Siting of gas flue in downstairs flat.

A friend of mine has a problem whereby his downstairs neighbours have installed a gas boiler in the kitchen. They've installed it close to their kitchen window. The flats have identical layouts so the flue is close to his kitchen window, just down a bit lower on the wall.

He's told me that steam now billows around and comes in through his window.

I've had a quick look at the building regs (
link
page 43), and it doesn't seem to say much about flats. The regs seem to say 300mm min below an opening but there seem to be several boundary specifications at ground level. Is there a similar thing for flats?

I suggested to him that they have a vertical flue installed so it exits above his window.

If it helps All boiler installation instructions will contain the following similar wording

It is absoluely essential to ensure in practice that products of combustion discharging from the terminal cannot re-enter the building or any other adjacent building through ventilators , windows , doors other sources natural air infiltration e.c.t ,e.c.t . British standards are for guidance . not legal requirements , Installation instructions supplied with an appliance will make ref to B.S standards , the installation docs are legally binding .

OK, thanks. So there are probably good grounds to ask the neighbours to do something then.

Generally you should not discharge a flue towards a neighbour unless you have at least 2.4 m before the boundary.

Thats rarely achieved but there is a simple solution and thats to fit a plumbing kit that directs the flue gasses up to 2m or 3m away and can be angles towards a different direction.

Depending on the make and model the cost of the bits will probably be about £80-£120 to buy and might take about an hour to fit which might cost another £80 so its not a vast amount to correct the problem.

The first step should be a polite request to the neighbour. Followed up two weeks later by asking whats going to be done and if its nothing then a complaint to the Environmental Health Officer ( or Building control but they are usually slower to react ).

Another course of action is a complaint to Gas Safe who register legal installers. There is a strong argument that its the installers fault and he should correct it without any extra payment.

Tony