Oct. 4--MECHANICSVILLE -- The borough has proposed an ordinance to regulate exterior furnaces, including two outdoor wood burners that Ken Fisher Jr. uses to heat three homes.

Fisher feared one of the restrictions, stating that homeowners can only use these furnaces from Oct. 1 through April 30, would apply to him.

"It won't," borough solicitor William L.J. Burke said.

The proposal, which the borough council will vote to adopt at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Mechanicsville Hose Company, contains regulations for owners of existing outdoor burners and for property owners who purchase them after the enactment of the ordinance.

With the troubled economy promising high heating bills this winter, some homeowners view outdoor furnaces as cost-saving alternatives to heating oil. Communities concerned about smokestacks and air pollution have been developing ordinances to govern them.

In recent months, municipalities, including Girardville borough and Butler and Mahanoy townships, have approved ordinances. Pottsville council members are also planning to vote on an ordinance in October, according to municipal officials.

Mechanicsville Councilwoman Cindy L. Bohr said there were two reasons why the council took steps to propose this ordinance.

First, when council heard other municipalities, including Pottsville, were looking into developing these ordinances, it decided to do the same.

"We just wanted to protect other residents from any more of them going in," Bohr said, adding that, as far as she knows, no other residents are planning to install outdoor furnaces.

Second, she said there have been complaints about smoky odors from Fisher's property. "He's grandfathered in, so there's nothing we can do about his," Bohr said.

Councilman Charles Searle said the same when contacted this week, but would not elaborate. "If you come to the council meeting, we'll answer any questions for you," Searle said.

Fisher, owner of Fisher Tree Service, Mechanicsville, said he's been using two outdoor, wood-burning furnaces to heat three homes on his family's one-acre property between the 1000 block of Port Carbon Street and the 100 block of Park Street for three years.

An outdoor wood furnace heats water, which is piped underground to the building it heats through radiators or into a hot-air system, Fisher said.

Fisher said he recalled a few complaints when he installed the systems, but none since then.

Mechanicsville's proposed "Exterior Furnace Ordinance" states its aim is "to protect the public health, safety and general welfare from excessive smoke pollution, soot contamination, other toxic air pollutants and offensive odors emanating from exterior furnaces fueled by wood, coal, corn and certain other types of fuels."

It will regulate new installations with a series of restrictions, which include their location. They are only permitted on parcels no less than five acres and not less than 50 feet from the nearest property line. They also must have a 6-inch thick permanent, reinforced cement pad, and a smokestack 4 feet higher than any structure 100 feet from the furnace.

Fuels permitted for combustion are limited to natural gas, propane, home heating oil, coal or wood. And new installations can only be operated between Oct. 1 through April 30, according to the draft of the ordinance.

Property owners who are already using furnaces like these will have to follow "minor regulations," Burke said.

They include meeting emissions standards required by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and operating the furnaces according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Violators will face penalties between $500 and $1,500 per violation, but each day a problem continues can be considered a separate violation, according to the proposed ordinance.

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