A Clue In The Leak Case

Today somebody is cooking with onion in another apartment; presumably downstairs.  It smells like onion being sauteed down for addition to another dish, but getting a bit overdone.  My father would enjoy it.

This is a first.  We had the cigarette smoke problem, which has become far less pronounced for whatever reason - possibly only the fact that Smoker Dude has not been home much, but had yet to notice cooking smells.

This plus past experience on Deb’s part plus substantial reading we’ve done recently on how to seal an apartment well, and the possible legalities of airflow between apartments (it can be a fire issue; never thought of that before) have led to a strong possibility that part of the problem may be the vent above the stove.  If they tie in together, you can get stuff from the other apartment.

Apparently they make “when not in use” covers, hopefully for sale at places like Home Dopes and Lowes, that might help.  They’re also an energy conservation thing, which is why so much info on how to seal an apartment tight exists.

So there we have it; another clue in our own personal leak case.  Of course, the bigger culprit is turning out to be the leaky master bedroom, where the temperature behaves as if there is an open window, but everything looks sealed as can be.  Especially in the big closet, which is the worst place.  A cold breeze flows under the closet door, into the bedroom, yet in the closet there is no opening to account for it.  The investigation continues…

1. "Home Dopes?” Is that a typo, or a nickname I have not heard before? Either way, I got a good chuckle out of it. Positively Freudian, Jay.

   J.

   Posted by Jay Tea  on  10/29  at  01:53 PM

2. have you tried lighting a small candle and moving it around in the closet?  The flame should be effected by any airflow comeing through there?

   Posted by Wayne  on  10/29  at  01:58 PM

3. Holy crap!  I hope that Deb is fully over the morning sickness, or your airflow between apartments could get pretty “dynamic.”

   Posted by Margi  on  10/29  at  02:55 PM

4. Heh, heh! I love the title of your post

   I occasionally get cooking smells from next door. I think it’s coming in under the floor boards in the kitchen where it’s always very drafty. I’ve recently lined tinfoil around the base of the stove to try and cut some of the draft.

   Posted by Ith  on  10/29  at  04:30 PM

5. First, look at areas where different materials meet, such as between brick and wood siding, between foundation and walls, and between the chimney and siding. Also inspect around the following areas for any cracks and gaps that could cause air leaks:

   * Door and window frames
   * Mail chutes
   * Electrical and gas service entrances
   * Cable TV and phone lines
   * Outdoor water faucets
   * Where dryer vents pass through walls
   * Bricks, siding, stucco, and foundation
   * Air conditioners
   * Vents and fans.

   You can also try these steps to depressurize your home to help detect leaks:

   1. Turn off your furnace on a cool, very windy day.
   2. Shut all windows and doors.
   3. Turn on all exhaust fans that blow air outside, such as bathroom fans or stove vents.
   4. Light an incense stick and pass it around the edges of common leak sites. Wherever the smoke is sucked out of or blown into the room, there’s a draft.

   If you don’t want to turn off your furnace, you can just turn on all your exhaust fans to depressurize your home.

   Other air-leak detection methods include the following:

   Posted by  on  10/29  at  05:27 PM

6. Jay Tea:

   That was exactly the question I wanted to ask.

   

   S

   Posted by Steven Taylor  on  10/29  at  11:24 PM

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