Look to the sky, it'll never be the same

delly

I was driving down Vernon Ave., Clontarf this morning (thats in Dublin, or 'de nortside for you southsiders), and I noticed that the traditional red lights that used to be on the pigeon house smoke stacks have been replaced!

Gasp :eek:

In there place are new fancy flashing strobe lights. Modern times eh?

whosurpaddy

noticed that last week alrite. anyone know how did they get the name pidgeon towers?

delly

The Pigeon House, at first a hotel, then a magazine fort, is believed to have obtained its name from a certain John Pigeon whose name occurs in the Journal of the Ballast Office as an employee. A portion of it was handed over by Government on 14 July 1897 to the Dublin Corporation, and the remainder successively in 1898 and 1899, and it is now the power station for the electric lighting of the city.)

From http://indigo.ie/%7Ekfinlay/ossory/ossory5.htm

whosurpaddy

learn something new every day.

Flukey

There has been a bit of discussion on this in the "Lights over Dublin?" thread.

monkeyfudge

I emailed the ESB and got this responce

New chimney lights have been installed on Poolbeg Chimney No. 1 and are
under test at present. The previous lights were over thirty years of age,
were failing regularly and were in need of replacement as spare parts could
not be obtained.

The Poolbeg chimneys are on the flight path from one of the runways at
Dublin Airport. Because of the height of the chimney, the lights are
aircraft warning lights rather than helicopter warning lights, which are
visible on lower chimneys in the Dublin area, including our own Combined
Cycle chimneys in Poolbeg. The new lights have to comply with the latest
aviation authority standards* for chimneys of that height (680') and are
brighter than the old lights.

Aviation standards dictate how the lights are set up and their intensity.
ESB is required to comply with these standards. The lights will be lit day
and night. There are three light intensity settings - day, twilight and
night, which is lowest.

It is proposed that similar lights will be fitted to Chimney No. 2 in the
next few weeks once testing and commissioning is finished on Chimney No. 1

* ICAO Annex 14, Volume 1, Third Edition July 1999, Chapter 6, Table
6.3


Regards,
Denis McCabe

This is really bad news.. I couldn't sleep last night with this stupid thing lighting up my bedroom every 2 seconds...!

It's like that episode of Seinfeld with the Kenny Rogers Chicken sign...

Flukey

Well you could complain, but I doubt it will help. Check out and see are there are any regulations that they have not met. Is planning permission required and have they met their obligations. It might be worth contacting a local councillor, not that they will do much. Consult other residents as they may be experiencing similar problems, If all else fails, maybe get a strong roller blind for your bedroom window to block out the light or re-arrange your room or something like that.

monkeyfudge

already put up new cutrains... but it's a pretty hot evening so I need to have my window open and that lets all the light back in...

I don't even live close to this thing by the way... I'm at least 5 miles away...

It's really the sort of thing they should have done an enviromental impact study on. It's bound to affect wildlife.

And that light polution is far greater than any smoke that comes out of those chimneys...

oh.. the ESB hasn't heard the last of me....

Does anyone else find this thing irritating? I mean you must be able to see it from almost any part of the city if your bed room is facing towards it.

robbie1876

I can just about see it from my window, I'm in Malahide. Earlier today I was driving in Howth towards sutton at about 8pm, still quite light and found the flashing quite distracting. Good luck on your quest against the ESB!

Flukey

They aren't visible from where I am over here on the southside, though we can see the smoke rising from the stacks occasionally. It seems wherever you are in Dublin you can either see them or not have to go far to a place where you can. That would be true from here too. 5 or 10 minutes walk from here and I can see them.

Maybe they did the impact studies, but safety took precedence. Have you any other options? Surely a heavy pair of curtains would keep it out and let you open your window. I am sure if you do a bit of lateral thinking you'll come up with something to at least improve the situation. Good luck.

robbie1876

This might sound like an obvious solution, but surely they can direct them upwards? There is no need for any light at all to come below the level they are placed at. I'm thinking of a fairly simple lip immediately below the lights that will block light from travelling anywhere below the horizon level.

Flukey

Don't tell us, tell the ESB. Having said that I am sure the lights conform to some standard, but send in your idea just to find out what the party line is.

tba

closing your eyes before you try to go to sleep works in most cases

delly

I just don't understand why they have to be white lights, any large builiding or structure has red lights to indicate there presence.

Flukey

After posting last night I had a look out from an upstairs room in the house. I couldn't see the lights themselves, but I could see the flashing in the sky against the clouds, coming from where they are.

monkeyfudge

I can see almost the the full length of both stacks... it's just the way the gaps between the houses on the next streets work out. So I can actually see the 2 flashing lights. And another 2 more to come? oh boy!

My new curtains did help alot last night. But it's a loft window, so opening it up lets in all the light.

I'm off on holiday this weekend.. so I'll look in to dealing with it when I get back. But I should probably consider moving altogether... it seems like every week there is something new to drive me nuts lately...

Flukey

I am sure you will come up with some way of getting round it. Maybe you can open the windo and have something hanging inside to block the light. Enjoy your holiday, it sounds like you need one. It'll help clear your head to think of some new ideas, unless of course you end up in a hotel where you are being kept awake all night!

monkeyfudge

no.. I'm stayinig at a friends appartment in Madrid..

He has problems with really noisey (and utterly terrible) buskers playing late into the night.. and then again first thing in the morning...

Well, at least I seem to have a hobby....

Flukey

A glutton for punishment you are! You'll be worse than ever by the time you return and by the time you do, they may have lights up on the other chimney!

monkeyfudge

And the nasty flashing lights are gone.

I never thought they'd take my bomb threats seriously.. ha.. I'm joking of course....

But now there are no lights at all on one of the chimneys... so it's more of a risk than ever.

AngelofFire

I spotted it from tallaght.I thought it was going to explode or something.