HELP: Neighbours Cigarette Smoke coming into my living room.
I’m hoping someone has any potential solutions to this problem.
I’ve bought my place about a year and a half ago and have had no issues whatsoever during that time. Unfortunately, recently a new person has moved-in (or old neighbour picked up the habit) and now my living room smells of cigarette smoke pretty much from the second they come home until they leave again.
I have purchased a $300 Air-Purifier that was advertised to help with the smell of cigarette smoke, but I honestly haven’t noticed a difference at all.
Does anyone know how I can locate the area that the smoke might be leaking into my unit? I’ve been monitoring my heater and vents, but when I go up an smell them I don’t notice anything. It appears to be the worst in the centre of the room.
Are they smoking near the side of your house where your furnace fresh air intake is? Honestly my first step would be to talk to your neighbours.
It isn't illegal to smoke but most smokers are still reasonable people. The easiest way to find out is to be a good neighbour and ask them to move further away from your house when they go for a puff.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by oilboimcdavid
Eakins wasn't a bad coach, the team just had 2 bad years, they should've been more patient.
Sorry, is it a house, townhouse, or condo? Knowing the type of dwelling and where said neighbour is located in relation to you is required.
It’s an apartment complex, but probably closer to the description of a townhouse. There is someone living below me, and also another couple living next door. My entrance is on the main floor, but the living space is on the second and third floor.
There isn’t anyone smoking in the common courtyard area or on balconies. Unfortunately, bylaw doesn’t allow for people to smoke on the balcony, but it would be much preferred as it currently smells like they’re smoking in my living room.
There are 2 potential neighbours that could be causing it. One of them I don’t know or have seen at all, the other is probably the most unreasonable woman I have ever had to share a wall with.
If you want smells to stop coming into your space, you need a positive pressure differential between your space and their space. It doesn't seem right, but putting on your exhaust fans will actually make the smell worse.
Do you know if your building has make up air? If it does the pressure in the hallway will be higher than the units. Leaving the door to the hallway open a crack will help if it does have make up air.
HELP: Neighbours Cigarette Smoke coming into my living room.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bizaro86
If you want smells to stop coming into your space, you need a positive pressure differential between your space and their space. It doesn't seem right, but putting on your exhaust fans will actually make the smell worse.
Do you know if your building has make up air? If it does the pressure in the hallway will be higher than the units. Leaving the door to the hallway open a crack will help if it does have make up air.
There is no common indoor space. The only communal space is an outdoor courtyard.
I did however find a few cracks in the steps that definitely have a strong odor…
Would that potentially cause it? There does appear to be a bit of a draft coming from the crack.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last edited by FlamesFanStrandedInEDM; 10-13-2021 at 09:59 PM.
Check the seal on your windows and doors. I’ve had a similar issue and the problem was a poor seal on an old door.
Edit: think I misunderstood. I assumed they were outdoors and it was coming in. Neighbour smoking indoors? You’re hooped. Make the complex move you.
Unfortunately I’m the home owner. I was hoping that maybe they’re just a renter and if the owner learns that their tenant is smoking in there they may step in
Try talking to them first. Maybe they’ll be ok with mitigating the leaking smoke. I had a pothead neighbour once who was very apologetic about making my place reek like weed all the time.
If that doesn’t work, lodge complaints with the condo board. Typically smells which disturb other unit owners are not permitted. It may force the other person to cut down on the smell or face fines.
I also find it hard to believe smoking on the balcony is not permitted but smoking indoors is. That seems backward and weird.
I was trying to test a spray booth vent to make sure it was working well. I found a small package of incense was actually useful to test it. Might be helpful in your search.
Something like this but on a smaller scale.
The Following User Says Thank You to chemgear For This Useful Post:
Try talking to them first. Maybe they’ll be ok with mitigating the leaking smoke. I had a pothead neighbour once who was very apologetic about making my place reek like weed all the time.
If that doesn’t work, lodge complaints with the condo board. Typically smells which disturb other unit owners are not permitted. It may force the other person to cut down on the smell or face fines.
I also find it hard to believe smoking on the balcony is not permitted but smoking indoors is. That seems backward and weird.
The balcony thing is a Calgary bylaw issue, while the smoking indoors seems to be up to the owner of each unit. I reached out to the condo management company and they pretty much told me I’m SOL.
If there's a draft coming through the cracks that means the air pressure where on the other side is higher than the pressure in your unit. Plugging the cracks will probably help, but getting your air pressure higher than their air pressure is the best solution.
What type of heating do you have? If you have your own forced air furnace I would run the fan 100% of the time to pull external air into your unit and raise the pressure.
HELP: Neighbours Cigarette Smoke coming into my living room.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bizaro86
If there's a draft coming through the cracks that means the air pressure where on the other side is higher than the pressure in your unit. Plugging the cracks will probably help, but getting your air pressure higher than their air pressure is the best solution.
What type of heating do you have? If you have your own forced air furnace I would run the fan 100% of the time to pull external air into your unit and raise the pressure.
I’m not sure how I would control it. I believe this is it.
Edit: Nevermind, I guess this is the ventilation system
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last edited by FlamesFanStrandedInEDM; 10-13-2021 at 10:21 PM.
As far as I understand the smoking bylaw, private residences are excluded. As long as the balcony is designated as a private-use space (even if it's considered common property for other purposes), it is considered part of their private residence.
2(1) Nothing in this Act affects the rights of aboriginal people respecting traditional aboriginal spiritual or cultural practices or ceremonies.
(2) Subject to section 4, this Act does not apply to a building, structure or vehicle, or a part of a building or structure, that is used as a private residence.
The condo bylaws themselves can prohibit smoking on the balconies, but the city/provincial laws don't do it directly. At least that's the explanation I was given when dealing with this for my condo building's bylaws.
__________________
Turn up the good, turn down the suck!
I had a similar issue, and asked the neighbor to crack a window in their house. They did (actually they open it comically far) and the issue went away. If it goes below -20, the window closes and we have a problem again, but the rest of the year it's good.
I don't know how he lives in a constant haze of smoke.
__________________
"We don't even know who our best player is yet. It could be any one of us at this point." - Peter LaFleur, player/coach, Average Joe's Gymnasium
I'm kind of amazed people still smoke in homes and vehicles. Totally kills the value, your only market is other smokers, which are a shrinking demographic. Plus it's super gross.
The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Fuzz For This Useful Post:
HELP: Neighbours Cigarette Smoke coming into my living room.
