Complaints from neighbours

[Scarf]

We often go off exploring after a boring day in the office to blast out the cobwebs with the rib, chuck the kids and the wife in the rib and go off for a play. Sometimes we end up quite late back at the house, but I need to use the engine rise muffs to get some fresh water through it or risk damage. This doesn't happen too often, but enough to annoy people.

Now our neighbours have complained and reported us to environmental health for making too much noise late at night.

Any advice anyone?

[matt h]

do it in the morning or not after 9 im guessing

[Scarf]

Thing is we have to be back at work the next day, so would be early in the morning again.

[spittle123]

hi 5 gal drum water and hose and muffs do as you leave the water all done before you get home

[Poly]

Your engine won't disintegrate if left to the next civilised hour to flush it (even the next weekend). Plenty of boats never get flushed. If you really want to do it that night then look at ways of doing it at the slipway.

You might consider whether flushing in a barrel (but still at civilised hours) makes less noise. Some engines can also be flushed with a special fitting when "off".

Your neighbour probably hasn't gone about resolving this in a grown up manner (unless he had a polite chat first) but I'd suggest this is one of the opportunities to "be the bigger man" and in the season of goodwill pop over with an apology, a bottle of wine and perhaps an explanation why you flush it. Neighbourly disputes rarely sort themselves out.

[boristhebold]

Bear in mind outboards are very noisy when out of the water, I expect your neighbour has been annoyed for some time, would have been nice if they had just had a quick chat with you first before going down the other route.

I would recomend flushing when you can even if its following week, many people never flush, I must admit I only flush my engine about once every 3 months or more.

Good luck with your neighbour. Try and clear the air if you can.

[Pikey Dave]

Not wanting to "overstate the bleeding obvious" running an outboard on muffs is a tad noisy & to be fair to your neighbours, they probably thought that if you're inconsiderate enough to do it in the first place, being reasonable on their part wouldn't do much good.

[kerny]

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by kerny

You're nivver still hungry

[jeffstevens763@g]

I find motorbikes noisy , people coming home from the pub,etc but hey live and let live ,I have a large bin I slip under the engine fill up above cav plate and run quite as no moans from anyone.

[mick]

Ran both mine up at 10 pm before the GRR mainley to annoy next door always light the BBQ and burn it off when the wind is in there direction as well

[paintman]

I can see where your neighbour is coming from although a word with you at the outset might have been better - assuming they haven't done that & been ignored.
If I ran the engine on mine on muffs late at night on the drive I'd expect them to be annoyed as its very noisy! (Assuming I didn't get a major bollocking from SWMBO for a start!)
Get yourself a plastic drum, fill with water & use that. Makes a considerable difference, but now you're up on their radar any further complaints to EH are likely to result in enforcement action against you.
Other problem with neighbour disputes is the effect on selling houses - disputes have to be declared on the disclosure forms & could put a prospective purchaser off.

[spartacus]

Originally Posted by Poly

Your neighbour probably hasn't gone about resolving this in a grown up manner (unless he had a polite chat first) but I'd suggest this is one of the opportunities to "be the bigger man" and in the season of goodwill pop over with an apology, a bottle of wine and perhaps an explanation why you flush it. Neighbourly disputes rarely sort themselves out.

Great suggestion. If the complainant is a woman, throw in a box of Black Magic.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by spartacus

... throw in a box of Black Magic.

Do they still make Black Magic?

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Poly

Do they still make Black Magic?

Yeah, but sales dropped off after they renamed them "Ethnic spiritualistic ritual"

[HDAV]

Have enviromental health been out to see you? Have you explained the reason for the noise the level,duration and time?

Much easier for them to send you a letter from their comfy office than actually come out and investigate. Until you are issued an abatement (sp?) notice then you can carry on....

[Pete7]

I am not convinced flushing does any good.

In 1995 Alan Priddy organised a rib camping holiday to the Channel Islands. 10 days spent living on board for some of us whilst the rest lived it up in hotels. When we got back, the rib with a Yam 115 V4 outboard was towed up to the Thames near Lechlade for a weeks holiday. The rib spent most of each day going up and down the Thames mostly keeping to the speed limits after a couple of lock keepers timed us between the locks and earned us a quick slap on the wrist

After returning home again it was time for a good service. Out came the termostats and astonishingly they were still covered in large salt crystals. A week of ploughing up and down the Thames had done nothing to flush them out.

I became less fussy about flushing outboards after that.

Pete

[Trimix]

That's an interesting point. I suppose you would need to flush with / hot water to shift any salt crystals then.

Do people flush inboards ? (is that a daft question)

[paintman]

Originally Posted by HDAV

Much easier for them to send you a letter from their comfy office than actually come out and investigate. Until you are issued an abatement (sp?) notice then you can carry on....

....digging a bigger hole for yourself as your neighbours would have been advised to keep a log of the nuisance.

[HDAV]

Originally Posted by paintman

....digging a bigger hole for yourself as your neighbours would have been advised to keep a log of the nuisance.

And if it is as infrequent as suggested, not a daily occurrence then they have no legs to stand on......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob1rYlCpOnM