Extraction System In An Apartment

[John506]

Wasn't entirely sure to which section to post this in, but...

My question is, if one is smoking in a bathroom with the extractor fan on, will the smell travel out through the extractor fan of the bathroom in the apartment above?

Or is there any kind of one way thing?

Thanks.

 

[ColJack]

if the fan is on then it shouldn't..

are you sure it's common?
wouldn't that breach some sort of fire regulation? allowing smoke from a fire into another appartment?

 

[John506]

That's what I'm wondering, I'm just being lazy as I have to go outside to have a smoke.

If there is risk of making someone elses bathroom smell then I won't be doing it.

 

[londonboy]

I would guess that yes the smoke could travel into another flat, the back draught shutters on extractors arent the best

 

[John506]

Ok cheers mate,

Guess I will be going outside then

Thanks.

 

[Taylortwocities]

I'm not sure if you own the flat or are renting it? The landlord may have conditions re smoking?

The smoke-free regulations make private dwellings exempt. The new
regulations do not prevent lessees from smoking in the privacy of their own flats. But you must not smoke in the internal common areas of the block, it is against the law.

It is unlikely that extract ducts are shared but it will depend on the competence of the whoever installed the extract system. There may be a one-way 'backdraft' flap in the duct but there's no guarantee that its there, or that it is working.

It's better for you to give up the stupid habit.

 

[disinfo]

Ok cheers mate,

Guess I will be going outside then

Thanks.

Just quit the habit and take an extra holiday each year instead.

 

[John506]

Is it possible to branch the ducting into one another?

Where would they come out from, chimney?

Giving it up would be great, working on it haha

 

[John506]

Would it be against the regulations to connect the ducting into one another, in a kind of drainpipe fashion?

 

[skenk]

In my flat there is a communal fan in a box in the loft, which is supposed to extract constantly through a purpose built concrete vent. A duct about 9" goes from the fan box across to the adjoining wall of the next flat and down to each bathroom. From each bathroom there is a grille (no sign of a backdraft shutter) behind which a 4" duct goes up parallel for about a metre until it joins to the main pipe.

The fan hasn't worked for as long as i've been here (6 months), except for a brief period when the property management appointed maintenance people came to 'fix' it (you cal also hit the switch on the DOL starter in the loft and it works for maybe an hour before cutting out and never coming back on!) . . . I'm in the top flat (of 4) and you occasionally do get a smell but if the fan was working and extracting all the time (as it's meant to) then I don't think I would get any smell from any other flats. I reckon the long branch from each flat to the main pipe helps a lot.

 

[ColJack]

I'd get on to your landlord and threaten to contact the health department if it's not fixed.. the last thing you want is the nasty smell from downstairs wafting into yours..

 

[skenk]

I'm the landlord. The flat is largely a building site at the moment and on the rare occasion when I get a slight smell it doesn't bother me. I'm going to be sorting out my own ventilation for the whole flat in due course and not using the communal ducting. I haven't called the property management company to moan about it because I would rather use it as leverage in the future against them. Anyway I don't want to cause a fuss because i've got designs on the loft and if it wasn't for the communal services it would be all mine!