Help with smoke coming through walls

dasachmo

Hi guys,

I just wondered if i could get some help here.
After coming home from university i've noticed that theres an odd smell of smoke coming from my room.
I've got fitted cupboards on the shared wall and when i open them i can see the back wall.

Now as far as i can tell its coming from there, as soon as i open the cupboards the waft is pretty strong....

I've told my nieghbour who just wont cut down on the smoking esp with this whole smoking ban thing.

I was just wondering is there any ways of sealing the wall ? is there some sort of plastic that i can spray there to seal it...

I was also looking at air purifiers or ionisers to try and get rid of the smoke... im just really worried because im asthmatic and it makes my asthma really bad... i've had to keep the window open overnight just to get rid of the smell ... plus the dangers of second hand smoke.

Im grateful for any input and thanx for your efforts in advance.

AGBAGB

What kind of construction is the wall and the floor?

keystone

There is a hole (or at least a route) in the wall. There is as much a hole on your neighbours side as there is on yours so he has a responsibility to take care of it from his side. It is not leeching through the brickwork so spraying it with something won't help IMO. I think you need to be fairly strong with him to find a remedy amicably.

The smoking ban does not apply to private premises. He can smoke himself to death in there if he wants or even burst into flames and there is nothing you can or should do about it so its irrelevant. But the point here is that he is impinging on your life and that is what is unacceptable not the smoking in his own home per se. Work together, find the hole(s) bung 'em up and let him get on with his fags.

Cheers

dasachmo

Thanks for the info,

The wall that is shared has an veneer of wood, its like a thin layer with a fake wood pattern. Underneath it seems to be stone but it looks like its fairly weak.

I should also mention theres a chimney that is 'blocked' behind there.
Im thinking of getting a big plastic sheet and generically selotaping it across the wall since i cant see a blatent hole. Do you guys think this is appropriate?

I've also read the smoke can come through the loft but the smell seems localised to my room which has the sharing wall.

AGBAGB

Strange wall! Might be easier to seal around the wood panneling.

Chimneys on dividing walls are often double sided. In this weather next door may have lit a fire. If the feathers have gone in the chimney or the morta has disitegrated smoke + poisonous frumes can seep through. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

Check for smoke from the chimney stack.

keystone

AGBAGB wrote: »

Strange wall! Might be easier to seal around the wood panneling.

Chimneys on dividing walls are often double sided. In this weather next door may have lit a fire. If the feathers have gone in the chimney or the morta has disitegrated smoke + poisonous frumes can seep through. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

Check for smoke from the chimney stack.

Errm - its cigarette smoke!

Cheers

dasachmo

yeah, i think its ciggy smoke, but saying that, if they are burning fireplace you cant smell carbon monoxide can you? im worried now, opening the window more!

keystone

dasachmo wrote: »

yeah, i think its ciggy smoke, but saying that, if they are burning fireplace you cant smell carbon monoxide can you? im worried now, opening the window more!

Thats the trouble when peeps post without reading and no-one is immune I've done it myself. Relax - go find that hole 'cos its there somewhere!

Cheers

SplanK

is it a rented house or do you own?

if rented - might be worth getting onto the land lord about it as this should not be... if theywont do anything about the issue - then im sure the environmental health/council will be interested in knowing about this!

dasachmo

unfortunately its our house, definately going to have a look at it tonite after work because the smell last night was terrible, i was scared the smoke alarm was going to go off!

AGBAGB

Have you checked at floor level. If its a timber suspended floor, where the joist go in to the wall could be the "HOLES". Depending on various pressure differances (your window open) it could be blowing quite a draft through.