Being sickened by Neighbors grill

[1trish]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Pennsylvania. I live in a mobile home park in Bucks County, PA. My neighbors grill fumes (and cig smoke) are coming into my house constantly. They have been told over a year ago about this, and several times. They just moved their grill 10' closer to my unit. Now it is 19' away from my huge bay window. It is under a back porch roof and the fumes do not go up, they billow over. The park will not enforce its own rules of "must be in an open area". The township said "private property, can't help you"... but this is the same inspector who comes out to give permits to new decks. He is doing NOTHING about my neighbors deck that was built without a permit, not even a fine. How can I get a "cease and desist"? My boyfriend has been battling bladder cancer for 10 years and I have lung issues, which these neighbors know. We need to breathe. In humidity, the fumes are stagnated in the thick air outside... fill our house... and we leave. We have to schedule our lives around their potential lunch and dinner. When their grill gets turned off, we wait about 15 minutes then put fans in the windows blowing out. So, someone has to be here from 12 -6 pm. We can't leave the dog inside alone during that time. Tired of headaches and vomitting. They have the largest FRONT yard in the park, corner property, which sits unused. Someone please help us against these "I'm an American and can do anything I want" neighbors.

 

[Silverplum]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Pennsylvania. I live in a mobile home park in Bucks County, PA. My neighbors grill fumes (and cig smoke) are coming into my house constantly. They have been told over a year ago about this, and several times. They just moved their grill 10' closer to my unit. Now it is 19' away from my huge bay window. It is under a back porch roof and the fumes do not go up, they billow over. The park will not enforce its own rules of "must be in an open area". The township said "private property, can't help you"... but this is the same inspector who comes out to give permits to new decks. He is doing NOTHING about my neighbors deck that was built without a permit, not even a fine. How can I get a "cease and desist"? My boyfriend has been battling bladder cancer for 10 years and I have lung issues, which these neighbors know. We need to breathe. In humidity, the fumes are stagnated in the thick air outside... fill our house... and we leave. We have to schedule our lives around their potential lunch and dinner. When their grill gets turned off, we wait about 15 minutes then put fans in the windows blowing out. So, someone has to be here from 12 -6 pm. We can't leave the dog inside alone during that time. Tired of headaches and vomitting. They have the largest FRONT yard in the park, corner property, which sits unused. Someone please help us against these "I'm an American and can do anything I want" neighbors.

Maybe you could move to a different area of the park.

You're not going to get legal action on this.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

Determine the source of entrance to your trailer and put a fan pressurizing air to push the fumes away rather than let them drift in.

 

[LdiJ]

Determine the source of entrance to your trailer and put a fan pressurizing air to push the fumes away rather than let them drift in.

Or even do some extra caulking and sealing around the windows...particularly if you are also disturbed by the neighbor's cigarettes. Quite frankly if you can smell cigarettes inside your home then doing some sealing is probably critical.

 

[1trish]

Maybe you could move to a different area of the park.

You're not going to get legal action on this.

Isn't this harassment, being that it is being done intentionally? As for moving to another area in the park- first, without my boyfriends second job (lost due to sick days taken) and mounting cancer bills- we would have to reapply as new tenants and would not qualify for a new lease. Yes, even though we already live here. Secondly, I can't see anyone wanting to buy our house with a grill and deck a few yards away. We bought it because there was no grill, and these neighbors had a second home in Delaware, making them rarely here. They sold their Delaware home a month after we bought our unit.

 

[cbg]

How do you intend to prove that it is done intentionally?

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

The fact that you have a leaky old trailer does not constitute harassment, except on the trailers part.

 

[FarmerJ]

So you have checked your city /county ordinances your self to see if it allows barbecue grills to be used on wood decks ? One place I lived in as a renter had a city ordinance that was based on a fire safety issue and one could get a ticket for using a grill where there was apartment deck above you or wooden decking under the grill and most of the apts all around that place had it in the lease rules No grilling on your deck. If your city has ords about this and inspections is not following ords then go above the inspector and GO see the mayor or your city council person and ask for a explanation.

 

[1trish]

Or even do some extra caulking and sealing around the windows...particularly if you are also disturbed by the neighbor's cigarettes. Quite frankly if you can smell cigarettes inside your home then doing some sealing is probably critical.

Underneath our siding is the original corregated metal siding, that was just screwed onto the frame. (Think of a piece of cardboard- the "waves" inside the exterior. Even with the windows taped with Frost King insulation tape, the fumes come in. We would have to take all the walls down, caulk where the metal meets the studs, and every little pinhole caused by new siding installed and 30 years of wear and tear, and then install new insulation. Then install drywall, and caulk seams. Which, when mobile homes shift, they crack. That is why mobile homes, for the most part, have paneling. (I have sealed the paneling with caulk.)Then we would get under the unit (mud/ dirt) and caulk the seams to the fiberboard. Upon moving in, I caulked all of the seams of the particle board flooring, even around perimeter of rooms, prior to new carpet installation. This was for heating costs. The unit shifts 1/8" every 12-16 months, so this "sealing" of the unit would need to be repeated.

As far as the cigarette smell. That is smelled at 6 am. We do have a fan in the window at night, to cool the unit from the days heat. And we are woken by the smoke. Our only option to cool the bedroom is a fan. There is an ac wall unit in the living room/ kitchen combo. That is 14' by 45' and barely cools those rooms. Not being able to sit on our porch due to the stench, as well as waiting for her to have her last smoke of the night to put a fan in our window, is an issue. She smokes 365 outside, even in the freezing winter temps. She doesn't want the smoke to get on HER newly painted walls, just ours.

Last night I was on the front porch with the new rescue (dog). I got a lung full of grill smoke before I knew they were grilling. The harder I coughed, the louder they laughed. I walked to the opposite end of my property and waited until my lungs cleared. Up all night fighting to breathe. My lungs have difficulty expelling. So, even though it was only one lung full, it took hours to get these fumes out of my lungs, and breathe somewhat normally. They believe that if it doesn't smell much, then why I'm coughing hours after the grill is off. (That makes about as much sense as "why does you red skin hurt? You're no longer in the sun". Same psychology.)

 

[Eekamouse]

I take it you don't get along with these neighbors. You sure think you know a lot about them, though. I mean, really, how do YOU know whether their deck was built without a permit or that she has "newly painted walls?" Just because you don't like that they have a bigger lot than you do, doesn't mean you get to dictate where they put their grill. Mind your own business and quit looking for reasons to complain about them. If you're so fragile, you can't bear anything but air wafting into your trailer perhaps you need to be put on oxygen.

 

[Zigner]

Turn the fan around so it blows OUT and open windows on the other side of the trailer.

 

[cbg]

Isn't this harassment, being that it is being done intentionally?

You still haven't indicated how you intend to prove to the satisfaction of the court that these things are being done intentionally and for the specific purpose of annoying you.

Should you ever get it into court at all, of course. Which is questionable.

 

[1trish]

Turn the fan around so it blows OUT and open windows on the other side of the trailer.

Thank you. We do that. Except when their grill is on, then everything gets closed up until the air outside clears. Due to the structure of the unit (described in another post) it still comes in. That's how close they are.

 

[Zigner]

Thank you. We do that. Except when their grill is on, then everything gets closed up until the air outside clears. Due to the structure of the unit (described in another post) it still comes in. That's how close they are.

As was pointed out, your complaint is with the poor construction of your home.

 

[1trish]

So you have checked your city /county ordinances your self to see if it allows barbecue grills to be used on wood decks ? One place I lived in as a renter had a city ordinance that was based on a fire safety issue and one could get a ticket for using a grill where there was apartment deck above you or wooden decking under the grill and most of the apts all around that place had it in the lease rules No grilling on your deck. If your city has ords about this and inspections is not following ords then go above the inspector and GO see the mayor or your city council person and ask for a explanation.

For some reason my posts aren't showing up.... one more try...
Thank you for your suggestion. I went to my township fire dept, who sent me to the city fire dept, and to another, and back to the township code, who told me that it is a propane grill and is NOT a fire hazard. It would only be a fire hazard if it was a charcoal grill. A charcoal grill can tip and catch the deck on fire, a propane grill won't. That is what I was told.

During the same conversation with code, I showed pictures, including arial google earth pics and measurements, and was told "it is private property and there's nothing I can do... but I'll have a talk with them." That was last Friday. On Monday I called and asked, "my neighbors and I were wondering.... if it is private property, then why do some neighbors have to get permits tot build decks and sheds, and other neighbors, like him, just put it up and not even fined?" The tune has changed. I was then told, "I have pulled documents and am compiling a report before I come out and talk to them."

So, we wait. According to the township website, the neighbors will be fined, and then made to be brought up to code, and then billed for the code inspection when the work is done.

Code also told me, "you know you can call the police... when I'm done on my end, and if they still grill, call the police when they grill".