Neighbor wants to call fire marshall for brewing

Try this number, 867-5309

Well played, took me a minute

I had a neighbor burning leaves last fall, which is a big no-no in my sub-division. The fire dept and police were there in 2 minutes flat. FD put about 500 gals of water on a small burn pit and left. I had seen this first hand because I was brewing in the backyard in front of the garage that day. Two of the officers on the call thought they'd come see what I was doing, uninvited of course. They asked what I was doing and I told them, "Brewing some stout." Both dumb founded looked at me and said "Is that even legal?" WTF? I said' "Yes its legal, but the ‘still’ in my basement is another story." (Kidding of course) and asked them to kindly get the F off my property. They left, but obviously not having a sense of humor, the fire dept. arrived shortly after. To make a long story short, the fire guys had more questions about the brewing process and were more intrigued with my brew rig, than the codes. The Chief made a phone call and stated it was perfectly legit what I was doing and sorry for bothering me. And since this incident the Crew Manager and I have brewed several batches together along with a few other fire fighters from a different station.


I would try not to p*ss-off anyone, but I’d definitely not stop brewing either.

You just need to learn how to deal with conflict.

Walk up to your neighbor, shake his hand, be polite, offer him a beer and talk it all out.

The hand shake usually throws people off their game, works well as long as he isn't hold a gun in that hand.

Being 60ish has nothing to do with anything here. If you are a jerk at 30, you probably just get worse by 60.

Fire officials, Police, lawyers, none of that stuff is what you want to deal with. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer or something like that.

:rockin:

Taypo said:

Try this number, 867-5309

Well played, took me a minute

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I wondered if anyone would catch it lol

Gunrunner said:

But you need to look at the exemptions in section 308.1 "Exceptions: Fuel burning elemnets of approved appliances shall not be considered as open flame devices" CA Code of regulations title 19 division 1 section 3.25

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So if you are brewing with an Approved appliance ie a turkey fryer, you should be in the clear as far as with the CA fire code, but if you are running a DIY rig with open flame you might be in violation?

Bsquared said:

So if you are brewing with an Approved appliance ie a turkey fryer, you should be in the clear as far as with the CA fire code, but if you are running a DIY rig with open flame you might be in violation?

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As the code reads that is correct.

Very interesting...but you guys are sweating a fire marshall? I live in Utah and every day when i brew, my neighbors give me the stink eye so bad i might as well be slitting the throats of kittens i stole from the burn unit at the local shriner's hospital. too bad for the hassle you are dealing with. Sucks, but...you could always move to Utah...

HopIowa said:

Very interesting...but you guys are sweating a fire marshall? I live in Utah and every day when i brew, my neighbors give me the stink eye so bad i might as well be slitting the throats of kittens i stole from the burn unit at the local shriner's hospital. too bad for the hassle you are dealing with. Sucks, but...you could always move to Utah...

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Ah, I remember those days, brewing in Happy Valley, Prozac, Utah.

This sign on my Kegerator in the garage would get me the stink eye real bad.

Sounds to me like it's time to brew up 5 gallons for the fire dept...

The fact that this guy blocks your driveway tells you the kind of person he is. If you can make sure nobody with power has an issue with you brewing, get his cars towed as often as you can.

Sorry your neighbor is such a selfish d-bag. I hope it doesn't affect your brewing.

Gunrunner said:

As the code reads that is correct.

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i was wondering hot to interpret that, because it doesn't say what an approved appliance is. i have one of those burners that come on a stand, so that is not considered an open flame cooking device per section 308.1.4?

just got home, neighbor is not home, can't wait to talk to him about this

dankev said:

Sounds to me like it's time to brew up 5 gallons for the fire dept...

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There are specific codes for open flame cooking devices 308.1.4 that does state not to be used on balconies or within 10 feet of combustible construction (most areas stucco is not considered combustible). The only hope is that your AHJ has approved appliances such as a turkey fryer. I would still check with the AHJ on how they will interpret the code. I could ask ten firemen and get a few different answers. If you use term turkey fryer most will tell you 10 feet, but if you were to expain a burner for boiling water you could get a diferent result. Some AHJ will issue permits for exemptions and you could ask for one (they may want to inspect for safety reasons).

Look for some thing like this, I think my kb6 has a CL certification on it, but I could not pull it out holding a baby. This is on my BBQ.

BeantownR6 said:

im really pissed!

first a little background, i have a 2 keggle set up for 10 gallon batches i do out infront of my garage, which faces an alley comprised of apartment complexes, my building is a 4 apartment house, which is typical for the alley.

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Sounds like the South Redondo area, near Beryl/190th?

Just Curious, I used to live in that area.

Where in redondo are you.. I lived right off of prospect and torrance for about 20 years...

Don't know if anyone has mentioned it, but switching to electric is an option...

As long as it's done to code.. your neighbor can't say jack...

Then you can start calling the health dept on him... Heck, get to know the fire Marshall, and then you guys can drink beer and hurl insults at him for entertainment... Maybe he'll eventually move and hotty Jenny will move in his stead.. (867-5309) LOL

Sorry to hear about the neighbor issue. As you have been informed, the code is the code and the landlord can't grant you permission. It sounds like you are being very careful and doing all your brewing in the driveway area and not on a deck like your neighbor's grill. If you can get to that 10ft area, you are probably OK. We own a condo on a lake in the mountains and I'm on the Board of Directors. Fire codes and charcoal/propane grills have been the subject of the last three Board meetings and the Homeowner's Meeting in September. Coincidentally, I have a Board meeting up there this Saturday. This time it's trespassers going onto our docks and drinking on some of our boats.

One thing you have to consider: It's not just your home. It's a multi-family complex and if one apartment burns, it usually means multiple or all units burn. Then there is insurance. Insurance companies can be real nasty over things like this. This includes you on a personal liability level and the insurance that the landlord or owner of the complex has. On the bright side, outdoor electric grilling and brewing is A-OK!

I'm 50 and I have a lot of experience with old bastards. Being nice to an old curmudgeon will probably get you nowhere. He has demonstrated that he does not give a damn. Also, if the alley you mentioned is a fire lane and that is being blocked by your neighbor, he is also in violation.

6 pages of replies to this.. not in the reading mood.. really just browsing before i write my own novella about my first off-the-books no-recipe brew...

SO.. not sure if anyone suggested this, but how about setting a couple bottles of your best brews outside his door, and let him go f**k himself?

Unfortunately even if you win the battle of "when and where" you can brew, you will always have this guy as a neighbor. Your original problem of him being a hoarder, blocking your driveway, ect... are not going to go away.

Tell your landlord either he goes or you go.

Life is too short to deal with jerks. Move to a better place.

As far as him being 60 something and acting like an ass? Yep. Who knows, maybe he's lonely, maybe he's mentally 'not all there'.

Anyway, you mentioned he's a hoarder? Smell anything funky coming from that apartment? Rotting meat, feces? I'm sure the health department would want to know about something like that. If he truly is a hoarder, well, I'm sure there is a laundry list of fire code violations in there as well... Jus' sayin'...

Grossy said:

Tell your landlord either he goes or you go.

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The unfortunate part is that in most places, renters have crazy rights and they can't just kick him out "cause he's a jerk". Up here, the eviction process is nearly impossible, even if they stop paying, let alone if they just park in the wrong place.

They could however, give the 24hr notice of inspection, go in and note each rental violation and attempt to enforce the rules in the renters agreement. Then when the violations are not corrected, start the eviction process.

If you give an ultimatum like that, you had better be prepared to either move or fold, cause it's unlikely that they will be able to get him out.

Guess it depends on the area. If her other units sit empty for long periods of time, she may dislike him, but if he pays the rent, she might just put up with his crap and take the gamble that you are not going to move out.

Keep fighting the good fight. Get him towed as often as is convenient for you. Brew on my brother. Enjoy your life and your brew and ignore that ********* as much as is humanly possible.

Sounds like I would be looking to move somewhere else, less hassle and problem gone.

As a firefighter it would be in your favor to do as someone suggested and have a fire extinguisher out with you. I would recommend a 5lb ABC. The reason being is that many things fall into gray areas in regard to the codes. Having a turkey frier full of oil, "fuel", next to a multi resident structure is what the code is there for. People do not need to be put at risk of death because someone can't fry a turkey safely.

With you boiling water it falls into the question of the letter of the code vs the intent. If I responded to a code call and you had the fire extinguisher mentioned above, removed any ground clutter, are a far away from the structure as possible, and are polite, I would try to find a way to not cite.

One question, is the garage attached to the apartment building? This would make a difference in the leeway given. Property at risk is different that lives at risk.

so i ended up taking it up with the landlord, we talked she said not to worry. when i brew i have a fire extinguisher, and a garden hose. everything around me is hard scape, ie asphalt and concrete. i am away from the building but not 10' but it is non-combustible stucco. ive been brewing like this for over 2 years never one complaint. neighbors usually come over and ask me what im doing, a few said they used to brew along time ago.

the landlord told me the neighbor complained about me! because i had him cited for parking in a fire lane, in front and blocking my garage, you know what she said, i told him to do it haha!!!! hes pissed and wants her to move him to another unit and she said no, they want him out!

so i wrote a quick note back to the neighbor saying i know the note was him, and if the fire marshal shows up, i will make sure he sees the bbqs on the porch becuase if anyone is in violation it is him. im nor worried anymore, i am in the right all i would have to do is move 10' away if anything. im going to brew as far as i can from the building without imposing upon the fire lane, traffic flow. sometime when i brew even cops drive by and chit chat it up about what i am doing and no trouble.

ive gotta get a recipe ready for Saturday.

Somehow I get the feeling there'll be another story to tell on Saturday. I find it hard to believe that neighbor's gonna just drop it. I'd be extra careful to follow all rules and laws this weekend, cause you just know he's gonna be keeping an eye on you.

start his car on fire.

good thread. great thread.

teal said:

I'd move 10 feet away and start a tire on fire just to be a jerk - hey, that's just me.

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BeantownR6 said:

ive gotta get a recipe ready for Saturday.

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Nice, I would have whipped one together real quick if I didn't!

I doubt the old coot is just gonna forget about this and leave you be. I'd get a 6 or 12 pack together, give it to him, and say "Hey, i'm sorry for getting you ticketed, but I need access to my garage, and you're in the wrong for parking there. We both have to live here, so lets make it as pleasant as posssible. I put together some of my world class, high quality, non combustible beers for your enjoyment. Lets have a couple and get back on the right track. Oh, and thank you for inspiring me to rename my brewery Fire Hazard Homebrew."


Suck it up for a little bit and stay out of each others business. You dont have to be buddies with the guy, but you do have to co-habitate with him for now.

Fun stuff.

Now I feel bad for brewing with propane INSIDE my garage! Ok, not really.

This guy has probably been bouncing around from lease to lease due to his nature and probably expects this sort of lifestyle.

mikeysab said:

...I'd get a 6 or 12 pack together, give it to him,

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Make sure he's not in AA or something first, might be a little awkward.

kingmatt said:

Sounds like it is time to invest in an electric system.

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Bingo. 2 120v heatsticks cost about $80 and will pay for themselves SO FAST. Sell your propane tank and burners even to cover it.

Not really sure why people still use propane on anything under 15 gallon

TheSlash said:

Bingo. 2 120v heatsticks cost about $80 and will pay for themselves SO FAST. Sell your propane tank and burners even to cover it.

Not really sure why people still use propane on anything under 15 gallon

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I tried to build a heatstick and almost caught my kitchen on fire. So I bought a turkey fryer.

I would be careful following some of the advice offered in this thread.

Just stop fueling the fire, pun intended. Unless you are prepared for at least a few months of hassles as in how long an eviction would take, ignore him. And that is relying on the landlord taking that option.

When you got him ticketed you took it to the next level. Then you fueled it again by confronting him.

He is an A-hole but there is really nothing you can do about that.

You might have to ignore him for a couple of months without brewing outside since he is now using that as a weapon.

I feel you have now created a situation where you will have to wait it out and hope he moves or that you will have to move.

kh54s10 said:

Just stop fueling the fire, pun intended. Unless you are prepared for at least a few months of hassles as in how long an eviction would take, ignore him. And that is relying on the landlord taking that option.

When you got him ticketed you took it to the next level. Then you fueled it again by confronting him.

He is an A-hole but there is really nothing you can do about that.

You might have to ignore him for a couple of months without brewing outside since he is now using that as a weapon.

I feel you have now created a situation where you will have to wait it out and hope he moves or that you will have to move.

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I disagree. The A-hole blocked his car in by parking in a fire lane. THAT took it to the next level. The OP has every right to access to and from his parking space. Anyone who parks in the fire lane next to an apartment complex not only deserves to have their car towed, but it should be insited upon.

ReverseApacheMaster said:

I would be careful following some of the advice offered in this thread.

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lol, yeah, this thread, and this thread alone, is full of suspect advice.

I would let your landlord know about this as she maybe able to find some way to help you out.. Also, it wouldn't hurt to have a 6'r bottled for when the Fire marshall shows up.

Homercidal said:

I disagree. The A-hole blocked his car in by parking in a fire lane. THAT took it to the next level. The OP has every right to access to and from his parking space. Anyone who parks in the fire lane next to an apartment complex not only deserves to have their car towed, but it should be insited upon.

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agreed. he knows he is not supposed topark there. he has gotten several tickets ovet the year, and has been towed away before by the city, none without me getting involved. let me repeat, he KNOWS he is not supposed to park there. i have asked his several times, very nicely not to block my garage. i ask him to move his vehicle and he hands me the keys, ofcourse i tell him to move it himself! screw him ive had enough. he is a big old baby, thats it! ive alwasy been polite and curtious, there is only so much one can do, im done.

oh and ive offered him beer before, he doesn't drink and when he does its coors light.

a letter from your landlord would CYA in case something does go down with the Fire Marshall and the landlord decides to throw you under the bus and say she never gave you permission.