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Boiler Exhaust (soot & ash) From Neighboring Bldg!

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Boiler Exhaust (soot & ash) From Neighboring Bldg!

Postby jobarules » Mon Mar 16, 2009 11:11 am

Hi, I hope I'm in the right category. It's my first visit to Tenant.net...

Over the past few months, I've noticed a granular sooty ash-type substance inside my apartment along the floor near a rear window leading to a courtyard. In recent years, a new building has been erected back there that altered the way the breeze flows (not to mention the sunlight, but that's another story).

Anyway... after having the super in my building plug any holes near the nearby radiator and steam pipe (which I had hoped might solve the mystery problem of how and what this stuff was getting into my apartment), I realized the same material was collecting on the fire balcony outside the window. How it gets in the apartment, through the screen or even the closed window, I can't really note yet... but it became clear this stuff was originating outside.

I had assumed it was my building's boiler and/or chimney that was the problem. Yesterday, I was feeling investigative and went up to the roof with my camera. To my amazement, our roof was fairly pristine. No soot or ash. The chimney seemed sound (I'm no expert, obviously... but everything looked clean enough to me). But when I looked over the short wall at the neighboring rooftop, I saw a relative horrorshow. The same soot and ash was collected at the corners of the roof, swirling in the breeze and fluttering over the ledge of the building at the slightest provocation. It was obvious this stuff had come from the chimney of the neighboring building, which seemed much larger and dirtier than the one attached to my own.

But what really sealed this indictment was when the chimney started to belch thick, black smoke... which immediately got caught in the draft created by the buildings lining the rear area of both our buildings and, I discovered, comes rolling down toward the apartments (including mine). You can see the ash and soot falling like snowflakes. It even collects on the ground far below my window.

I took photos and video and was going to call the building in question's management company today. Is there anything else I should do? Department of Buildings?

I don't know what to do about this, but I'm hoping whoever I call can compel this neighboring landlord to fix the issue quickly. It's filthy and making living in my apartment a constant cleaning challenge (not to mention an obvious health hazard).

Any suggestions? Thank you in advance...
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Postby TenantNet » Mon Mar 16, 2009 3:00 pm

Start here:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/home/home.shtml

Go to the commissioner's office and forget the BS web sites. I would march down to their office and sit there until you can see a person with authority to order an inspection. Years ago we had some luck with the Chief Engineer.

Often buildings install new boilers, and depending on the type of fuel used, may require the chimney be altered. Some landlords ignore this.
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