Building manager tells me to remove battery tender

Hi Guys + Gals

Winter is here and I now have a battery tender on my car ... I live in an apartment with shared parking, so I plugged this in to a socket via an extension lead, clipped into overhead electrical conduit. Last night there was a note telling me to remove the lead, this morning I spoke to the building manager about this but found him to be very very self assured of his authority, but could not back up the reasons for asking me to take the line down with logic - and it basically came to "get it off because I'm telling you and I can do whatever I want".

Anyway I have penned up a summary which you can read below. I'm not sure whether to get a writ from a lawyer or try to speak to someone higher up the ladder, but so far my searches to find such a person have come up blank. I'm going to have to speak to my lawyer, but if anyone with any insight to the UK legal proceeding on things like this it would be appreciated.

Its annoying because I don't think I'm being unreasonable here, and I feel the reasons given for me to remove the line are not strong, or logical, then I was left with just being told to do it by someone who perceives himself as the guy the book stops with.

Or perhaps I am out of line... what do you guys think?


Nathan

I get the feeling that I'm going to end up having to do what he says but dont want to give in without a struggle.

 

I have my car parked in my space in the underground parking facility at the edge apartments. I do not drive it over the winter months. The battery becomes flat after approx 7 days, which is standard for this car. I have taken the manufacturers recommendation and installed a battery tender device – which is a low powered device to keep the battery topped up. The alternative is disconnecting the battery which would mean the doors are left unlocked. I could ignore the issue which would drain the battery, destroy it, and then possibly leave me in a situation where the car could not be opened to replace the battery as it is in the passenger foot well, and with no battery charge the doors may not open. I plugged a battery tender into the cards cigarette lighter, and plugged this in to the buildings standard uk sockets via an extension lead (which was clipped into overhead trunking). I have seen several other people using battery tenders on their cars.

I received a note on my windscreen stating “If this wire is not removed by 26th 18:00 it will be removed by building maintenance. This is against health and safety regulations. These sockets are for building maintenance only”.

The next morning I spoke to John on the front desk. I have been informed that he is the building manager. I explained the reason for the cable, and asked for the reason why the note had been placed there.

The reason given was that this is against health and safety regulations. I was also informed that I was quite cheeky to have done this in the first place, “using cable ties”. I do not see how this is cheeky at all, there are no rules against this in the apartment handbook, and I have observed several other people in the building doing the exact same thing. Clipping the extending lead into the existing overhead electrical conduit shows that I have considered the situation. This is the method that the buildings designers have used to distribute power to various devices throughout the building. I did not leave an extension lead running across the floor like some people have as this could cause somebody to trip, but I do not see how I had contravened any health and safety law.

When pressed as to which health and safety regulation or rule I had broken, I was informed that I had already been given many reasons. I was not happy with this and I wanted a specific reason, so asking again, the reason given was that more people might start to copy me, and do the same thing in the future.

This is only conjecture, which I happen to disagree with as most people will not need to use a battery tender as they will be using their car regularly. If it did become an issue, then a new rule could be necessary, but enforcing rules against “possibilities” that are debatable anyway is nonsensical. In fact its pragmatically provable, as I had the tender installed for about a month before the note appeared, and no duplicated it, or left a note on my car until recently.

I stated my that I did not think this was justifiable – it is something that has not happened – and rather than explain further John simply said that “Its just that you don’t like the answer. I've given you many reasons why you cant and you just don’t like them”. I find this insulting. First of all, the initial reason given was “health and safety”, but when I asked which health and safety regulation I had broken this quickly changed to “I don’t want other people to copy this”. When I gave my opinion that this would not happen, and indeed has not happened so far therefore appearing to be an imaginary issue, I was then told that the problem was simply me.

I don’t think using a battery tender is either unreasonable, or could possibly cause a health and safety issue. When I ask for specificity so that I can work with the building manager in finding a solution that works for us both I am told that it is actually my own obstinance and inability to accept his opinion that is the problem. I do not believe in swallowing what I think to be a misguided judgement when I disagree with its logic.

I asked about how I could appeal this decision, and I was told “I'm the building manager and I have decided, and that is it”. I believe that every decision can be appealed against, and the UK legal system enforces this otherwise we could have people making ridiculous decisions based on no grounds all of the time. I think that it has become far to common place to simply cite “heath and safety” when wanting to scare people into compliance with rules that are illogical interpretations of reality.

 

This picture shows the car... and the trunking I used is on the left hand side.

This is actually the day that I'd bought the thing. I'd just picked up my girlfriend from work and we'd driven home. Good memories.


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If it was me and I was the owner of a property in that development I'd tell the Janitor to go **** himself, it's your space, you must pay a factor fee for maintenance and use of the communal facitilties, you have as much right as he has to use the power sockets.

John.

 

I hate to be the wet blanket here but one could look at this situation as a possible problem with building/fire insurance as well as "stealing" electricity. You always have the last word on this because your protest of this rule could mean you refuse to renew your lease.

 

What he said.

You pay the bills for the building, and the building manager doesn't. They pay him. He's expendable, you aren't so much.

Don't work the logic. Work the fact that you pay to live there.

 

It sounds like to myself that the building manager does not know how to explain the situation to you. I see a few items here that could cause grief to the manager and possibly other residents of the complex.

1. Unless all the residents get free electricity you are taking electricity as it is not routed through your meter.

2. While battery tenders tend to be the safe method for long term battery low amperage charging. There is still the risk of fire as the battery could short out internaly or the tender leads can short and catch fire. Add in gas and oil on the vehicle and other cars this could result in a very large out of control fire in no time.

I have seen tender leads short out and even though there is low amperage present it was enough to melt the insulation and make the wires glow. Fortunately I was nearby to unplug the tender when this happened. If this happened when I was outside of the classroom the result might have been quite different. Remember that a Ferrari dealership caught on fire in 2004 and was suspected that a battery charger started the inferno.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BBL7oIMAyo

JMHO

 

You can't lock the doors when the battery is disconnected?! Won't be buying one of those then.

 

Take it higher if you like, but they will tell you the same thing. Insurance is most likely the cause. Their hands are tied and now that they know about it, have to do something to stop it.

If they were willing to give you the minute amount of electricity, I suppose one solution would be to get a permit and use a licensed electrician to wire in a junction box and outlet next to your parking spot and you could then in theory plug in the tender with permission from the building. That is a very long shot though. Probably easier to find a way to lock the doors and then disconnect the battery somehow. A good AGM batery if disconnected will not self-discharge over the winter enough to give problems.

 

Hi again

Thanks for your replies. They have given a little balance for me.

I think its going to be fruitless for me to try any further. Its a bit of a pain...

Options
1/ Keep battery in flat on tender.
2/ Use front bonnet isolator to disconnect it.
3/ Use battery tender over the weekends (when this miserable man is not around) every now and then.

I plug through the cigarette lighter so there is no chance of a short.
The amount of electricity these things use is phenomenally small, I'd be prepared to pay a nominal amount if that were the issue.
Regarding the fire hazard - its a sprinkled garage, and to my mind a toaster or washing machine is a more likely suspect.

Thanks again folks!

 

and perhaps the doors do lock

 

Pic of my cars ... truck has now gone but that was fun.

not as much fun as its replacement though
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Why does the battery become flat in 7 days? Doesn't sound normal to me.

 

Are the lights inside strong enough to use one of the solar powered battery tenders I have seen and used in the past on boats? Plug it into the cigarette lighter, set it on top of the car, and you should be good to go?

The one I've used is below.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200422045_200422045

 

Lock the car doors, disconnect the battery, bring battery to your appartment and leave on charger over winter, reinstall next spring, unlock doors and drive away. You have a charged battery, building management doesn't have wires strung around utilizing garage electric, everyone is happy.....or move to a place with your own garage.

Edit: just read battery in passenger footwell!!! See solution #2!

 

That is really all you need to know to just let it all be.

 

Trust me. That will not work.

 

How about using one of the emergency start portable battery devices and wire it so that it connects to your cigarette lighter. You could take the portable battery to your appartment every few days for a recharge. I'm not an electrican, but would that keep the onboard battery form going dead?

 

You live in an apartment, but have a 360.
Maybe that's the problem right there.
I assume you are the only Ferrari in the garage, in a socialist minded country where the building manager is the lowest on the totem pole relative to the tenants of the building. And you wonder why the cretin is giving you a hard time, using the only thing he has - the miniscule power that is granted to him by his bosses.

 

Send your letter to the top and tell them you're contemplating moving if this "petty" issue doesn't get resolved. Just explain that the car battery is dead after 7 days of no use and power usage is minuscule. Plus, they are providing a courtesy to a valued tenant no different then keeping the lights on in there, cleaning up and monitoring the place. In the meantime just keep it plugged in as they may just decide to let it slide without saying anything.

Any time you rent/lease you have to put up with BS like this as you don't have control.

 

The person who hates me most in this world is in this position.

 

Considered a bribe?

 

Lol I thought the same thing.

 

You might look into an alternative storage location during the winter months. Here in San Diego there are several facilities that are equipped specifically to provide clean, secure/monitored, kid free, battery tender-ready parking for exotics that aren't driven often.

As to the battery being in the passenger footwell and the door locks being inoperable if the battery goes flat, it sounds like a colossally stupid design. My 2010 Audi, with its infrared key, passive security and other electronic gizmos, still has an actual key and door lock arrangement as a backup. I can't believe Ferrari wouldn't have an "escape hatch" idea built in somehow.

 

Is there anyone currently doing this? My guess is that they also were told to remove the tender.

My solution is to do a few laps once a week in the parking structure to keep it charged. Fast!