also venting. Our neighbour lights his every night in spring and summer. It's horrible. If we leave one window open, the whole house stinks of their smoke.

Why is it OK for a neighbour in rural area to use a fire-pit but not in town? Or is it more “fine if you don’t have any neighbours...”.

Anyway, I agree they’re anti-social (and unnecessary!) on summer evenings when people want to have windows open. But occasional use when the weathers cold, just now? I think that’s fair enough.

I think you need to research your subject more op, you’ve made some erroneous assumptions, wood burners are not about to be made illegal, and plenty of people use smokeless coal. It’s very common.

Our fire pit is gas as it’s part of our garden table .
No smoke at all

In London, at least, you are not allowed to use an open fire place, because of the smoke pollution. Currently you can use wood burners that meet a certain standard (as they produce fewer harmful particles due to reaching higher temperatures) but I understand that will change soon and these will be illegal as well.

I don’t think they are going to be banned outright but there will be a government list of approved stoves you have to buy from and anything else will be illegal. A couple of houses in my neighbourhood have been on the market recently and they’ve both got wood burners installed. TBh I think they need the right setting and can easily look out of place.

It’s house coal and wet wood which will be banned. Seasoned wood snd smokeless coal will continue and there is no plan to ban wood burners en masse, the clear air strategy is to control the sale of fuel which causes the pollution. Not the wood burners themselves.

Most responsible people, myself included, only use smokeless fuel or seasoned wood anyway.

However sadly there is nothing to stop twats burning wet wood they scavenge themselves but hopefully they will be in the minority.

Sorry I should add and in smoke controlled areas, there is a list of approved appliances (it’s very wide and just removes the old ones) and the types of fuel permissible, in reality though councils don’t have the resources to go knocking on doors checking what kind of stove you have, if you use it, snd what kind of fuel you use, so it’s rarely enforced.

@Saz12

Why is it OK for a neighbour in rural area to use a fire-pit but not in town? Or is it more “fine if you don’t have any neighbours...”.

Anyway, I agree they’re anti-social (and unnecessary!) on summer evenings when people want to have windows open. But occasional use when the weathers cold, just now? I think that’s fair enough.

Because of the massively higher particulate air pollution in London.

There's also the fact that even houses with gardens in London are often smaller terraces closely adjoining other terraces on the other side. Of course this can sometimes be the case in other cities too, in which case its equally annoying to neighbours on a personal basis, but isn't such an issue on a wider level if the air is already ok in the area.

Even though bonfires are legal if smokeless, in practice, neighbours in London at least can still complain about the nuisance, so they're less common.

You've misunderstood what a smoke control order area is
There are specific rules, open fires are not banned but what is burnt and how is restricted - it's about reducing the pollutants not eliminating them completely

www.gov.uk/smoke-control-area-rules

SCA are more likely to be in urban rather than rural areas just due to concentration of people.

We have a fire pit but only use seasoned, dry wood which we keep under cover in the garden. We wouldn't use it in a garden close to any other gardens though.

We live in a plot of approx 1.5acres within our village (1house) when we lived in a city within the same area there were about 60houses in the same area

Its antisocial but only as much as a bbq, or a night time gathering, or a hot tub etc.
The fact is that if you live in a densely populated area then you have to live with other peoples inconveniences.
I love a fire pit, dont have one atm but will have for next summer and will use it as much as we please in the evening.
Surely you shut your windows in the evening anyway to keep mosquitos out?!

@Saz12 I meant if you're rural and not going to bother anyone else with it, fine (lots of farms etc have bonfires etc). If you're in a house with neighbours right over the fence then it's a shit thing to use, selfish as hell.

@Nottherealslimshady

Its antisocial but only as much as a bbq, or a night time gathering, or a hot tub etc. The fact is that if you live in a densely populated area then you have to live with other peoples inconveniences. I love a fire pit, dont have one atm but will have for next summer and will use it as much as we please in the evening. Surely you shut your windows in the evening anyway to keep mosquitos out?!

Instead of saying that you have to live with other people's inconveniences, I'd normally think that one of the implications of living in a densely populated area is that you have to try to minimise your inconvenience to others.

Hot tubs can be annoying, but they don't shorten people's lives in urban areas by adding to air pollution, as even 'smokeless' fuel does.

www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/pollution-and-air-quality/guidance-wood-burning-stoves-london

Anyone who decides they need a fire pit in the summer is a dick. They don’t heat people up very effectively (compared to, say, a jumper!). A bbq gets used for cooking then goes out, so is way less irritating and harmful than a fire pit (and why do people burn wet bits of knackered old fence, do they think wood preservative fumes are safe to breathe in?).

sunflowershine - even farmers aren’t supposed to burn rubbish via long-smouldering bonfires anymore (and rightly so!). The amount of smoke a fire-pit generates is much less than old straw bales would generate.