Is this affecting our health? (central heating exhaust)

[loadsalads]

Hi, we live in a terrace house, the sort with small extensions in the back yard facing each other. Our neighbours heating exhaust is on their extension facing our extension, (about 6 feet from the boundary and our windows). The problem is, that it is a really powerful exhaust that literally blasts outs really far and fast, (great for drying washing) but it always comes into our kitchen, livingroom and bedroom. In winter you can see the steam right up against our windows, as the cold seems to trap it in between the two extensions, and in summer you can smell it when the windows are open.
My wife has suffered unusual ill health since moving to this house, (she is in most of the day with the little ones), palpitaitons, feeling sick all the time, high blood pressure and none of it can be explained by doctors. Of course carbon monoxide has been mentioned but we have had our boiler checked and all is Aok! Its just recently made us think it could be the neighbours boiler. Firstly I wanted to ask if you thought this could be poisoning us, or would the emissions be too small, and secondly if it could be a problem is there anything that could be done about it? They might have had their boiler there a long time, as they are an old couple, and building rules may not have been in force then. Any advice gratefully received!

 

[Happyplumber]

The first thing to do before using regulations and other means is to speak to your neighbours especially if you have a good relationship with them and explain the situation ,a plume kit could be used to move the flue gases away from your property

There are british standards ,gassafe and Health and Safety Executive who can be involved in this but the quickest resolution to problem is like i said before between neighbours

The doctors should be able to diagnose carbon monoxide poisioning too and you have to be more insistent with them as well,it may or may not be the cause

The seriousness of the situation demands some action and very rapidly

 

[Axel]

Now that you have identified a potential serious hazard, you are obliged to take immediate action. You should call Transco or GasSafe immediately.

It might be a false alarm, but any delay causing injury or death could be considered negligent.

 

[loadsalads]

Thanks to you for the replies, it is hard to speak to the neighbours as we are not entirely sure that the fumes are the cause, but it is really only now that it has dawned on us that it might be, so obviously we will be back at the docs tomorrow morning. I think I will call someone out to check to see if the levels coming into our home are high enough to be affecting us. Who that might be I am not sure, does transco deal with that kind of thing?
Anyway I will look into it straight away, we always have our bedroom window open, summer and winter as my wife has asthma and breathes easier with it open, but it is directly above the plumes of emissions, so as a start the windows are staying tight shut until this can be sorted. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Axel]

CO Alarm from A S D A - £20, always a good idea, they last 7 years. Allegedly it detects both high levels and chronic exposure so low levels also.

 

[transam]

The chap I work with has on occasion's got invoved with these type;s of situation's he has got an electronic co detector (not one of those audibleone's) that is placed in an area that constantly monitor's the atmosphere quality , record's time's date's ect over a period of time day's , week's which will than give a download via a graph onto a computer showing co reading's , how much & when in a 24 hr period ect ect he is currently abroad , something like this would give you evidence in order to prove if there is a problem maybe???