Dear Maintenance Men | January 2, 2008

Written by AACSC | 25 January 2011

Dear Maintenance Men:
I want to install some Malibu type low voltage lights in the courtyard of my apartment building and I need some advice. I looked at the selection at my local hardware store and I’m even more confused. Should I go wired or solar?

Chuck

Dear Chuck:
Good question! Solar looks so attractive and it is very easy to install. You can’t get more plug and play than sticking the light fixture in the ground and waiting for the sun to charge up the light. Unfortunately, as great as solar seems, it does have some drawbacks. The light produced is very poor and the fixture must be in direct sunlight to recharge. If you want to use it to simply mark a path, it will do a good job, but if you want it to light up the path, it does not have enough power. In order to light up a path or area, a wired low voltage system is best. You will need to determine how many lights you will use and the wattage of the bulbs in each fixture. The wattage information will help you determine what size transformer and wire to use. Light bulbs range in wattage from 4 watts to 50 watts. Do not exceed the bulb wattage as dictated by the transformer. As an example: a 300-watt transformer will support twelve 25-watt light fixtures or thirty 10-watt fixtures. Transformers range from 88 watts, 100 watts, 200 watts and 300 watts. There are transformers that list their wattage as high as 600 watts and 900 watts. Typically the 600 & 900-watt transformers allow the use of multiple cables from one transformer. As far as what gauge wire to use, again wattage will determine the wire size. For Example: max 150-watts, use 16 gauge wire, 200-watts, use 14- gauge wire, 300-watts, use 12- gauge wire.

Dear Maintenance Men | February 14, 2008

Written by AACSC | 25 January 2011

Dear Maintenance Men:
I have heard the term “preventive maintenance” for as long as I have owned apartments. But, I’m not sure how it applies to me. I own a small four-plex, I’m handy and just fix things as they come up. Preventive maintenance just sounds like more work and expense to me and was no doubt invented by a hardware store owner!

Squeak when I walk Tom

On the surface “preventive maintenance” may sound like a hardware store owner’s dream and it may in fact be, we don’t know! But, who ever came up with the idea was pretty smart. Both on a large or small scale, preventive maintenance or “PM” for short is a huge money saver not only in parts, but also in time. An unplanned breakdown is never convenient.

The chances are high of a breakdown happening on a Friday evening after hours. Planning for a breakdown is the first step in avoiding an unplanned breakdown. Look at your apartment building with a critical eye and list everything that might go wrong at some point in time. This list would include: water heaters, hot and cold water supply lines, faucets, drains, garage door springs, heating and air conditioning, etc.

At minimum you should have on hand repair parts for all the items on your list along with the tools to do the work. If you want to get ahead of a potential breakdown, figure out the estimated lifetime of each item and schedule either a service date for the item or replacement of the item before a potential breakdown. As an example: A one hundred gallon water heater without maintenance may last between six and eight years.

The same water heater with yearly maintenance of cleaning out the calcium buildup in the tank, inspection of the Zinc rod and burner assembly might last as long as ten to fourteen years. Another less extreme example might be cleaning out the main drain lines once a year before the big holiday season. It is much cheaper to have a plumber service your building on a Tuesday morning than on Thursday, Thanksgiving night.