Possible fine for using WSM and other smokers in SF Bay Area


 
Glad I don't have a neighbor close enough to know when I'm cooking ...or anything else.
 
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Ill be honest, 2 days after thanksgiving last year, I was firing up the chimney to smoke a turkey, my next door neighbor was outside with his daughter hanging Christmas lights, I felt so bad I took a look around the corner and saw my neighbor on the ladder just engulfed in clouds of smoke. I did my best to move the WSM to the other side of the house w/ the hopes the wind would carry the smoke the other way. Still smoked my turkey though.
 
With all the winter spare the air days this year, I've hardly been able to use my WSM!!! It has made me more efficient in that I smoke more meals at once, so I am smoking less, I guess. I don't see why using a smoker is any different than using a regular bbq in terms of fines; you can smoke on a regular kettle, too. I thought the whole point of the spare the air warnings was so we would know when it was okay to smoke. Heck, I gave up my car to ride a bike so I'm already improving the air - they'll get my smoker out of my cold dead hands only.
 
Its probably similar to when China was trying to ban grilling in Beijing. SURE IT MUST BE THE PEOPLE COOKING OUTSIDE CAUSING THE BAD AIR!
 
My problem is my wife won't let me smoke on the back porch. I am going to have to put a concrete pad in the rear of the yard and put in a cover of some sort. Of course, I can still use the Performer on the back porch. My fine is what it will cost me to put in the concrete, electrical, and cover. That fine won't come cheap.

At least the city isn't coming after me. I've lived in California for 65 years and it has really changed for the worse. Northern California is worse if that is possible. No more plastic bags, etc., etc.

Los Angeles will probably be next.

Go Figure. What do they expect us to do??
 
I think the most annoying smoke comes from the newspaper when lighting the chimney. I'm sure my neighbors think our house is on fire. I started using the Weber lighter cubes. Very little smoke.
 
my backyard fills up with smoke when I'm firing it up sometimes---- here in SLC they're proposing including charcoal grills/smokers on the save the air days. I'll have to try different methods of starting the chimney.... usually there's not a problem but sometimes??? I wonder if it's when my charcoal is damp.
 
Some people. . . Where I live the houses are fairly close together. With that being said, whenever I fire up all my grills it seems like it's a smoke signal for all the neighbors to head on over and chew the fat. They all want to see what this hillbilly is going to do this time, then we all talk about nothing in particular, have a few beers, and enjoy slowing down for a time. You can keep all that California high life. I'd rather slow down and smile.
 
Never will i live in California. I grew up on a farm and we burned all kinds of stuff that would give those crybabies a heart attack.
 
I will try to attend one of the public meetings. I don't know the science behind how much backyard charcoal/wood-fired grills are contributing to our air quality problems in the SF Bay Area, but I'm willing to listen and learn. I do know that because of our drought conditions the past 3+ years, the air quality here in the winter time sucks. There are plenty of days when the sky is brown at the horizon because there's no wind and no rain to clean the air.

As for the part of that story about someone smoking-out their neighbor, that's just a function of people living so close together. I'm not sure a smoker is appropriate in all living situations, especially when people live on top of each other in big cities.
 
Mike Taylor said:
I think the most annoying smoke comes from the newspaper when lighting the chimney. I'm sure my neighbors think our house is on fire. I started using the Weber lighter cubes. Very little smoke.
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A few Summers back, I was lighting up a chimney around 7 AM on the 4th of July and within 10 minutes had the fire marshal parked in front of the house. He was passing by my house on his way to the firehouse (only up two blocks and around a corner), saw the plumes of smoke from behind my house and assumed the worst. Thankfully he only has lights (no siren) on his car or I'd have had some pretty annoyed neighbors.
 
~Mark~ said:
Some people. . . Where I live the houses are fairly close together. With that being said, whenever I fire up all my grills it seems like it's a smoke signal for all the neighbors to head on over and chew the fat. They all want to see what this hillbilly is going to do this time, then we all talk about nothing in particular, have a few beers, and enjoy slowing down for a time. You can keep all that California high life. I'd rather slow down and smile.
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Mark,

you sound cool, stop over anytime if you are ever in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan......My nearest neighbor is on the Next 40 acres, usually when I fire up the smoker he stops over with some drinks, and we discuss life, solve the worlds problems and get pickled. Oh ya and then we eat the goodness from the smoker.

I would never live on the left coast, with all that BS out there. I love my simple life, we always take time to slow down, enjoy each day, and live life to the fullest. I have what I need, most of what I want, and most importantly great family and friends. I have so much more to say but I'll keep my yap shut for now.

smile, smoke, drink, eat. oh and share.

chris
 
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Hey, if I were you guys, I'd keep my mouth shut about how good things are where you live. When California dries up and blows away in the next big Dust Bowl, all 38 million of us will be looking for greener pastures, and we'll be coming to a neighborhood near you to drive up your housing prices and cost of living!

Don't forget to leave the light on for us! :)
 
I think that people that live close enough to each other that can shake hands between homes by just opening the windows are in for a hard time in the bay area.
Next thing will be having them extend bathroom exhaust vents and install scrubbers on them for all new and remodel construction.
 
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