flats and real log fires

[petemurphy]

i live in the ground floor flat of a converted victorian terrace - 2 flats above me. We have fab big fireplaces and i want to get mine working. i sent a mail to the other 2 flats saying id like to get a chimney sweep in to test it and is it ok to do this. I own 1/3 of the freehold with the other 2 flats. i did this out of courtesy + to do the test they need to be in as its a smoke test to make sure theres no leakage ( not inconvienant as they work from home ).

One has come back saying he doesnt want real fires as he doesnt want his flat stinking out.

2 questions - bar keeping good relations with neighbours ( who i get on well with ) is there any reason i cant say tough i want a real fire in my house thats half the reason i bought the flat. Theres nothing in the lease abot it that i can see?

2 will it make their flat smell? it goes up a seperate flute so in theory should be ok or will the general smell of wood smoke ( which is what i want ) drift upstairs?

thanks

[Beedub]

he shouldnt get any smell at all up stairs from an open fire.... my open fire is downstaors and their is not trace of fire smell upstairs, infact its hard to smell anythink down stairs even, the smell i get is of a very warm fire.... no wood/coal smell or smoke, so personally F him and get it going as long as their are no leaks.

He many get a warm chimney breats if the fires really going but other than that i dont see why it should bother him tbh.

[petemurphy]

Beedub said:

he shouldnt get any smell at all up stairs from an open fire.... my open fire is downstaors and their is not trace of fire smell upstairs, infact its hard to smell anythink down stairs even, the smell i get is of a very warm fire.... no wood/coal smell or smoke, so personally F him and get it going as long as their are no leaks.

He many get a warm chimney breats if the fires really going but other than that i dont see why it should bother him tbh.

thanks - prob doesnt help i cooked kippers the other day and he smelt them but then i think the whole street did!

does it affect house insurance in any way?

[allgonepetetong]

No

[Beedub]

my insurance was unchanged by my house having a open fire ;-)

[anonymous-user]

If you can smell a fire (stong smell of smoke) then it isnt working properly!

[petemurphy]

cool thanks chaps im having one!

[Engineer1]

Rather than just go all out and piss your neighbour off, why not get the chimney sweep/ fire installers to explain how the chimneys work and that if smoke is smelt around other flats then something is wrong and needs checking. The only time my parent's house has smelt badly of wood smoke is on really muggy still winters days when the air doesn't seem to move, so the chimney doesn't draw properly.

[petemurphy]

Engineer1 said:

Rather than just go all out and piss your neighbour off, why not get the chimney sweep/ fire installers to explain how the chimneys work and that if smoke is smelt around other flats then something is wrong and needs checking. The only time my parent's house has smelt badly of wood smoke is on really muggy still winters days when the air doesn't seem to move, so the chimney doesn't draw properly.

yep will do

and i'll lay off the kippers!

[G20RG B]

Pete, think about a multi-stove rather than a woodburner only, a multi will alow you to burm coal and wood and will be more economical in the longrun.My parents have a multi-stove installed in there downstairs 1920 flat and the neighbours have never mentioned it, and believe me they would!!!