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luxome

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The condo unit that i'm currently looking at has a great floor plan, high floor and exposure, etc...however, the main problem is that the unit is next to the garbage chute.

From your experience or stories that you have heard, how bad is it really? It is a unit in the high floor so the noise level shouldn't be a problem compared to lower units. My concern is the smell...but can it really be that bad??
 
i recall noise can be an issue on the lower floors since garbage will be passing the chutes all the time, but again, it depends on how well noise isolation was built into construction.

smells shouldn't be an issue as there should be trap doors that reclose once the garbage passes through.
 
I actually wish I lived closer to the chute in my building. Noise is really the only concern, but you only have to deal with noise during the day as most people do not take out their trash at night anyway.
 
how about elevators?? how much impact will it have on units on the higher floors?
 
I actually wish I lived closer to the chute in my building. Noise is really the only concern, but you only have to deal with noise during the day as most people do not take out their trash at night anyway.

true... and most buildings have restrictions on the time of day you can actually use them (ie., between 8am-10pm... anytime before or after the room is locked).
 
Consider the possibility of cockroaches & pest control chemicals living next to a garbage chute along with of course the noise. Most buildings have signs stating garbage chute hours but does someone actually go up and down the building twice a day locking and unlocking all those doors? Probably not. That all said, if it was me and I really liked the suite I'd go for it. After I move in I'd put that weather stripping around the door to reduce noise (ya I know, your not supposed to do that), to keep the pest control chemicals out and stop the potential migration of insects & live happily ever after.
 
Consider the possibility of cockroaches & pest control chemicals living next to a garbage chute along with of course the noise. ...

Others can correct but my understanding is if there's a cockroach problem in a building, it won't only be a problem of just one unit, at least not for long.

In respect of noise, I'd have more of a problem with a unit facing or beside the elevators than one that's beside a garbage chute.
 
My unit is close to the garbage chute. I haven't had any issues, and it's very convenient! Our garbage rooms are extremely clean and generally, folks respect that and use the garbage chutes as intended.

That said, I have been in apartment buildings (not condos) where the garbage room/chute area is disgusting and smelly. That's pretty easy to spot though, so if you've already checked out the unit you want to buy and haven't noticed smells, etc. you're probably ok.
 
true... and most buildings have restrictions on the time of day you can actually use them (ie., between 8am-10pm... anytime before or after the room is locked).

I was told (but have not verified) that hours of use are part of the Condo Act. I have recently moved into a condo (renting while waiting for my new one to be built) and I'm across from the garbage chute. I'm on a lower floor and can hear the sound of stuff coming down quite clearly. Also the door slaming from people on my floor using it is quite loud too. There is little respect to the hours of use as I hear it past 10pm regularly. While I can't say it's keeping me up at night, based on my experience I would never buy a unit near to the garbage chute in the future.
 
The garbage chute being used at night is only an issue in some buildings. The newer condos such as murano have an automated chute that shuts down after a certain time period.
 
The garbage chute being used at night is only an issue in some buildings. The newer condos such as murano have an automated chute that shuts down after a certain time period.

I believe that most residents would hope that fellow neighbours would have the courtesy to refrain from using the garbage chute after-hours, but I cannot help to think that some residents would rather leave their garbage in the garbage chute room floor should they be locked out from the automated chute, which would lead to a bigger situation than the noise.
 
The suite I'm in right now is next to the elevators and across a fairly large hall from the garbage chute.

I can confirm that I can hear the elevators going up and down, but it's quite subtle. If you have the TV on or are cooking and have the exhaust fan on you'd never hear it. I'm completely used to it and don't even notice it anymore.

The garbage chute on the other hand gets annoying. For whatever reason, the sound of the actual garbage chute door makes a metal on metal creeking sound (likely due to the fact that it's spring loaded to auto close) when opened and closed which seems to reverberate throughout the entire floor of the condo. I don't hear any waste/recycling actually going down the chute, simply the opening and closing of the door. I have confirmed however that this is an issue on every floor, not just ours. It certainly never smells as a result of the proximity to the chute.

In my opinion I wouldn't let either stop you from purchasing a suite, especially if you love everything else about it. The fact that the garbage chute and elevators are so close is sometimes a huge blessing (carrying groceries, recycling, etc.).
 
Used to live next to a chute. Never had a problem with smells. Always heard garbage falling down the chute though.
 
I have lived in a condo, as well as a non-condo apartment, both next to a garbage chute. In both cases, the noise of the metal door clanging was clearly audible - personally this didn't bother me as long as I wasn't in bed. In the second case (but not the first as far as I can remember), there was also noise transmitted when people threw down garbage from the floor above (it was a low-rise building and there was only one floor higher than mine).

In the condo, signs were posted prohibiting using the chute at night, and this was generally respected. However, in the apartment, there was no such rule. Usually people wouldn't use it at night anyway, but once in a while, someone, presumably cleaning out their apartment, would make what seemed like interminable repeated visits to the garbage chute in the middle of the night. (The condo building that I currently live in now also doesn't post any prohibition against using the chute at night - though I don't live next to the garbage chute, and don't know if it locks automatically.)

I also never had any problem with smells.
 
The garbage chute being used at night is only an issue in some buildings. The newer condos such as murano have an automated chute that shuts down after a certain time period.

Thats great until you get one or two who just end up leaving their garbage on the floor beside the chute.
On my floor we have a pair of bimbos who do this whether the chute is working or not. Not sure if they are ignorant or just really stupid. I'm guessing the tri-sorter is just too difficult for them to figure out.
When they first moved in they left their garbage outside their door for days on end until management straightened them out. Perhaps they thought there was garbage pick-up. ..and yes, they are blond.
 

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