Dear Maintenance Men

Get It In Writing

Written by Jerry L'Ecuyer and Frank Alvarez | 08 March 2012

Dear Maintenance Men:
I have a bathroom sink that is slow draining. I have already snaked the drain and found no stoppage. When I remove the pop-up assembly and have an open drain, water whooshes down with no problem. However, with the pop-up in place, water backs up into the sink and drains very slowly.
Paul

Dear Paul:
Most bathroom sinks have an overflow hole near the top edge of the sink. This hole serves two purposes: (1) acts as a safety drain to keep the sink from overflowing should the water rise above a certain level in the sink; and (2) the overflow hole also serves as an air vent for the sink when the water levels are above the pop-up plug. The overflow hole allows air to escape through the drain and the water to evacuate more efficiently.

Attack of The Sneaky Bees

Written by Jerry L'Ecuyer and Frank Alvarez | 03 February 2012

Dear Maintenance Men:
My pest control company has removed a beehive from my property. The bees have not left, and the tenants are complaining about bees inside their units. I have sealed every hole, crevasse and crack I can find. Yet, the bees still find a way of getting into the units. What is missing, or are these bees just too smart?
Bert

Dear Bert:
We have had a similar problem at one of our properties. We also sealed everything we could think of and still the bees found a way in. You may want to look at your roof vents that service the bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans. The bees come down the vent and go into the voids between the ceiling and roof. Most fan boxes are not well sealed below the fan blades. Once they are in the ceiling, it is easy for them to travel to different units, find a hole and drop down into the apartment's living area. Because the bees may be discovered in an area far from the original entry point, it is hard to track down where they first came in.

A Gopher Problem

Written by Jerry L'Ecuyer and Frank Alvarez | 19 January 2012

Dear Maintenance Men:
My apartment building has a gopher problem. There are holes and mounds of dirt all over my grass area. The dirt mounds are unsightly and the holes are a danger to my residents. What can I do to get rid of these gophers?
Ron

Dear Ron:
We feel your frustration! Gophers can be quite a problem to get under control. Perseverance is your friend. First let us discuss a few methods that are fun to do when hunting gophers, but not very effective.

Replace The Pipes

Written by Jerry L'Ecuyer and Frank Alvarez | 22 November 2011

Dear Maintenance Men:
We have a building with original copper water pipes that are at least 50 years old. They are not leaking yet; however, we want to be proactive in our maintenance. We are thinking of either re-piping the building or having a company coat the interior of the pipes with an epoxy liner. What would you recommend?
Todd

Dear Todd:
After doing a bit of research on the subject of "epoxy pipe lining vs. re-pipe," we have concluded it would be safer to discuss "Politics and Religion"! That being said, we will do our best.

Copper pipe typically lasts between 30 and 50 years and may last even longer depending on the water and soil chemistry. Copper pipe failure is usually due to a thinning of the walls leading to pinhole leaks. The thinning walls and pinholes may come from water friction or turbulence and adverse water chemistry. We often find water leaks on the hot water side and in the recirculation lines.

Dogs, Cats, and the Smells They Make!

Written by Jerry L'Ecuyer and Frank Alvarez | 24 October 2011

Dear Maintenance Men:
We manage a number of older downtown apartment buildings that have double-hung wood windows. Although they look great and the residents like the classic appearance, the doublehung windows can be dangerous when they do not operate properly.

Many of the windows are hard to open because of snagged rigging; others will not stay open without a stick holding them up or they rattle in the wind. We do not want to replace them with modern windows and rehabbing them back to original condition is very expensive. Do you have any suggestions?
Marty

Dear Marty:
Replace the wood sashes with new aluminum channels. This will eliminate the need for the sash cords and weights associated with double hung wood windows. A company that has a good product for this purpose is called: www.window renu.com. They offer a system that replaces your old sashes with an aluminum friction channel.

The aluminum channel fits in the space occupied by the old wood sash. The job is well within the skills of a DIY or handyman and will solve the window opening issue and the rattling when the wind blows. The product can be found at most hardware stores.

If you don't want to go through the trouble of replacing the sash, a metal tension spring for wood windows can be nailed between the window frame and sash which eliminates the need for a stick to hold up your window. This is a temporary or shortterm repair. The metal tension springs can be found at any hardware store.

Dear Maintenance Men

Get It In Writing

Attack of The Sneaky Bees

A Gopher Problem

Replace The Pipes

Dogs, Cats, and the Smells They Make!

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