Esker Hills

Sonic_exyouth

adser53 wrote: »

glad you got sorted Sonic. Ye gotta hand it to Owenass though for helping out

Ah yeah, wouldn't say a word against them

lucylou

Sonic_exyouth wrote: »

Yeps, the underground stopcock is at fault here.

Owenass hooked my water to neighbours temp, and will fix it when its thawed, but, for now, I'm stealing water!
What'll we do when Mr. Lenihan has his way, and we're metered?

Hi adser

I'm having a similar problem with my water. Had none at all on Saturday, then yesterday it was all back except the cold water in the kitchen tap & the outside tap. Did Owenass say this is to do with the pipe outside being frozen & what are they going to do for you? I know not to use my washing machine or dishwasher at the moment but I'm worried about the water softener if there's no cold water coming in off the mains.

Lucylou.

adser53

Hi Lucy, I wasn't personally speaking to Owenass, just a friend of mine had the same problem and they rang owenass for help. So I couldnt say for certain what the problem is. However in your case, the mains feed to the tanks has obviously thawed but the feed under your sink hasnt because the ground temp is still so low. As for what to do/not do, i wouldnt imagine it would damage your softener as it only needs mains water to flush out its matrix during a regen cycle. If theres no water, it simply wont have flushed out. Im by no means an expert on it so i could easily be wrong. As i said to sonic, give owenass a call. If youve still no water they might hook up a temp supply for you until it thaws. Sorry i couldnt be more help

lucylou

Hi Adser

Thanks for your reply and advice on the water softener. Sorry, I only realised after I posted that it was Sonic who had the water problem! I rang the council and they said it's probably the external stopcock so I'll get on to Owenass and see what they say.

Lucylou.

Sonic_exyouth

lucylou wrote: »

Hi Adser

Thanks for your reply and advice on the water softener. Sorry, I only realised after I posted that it was Sonic who had the water problem! I rang the council and they said it's probably the external stopcock so I'll get on to Owenass and see what they say.

Lucylou.

Lucy,

Firstly - turn off the water softner.
Theres a little plug thing connected to the back of it, if you can feel it. Kinda like how the connector that connects to your phone from the plug.
Randomly enough, I had my softner serviced the day the water went, so asked the softner guy.
His advice was simply turn it off ASAP, then fix the time when its back

Then, yeah, talk to Owenass, Tom called around and hooked me to a neighbours water. The frozen underground stopcock will thaw, but, till you do your tank will drain, and you'll have no washing machine, dishwasher, drinking water or shower unless you hook it up. Process only takes about 15 mins

lucylou

Hi Sonic

Thanks for the reply. I emailed Owenass so just waiting to hear back. I've been putting hot water in the sink and a towel over it to let the steam rise and this seems to be helping it as I have some cold water running through the kitchen tap. I haven't checked the outside tap since. I'll have a look at the water softener and see what I can do.

Lucylou.

Sonic_exyouth

lucylou wrote: »

Hi Sonic

Thanks for the reply. I emailed Owenass so just waiting to hear back. I've been putting hot water in the sink and a towel over it to let the steam rise and this seems to be helping it as I have some cold water running through the kitchen tap. I haven't checked the outside tap since. I'll have a look at the water softener and see what I can do.

Lucylou.

Lucy,Rather than E-Mail, I think you might be better calling 1800 265 365.Or, just call the 'Eamonn' direct .. PM me for his mobile.

adser53

Sonic_exyouth wrote: »

I had my softner serviced the day the water went, so asked the softner guy. His advice was simply turn it off ASAP, then fix the time when its back

Thanks Sonic, good to know for the future

Sonic_exyouth wrote:

Lucy,Rather than E-Mail, I think you might be better calling 1800 265 365.Or, just call the 'Eamonn' direct .. PM me for his mobile.

Couldnt agree more

lucylou

Hi Sonic

The cold water started to come back last night so I think all the hot water in the sink helped. Owenass called around today to have a look at the water anyway and the plumber said it was OK. Checked my tap out the back and it's grand too but wrapped it back up again just in case. Fingers crossed it all stays OK. I didn't turn off the water softener in the end as the water was coming back although the plumber said it wouldn't have been affected by the water freezing. On a side note, would you recommend the guy who serviced your softener? I didn't realise they needed servicing until I saw a flyer come in the door. This water softener business is a whole new thing to me!

Lucylou.

Sonic_exyouth

lucylou wrote: »

Hi Sonic

The cold water started to come back last night so I think all the hot water in the sink helped. Owenass called around today to have a look at the water anyway and the plumber said it was OK. Checked my tap out the back and it's grand too but wrapped it back up again just in case. Fingers crossed it all stays OK. I didn't turn off the water softener in the end as the water was coming back although the plumber said it wouldn't have been affected by the water freezing. On a side note, would you recommend the guy who serviced your softener? I didn't realise they needed servicing until I saw a flyer come in the door. This water softener business is a whole new thing to me!

Lucylou.

Lucy,I don't know it is worth it, but, it was recomended by the plumber.There is a 7 year guarentee on the softener, but, only if its regularly serviced, and, as I went for over a year without adding any salt to it, i thought I'd better service it!

Bodhan

It seems more of you post here from Esker Hills. I was out this morning picking up rubbish off the big green. It was truely disgusting, anyone who lives around the green should be ashamed, me inculded as I sat and watched it happen.

People it's not going to clean its self, that plastic bottle that you can see from your window will be there till someone else picks it up. So here's something simple that you can do for yourself. Go out the front of your house with a small plastic bag and pick up what you can see on YOUR green. If we all did it there would be no rubbish.

How about that?

Also how about that meeting for a new committee, its been a few months now and we need some activity. Oh thanks Tiptop for offering to come help, sorry my reply was so late. http://eskerhills.myfreeforum.org/about113.html

adser53

Me and the missus brought bags with us the other day when we were walking the dogs and filled both bags with rubbish from the main road alone. It's rotten when people just walk by it and expect others to pick it up.

I also walked onto the big green for the first time in months the other day and my second step was into a big pile of dog ****!!! FFS people pick up the **** if your dogs go!!!

adser53

Hi all,

Long time no post

It's been a quiet few months around the estate since the committee resigned and things basically ran themselves during the winter months. However, time has slipped by and incredibly we're already into March. In a few short weeks (or even days) we'll be out mowing our own lawns but unfortunately, our greens aren't going to cut themselves.

We're back to the very core issue of why the estate needs a residents association.... "The upkeep and maintenance of the estate".

The first committee had a lot to deal with, which I won't go into again but, the estate itself is, hands down one of the largest around, and this fact alone made the job of a single committee, impossible.

Since the committee broke up, we've been asked plenty of times about what to do next and the only answer is that individual committees need to be set up that are responsible for particular areas. I suppose the easiest way to accomplish this is to break it up into roads. This will have to be done by residents using their own initiative and desire to look after their areas. There won't be a meeting or anything like that being held by the original committee.

I have been speaking to Councillor Alan Hand who, in conjunction with Brian Stanley, wants to help out in any way they can. Alan said that he'll assist in coordinating between the different committees if needs be and will offer any assistance he can. This was a brief conversation and no promises have been made but in the coming weeks I believe Alan and Brian will be in the estate knocking on doors to try and get input from the residents and to try and get the ball rolling on setting up new committees. Again, I reiterate, no promises have been made but I have to say fair play to Alan for contacting me in the first place.

So folks, the long and the short of it is this...

The greens will soon be out of control and the harsh reality is that there's nobody going to come in and look them or the estate so it falls to us, the residents, to try and do something about it. If you are interested in keeping the estate looking good and you don't want the place falling into disrepair, I encourage you to please get in touch with your neighbours and try and set up a committee for your area. As always, our forum is there for people to discuss this and will hopefully be used. (link here: http://eskerhills.myfreeforum.org/) or else here on boards

If anyone wants to send out an email to all the subscribers in this list to assist in setting up a committee, feel free to send it to eskerhills@gmail.com and I'll send it around. The forums and mailing list alone though are probably insufficient to set up the committees as there are only around 50 people in total signed up but it is a start. If even 2 people from 1 area can get together and then go knocking on doors, a committee will be set up very quickly.

Despite resigning from the initial committee for a number of reasons, I would like to be part of the Laurel Drive North (the end of the estate) group (if they'll have me) so if there's any other volunteers from that area please email me or else respond to me on either of the forums

Along with emailing this to everyone on the list, I'm going to post this up on both forums and the Esker Hills website. Apart from that I don't think there's anything else I can do to help so it's up to the residents now.

Also, please, if you have en email address for anyone in the estate that didn't get this, please forward it on to them. The quicker the word spreads the quicker committees will be set up.

Visit our website at http://sites.google.com/site/eskerhills/
or join us for a chat on our forum at http://eskerhills.myfreeforum.org/

Bodhan

Hi Adser,

I'll be in that (end of the estate) committee with you, I'm on the far side of the green from you. Let me know what you need.

adser53

Bob you're a legend! I was hoping you'd say that

Bodhan

Hehe, no problems. If only it was this easy to make everyone happy

Bicky

Hi,
I was talking to another resident today and we have decided to go rubbish picking tomorrow evening(wed the ninth). We could do with a few volunteers to help us out, so if anyone is free, please come along. We are meeting at half past six at the front gate.
Adser you are great to do all this work. You almost make up for the 500 lazy people in the estate.

Bodhan

Hi Bicky,

I'd be into a clean up, god knows the estate could do with it! The only thing is will it not be getting dark around then? It's 7pm now and its dark out.
Not that I'm afraid of the dark or anything but the rubbish will be hard to see.
But if your going count me in!

adser53

Hey Bicky & Bob, I'd be up for going out for an hour or so too

Bicky

It will be dark but we said we would go after work. To be honest there is so much litter that it is hard to miss it.
I will be there at half six anyway so come on down. We might end up making it a regular thing.

Bicky

Good work this evening folks. I think we can make some progress with the upkeep of the estate.
Adser do you maintain the esker hills forum?
If so i think you should amalgamate the sub forums. Possibly have one forum for esker hills and one for everything else?
I plan on going around to the blossom court houses soon and i will tell them to log on.

adser53

Agree with Bicky, great work everyone and it was nice to meet yis Hopefully next time it'll be in the pub tho!

And originally Bicky I was an admin on the forum and did sweet-f-all except post and another lad did the rest but now I suppose I am the only admin. Good idea about amalgamating the subs.....are you a member on it?

Dya want to admin it? Same to you Bob? You both probably have a better idea about it than me. I only post in 2 forums overall (not inc esker hills) despite my computer literacy and willingness to tinker around, I use the internet for very little other than downloading (legally I assure you :cool:)

Bicky

Sure Adam. I will give it a shot anyway. I will pm you with my email address and you can send me the log in details.

elainee40

Hi Guys,

Ive only seen the new posts just now, if i had known you were going out i would have tired my best to get out and help, not easy with a 9 wk old and 2 year old but would have tried and brought the 2 year old out to help, she would have loved it.

Bodhan

Well guys, that was a great clean up. It was nice to meet some people from the estate. I'm sure if we all work together we can make it a better place to live.
Adam, sure I'll admin the site if you like. I've done it before for a few sites. Just let me know whats needed.

adser53

Great thanks lads, you're both set as admins now.

Remember, with great power, comes great responsibility

Feel free to do whatever you like to the forum, just keep the racey smut to a minimum lol

Bodhan

I have to say well done to everyone last night again. I went for my run this morning and the estate looked great, we gut have to work at keeping it like that now.

adser53

Just a quick update folks, I went around knocking on doors around the Laurel Drive (North) green on Saturday at 5pm with 2 local councillors (Brian Stanley & Alan Hand) and got a good response.

There are 36 houses around the green and although most of them were empty on Saturday (out watching the match I presume) the 10 people or so that answered their doors were very interested in getting something up and running. I subsequently got a call and a text in response to the flyer from another 2 residents that were keen!!! Not a bad result then, 30% of the area are really interested and I'm presuming a good portion of the remainder who I didn't get to meet will be interested too.

Thanks to everyone that had a chat with us, I'm looking forward to getting to meet yis again

Also a big huge thanks to Alan & Brian again for coming around with me and for helping out. Your' efforts are greatly appreciated lads!

Talk to you all soon, the next step is to try and find out how much it'll cost to look after the green and such, go knocking on doors again and maybe have a little meeting or something. As I said on Saturday, if anyone has ANY ideas or suggestions PLEASE post them here, email, txt or ring me

Also on our forum, there are new sub-forums set up for each area. If people decide to split areas like we've done on Laurel Drive, let me know and I'll split the sub-forums accordingly

Bodhan

Hi Guys,

I just got UPC in the house, changed over from Smart. There have been a good few issues with the connection, speed wise I mean.

During the day 15meg no problem, once 6pm comes down to 3meg and worse. But there's good news, Esker Hills is getting an upgrade, should be next Tuesday. Then we will all be up to the advertised speed. Do ya see the work I do for you lol

If you want to check your speed use http://www.speedtest.net/ and select Dublin, that will give you a good reading for what speed your really on. If it's a lot lower than your paying for, then get complaining, 1908 is the helpline number.

adser53

Ok folks Laois County Council are running the Laois Clean up week from April 12th to the 16th. Basically they'll provide us with bags, litter pickers, gloves etc like they did last year and then (if we want them too) they'll pick up the bags of litter we collect for disposal.

The problem with this is that they'll only collect the bags on weekdays so if we collect them over the weekend, they'll have to be left out until Monday for collection. Personally, I don't think there's THAT much rubbish around for this to be necessary. I'm sure a bag each would make a huge difference to the estate and will fit in our bins but if people want me to arrange a pick up date from the council. Please post it here or on our forum.

I'll collect the gear off the council over the coming days so, again, if anyone wants any of the gear, just let me know. I might pop around to the houses around me over the weekend to let them know about it, hopefully others do the same for their own areas.

I suppose there's not much else to say really....I guess another clean up day is on the cards. After the wind from the last few days the estate could really do with it!