New neighbours complaining about our toilet

[Amanda98]

We’ve got a new build where one side of our house completely backs on to a neighbours garden - that’s the back wall/boundary of their garden essentially.

Downstairs, we have a toilet with a window which is on the side of the house where that wall is, and has a small window which opens at the top. Their garden is slightly lowered so it isn’t within reaching distance. It’s a fairly odd design but we’ve lived here for years with no issues.

The neighbours have recently changed. In one of the early weeks in April when it was warm, they put a note through the door which asked we keep the window closed when it’s sunny because of the smell. We don’t really open it much anyway so thought nothing of it.

We’ve since had a further note through this week asking it stays closed on Saturday because they are hosting a BBQ for a family members birthday. We also have family over on Saturday and the downstairs loo is the one they’d naturally use.

Are the neighbours being CF? They surely can’t expect us to introduce a rule where we only crap upstairs whenever they say so!

This whole thread is grim 😂
I would be really mortified and do poos upstairs tbh.
Also do you not have odour nutralising spray? Are you letting horrendous dump smell waft into your neighbours garden eating area.
If your outside eating area was next to that window, what would you do?
Have a think about it and then do that.
Imagine sitting down for your sausage in a bun with brown sauce then all of a sudden the window opens and a horrendous poo smell goes right up your nose.

They must have clocked you only open the window when it really stinks too, so they are sitting there eating a salad, hear the window open and just know the poo smell is on its way.

Our household has the same diet yet the smell that comes from the bathroom when DH has been there could clear a suburb.

I'm so juvenile, but this made me laugh.

We had a similar bathroom issue, but our opening window was at head height onto their driveway, plus they had their back door and kitchen window only a driveways width away.
We closed the window to use the loo as I was conscious they could potentially see in, but opened it to air. No one complained.

It's weird all right. Too early in the day mind for the Poo Troll, he arrives when the Night Watch are on.

This.
If the smells or splashdown noises were really that much of an issue, the previous neighbours would have made OP aware. Unless that's why they moved...😂

How is it possible that someone can smell the inside of your bathroom when theyre outside ? I mean it would have to be a helluva stink that would linger for ages for someone outside to be able to smell it ? It would have to be on a par with a public lav with people using it all day for it to generate a smell that you could catch a whiff of everytime you went outside - like a blocked drain.

We have a very similar layout with the neighbours loo. You can hear absolutely everything when you’re sitting on our patio. I bet it’s this, and not any smells.

I reckon this is a sewer issue with the flushing of the loo, rather than gas smells coming from the window. Suggest you stand outside as someone flushes and see for yourself if there is any issue.

Yeah its gotta be noises. Keep the window shut when use the loo and open it after in deference to them...

The issue as I understand it is that it’s not possible to do this, because the loo window opens out onto the neighbour’s garden, not the OP’s. Her house wall abuts the neighbour’s garden.

That last bit has me laughing so much.

‘Lovely meal, Brenda, and what beautiful weather.’
sound of window opening
’BRENDA, GET INSIDE. JUST LEAVE THE WINE. QUICK!’

Come again?

I know, put a box of matches on the cistern. A lit match kills pongs. Though if it's as bad as you say, there could be an explosion.

But yes honestly it’s horrible and for someone to get over the embarrassment to let a neighbour know, it must be pretty bad. Most people wouldn’t want to approach a neighbour about the smell of their poo unnecessarily. I personally wouldn’t want to use a toilet where my shit smells are wafting over neighbours.

If it smells that strongly you should be able to smell it from the closest spot on OPs property (next to the boundary at the front or back)

Yes made me laugh out loud too...

If I was them I would light the barbecue or some sort of incense stick near to the window to neutralise the smell.

A smoking BBQ has surely got to be able to mask out this smell.

Have you checked your outside drain? If the angle (fall) from the toilet soil pipe is above ground or too shallow, waste can get stuck in or around the outflow, which will get very smelly very quickly. Also, how high is it? Soil pipes must extend above the roofline or be fitted with an air admittance valve (AAV) to release trapped air and gases. This stops foul odours and pressure build-up in your drains.

If vented above the roof, the top of the pipe should be at least 900mm above any opening window, door or balcony within 3 metres, to avoid smells drifting into your home - or your neighbour's.

Nope,he lives with my mother (it used to be my parents,me and 3 brothers,but we've all moved away)
She just puts up with it-she has her own issues with the toliet (I'm not going into that-he's bad enough)
He's a vegetarian who eats almost nothing but organic,home grown veg and beanfeast
It's a running joke on how bad it smells but it is disgusting

This had me laughing, what a thread.

I wonder about the sound effects too...

Trooooll in the dungeon

or surely don’t come again 🤣🤣🤣

I was cracking up until this comment, now I'm dying 😂

I don’t think I could actually go knowing someone was sat right by the window anyway.

If you can hear them they can hear you.

Exactly what I was going to suggest - even if @Amanda98 and family only do it during the BBQ.