Boiler outlet and fan extractor vent

[Geoff]

Hello,

A neighbour has just had work done. His garage (on the side of his property and on the boundary between us) has been converted into a kitchen. On my side there is just a drive. On the very last day, it appears his worken came and knocked a couple of bricks out of the wall and installed a vent which looks like it belongs to the extractor hood over the cooker and will open when that operates. It is about 7 feet above ground and directly facing my kitchen (about six feet away) Is this permissible as it means any cooking smells will blown straight onto my property and plans on the council site show no such thing. It is classed as a lawful development.

Whilst it does not bother me - the exhaust from the boiler comes out of the front wall no more than 1 foot from the window - I thought the minimum distance for such things had to be 3 feet or more?

[Frank Erskine]

I'm sure you could build a suitable wall on your side of the boundary...

:-)

[Autolycus]

An unusually narrow drive, but go on...

A quiet word with the Local Authority BCO would establish that, but I doubt that a domestic extractor fan would blow any fumes at all even

6ft, so any smell will probably be no worse than it would be from an open window. At 7ft high, and given that cooking fumes are normally warm, most of it should soon be above nostril height.

Not a phrase I'm familiar with, but it seems likely the work might be subject to the Building Regs, but might not need Planning permission.

Boiler makers quote different figures, but as an example Glow worm say

300mm above, below, or to the side of an opening window for their Ultracom combi boiler. There's much to be said for the various kits sold to move the exhaust plume up and away.

[David Hansen]

On Tue, 27 Nov 2007 19:57:26 +0000 someone who may be Geoff wrote this:-

A sensible neighbour would have asked first, before starting the work.