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A question about a neighbour's poorly installed PIR searchlight.

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  • 23-08-2015 3:12am
    #1
    Popoutman
    Registered Users Posts: 1,363 ✭✭✭


    (Mods: I'm unsure if this is the correct forum for this question, if any one has a better location then please go ahead and move this.)

    One of my neighbours installed a PIR searchlight on their rear wall. However, their installation is pretty poor on two counts, given that if I walk outside my back door, the light goes off and also illuminates my backyard. What, if anything, can I do about this?

    This light appears to be a cheap LED type (based on the harsh blue light) with a symmetrical shape to the reflector. The flat glass bottom to the light has been installed at about 60 degrees to the horizontal, meaning that most of the light overspills into all of the neighbouring gardens as well as into the field at the rear of the houses. The PIR detector is also a pretty cheap unit and is very poorly positioned. The light it throws illuminates my back lawn brighter than my kitchen lights do, and illuminates the treetops at the rear of my house. The house where it is installed is two doors up in the same line of houses as where I am, and the light is at about 15 feet from ground level. When I am on the back lawn, this light is switching on regularly when I move around. Livestock in the field are also tripping the light.

    Where it directly affects me is I am an astronomer, and I regularly use my back lawn for stargazing with my telescopes, and this new light will definitely make it very difficult to pursue this hobby from this location. Carting a 45kg precision telescope and the other necessary bits and pieces to use it to another location is non-trivial.

    I've tried approaching this particular neighbour in the past for other matters but I've found them to be very difficult and extremely impolite to deal with, so I'm not confident of his listening to my request to adjust and shield this light. All it would take would be the installation of a shield around the light to prevent the illumination of the neighbouring gardens and a modification to the sensor to prevent the neighbours from tripping the sensor. I've no issue with the guy illuminating his own small backyard, but I do have issues with that light interfering with my quality of life.

    I do know how to easily remotely disable this light in a temporary fashion, but that may be considered to be "unneighbourly" if I were to do that..


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    GrumpyMe
    Registered Users Posts: 1,195 ✭✭✭GrumpyMe


    You may have found this already..
    http://www.darksky.ie/what-can-i-do-about/


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    #3
    Mr. G
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 4,621 Mod ✭✭✭✭Mr. G


    Have you spoken to your other neighbours or housing estate management company about it?


  • Options
    #4
    Stoner
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 10,952 Mod ✭✭✭✭Stoner


    Popoutman wrote: »

    I do know how to easily remotely disable this light in a temporary fashion, but that may be considered to be "unneighbourly" if I were to do that..

    OP, your situation is unfortunate. GrumpyMe has shared some useful advice by linking you to another site with relevant information.

    As a note about the limitations of this forum.
    We can't give legal advice here.
    We can't advise about how to interfere with people's property without their consent.

    Mr. G's advice is also sound.

    Sorry but I'm going to close this thread as i think it has the potential to develop into something that is beyond the scope of this forum.

    I hope you resolve your situation :)


This discussion has been closed.
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