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I recently purchased a home which is located on top of a cliff (mountain if you will). Below that cliff, beyond my backyard, is a shopping center and within that shopping center there is a chinese restaurant. This popular restaurant is open from 12pm - 11pm 7 days/week. During these times, there is a greasy chinese food smell that is produced and I can smell in my back and front yard. The smell is not consistent as far as potency, but its always there. Its actually amazing because I'm not that close at all (distance speaking) from my house to the actual restaurant.
The health dept came by and basically said "tough luck". Is there anything I can do with my town or myself him remediate this smell?
Not really. Venting is required. You might cut the smell a little if you offered to buy the guy a filtration system and pay for keeping the filters cleaned. However, the draw of restaurants is enhanced by the smells of cooking food, so he might not want to change. This is another case where due diligence could have saved a mistake.
Really hard to determine the distance. At least a couple of hundred feet. You would never think the smell would make its way up so far. Other restaurants down there don't have any oders. Plus there is my backyard (1/2 acre) so the edge of the cliff is not that close to my house.
I don't know a Chinese restaurant that doesn't produce that unique grease smell... unless it has no customers and closes down. Yeah, should have found this out before buying... I'd hate to smell grease all day either.
The only reason I ask is that your local municipality MAY have ordinances that apply to this. Certain townships in PA have done it to counteract odors from ground-floor restaurants under residences. The town of Irwindale,CA recently took action against the Sriracha hot sauce factory, but those odors supposedly caused pain and suffering to local residents.
Otherwise, any recourse will need to involve legal action. Some homeowners have sued for neighbors' secondhand cigarette smoke from their patio.
You need to decide how bad it affects your quality of life. And how big your legal budget is.
Last edited by BirdieBelle; 01-10-2014 at 01:37 PM..
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Chinese restaurants put out a stronger smell of grease than other restaurants
because they cook with much hotter fires, like burning the oils, and grease
making a lot of smoke.
They also use large fans to get the smell out of their kitchen.
Most breezes and winds come out of the west and head east.
If you are on the east side of the restaurant, plus living above it,
then you will always have the smell.
Most breezes and winds come out of the west and head east.
If you are on the east side of the restaurant, plus living above it,
then you will always have the smell.
Though this may have no direct bearing in the OP's circumstance- it is in the right direction.
Prevailing winds, low pressure areas, and up-drafts due to topographical terrain is the reason for smelling the odors coming from the restaurant. And as everyone else has lamented to- enjoy the aroma, or move.
Maybe you get an updraft because of your property position. While across your property the air is more still, causing the smell to rise and then hang.
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