Help needed with neighbour /gas fire



DH1 said:
Need some advice and if anyone is clued up on the following input is appriciated.

So I live on a terraced street where a lot of the houses have shared alleyways and my neighbour isn't happy and I don't know where I stand. I bought the house over a year ago and have done it out from top to bottom. But I never changed the fence in the yard and kept it the same. My neighbour claimed it was put up by the old owner without permission as he's meant to have access to our allyway and now doesnt, and hasn't for 6 or so years now. Anyway, he said he wasn't bothered as he is happy just using his front door to get in his house and doesn't use wheely bins. Fast forward to a year and a half later. The said allyway has a always had a gate down one end that I keep locked from the inside. His living room wall backs onto the allyway wall. However above the allyway is my bedroom bathroom and hallway, so that wall belongs to me (surely?). I know it's quite difficult to picture but stay with me.

He has a flueless gas fire he says it has a catalytic convertor in. I've not looked into these much until now. His fire has a vent inside his livingroom and an approximate 5" circular pipe that comes out into my allyway at ankle height. Surely even with a convertor on his fire this pipe will still be leaking gasses into the allyway and into my bedrooms etc upstairs above. It is an enclosed space and only about 800mm wide allyway.

Am I right in thinking;

1. His pipe should be going to an external wall of the property I. E front or back of the terraced house.

2. He surely can't put a pipe all the way through a party wall?

3. I have a small dog and sometimes young family members come over, surely having a pipe that leads to a gas fire is a risk to them when they are in the ally way, even with a catalytic convertor.

4. I have bedrooms above the pipe so these gasses will rise into the rooms?

Thanks
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Its an airvent to suck air into the room where the fire is , not extract products of combustion.
 
DH1 said:
He's getting a new convertor as it's broke due to the insulation blocking the pipe. But now he's wanting to put a 100cm2 vent on and chissel it into the wall so it sits flush. Easier said than done as it's a old stone wall... And it's also my wall
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It's not your wall if one side of it his lounge and the other is external onto the alleyway and putting a "flush" terminal onto it is perfectly reasonable on his part, am afraid your wrong on this one.
 
ontap said:
It's not your wall if one side of it his lounge and the other is external onto the alleyway and putting a "flush" terminal onto it is perfectly reasonable on his part, am afraid your wrong on this one.
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I have bedrooms above the ally way, I believe this makes it mine aswell. The ally way is enclosed therefore not an external wall?
 
DH1 said:
He's getting a new convertor as it's broke due to the insulation blocking the pipe. But now he's wanting to put a 100cm2 vent on and chissel it into the wall so it sits flush. Easier said than done as it's a old stone wall... And it's also my wall
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I`m confused. you own his house therefore his external wall?
 
Kevj said:
How has the ally been closed off? Was it once open?
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Enclosed as it has a solid door at one end and a ceiling above. Only one end is open, the end into my garden. I am not saying things as a matter of fact just how I see them and looking for advice, surely it's a party wall as appose to his external wall.
 
DH1 said:
My house sits on top of the wall his fire comes pipe comes out of. A terraced house with my bedrooms above the ally way.
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As two gas registered lads have told you already its not a fire pipe, it`ll be a bm418 air intake or similar and your ownership will be your gable wall and the end wall/joining wall of the bedrooms. Where he wants his vent is his house and makes no earthly odds to you at all, and a 100cm2 vent is only around 6"x6" anyway.
If he puts an open flue fire in then its a different story
 
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DH1 said:
Enclosed as it has a solid door at one end and a ceiling above. Only one end is open, the end into my garden. I am not saying things as a matter of fact just how I see them and looking for advice, surely it's a party wall as appose to his external wall.
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My question related to if the ally had been closed off at both ends. This might contribute to the poor intake air flow into your neighbours home.

The party party wall will be the one dividing the upstairs properties all the way up to the roof tiles or coping above. The external wall you own is not strictly a party wall as there is a break between properties and he will wholly own his external wall. The ally will be a legally shared area and there should be covenants in your deeds identifying this. The underside of your bedroom (ceiling in the ally) is also classed as a party wall and should be subject to building details to prevent the spread of fire.
 
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Kevj said:
My question related to if the ally had been closed off at both ends. This might contribute to the poor intake air flow into your neighbours home.

The party party wall will be the one dividing the upstairs properties all the way up to the roof tiles or coping above. The external wall you own is not strictly a party wall as there is a break between properties and he will wholly own his external wall. The ally will be a legally shared area and there should be covenants in your deeds identifying this. The underside of your bedroom (ceiling in the ally) is also classed as a party wall and should be subject to building details to prevent the spread of fire.
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Thanks for the detailed reply. In relation to the bit in bold, the ceiling is wood planks then a void with floor joists then my floor boards. I am no fire expert but surely this is a recipe for disaster?
 
DH1 said:
Thanks for the detailed reply. In relation to the bit in bold, the ceiling is wood planks then a void with floor joists then my floor boards. I am no fire expert but surely this is a recipe for disaster?
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If it hasn’t, I’d consider double plaster boarding it to give an hour fire resistance.
 
Kevj said:
If it hasn’t, I’d consider double plaster boarding it to give an hour fire resistance.
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Firework in the ally way off one of the local toerags and I'm up in smoke!
Would this plaster not go damp with one end of the all being open?
Cheers mate
 
DH1 said:
Firework in the ally way off one of the local toerags and I'm up in smoke!
Would this plaster not go damp with one end of the all being open?
Cheers mate
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Wet plaster is harder to burn ;)

No, seriously, put a coat of external paint over so it doesn’t mould and looks better than the GYPROC print.
 

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