Flue dripping from exhaust and from air intake.

[Yashimaki]

My neighbours flue is installed on my property & is dripping condensate from both the exhaust and air intake whenever boiler operating. The exhaust has kit fitted and is one metre above air intake so the drips are from different locations but both check out as acidic (i.e. products of combustion). It seems to be a loss of integrity of a seal between air intake and exhaust. Can anyone tell me is this an ID or AR fault and can a registered engineer put an unsafe notice on it.

 

[Riley]

Could we please have a photo from further out so we can see your property their property and the flue

 

[Riley]

I may be missing the point on the situation but is your flue not doing exactly the same thing then. I'm not trying to be inflammatory or to wind people up but this is just all sounds a bit weird. I think you have three options
1. Put up with it
2. If you believe your landlord to be in breach of contract then make this your point and leave
3. Get an independent gas safe engineer in to see if there are any gas safety breaches

 

[Yashimaki]

 

[Yashimaki]

The video is better but can't upload it as needes URL

 

[Rickster123]

Don't play with that flue. The exhaust elbow has been moved to point at the window to make the situation look worse than it is. In one pic it's pointing to the side in another it's pointing right. DO not touch the flue.

 

[Dotty]

Don't play with that flue. The exhaust elbow has been moved to point at the window to make the situation look worse than it is. In one pic it's pointing to the side in another it's pointing right. DO not touch the flue.

I noticed that. No gsr in their right mind would point the plume kit in either other them directions. It's clearly been tampered with.

 

[Rickster123]

And the pics are dated back in 2013. Move on! And stop adjusting that flue!

 

[stevetheplumber]

easy enough to fix get a gsr to bring it down to the same level as your flue with the owners permission of course who ever fitted it has done what he would assume to be the right thing by raising it above the parapet to minimize nuisance without knowing the distances involved he may be inside the area he is allowed regarding the velux windows which would also be cured by lowering it

 

[newcastle phill]

Wow. Must operate like a submarine periscope and turn around by itself - especially as the neighbour doesnt have access.

That is a 1st....

 

[Riley]

Ha ha

 

[Riley]

Quite clearly tampered

 

[Riley]

Hmm no response

 

[Dotty]

Think probably best we leave it there now.

 

[Dotty]

Reopened on basis of pm.

Hi croppie.
I've just got in to find you've closed the thread.
It seems the flue being "tampered with" has beeen put down to me, This is not true. In fact it was the neighbours efforts to deal with the complaint.
The neighbours originally had it pointing at right angles to the wall dischsarging over mide garden. I complained. They then pointed it at 45 degrees away from the window but still discharging over my garden. I complained. They then pointed it over their property. I complained agasin as it still came in the window. Since then have moved it at least once probably because of their roof opening. I would appreciate if you would open the thread again so that people can know the truth.

This is going to be one of the few times!

 

[Riley]

I am struggling to understand why there appears to be a reluctance to getting a gas safe engineer in on this. Nobody should be touching that flue whether it's you or the owners. I appreciate from reading the rest of the thread that you've done a lot of homework but a gas safe engineer would be able to tell you A. specifically If there is any risk, B if there is any installation fault and C what potential costs would be involved to sort the situation. There have been a couple of suggestions made as to how this situation can be remedied however this still really need to be carried out by a gas safe engineer. We just appear to be going round and round in circles here. I maintain my three options from earlier as this would appear to be your landlords problem as he agreed to it he can't just ignore the problem

 

[Riley]

Reopened on basis of pm.



This is going to be one of the few times!

You old softy

 

[newcastle phill]

So the owner moved it....

One minute "its trespass" "needs my permission"

Seems the OP allows access after all.

 

[Yashimaki]

Thanks for that Croppie.
Newcastle Phill, I never gave permission to trespass. They just do it from their extension roof. Definately unauthorised trespass by interfering with something on my property even if they do own it, but in the order of universe a mini trespass doesn't bother me as long as they don't point it at my property again. I know it can only be interfered with by a GSR engineer and wonder would an engineer take such a risk rather than ask my permission and do it from mine sensibly from a ladder?
I have called the council and their building inspector paid them a visit. The Inspector first of all said it's legally positioned and complies with regs. I was given a copy of the Building Regs Compliance Cert which says it meets Gas and Building regs. He then backed down after I sent a pic with the flue facing the open rooflights (as posted above). He then agreed it breaches doc j due to roof openings. He says they can alter the openings to make them non opening but I have no way of checking that. Since then they have turned the flue away from directly facing the openings as can be seen in later pics. The Inspector has stopped replying after I said it breaches doc j distance from boundary & he and has not got back to me re the leaks.
I was wondering how condensate gets into the air intake as it seems to me it is leaking from the exhaust pipe into the air duct. Maybe they dislodged something with their periscope turning antics. (Nice analogy newcastle phill. Made me laugh).
Incidentally the flue is not at 90 degrees to the wall it is tilted towards the wall which looks like it is putting pressure on an internal joint and possibly that's why it leaks from the air duct.
Thanks Riley and others for your posts I really do appreciate them all (the good the bad and the ugly They are all honest and straight talking which is breath of fresh air.

 

[SimonG]

OP you are a tenant?

 

[newcastle phill]

Best part is directly below you there is another flue which would be exiting in the same direction the way the 'problematic' flue was angled.

So

A question...

Whose flue is the other one ?
And have you complained about that too ?

Frankly the more you go on and the more images you add shows you in a worse light than previously imho

 

[newcastle phill]

 

[Riley]

Is that here and I don't mean to be derogatory but is this a wind up. The pictures are just showing a catalogue of oddities with all the boiler installs at the property ???

Can I once again suggest that you get an independent gas safe registered engineer to take a look

 

[Yashimaki]

The other flue serves my property and I have full control when it comes on and off. It used to disperse fairly well as it is pointed away from the rear wall and was well below the previous party wall height. Since the neighbours extension was built my flue is boxed in and has become problematic. You can see the frame which used to support the canopy over the kitchen door in one of the pictures I posted. The canopy was removed by me to try and help air flow but it didn't help and so my gas boiler is never used. Electric room heaters and electric immersion heater keep the water hot and the house warm. If you doubt this I've upload a screenshot of my suppliers energy efficency comparison for my home. My last gas bill I had was 371 kwh (from 15 sep to 1 dec). This is for a 3 bedroom terraced house so you can see how little gas is used (98% less than similar efficient homes). And yes I have complained about my flue but it is apparently within the legal requirements so I have to live with it. Whereas the neighbours flue makes a bad situation even worse because I can't open my bedroom window. It might sound off to you why I put up with it, but I've lived here too long. The apple tree in my garden (in a previous pic its in blossoms) was planted as a sapling by my previous wife before she passed away as a living memory of her.Now it's a proper tree and I can't take it with me so here I stay.
I had problems with the Council Building Inspector as previously stated and that didn't come out as well as it should have had I been a bit more savvy. Getting a GSR engineer to inspect the flue is obviously on the agenda but it is always a good idea to get the people who know their stuff to give their advice before doing so. That is what I am doing here. Thanks again for all who have taken the time and trouble to comment as it really does add some perspective.

 

[Riley]

I'm really sorry but this is just sounding more and more crazy nobody is going to be granted planning permission to build an extension if it is going to make their neighbours boiler redundant or at least as part of the planning permission process this would've been discussed between the owners. if it was your landlord he can't just agree for them to build an extension making your flue unsafe. Properdue diligence would have been carried out ensuring that your flue terminates safely, functionally and correctly. Unless of course there extension is illegal I am sorry to sound suspicious but something just doesn't add up

 

[Harry Askham]

Get a Gas Safe Engineer out, good grief.