Neighbour’s Potent oil boiler flue fumes

[StinkyFlue]

Looking for some help.
My neighbour has an outdoor oil boiler housed in a boiler house. The flue is positioned horizontally and is about 15cm from my boundary and about the same in height from the ground. It’s about 20 years old I think and was here when I moved.
Lately though the smell and fumes have been overpoweringly bad, like having an articulated lorry parked up right beside you. It’s even worse when there’s a slight westerly wind and it emits fumes all across my garden and into my house if the windows are open.
I’ve asked them to have it looked at several times which they do (same engineer who installed it I think) but then it starts smelling bad again a few weeks later.
I obviously don’t want cancer causing products of combustion in my house and garden and have suggested a flue diverter. I just hope this doesn’t move the problem into the upper floor windows.
Looking online I think the horrible smell is unburnt oil. Could this be a cracked heat exchanger that the engineer just hasn’t picked up on?
Surely at 20 years old the boiler need’s condemning?
Apparently it is a balanced flue type.

 

[Burnerman]

It sounds like your neighbour has a boiler with an LLD flue.....low level discharge.
Unfortunately there will always be some smell but it shouldn’t be too bad, and there should be no smoke. Often the fumes smell quite sweet and damp, if that doesn’t sound illogical.
However, no one wants to be in the vicinity of this and some sort of flue diverter could fit the bill if one is available.
The age of the boiler needn’t be an issue but of course it won’t be a condensing type.
John

 

[StinkyFlue]

Thanks for the reply.
The smell is definitely not sweet and damp, it makes me and other family members feel quite ill and I can’t use my garden at all when the neighbour’s boiler is on. I have to keep all my windows and doors closed as well even when it’s boiling outside.

It also smokes badly at times when the oil is running low.
I don’t want to get Environmental Health involved but I will have to if the problem is not resolved. The boiler is probably emitting Nitrous Oxide and PAHs which are detrimental to human health.

I also have an oil boiler, condensing type that vents through the garage roof and I have absolutely zero smell so I know that their boiler isn’t set up correctly.

 

[ChrisJP]

I have an older non-condensing oil Worcester Danesmoor boiler with a low level flue and this doesn't produces much in the way of smell at all.
So there must be something wrong with your neighbour's boiler set up, and it's likely that it's burning oil very inefficiently, so it's in his interest to get it fixed.
I suspect , though, that technicians who understand these older boilers are getting a bit thin on the ground these days. That said, they are remarkably simple compared with modern condensing boilers

 

[StinkyFlue]

Thanks Chris,
Yes they have to order oil all the time - twice if not more as much as me so it must be costing a lot of money. Plus the services at least 4x a year due to the toxic fumes.
It needs replacing.

 

[StinkyFlue]

And if it’s burning oil inefficiently, that would lead to the PAH smell whereby the carbon has not been fully burned in the combustion process. Pretty toxic.

 

[muggles]

Sounds like their engineer just doesn't know how to service & set it up correctly if it needs looking at 4 times a year and smells bad.

 

[StinkyFlue]

Sounds like their engineer just doesn't know how to service & set it up correctly if it needs looking at 4 times a year and smells bad.

The engineer has been doing oil boilers for years so he should have good knowledge.
It was probably installed before the new regs came in in 2004 so is sited incorrectly. The flue is actually nearer my window than theirs so they probably don’t get to experience the fumes.
It’s good that people on this thread have commented that their boilers don’t smell so I know there is something wrong with this one.

Is there a test I can do for fumes?

 

[Exedon]

As has been said the engineer setting up that burner don't seem up to job!
It's not difficult oil pressure gauge and commission analysis gear job done.
If your neighbours totally refuse to sort problem you could try environmental health as your probably having to put up with a statutory nuisance.

 

[StinkyFlue]

What would the symptoms of a cracked heat exchanger be?

 

[RandomGrinch]

Any chance of posting a photo of this flue?
An expert here may be able to advise if a flue diverter is suitable.

 

[StinkyFlue]

Thanks
Here is a photo taken from above. I’ve pixelated out some features.
You can see all the green algae around the wall - sign of a lot of CO2?
It’s also very noisy and roars like a jet engine (I know all oil boilers are and I cope with the noise of it didn’t smell so much).
It’s particularly nasty this morning Can’t even sit out in my garden.

 

[Exedon]

What would the symptoms of a cracked heat exchanger be?

If heat exchanger gone it would more than likely be leaking flue would look like granny's washing day when running.
That flue looks to have some heat discolouring so very incorrect set up or baffles gone.
It really matters little what cause is you need your neighbour to cure.
Or you take it up with environmental health department at your council.