[bergamot]

Hi all,

I’ve now been in contact with NSW Fair Trading asking for legislation/regulations os I can go back to the strata manager with something concrete.  Unfortunately no luck so far with them so I have contacted the council.  I have made several phone calls and emails now to the health and building section, but so far have nothing concrete.

I am going round in circles and starting to wonder if I am ever going to get a resolution!

I have just contacted the strata manager and asked him to issue a notice to comply, but whether this happens or not, remains to be seen.

Thanks for all your input.

 

[bergamot]

Thanks for all your ideas.

 

[bergamot]

Still haven’t solved this.

I contacted the strata manager and asked for a solution, but now I feel I need to get some legislation to point out that it is NOT acceptable to have this constant effluent running past my balcony.

I have found some legislation from the Victorian Building Association

“Where the condensing unit is mounted on the balcony of an apartment building and the discharge from the defrost cycle is likely to cause a nuisance, a drain safe tray shall be provided to collect the removed ice build-up on the outdoor coil. It is not acceptable to discharge the water over the edge of the balcony”.  (Victorian Building Authority, 2020, p.6).

I am trying to find the equivalent in NSW legislation, but have heen unable to do so thus for.

I have been searching the National Construction Code (NCC), but can’t find anything about air con drainage on apartment balconies;

Can anyone advise?

Thanks

 

[bergamot]

Thanks for your replies.

Jimmy, the point below you made is very interesting:

The run-off pipe is there to allow water to escape when the balcony is flooded – it’s not there to provide a permanent escape for dripping water.

An air con technician has been to the unit upstairs and extended the pipe so it doesn’t drip onto my balcony, but the balcony run off pipe is still being used to dispel the water, so I still see water dripping when I look out on my balcony.

I have been told the EC has given permission for this, but I don’t think this has been thought through, as I’ve been told the condenser pipe could have been positioned so as to drip into a pot plant on the tenant’s balcony, however this would require moving the condenser.

[bergamot]

Thanks for your reply.

The air conditioner upstairs must have  a pipe which has been put into the balcony overflow pipe.

On each side of the balcony apartment in our building there is an overflow pipe which allow water drainage.

The executive committee would have seen the installation plans and given this approval.

I don’t know who the owner is, but I spoke to the tenant in the unit about my concerns a week ago and asked her if there was another way the water from the condenser could be expelled, for instance, into a tray that could then be emptied once a day. She said she would contact the real estate agent to discuss, but I’ve heard nothing, which says to me that this method of getting rid of the water has been approved by the executive committee.

Unfortunately, I am not on good terms with the executive committee as I don’t agree with a lot of what they are doing. I am worried about getting into a dispute with them over this as they do what they want and minimise others’ concerns – hence my doing some research and asking opinions before I take it further, as it feel it is going to be stressful dealing with them.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Author]

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