Hi I've been havin problems with my downstairs neighbours cooking smells. The smell is do bad it is spreading through my entire flay and makes the kitchen unusable. On speaking to him he is very dismissive. But I did manage to find out he has a ceiling fan which he uses and is probably 20 years old. I'm thinking the duct for the fan is worn and broken - is this possible and if so is there an easy way to check? Thanks
A tricky one! The only way you're going to sort this (without heavy leverage) is to get on side with your neighbour. Up to now they're blissfully unaware of the issue, so it's important that you approach them in a way that doesn't scare them, either with potential hostile behaviour or the possibility of costing them lots of money. You need to friendly explain to them that although the smells of their cooking is lovely (can I have the recipe etc ) that you're constantly having to wash your clothes and soft furnishings when there is probably something very simple (and cheap) amiss and would you mind if we can take a look at a convenient time. Something along those lines to start with anyway
Yeah my problem is he's pretty aggressive (especially when he's not getting his own way) and is not prone to telling the truth. He went from only ever eating ready meals to suddenly using the grill and fan the night before (when there was a smell) when he was asked if he had been cooking the night before. Then quickly reverted back to never using his fan ever, all in the same sentence. I'm not clued up on how fans work etc but I'm guessing it's like anything that it'll wear with time. I'm guessing there must be some tubing that comes from the fan to take it outside? So I'm going on the lines it's the tube or join that's given way? I guess im really needing to know the structure of the fans to know what to suggest to him first.
If the cooker dosen't extract to the outside, then have a plastic pipe fitted through the wall then it should have a charcole filter to neutralise cooking smells.
I think the fan goes to the outside (not a cooker hood it's a fan fitted into the ceiling), so would this be the same and have a pipe from the fan to the outside?
Are the cooking smells stronger in your flat or equally pungent when outside As fan in ceiling, possibly flexi duct which is paper thin and may have split. Fan is clearly working and pumping cooking smells up from kitchen and under floorboard (if duct has split) Cooking smells could also be correctly vented outside and fan working nicely, but due to positioning of vent, smell is entering your flat Any difference with a window open or closed and do you know where the vent is sited
Hiya thanks for your input. you can smell it outside but not near as bad as in my flat. The smell is always the same too and just started a few months ago. Not sure where the vent is outside but I'll have a wee look in case that's something that's adding to to it. Window wise it's definately better with my window is open.
If it is several flats the lease holder or you have a maintenance company, I would contact them. I wouldn't mention "cooking smells" just mention smoke or burning coming from the downstairs flat - that should have an immediate effect
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