On 3/6/2012 2:11 PM, Sjouke Burry wrote:
On 3/6/2012 9:08 AM, Steven Bornfeld wrote:
I write in hope of some serious answers. I know this general issue
has come up before, and wading through the incredulous and the trolls
doing a search yields nothing that seems likely to work. Maybe there
is nothing; if not, so be it.
We just moved into our new home after over 7 months of renovations.
The problem is cigarette smoke from one of our neighbors.
This is an attached house, with a party wall (concrete). (attached on
the other side too, separate construction, not a problem.
When the walls were open, I was not aware of any plumbing coming
directly from the smoking neighbor. There are cabinets mounted in our
kitchen on the party wall. Holes were cut in the cabinet backs to
accommodate some drainage and steam pipes (ours), and there is an
opening around our plumbing which we will seal off. We don't know
what might be the best way to do this, and I have no idea if it will
work (though the cigarette smoke is strongest in these cabinets.
This does appear to be coming through the walls--somehow, and not
through vents to the outside. This is old construction (c. 1940).
There is no question that there is cigarette smoke. It's not nearly
as big a problem for me (my sense of smell was never the same since
organic chemistry), but my wife is very upset.
I'm quite sure I have no legal recourse, and in any case wouldn't
expect my neighbor to modify his smoking on my behalf. Really just
interested to know if anyone has dealt with some mechanical means of
dealing with this problem that was effective.

TIA,
cut
To start with, produce some positive pressure in your
home, to stop the polluted air from coming into the house.
A ventilator sucking outside air would do that.

Several people have mentioned this, and it makes sense. Especially
given the (non) winter we've had here.

Thanks,
Steve

--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001