Stink pipe

[JanieB]

I have been very upset with some old friends for several months now. The husband called on me for a coffee but left without coming in. When talking to him a few days later he said he couldn't come as the stink from my dogs pooing and urinating in my house would make him vomit.

I am devastated. My dogs are not allowed and have never been allowed to do this.

The stink pipe from the sewer opens into the bathroom which is at the top of the stairs immediately in front of the front door. It has always been like this since we moved into the house 20 years ago.

It hasn't been a problem until the last year. The neighbour next door but one put up at fence on my property as he didn't like being able to see into my conservatory when he used the Right of Way. The consequence of this was that the gas board turned my boiler off as they reckoned this fence obstructed the airflow so made the boiler dangerous so I've had no heating or hot water for a year.

In my opinion the reason the smell has never been a problem before is because with hot water and me having regular baths enough water was running through the drains to wash away offensive effluent. As I'm now only using the power shower and I can't wash up in the sink so there's very little water running from the kitchen until I run the dishwasher or/and the washing machine. Probably not often enough as I live on my own.

Our drains are over 200 years old. I find it difficult to explain the problem to my friends as it just sounds like excuses. The fence is exceptionally well built and I haven't yet found a way of demolishing it. A chainsaw springs to mind but my conservatory is too close so this could be dangerous even though it's coming down anyway to extend the kitchen. Here comes the question, how do I (at 67) get rid of this bl00dy fence. It's also blocking my garden and making it very difficult to get a wheelbarrow off it.

 

[plasticpigeon]

Your soil pipe should vent outside above the eaves of the roof so you should never smell it inside. I'm sure you could move the pipe to a non offensive place. If the smell is through the sink, bath or shower there should be a trap to stop sewer gases escaping into the house. Sorry about the fence. Do you not have a family member who could come down with a large saw or big 4 x 4 to pull the posts out??

 

[Owain]

The neighbour next door but one put up at fence on my property

Well that's tresspass and criminal damage.

If you mean he put a fence on his property but it's too close to the boiler then you have to move the boiler (or at least the flue). You can't discharge a boiler flue onto someone else's land.

Depending on the type of boiler there may be a flue extension available which will take the outlet high enough above the fence.

 

[CliffordPope]

Yuu can have an internal "stench" pipe I thought they were called, but you need an air valve on top. This allows the pipe to draw in air when in operation, but stops smells leaking out of the top.

Don't just cap the top, because the suction will draw water out of the bath and basin outlet traps and let smells in.

 

[Flyfisher]

Correct. We have the end of a soil pipe in one of our bathrooms and it is fitted with a 'Durgo' air-admittance valve. We have no problems with smell.

Actually, I'd be very surprised if the soil pipe in question does not have such a valve fitted, but it could quite easily be faulty and stuck in the open position and therefore allowing sewer gases to escape into the bathroom.

The good news is that they are widely available and it's a fairly simple DIY job to fit or replace one for around £20. Or get a plumber to fix the problem. Either way, there really should be no need to live with a smelly sewer pipe.

http://www.diydata.com/plumbing/air_admittance_valve/air_admittance_valve.php

 

[noj]

You just need one of these
http://www.diydata.com/plumbing/air_admittance_valve/air_admittance_valve.php

Under £20 from screwfix http://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-push-fit-air-admittance-valve-grey-af110/78150 and the smell problem's fixed

The fence is another issue....

 

[steveb]

I guess there are a number of issues here, firstly with respect to the fence then the gardenlaw website is probably the "better" place to ask for advice

http://www.gardenlaw.co.uk/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=6

The other, more pragmatic me would suggest that since your view from your conservatory is now in effect blocked from one side, could you offer to install a privacy shield (sticky, non-transparent plastic) over that side of the conservatory, allowing the fence to come down and the boiler to be put back into service?

Also if you have sinks, showers or baths that are no longer used, you really do need to run a tap for 20 seconds every couple of weeks, otherwise the trap underneath naturally dries out , leaving the sewer smell to come out of the sink/bath etc. You may not be aware of the smell, having lived with it, but it could be nothing to do with the soil pipe and simply a dried up trap that can be fixed with a few litres of water down a sink

-Steve

 

[Juju]

It sounds to me like you need a lawyer! Your neighbour can't erect a fence on your land without your permission... especially not when it blocks your boiler. This all sounds very strange to me. Do you own the land that his right of way is on?

I would agree though with the suggestion that you make a gesture by improving privacy within your conservatory so he can't see in. Then ask him politely to remove the fence. Then follow up with a solicitor's letter if necessary. Not that I know anything about the law of course but that seems to be what's needed. Or go to a Citizen's Advice Bureau and get their help.

Juju

 

[Lime]

It sounds to me like you need a lawyer! Your neighbour can't erect a fence on your land without your permission... especially not when it blocks your boiler. This all sounds very strange to me. Do you own the land that his right of way is on?

I would agree though with the suggestion that you make a gesture by improving privacy within your conservatory so he can't see in. Then ask him politely to remove the fence. Then follow up with a solicitor's letter if necessary. Not that I know anything about the law of course but that seems to be what's needed. Or go to a Citizen's Advice Bureau and get their help.

Juju

I agree, it sounds very strange.
But why should JanieB have to put up any screening at all?
Its her privacy that is in jeopardy not anyone using a public right of way!

 

[TheRoost]

Very odd, have you discussed it with your neighbour at all? it's not acceptable for you to be without heating or hot water for a year because of something your neighbour has done!

How did the Gas board find out about the flue obstruction anyway?

 

[88v8]

Does the fence obstruct the flue? It's not a matter of opinion, it's a matter of fact. The Gas Board condemned the gas-coal fire I had installed in my bathroom, shut it off and put a notice on it. I turned it on again, burnt the notice in the fire and used it happily for twenty years.
If it's just you in the house, then it's your decision whether to take the risk, if there is a risk. If you have lodgers that's another matter.

As to the fence, sorry nothing useful to add. You need a lawyer, although relations with the neighbours are rarely improved that way.

Ivor

 

[JanieB]

Very odd, have you discussed it with your neighbour at all? it's not acceptable for you to be without heating or hot water for a year because of something your neighbour has done!

How did the Gas board find out about the flue obstruction anyway?

The current meter was installed in 1981. It was part of their process of updating meters. The fence was installed 3 days before the gas engineer turned up giving me no time to take it down. But in all honesty I can't find a way to take the ruddy thing down anyway.

Yes I discussed it with my neighbour before he built it and agreed to a 4 ft fence and gate to stop my dogs getting on the RoW. The fence he built is 2 m tall and had no way of stopping my dogs getting on the RoW. And because of its height blocked the flue from my boiler. I'm now looking at a 2nd winter with no heating or hot water.

As an aside, I've lived most of my life without central heating but it's the lack of hot water that bugs me. I do like a bath. And it's really difficult to wash floors, walls, sinks etc without hot water, more than you get from a kettle.

 

[Me!]

Assuming you have a fairly traditional heating system that has a copper hot water cylinder in an airing cupboard, then you should be able to have an electric immersion heater added to the tank very easily. This will give you hot running water again from your taps without having to use the boiler.

Also, as others have said, please do try and run a tap in each basin and bath just for 10 or 20 seconds to refill the traps in each drain. That will almost certainly fix your bad smells coming in the house. Just because the drains are 200 years old is no reason for them to cause any smell.

 

[drpepe]

I'm now looking at a 2nd winter with no heating or hot water.

First thing I would do (a year ago!) is to get a plumber in:

1) see if he can re-route or move the boiler.

2) see if he can stop your smell problem.

From what you've posted, It all sounds very cheap and easy to sort out.