Vancouver General Discussion Thread

[WarrenC12]

Is it just the lighting or does that water look brown and gross?

[whatnext]

Your tax dollars at work.

[s211]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Your tax dollars at work.

And the union grievance gets delivered in five, four, three, two.....

[jlousa]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Is it just the lighting or does that water look brown and gross?

That would be a wet system so the pipes are full of water under pressure ready for a sprinkler head to pop. That water most likely had been sitting in those pipes for years and yes it turns black, completely normal.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by jlousa

That would be a wet system so the pipes are full of water under pressure ready for a sprinkler head to pop. That water most likely had been sitting in those pipes for years and yes it turns black, completely normal.

That's what I assumed. Relevant because the recent fire testing in our condo building suggested some follow-up services to flush the system because the water was "brown and dirty" or something like that.

Main question is, does brown water put fires out? I would guess it does.

[s211]

Originally Posted by jlousa

That would be a wet system so the pipes are full of water under pressure ready for a sprinkler head to pop. That water most likely had been sitting in those pipes for years and yes it turns black, completely normal.

I've seen black-ish water come out of brand new hot water heating systems.

[jlousa]

There is no requirement to flush out lines in fact the process of doing so would be quite time consuming, waste a lot of water and serve no real purpose as yes the black water will put out a fire. If you knock off a sprinkler head everything that gets soaked is ruined regardless of the colour of that water.

[SpongeG]

I have a general question. When do highrises require red lights at the top?

Like the two new Brentwood Towers and the Solo Tower have them. Is it an international standard/requirement? Are they only required at a certain height?

Just curious.

[GeeCee]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

I have a general question. When do highrises require red lights at the top?

Like the two new Brentwood Towers and the Solo Tower have them. Is it an international standard/requirement? Are they only required at a certain height?

Just curious.

150 metres above ground level is the general rule according to Nav Canada, but there are exceptions..

it is higher than 90m AGL and located within 6km of the geographical centre of an aerodrome;
it is higher than 90m AGL and is located within 3.7km of the centreline of a recognized VFR route; or
it is higher than 150m AGL

https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/standards/aerodromeairnav-standards-visual-4099.htm

Solo 1 is just under 150m - not sure if it has a marker light, but the Brentwood towers and Solo 2 are all well over 150m.

[SpongeG]

ok thanks. I always notice them when I drive past or fly over them.

[LeftCoaster]

Still don't know how Shangri-La got away with no rooftop lighting given its proximity to helijet and seaplane flight paths.

[SpongeG]

Yea, that's why I wondered cause I don't think I've noticed any buildings downtown with them. They just have a big city feel to them.

[GeeCee]

Downtown's a bit of a different beast due to the aerodrome composed of the seaplane operations area and YVR - some of that has certainly changed since Shangri-La was approved in.. 2004 or so? There's been a lot of changes in recent years due to the popularity of drones, for instance. The Brentwood area is outside of the aerodrome.

[jollyburger]

Centerm expansion report details how they work with the helicopter/sea plane obstruction requirements.

https://www.portvancouver.com/wp-content...-Air_Transportation_Impact_Study-CEP.pdf

[Klazu]

I just got back from a two-week road trip around Southern BC and can I just say, what a stunning province we have! Me and my wife had the pleasure of becoming Canadians this past May and we wanted to spend our first real Canada Day touring British Columbia.

Our 3100-kilometer road trip took us on a ferry from Vancouver to Nanaimo, to Port Hardy, where we boarded BC Ferries' newest vessel on a 10-hour sailing to Bella Coola through the magnificent Inside Passage. Bella Coola was breathtaking with mountains towering the sunny valley from all sides. They could do a lot to improve the tourism there, as we had some challenges booking any tours, but the scenery is just something else.

From Bella Coola we drove to Williams Lake and conquered the famous "The Hill" on Highway 20. It is incredible how this section of the highway is still unpaved to this day with no plan of being paved. From Williams Lake we continued our trip to Prince George, where our bicycles were stolen from hotel parking lot. While that really put a dent on our vacation and left a bad taste from PG, we pushed eastwards towards Mount Robson.

We had originally planned to hike and camp along Berg Lake Trail, however ditched that plan due to heavy rains in forecast. Note to oneself: Berk Lake Trail camping spots need to be booked in October each year to get almost any spot.

Instead we stayed in a wonderful cabin with a spectacular view of Mount Robson, which is something behold. We were lucky to see Robson in all its glory between rains, as the snowy summit revealed itself once the clouds dispersed.

Since we had an extra day, we decided to visit Jasper National Park. We have been there once before, back in 2012, and it was as amazing as ever. We went to see Maligne Canyon, Angle Glacier and few waterfalls along Icefields Parkway, but didn't drive it all the way to Banff this time. It was shocking to see how much damage Pine Beetle has done in Jasper, having killed 30% of the pine forest there! I don't remember it having been that bad 7 years ago.

On the way back, we made a stop at Wells Gray Provincial Park, which turned out to be amazing. Definitely worth a stop along Highway 5 in Clearwater.

Our trip included a lot of driving and especially Highways 16 and 20 are pretty lonely, yet beautiful drives. I will definitely want to return to Bella Coola (by air) and this has definitely increased my desire to keep driving further up north and one day all the way to Alaska. That will be a trip to remember!

We are truly blessed to live in such a beautiful province and I am so happy that this summer is turning out not to be super dry. You could see massive fire damage from summer of 2017 on the Chilcotin Plateau and west of Williams Lake, which must have been a horrible thing to live through.

Anyone else undertaking any major road trips this year?

[stump]

Originally Posted by Klazu

I just got back from a two-week road trip around Southern BC and can I just say, what a stunning province we have! Me and my wife had the pleasure of becoming Canadians this past May and we wanted to spend our first real Canada Day touring British Columbia.

Our 3100-kilometer road trip took us on a ferry from Vancouver to Nanaimo, to Port Hardy, where we boarded BC Ferries' newest vessel on a 10-hour sailing to Bella Coola through the magnificent Inside Passage. Bella Coola was breathtaking with mountains towering the sunny valley from all sides. They could do a lot to improve the tourism there, as we had some challenges booking any tours, but the scenery is just something else.

From Bella Coola we drove to Williams Lake and conquered the famous "The Hill" on Highway 20. It is incredible how this section of the highway is still unpaved to this day with no plan of being paved. From Williams Lake we continued our trip to Prince George, where our bicycles were stolen from hotel parking lot. While that really put a dent on our vacation and left a bad taste from PG, we pushed eastwards towards Mount Robson.

We had originally planned to hike and camp along Berg Lake Trail, however ditched that plan due to heavy rains in forecast. Note to oneself: Berk Lake Trail camping spots need to be booked in October each year to get almost any spot.

Instead we stayed in a wonderful cabin with a spectacular view of Mount Robson, which is something behold. We were lucky to see Robson in all its glory between rains, as the snowy summit revealed itself once the clouds dispersed.

Since we had an extra day, we decided to visit Jasper National Park. We have been there once before, back in 2012, and it was as amazing as ever. We went to see Maligne Canyon, Angle Glacier and few waterfalls along Icefields Parkway, but didn't drive it all the way to Banff this time. It was shocking to see how much damage Pine Beetle has done in Jasper, having killed 30% of the pine forest there! I don't remember it having been that bad 7 years ago.

On the way back, we made a stop at Wells Gray Provincial Park, which turned out to be amazing. Definitely worth a stop along Highway 5 in Clearwater.

Our trip included a lot of driving and especially Highways 16 and 20 are pretty lonely, yet beautiful drives. I will definitely want to return to Bella Coola (by air) and this has definitely increased my desire to keep driving further up north and one day all the way to Alaska. That will be a trip to remember!

We are truly blessed to live in such a beautiful province and I am so happy that this summer is turning out not to be super dry. You could see massive fire damage from summer of 2017 on the Chilcotin Plateau and west of Williams Lake, which must have been a horrible thing to live through.

Anyone else undertaking any major road trips this year?

Thanks for posting this.

I've been looking at taking another trip around BC this year and you've given me a couple of ideas. I've lived here my entire life yet have never taken some of your routes, specifically the Port Hardy ferry to Bella Coola but it's always been on the back of my mind to visit.

Sorry to hear about the bikes. That's got to be frustrating and you know they are being sold off for a fraction of their value.

If schedule allows, i'm planning on taking a trip up to Fort St John to visit a friend of mine but haven't figured out a route or places to see yet. I've had my eye on the Mount Robson area for a hike.

[whatnext]

Congrats on becoming Canadians Klazu! 🇨🇦

[s211]

Originally Posted by Klazu

From Williams Lake we continued our trip to Prince George, where our bicycles were stolen from hotel parking lot. While that really put a dent on our vacation and left a bad taste from PG, we pushed eastwards towards Mount Robson.

Having a bike stolen or car windows smashed by your unfriendly neighbourhood thief is almost a right of passage for someone in BC, so relish in your new citizenship!

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by s211

Having a bike stolen or car windows smashed by your unfriendly neighbourhood thief is almost a right of passage for someone in BC, so relish in your new citizenship!

Prince George managed to combine the worst of BC cities and worst of BC small towns into one package.

[SpongeG]

Prince George stinks