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Topic
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Our building dates from the 1950s. We’ve had several applications from owners wanting aircond in their units. However, we have a longstanding policy of no new pipes or wires on the outside. The aircond installers want to put plastic tubes sloping at odd angles around the building to drain condensate into our downpipes.
Is there some way of draining the drips aesthetically?
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Is your building brick, timber, or stucco?
Can the a/c condensate be plumbed into the Lot’s internal kitchen or bathroom plumbing?
If not, the external drainage pipes could be painted a similar colour to the wall colour and thereby be ‘camouflaged’.
The main issue is whether the comfort of the occupants is more important than the slight change that the piping will make to the aesthetics of your building.
The sick, the elderly and the young are often those who benefit most from the a/c. Is your Committee being unreasonable in denying the occupants of your building a level of comfort that benefits their health and well being?
An occupant probably spends less than 2 minutes a day looking back at their building from the street and pondering the piping …. but the same occupant can spend 24 hours within their apartment either wishing they had a/c or being grateful that they have a/c.
Does 2 mins trump 24 hrs?
It’s a good question as aesthetics are vital to keep under control or it’s death by a thousand cuts, all the while unnoticed by those who don’t see or care about such things and drives crazy those who do. Most folks think they can make the call on these things but as they don’t have a trained eye don’t realize the importance to ensure it all stays looking in such a way that it doesn’t annoy tenants or turn off renters or buyers who are seeing these things for the first time.
Our block is 1965. We have a bylaw which regulates where the condensers and piping can be placed. It also states that all pipes and tubing must be encased in a aluminium rectangular downpipe that closely matches the colour of the brickwork.
You basically need a bylaw that will give a uniform appearance to any air cons rather than a mish mash of pipes and tunes going everywhere depending on the owner.
We were lucky in that all units were going down one side wall that is not viewable from the street and residents rarely venture.