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Heating Advice
My neighbour has installed a condensing boiler with flue outlet within 2.5m of boundary. The white plume emitted drifts into my bedroom window. I’m concerned that the plume must contain NOx, CO2 and gaseous substances which might be harmful. Is it safe?
While the flue products from your neighbour’s boiler will contain some of the substances you mention, by the time any of this drifts into your property it is likely to be highly diluted by the outside air and not immediately harmful. This is no to deny any “nuisance” from the boiler plume, particularly the water vapour (steam) – which can be a significant issue between neighbours. While I do not have full details of the location, it seems that the boiler has been installed in accordance with Building Regulations (2.5m from the boundary).
This situation is not uncommon and many boiler manufacturers now produce “plume diverter” kits for their flue outlets. These fit to the outside wall and direct the flue products sideways or upwards at an angle. Other types of flue terminal can take the flue products up the wall to roof level via an external pipe. This may offer a solution – if your neighbour would be willing to fit one (NB a Gas Safe registered installer should do any work associated with the boiler flue and only the boiler manufacturer’s recommended products should be used).