Cooking smell coming from next door.

[susa41981 10]

It's a council house. Anyone know if they'd come out to block the holes up? It's definitely coming from around the back of the cupboards in the kitchen.

[mart 71]

Which holes are you referring to? If it`s the ventilation holes then no, they are there for a reason. If you have other holes in your outside wall give the the council a ring. Apparently, mice can get through holes not much larger than the thickness of a pencil. You are likely to get a visit as the weather gets cold (from the mice that is, not the council).

[susa41981 10]

We had mice come through under the cupboards from next door neighbours when the previous tenants lived there but they were loppy sods. I think the holes must be on the adjoining wall. What are ventilation holes?

[mart 71]

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&biw=1024&bih=571&tbm=isch&tbnid=rrLl7Qx5po_gqM:&imgrefurl=http://www.heidelbergcement.com/uk/en/hanson/products/bricks/brick_specials/airbricks_and_ducts.htm&docid=dS52WWr6IitKpM&imgurl=http://www.heidelbergcement.com/NR/rdonlyres/37044005-08D1-4C39-AF43-35F33635E2A1/0/air_brick_630.jpg&w=630&h=170&ei=I8aKUI-DG6e30QXPlIDwDw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=219&sig=110887616448032556664&page=1&tbnh=48&tbnw=179&start=0&ndsp=8&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:85&tx=86&ty=40

 

You could always have a plastic mesh type vent fastened over the air brick/ventilation holes. The plastic mesh vents only have tiny holes. It would stop mice, but air still passes through.

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&biw=1024&bih=571&tbm=isch&tbnid=vIV1mkcWLd-i1M:&imgrefurl=http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/9-x-3-WHITE-PLASTIC-ADJUSTABLE-VENT-FLYSCREEN-AIR-VENT-COVER-/280909519903&docid=IuyIwScV9k56dM&imgurl=http://www.haldondistribution.co.uk/9%252520x%2525203%252520Ad%252520Vent.png&w=600&h=600&ei=7MaKULSDAYbO0QW8y4Eo&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=84&vpy=162&dur=78&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=109&ty=112&sig=110887616448032556664&page=1&tbnh=117&tbnw=117&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0,i:87

Edited October 26, 2012 by mart

[susa41981 10]

Don't think there are any of them. Surely they wouldn't use them for a shared wall though!!?

[mart 71]

When you said the small was coming from the back of the cupboards (post No13) I assumed your cupbords were on an exterior wall. If there are holes on the wall (s) that ajoin you and the house next door, are you suggesting that the hole goes right through to next door?

[Rupert_Baehr 10]

Which holes are you referring to? If it`s the ventilation holes then no, they are there for a reason. If you have other holes in your outside wall give the the council a ring. Apparently, mice can get through holes not much larger than the thickness of a pencil. You are likely to get a visit as the weather gets cold (from the mice that is, not the council).

 

Unless the mice smell the cooking smells too and think they're in with a better chance if they go next door.

[mart 71]

Unless the mice smell the cooking smells too and think they're in with a better chance if they go next door.

 

 

Everyone has an opinion, and I think they don’t like curries. They will be straight round to Susa`s for whatever she’s cooking. (In fact, I may go round there myself later)

[aelfheah 10]

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 10]

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 71]

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 10]

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.