Gas Flue and Neighbours Extension

[Bob_M]

Hi,
Hope you can help. My neighbour is building an extension for which we have a party wall agreement that enables his extension to be built on to the side of my living room.

Neither of us noticed prior to the new walls going up that the flue from my gas fire exits my property at approx 8ft and then continues up to above the soffit.

Is it ok for my external flue to go through someone else's property?

If this is the case do we need to revise the party wall agreement to include something regarding the maintenance of said flue.
We get on ok with our neighbours but can see problems in the future if our flue goes through what will be their living room...

Thanks for your help

[The Builder]

Bob............. what's the flue?
Metalbestos, masonry?

[Bob_M]

The flue is a metal a tube affair which I presume has a liner within it.

Thanks
Bob

[The Builder]

Ok possibly Metalbestos twin-wall, insulated flue.

Best answer is to bring the flue into your house. Have it re-located up through the house, and boxed in to hide it away. Preferably with access panels for inspection etc

[Bob_M]

Hi
Bringing the flue internally to our property would cause issues and considerable expense!

Are their any building regs issues with just boxing it in next door?

[The Builder]

Ok ....... if it has to stay.......... I can't think of a problem, technically. Building Regs would need firewall separation but that's easy. Where the flue terminates could be a problem if, say, next door has a window near it.

A flue in next door's garden is not unusual, but inside the house???
A legal minefield, Bob. Better to buy the little area of his property that the flue occupies, from him. Then, he just builds around it.

It's an awful solution. In practice, you'll never be able to get at the flue again.......... unless you cut into it from your side.

How about this .......... some blockwork around the flue from ground to roof. Leave enough room around it (just a few inches) to enable it to be pulled out vertically if needs be in the future. (Rather like installing a flue liner in a conventional chimney flue.)

[Bob_M]

As you say nightmare!
I think the only way forward is to insist on access to the flue from outside ie build around it somehow

This protects us both in the future !

[AlBags]

An access agreement would need to be appended to the deeds .. otherwise this could/will spell trouble for future buyers searches .. or occupancy. A new occupant on the land it 'uses' could insist on it's removal!
If you build around it .. and then he build around that .. you will have a construction on his land!

It will be cool wall ..with a terminal on the end. Box it in and go out the top .. or higher up the wall. There is no problem doing that. It will need a special fitting where it crosses combustible areas (floor/ceiling) Keep terminal away from window openings/doors, etc.

As for regs .. Download this in browser .. and save it .. It will give you all info you need regarding regs.
http://www.planningpo...r/BR_PDF_ADJ_2002.pdf

[Bob_M]

Thank you!

[AlBags]

NP Al.

[boxtops]

I wouldn't want someone else's flue in my house - suppose you don't get on with the next neighbours, if these ones move? Much better to move into your house. I wonder if there is some way of sharing the cost with the neighbour, since the option of running it through his living room would be much more inconvenient?

[buildersmate]

The Builder has produced an elegant technical response to this but I'd be far more concerned about the legal aspects to this. The description we have here is that your flue extends into his land, beyond the line of the Party Wall. I don't see how that can ever be OK since you have a flue outlet attached to his side of the Party Wall. That just doesn't work and it is a mircale that he hasn't asked you to remove it before. How did this arrangement come to be placed like this in the first place?

[Bob_M]

Thanks for all your advise. I have a meeting with my neighbour and the builder tomorrow to come to some kind of solution.