Foul Water Pipes

nutzboutstuff2

Am I right in saying the foul water pipes should vent above the roof? Cause our landlord has a foul water pipe venting about a foot from our upstairs window! We only just realised this and so have to keep windows closed! We also have a small backyard and there is another foul water pipe from another flat in the house venting into that! Can't go out there now! Is there a building regulation mentioning this?

Also our bathroom is really badly damp. Our landlord painted this before we moved in, think he may have been trying to hide this. Any advice on this?

MorningStar

Not being pickiy but I am guessing you mean foul AIR pipe? I am also not sure what you mean by venting into the yard either.
AFAIK it depends on the age of the property so how old is the property? Many of the ex-corpo houses built after the war don't have foul air pipes above eves level. The end terrace ones do but the middle ones don't and it can smell pretty bad. There is a shore out the back that acts as this.
If I remember correctly the foul air pipe doesn't actually pose a threat to your health just an unpleasant smell so it might not be against the rules. If you were to build a house the regs would insist the pipe is above window level but that doesn't mean it needs to be retro fitted.
I'm curious to see if it is agianst renting regulations. Damp in a bathroom is usually just bad ventialtion not sure but i think you need to have an electric fan in the bathroom. You definitley need one if there is no window or it is small. If you have a window you need to open it when you shower/bath. Sometimes what is wrong with a house is use rather than design. I hope that helps

Pataman

Yes there are regulations regarding venting beside windows. I fit is a plastic 4" pipe you can get a "hat"(cant remember the name) for it which allows the air in( to stop it drawing the water out of the trap in your sink) but allows nothing out.

Victor

I imagine they need to be 1 metre above the highest window, certainly in new buildings / alterations, but would need to check.

Complain to your landlord, if he doesn't do anything, talk to the Building Control Department in your local Council.

After that start looking for public health officials.