I live in the end address of a hundred year old townhouse and occasionally when the windows are closed up (winter or A/C) I get smells coming through from the neighbors that I'm guessing is from cigarettes. Is there any "easy" way I can block it from penetrating and having to smell it?

 

Not sure there is an easy way as you need to seal up any voids between the 2 units. Is the odor more prominent in 1 area versus another?

 

One common point of infiltration will be your receptacles. You can purchase foam seals for them which may help somewhat, but smoke is permeable and can reside in the wall fibers as well. Seal as much as you can and see if that helps.

 

I have dealt with a lot of these "weird" smell issues in a variety of mostly commercial spaces, but would help if you could share more information.

How many floors? (is it more prominent up than down?)

What is HVAC source for units? (Sometimes these old units have shared boiler radiant heat, for example, and these black pipes run through floors that are usually large holes hidden by escutcheons, that can permit a lot of odor through the shared spaces) Find these, if applicable, and seal very well below escutcheons with caulk or spray foam. This can be applicable, by the way for any other plumbing so check all those gaps behind the escutcheons in bathrooms and kitchen.

Shared wall, obviously. Look for any single hole in that wall. This can include electrical, as well as plumbing. Any gaps, no matter how small, should be caulked or filled. I agree with Chandler, about the foam seals, but additionally you may want to look at any gaps inside and around j-box (they are not solid with knockouts, etc...

Shared attics is also a likely spot to think about. As these units have a single roof plane, usually, the attic is open to allow proper ventilation of that space. You will likely have an access panel to the attic, so check that it is sealed well.

Additionally, explain what your heat and A/C source is inas much detail as you know. There are any number of ways this can be done in older buildings, so that would help see where else you may look.

 

A little confused by your reply. Townhouses in PA, are individual homes, only sharing a wall, since they're row homes. They're not units that share other things.

 

Shadeladie,

Wow, that is a blanket statement. I'm reasonably sure, that given entire state, what OP referrers to as a "townhouse" could, in fact, be a townhouse. I recognize that Row Houses also exist, particularly in the inner city areas, but so too do townhouses. I'm also reasonably sure that if you live in one or the other you might know what they are called.

A quick Google search shows a few examples here: https://hotpads.com/pa/townhomes-for-rent

All that aside, I've seen row houses that do in fact share not just walls, but attics, in DC, for example.

 

A lot has to do when it was constructed. Any modern day built [or renovated] unit that is attached to another has strict fire codes that insulate one unit from the next. Some of the older units weren't built that way

 

A/C is just window units and baseboard hot water for heat. And it smells mostly like cigarettes. There are no outlets on that section off wall like one person mentioned. Like today, I had the windows closed for ac last night, turned off ac during the day, came back in her bedroom tonight and could clearly smell it again. The walls I believe are brick In between sides with thick plaster.

 

I live in an old twin, and some smells do come thru the walls. Unfortunately, I think the only way to get rid of the smells is to get rid of the source. Running an air filter might help some. They sell odor absorbing paint and primers, but not sure how good they work or if they really work.

 

Do you know the neighbor well enough to ask to see the room on the other side? Maybe you would learn they aren't smokers or that they are smoking three packs a day in that room or that they think the same thing is happening and it's coming from your side of the wall or some other thing that lets you start narrowing down the list of potential causes.

 

In the winter time you could open a basement window slightly to allow some fresh air in. Besides being fresh air, entering the basement will increase the pressure inside your home as compared to your neighbor and that may slow or stop the smell from coming your way.

But I agree with talking to your neighbor. Often times people are well aware of the sensitivities of others and might quickly make adjustments, assuming they are the source. For smokers there are a number of point solutions.

Bud

 

If in fact the neighbors are smokers and if in fact that is where the smell is originating I doubt you will be able to modify their behavior. Especially in their home. Can it be that the smell is drifting from window to window as opposed through the wall. Is the window well sealed? Show us a picture of the room, the wall and the window. Maybe we can see something.

Just an side note. If you're very sensitive to cigarette smoke (like myself) there are many times that I think I smell it in areas that do not or ever had cigarette smoke. It might be psychological. Both my parents were heavy smoker. I can't stand it (the smoke not the parents )! I think that smoke smell comes back to me whenever something triggers a memory of them or something connected with them.

 

Our house was built back in the mid 70's, and I know the son smoked in the house when he lived there, especially in my bathroom. There was no evidence of smoke in the house when we bought it as he had moved out years before and the smells probably subsided. However, I can walk into my bathroom sometimes and smell cigarette smoke, and like Norm I hate it. I think it is embedded in the sheetrock, paint, wall paper, etc, and just exudes on occasion.

One other thing, if the people don't truly smoke inside, but choose to smoke on a balcony, deck or porch, that smell would be more readily ingested by your unit via poor sealing windows, gable vents and eventually poorly sealed ceiling fixtures.