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Neighbours condensate pipe is damping our Garage wall.

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slganapat
slganapat Posts: 13 Forumite
in House buying, renting & selling
Our Garage had a wall that was common between us and neighbour and we we extended our kitchen at the back of the Garage as per the neigbours request we left a half foot gap and built our own garage wall. This wall which is built using blocks (one layer and no bricks) was not rendered from outside as there is no access but jsut a gap of half foot. We have moved out of that property now and its been let out. Neighbour whose garage is next to ours has installed a boiler and the condensate pipe has been left to drip in the half foot gap between our garage walls . This over a long term has created a big wet patch on our garage wall and its expanding everytime when the boiler is used as the weather gets colder. We have now pointed this out to the neighbour and suggested that the condensate pipe has to be connected to some sort of waste pipe or taken internally as the gap is all the way from front to back and no one can get down to repair this from outside.Neighbour property owner is hesitating to redo this. so what could be the solution for this and how do we go about getting this sorted? if its not done our garage wall could crash due to the wetness.
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  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
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    Which was there first? Wall or condensate pipe?

    TBH, even if the wall was there first, it doesn't sound like the wall's much cop if a bit of condensate from a boiler is causing actual damp. What actually are these blocks?

    Got a picture of the wall?
    It might be staining the finish internally, and perhaps even increasing the internal humidity - but I can't see it being remotely likely to "crash"... Not unless these blocks are made from papier mache.
  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977 Forumite
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    Tea and cake and a friendly discussion.

    then come up with a mutually acceptabe proposal.May need a gas engineer to advise.

    Compromise by going halves on costs?

    But ultimately, your neighbour is causing damage to your wall and you could take legal action to claim compensation to rectify, or a prohibition order or similar.


    Shouldn't need to come to that though!
  • Tom99
    Tom99 Posts: 5,371 Forumite
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    Work out where the condensate pipe exits their wall, drill a small hole in your garage wall then apply a rubber bung.
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741 Forumite
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    The condensate pipe shouldn't be just dripping acidic water outside. In time, it will damage the wall, in addition to
    the damp issue.

    The boiler hasn't been installed to regulations, because the relevant regulations state it should either go into the drains, or if that's not possible, it should terminate in a special limestone filled dispersal chamber buried at least 500mm from the building. There are no legal alternatives.

    So, the neighbour should call the person who installed it back to rectify matters free of charge.

    Failing that, as Tom points out mischievously, you have the power to shut down their CH if the pipe's on your side of the boundary, causing problems.
  • Dean000000
    Dean000000 Posts: 612 Forumite
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    Wait? The wall is one layer of block work and nothing else on the outside? Exposed block work to the elements?

    That’s like a sponge to water and you should be sure that water ingress is not resultant of this I.e rain water...

    Assuming I have read that correctly?
  • Doozergirl
    Doozergirl Posts: 33,813 Forumite
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    edited 19 February 2019 at 8:19AM
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    This doesn't help you, OP, but for the benefit of others, this is exactly why people shouldn't ignore the Party Wall Act.

    Build a party wall and you don't get these issues later on. A half a foot gap between houses initally appears to resolve misguided territorial issues, but it is asking for future maintenance issues.

    Single skin of blockwork wall, no proper way of even pointing it in, let alone rendering it. And a lovely gap for debris and damp to gether with no easy method of removing it.

    OP did something to appease their neighbour and now the new resident thinks the space is for them to drip water into.

    The benefit of a party wall is obvious. You already share one inside the main house, so why not on new extensions? Everyone gets the benefit of the largest extension possible when the time comes and maintenance is the easiest it can be.
    Everything that is supposed to be in heaven is already here on earth.
  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698 Forumite
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    Davesnave wrote: »

    Failing that, as Tom points out mischievously, you have the power to shut down their CH if the pipe's on your side of the boundary, causing problems.

    Yes, but no.
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-38885022

    Unless you meant "legally getting it cut off by the Elf N Safety people"
  • slganapat
    slganapat Posts: 13 Forumite
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    AdrianC wrote: »
    Which was there first? Wall or condensate pipe?

    TBH, even if the wall was there first, it doesn't sound like the wall's much cop if a bit of condensate from a boiler is causing actual damp. What actually are these blocks?

    Got a picture of the wall?
    It might be staining the finish internally, and perhaps even increasing the internal humidity - but I can't see it being remotely likely to "crash"... Not unless these blocks are made from papier mache.
    AdrianC
    Wall was there first...The blocks are cement blocks. Yes its left to the elements but the roof and the gutter protects it very well till now we havent seen any wet patch or water.
  • slganapat
    slganapat Posts: 13 Forumite
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    Tom99 wrote: »
    Work out where the condensate pipe exits their wall, drill a small hole in your garage wall then apply a rubber bung.
    What is a rubber bung ?
  • Tom99
    Tom99 Posts: 5,371 Forumite
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    slganapat wrote: »
    What is a rubber bung ?
    https://www.vital-parts.co.uk/tapered-bungs-558-c.asp

    My suggestion was of course tongue in cheek!
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