The totally off-topic thread

[Austman]

Sorry! I should have said they regulate the rules/laws.

 

[Austman]

Suggest you actually read what was said, the EPA doesn't issue council by-laws - at least last time I looked! Neither does it have any legal standing in the OP's state of NSW. It helps not to be a bush lawyer, best stick to relevance.

I suggest you look to what's reality in Australia in 2014! In NSW it's also state government laws regulated by the NSW version of the EPA. What times are residential noise restrictions in place? | Ask Environment Line | NSW Environment & Heritage

 

[Kieran2274]

Sorry! I should have said they regulate the rules/laws.

EPA Vic administer powers granted to them in their jurisdiction of Victoria, under legislation (and legislative instruments such as regulations) enacted/allowed by their respective State Parliament - a small but important point.

 

[Austman]

EPA Vic administer powers granted to them in their jurisdiction of Victoria, under legislation (and legislative instruments such as regulations) enacted/allowed by their respective State Parliament - a small but important point.

Perhaps but not according to the EPA themselves: Environment Protection Authority | EPA Victoria

Environment Protection Authority Victoria's role is to be an effective environmental regulator and an influential authority on environmental impacts.

 

[Kieran2274]

I suggest you look to what's reality in Australia in 2014! In NSW it's also state government laws regulated by the NSW version of the EPA. What times are residential noise restrictions in place? | Ask Environment Line | NSW Environment & Heritage

The reality has been as it's always been - which is only those people authorised to enforce laws by warrant or appointment are authorised to carry out such duties and amateurs get themselves into considerable trouble and often expensive legal battles by pretending they have the training, competence and again authority​ to self appoint themselves to such roles. It's one step away from putting on a tin foil hat and declaring yourself prince of your driveway.

 

[medhead]

Do they overflow much? I note that in MEL (City West Water at least) the disposal charges are just based on consumption. They don't seem to care if a lot of it actually 'evaporated'.

A steady trickle. Most run the overflow into the gutter and hence the road gutters have a constant stream running to storm water even on the hottest days. My fruit tree had wet soil underneath it last night. Out A/C has a reservoir that is recycled through the pads and topped up with a float valve.

I know the advice is that the overflow water is more saline and not to run it into the garden. But it seems to me that I'd be putting the same total volume of salt into the soil as it's mains water either way. (Just one is more evaporated. )

I'm not sure about waste charges, we're residential so I have no waste water bill. Possibly part of the rates.

 

[amaroo]

I had an issue with a neighbours AC when we lived in SYD....knocked on the door and spoke to them about it. Problem solved as we went 50-50 on building a noise reducing buffer around the unit.

 

[Austman]

The reality has been as it's always been - which is only those people authorised to enforce laws by warrant or appointment are authorised to carry out such duties and amateurs get themselves into considerable trouble and often expensive legal battles by pretending they have the training, competence and again authority​ to self appoint themselves to such roles. It's one step away from putting on a tin foil hat and declaring yourself prince of your driveway.

It's not about being the enforcer, it's about abiding by the law! I deal with these sorts of matters on an almost daily baisis.

I'd never personally enforce the law! (unless there was no choice) Heavens !!!

 

[cove]

I had to call Travelers Insurance in the US this morning. Got put on hold and was played elevator music and in between received the spiel "we value your business.....".
If they really valued my business why was I dealing with a machine for 15 minutes....

 

[Kieran2274]

It's not about being the enforcer, it's about abiding by the law! I deal with these sorts of matters on an almost daily baisis.

I'd never personally enforce the law! (unless there was no choice) Heavens !!!

Given that people playing self-appointed enforcer can recklessly break the law with trespass, assault ranging up to and including property damage and murder(!) in their unauthorised role, that is very much a good thing.

 

[Austman]

It's only you who changed the topic to "self-appointed enforcer"!

 

[whatmeworry]

Is that because of the noise? If nobody else can hear it then surely it cannot be a problem?

We had an issue with a neighbour that would run their very noisy and relatively new evaporative cooling unit all night. They had a single storey home and the unit was conveniently right next to one of our second storey windows. Problem is, to cool our home down at night during a heatwave you need to open most of the second storey windows to down cool the whole home down. So I had to check our local laws and found their were local noise laws which my Mother happily gave a copy of the local laws to our neighbour who had been ruining her sleep.

Mind you this the same neighbour had her ducted heating on a week before the Melbourne heatwave.

Whatmeworry where are you living ? It must be a place where the temperature drops to 22 degrees by 11pm.

The municipality of maribyrnong. Generally it is 22 by night except 2 or 3 nights a year very warm nights.

Surely you jest

No.

We lived right next door to a new development of housing that was built in such a way that the heat inside was immense as soon as even winter Sun was shining. Our bedroom wasn't airconditioned as we planted trees and foliage and we would water them on hot nights and leave our sliding doors open. We happily did that for 20 years until the house next door was knocked down and the new development built. The airconditioner plant was massive for a two storey house and was placed on the other side of our fence just next to our bedroom door. No council regulations meant it stayed on 24/7. There was nothing we could do to stop the constant turning on and turning off. You'd get to sleep and then clunk, it would turn on. Get used to that noise somewhat then clunk, it would turn off again. All night long. They couldn't hear the noise - their bedroom was on the other side of the house upstairs. We had a one storey house and the motor unit was with a few feet of us.

In the end we moved after the first summer. We could not sleep. So I am most certainly not a greenie but please think about what living next door to some of the motors might just be like. Your motor is no doubt strategically placed so you don't hear it but maybe this completely wrecks someone else's sleep. It's not a matter of minding your own business. Our ability to sleep in summer disappeared.

Yep similar thing happened to us. Their motor was placed well for them but not for us. Thankfully our local laws gave us some protection.

We live a street away from the Western general hospital in Footscray and can hear their massive aircon units on very hot nights.

I suggest that such people might see those using their A/C after hours as improving their lives at the expense of others. It's really a very tricky area. But there are laws and regulations.

Why not stick to the laws and regulations or campaign to have them changed?

I am surprised that Adelaide don't have local laws that protect them from noisy neighbours.

Here is a section from my local laws.

[TABLE="class: MsoNormalTable, width: 446"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 79"] 3[/TD]
[TD="width: 252"] A domestic air conditioner, swimming pool pump, spa pump, domestic heating equipment (including central heating and hot water systems) [/TD]
[TD="width: 264"] Monday to Friday: before 7.00am and after 10.00pm

Weekends and public holidays: before 9.00am and after 10.00pm[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


Local Laws - Maribyrnong City Council

 

[Austman]

I am surprised that Adelaide don't have local laws that protect them from noisy neighbours.

They do! : EPA South Australia :: Information for Households: Frequently asked questions

 

[Pushka]

Yes. They have laws now in SA administered by the EPA as Austman has provided. Previously it was council responsibility.

 

[Flashback]

Currently on my 2 hotel of 3 in Singapore, holiday inn express is rather nice and a great rate using cash and points.

Agreed on that front, stayed there a few months ago for 2 nights and thought the same.

No I don't think so. We have particularly officious greeny neighbours (one is stone deaf) who put letters in our mailbox quoting Council Regulations if on the odd 30 plus night we forget to turn off our ducted AC which is positioned at the side of our house adjacent to their boundary fence/property

Ah... reminds me of the battle we used to have with our downstairs neighbours in the studio flat we had before we moved into our house here. We're in an end of terrace now and our wall adjoining neighbour is very good (quiet)! Next move though, a bungalow/detached place... if one can be found, they're rare as hens teeth here!

 

[medhead]

I suggest you look to what's reality in Australia in 2014! In NSW it's also state government laws regulated by the NSW version of the EPA. What times are residential noise restrictions in place? | Ask Environment Line | NSW Environment & Heritage

The nsw version of the EPA is the nsw EPA! Same in SA. What you'll fine is that council officers are authorised, by the EPA, under the legislation in NSW to enforce that legislation. For example litter from vehicles and noise.

But the point being made is that council by-laws are not set by parliament. Perhaps there is some confusion with council officers being authorised under relevant environment legislation by the EPA.

 

[Austman]

Given that people playing self-appointed enforcer can recklessly break the law with trespass, assault ranging up to and including property damage and murder(!) in their unauthorised role, that is very much a good thing.

It's never been about that (from me) and the fact you include "damage and murder(!)" in your post is astounding! It's about noisy air conditioners! For goodness sakes!

 

[JohnK]

Charming :-| If such people just focused on improving their own lives, they wouldn't be such unhappy people feeling the need to make everyone as bitter and miserable as they are.

We have had selfish neighbours for a long long time.

I would not want to have a noisy air-conditioning unit installed a few metres from my bedroom and it interfered with my sleep. I shouldn't have to tolerate it and it does not make me a miserable person either.

 

[Shelf]

Given that people playing self-appointed enforcer can recklessly break the law with trespass, assault ranging up to and including property damage and murder(!) in their unauthorised role, that is very much a good thing.

Trespass causes confusion to the average punter. Common Law/Specific Legislation/Civil/Criminal. :?:

FWIW - On hot nights I will use the AC last long as necessary (my kitchen was 40 degrees Wednesday afternoon). One of my children has medical issues and his body doesn't cope well when hot. Having said that I put the fan speed on low and increase the temp, which should result in the compressor ceasing at some stage.

 

[Buzzard]

Have you checked your water bill?? They use huge amounts of water! Once that didn't much matter, but in 2014 Melbourne (and I guess Adelaide) it can be very expensive (unless it's your own water...)

(Edit: They can use >100 litres/hour. So the water supply and disposal costs for that have to be factored in. In MEL that can cost between $4 and $5.80/1000 litres (so > $0.40 to $0.58/hour). Still probably cheaper than electricity ...)

Now that is a good point - never given it a thought but now I will have to.