Cooking smell coming from next door.

[aelfheah]

It's sickening, I know that I got this curry smell through from neighbours below me in a flat in Ventnor Court.

 

Nothing can really be done, officially! ;-)

[Aleksandr]

You can create positive pressure within your house to prevent air from theirs getting in, by blowing fresh air in using a fan located in, say, the roof, and you might not need a terribly strong flow to make it work really well. Of course, it means that they'll be able to smell you then!

 

I think that polyurethane foam would be a good and effective solution if you can find the holes through which the smells come in, but you'd need to compensate for the lost ventilation by adding more from elsewhere. I'd seriously consider using fire-block (FB) foam, because this nasty whiff tells me that in the event of a fire in their house, you could be overcome by smoke in yours. I hope you have smoke alarms!

[mart]

I think that polyurethane foam would be a good and effective solution if you can find the holes through which the smells come in, but you'd need to compensate for the lost ventilation by adding more from elsewhere. I'd seriously consider using fire-block (FB) foam, because this nasty whiff tells me that in the event of a fire in their house, you could be overcome by smoke in yours. I hope you have smoke alarms!

 

The OP thinks the smell is coming through holes between her and the neighbours, not through ventilation holes, so it sounds like any holes there should be blocked up.

[susa41981]

I've blocked all the bath off but now the smell is coming in under the floorboards at the top of the landing. I can also smell it at the bottom of the stairs. And in the loft. I have someone coming from the council next week. Does anyone think it could be there extractor fan that's blowing into my property somehow? The smell that was coming through from under the bath was unreal as though it was gushing in.

[Aleksandr]

The OP thinks the smell is coming through holes between her and the neighbours, not through ventilation holes, so it sounds like any holes there should be blocked up.

The holes between hers and her neighbours probably are ventilation holes! It used to be common practice to have holes in the underfloor brickwork between neighbouring houses to improve the through draft. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about.

[Aleksandr]

I've blocked all the bath off but now the smell is coming in under the floorboards at the top of the landing. I can also smell it at the bottom of the stairs. And in the loft. I have someone coming from the council next week. Does anyone think it could be there extractor fan that's blowing into my property somehow? The smell that was coming through from under the bath was unreal as though it was gushing in.

Having read this, it sounds like you have a 9" wall between you and your neighbours, and it's getting in around the joists. And yes, if they are pressurising the inside of their house with a kitchen ventilation fan, it would have the effect of blowing it into yours, although they ought to have it on suck rather than blow! Good luck!

[mafya]

Have you considered that if there food smell is coming into your property than there is a good chance your food smell may be going into their property?

You need to block any holes between yours and the neighbours house.

[susa41981]

Would the party wall be a cavity wall do you know? And will it be possible to get to these joists?

[BIGDINNERS]

What a silly thread, close the windows and doors and if that doesn't work just move house if its that bad,but beware if the other neighbours want to cook and eat in there own home or even have a barbi now and then.

[regatta]

I always complain when my mate next door makes a curry because it always smells better than ones I make, so to keep the piece he gives me a bowlful, I'm never gonna stop complaining.