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Plumbing

Smoke from flat above gets into my flat - smells strong in kitchen and bathroom

Anonymous user 15/03/2024 - 2.30 PM

Hi all, I've got a frustrating problem in my flat (pre 1900 tenement building) in Edinburgh. Smells from the flat above - smoke, but also sometimes stale beer smell and shower gel (the latter is less offensive) flow into my bathroom and kitchen. It seems to come through the plumbing but I am not sure how - there are traps in all fittings as my kitchen and bathroom were new last year, and I have an Air Admission Valve on the instruction of the council (which stopped previous gurgling noises in drains due to air being pulled through). No one seems to have an idea why this is happening... but it's a really offensive smell when smoke is coming in for a few hours - I've started using an air purifier to take the edge off it. It hasn't always happened, so not sure what the change has been (neighbour has been the same so I'm sure was smoking up there before). Any ideas are very welcome! Many thanks! Edit: Hi, many thanks for your response - I do mean cigarette smoke, also other odours come from other flats (I assume it is the one above, could be the one below too) like beer smell, and sometimes (nicer) shower gel smells. If it is a problem with the soil stacks, does this mean the smells travel within the plumbing (they do indeed appear in the bathroom and kitchen), or could it be coming around the pipes that pass from one flat to another if the gaps around them aren't sealed? What do I need to ask a trader to do - remove the boxing in the cupboard above the bathroom and inspect the pipes? How would they know if the fire stop was damaged or missing? Having not found any plumber who understood what the problem was to date, I fear it could be tricky to find someone to sort this at a fair price! Many thanks for the advice!

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1 Answer

Anonymous user

hello, can you elaborate on the smoke issue? do you mean smoke as in from cigarettes? if you soil stacks are internal you mind find the issue is more to do with either a missing fire stop or a damaged one. basically where the stack runs from your flat to the above flat it will be boxed in and pass through the ceiling/floor, this should have some sort of fire stop. if this is missing in theory your flat and the above flat has a direct un-blocked air connection which will allow smells to pass between the flats. if for example the tenant in the above flat lays in the bath smoking with the window and door shut and yours is not the smells fill simply filter into your flat. you can check if your sealed off by exposing the stack pipe as it exists your flat. if by smoke you literally mean smoke, possibly the upstairs tenant has had a solid feul burner installed in place of an old gas fire, your flue systems may well be linked. if this has been installed poorly and not to flueing regulations you may find the smoke is backfilling down the chimney system and into your flat. it may be that you no longer have a fire or flue appliance on place but the chimney entrance to your flat is not sealed properly or has an air vent in it. you will need to ask the tenant upstairs this, if they have then you will need them to get their appliance checked, and report it as i believe they shouldnt be fitted on shared chimneys. if none of the above is relevant please provide further details and ill do my best to help with any possibility's for answers. many thanks hope this helps

Answered1 January 2016