I got a lovely firebowl for Christmas from the in-laws, but now OH is saying he doesn't think I should use it in the garden, as he thinks it might be considered anti-social to cause the smoke. I imagine there will be more from a wood fire than there usually is from a barbecue.
We have really great neighbours, so I wouldn't want to cause them any inconvenience. What's the general advice about firebowls? Are they suited to burning wood in domestic gardens, or should I save it for camping?
We use our firepit all the time with logs. Gives off the same kinda smoke as a bbq and our neighbours are fine with it.
Just the same as lighting a bbq really. Bit of smoke to start with then it calms down so I think you'll be OK. Maybe warn them first and see if it's a problem for them?
As has been said,consideration is key and as long as the wood you are burning is dry,it won't make anymore "smoke" than a fat drenched bbq....
I'd just invite then around for a drink one evening,when you've got it lit...once they've enjoyed sitting around,with a beer/glass of wine in their hand,they'd need to be pretty hard faced to moan at you for doing it...
You would probably(certainly?!) have more problems when taking it camping...
Used mine last night to destroy last years Visa bills - the neigbours brought a pile of theirs around too and we had a beer whilst we watched them go up in smoke....who needs a shredder!!!!
We only use hard wood (Mahogany) as it gives of next to no smoke compared with soft wood (Pine).Our local timber yard sell bags of offcuts that you fill yourself, so needless to say I pick the hard wood only.Also bear in mind hard wood burns for twice as long as soft wood so better value for money.
Thanks for all the good advice, folks. I love these boards!
So it seems OH is over-worrying on this one. The wood we have is nice and dry, and is mostly willow and pine, though there is some hardwood too. It should be fairly neighbour-friendly. We get on well with them, so it would be no penance to ask them round to 'christen' the firebowl!
If we do take it camping, it would be somewhere where campfires are allowed. We know a few good sites we could use it.
Oh and I'll be sure to find an old tyre from somewhere, for that burning rubber ambience people find so pleasant of an evening! Thanks for the tip, dickturpin!
We have neighbours - two houses away who like to gather around a wood fuelled bonfire on a summers evening. Its a bit bigger than a fire bowl but I can assure you that we are totally p'd off with the smoke from their fires.
We have to close all of the windows and the smell still gets in. On a hot summers night it is unbearable. They don't care which way the wind is blowing or where the smoke goes. The fire gets lit sometime around 8 or 9 and will go on into the small hours.
We have asked them not to do it and pointed out how inconsiderate it is to everyone who lives around them - they told us to f off and mind our own business. We have complained to the housing association who own their house, they suggested we kept a log of the bonfires but couldn't tell me how many would constitute a nuisance or what they intended to do about it - nothing so far.
This has been going on for several years.
They don't work whereas I am up before 6am 6 or 7 mornings a week. There have been times when I would have happily put petrol through their letter box and lit it.
Now I am not suggesting that you should not use a fire bowl, but remember that the big difference between a firebowl and a bbq is that when you finish cooking the bbq either gets turned off (gas) or at worst stops smoking pretty quick once all of the fat is burned off (charcoal). The firebowl will be kept going all night until you go indoors.
A firebowl would be somewhat smaller than bonfire and I hope you won't be burning the rubbish timber that our neighbours burn - ie anything they get their hands on.
All you can do is try it out and ask your neighbours to tell you if it causes a problem AND if it does to be prepared to stop using it.
If there is one thing guaranteed to tic off neighbours- its interfering with their sleep!
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Topic: Woodburning firebowl in Garden?
