Dear Maintenance Men:
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Dear Maintenance Men:
I have an apartment building with composition roofing material that has been experiencing a “mysterious leak “ when it rains. The unit is open beam and the water drips off the beam. The roof it self is about 10 or 15 years old, but in good condition. It has no obvious leak points such as vents, skylights etc. I don’t want to replace the roof at this time. How can I fix it without knowing the exact source of the leak?
Jim
Dear Jim:
We have had personal experience with this exact problem. After caulking every possible water entry point without success and facing a $15,000 roof job that made us squirm more than a little bit, we decided to think creatively. Comp roofing starts at the bottom of the roof and works its way to the ridge by over lapping the previous row. The material comes in three-foot sections, which mean there is a “SEAM” every 3 feet covered by the next row of material. Gently lifting the comp material and exposing the seam, clean out any dirt, and then caulk the seam. Use a putty knife or paint stick to push the caulk into the seam. Return the flap of material back to its original position. Use Henry’s 208 Roof Repair. It comes in tube, one gallon & 5 gallon buckets. The tube is the easiest to use, but the most expensive. After 15 years of lying on your roof, the roofing material may not be very cooperative when you try to lift each section. Either pick a warm sunny day or use a heat gun to gently introduce flexibility. Use a putty knife to pry the top material from the bottom. Be gentle don’t tear the roofing material. You can work across one row at a time or work diagonally moving up one row after each seam. We like the diagonal method, its not faster or better, just feels like we’re getting more done. After you have completed this job, you should not see any excess repair material oozing out. It won’t do any harm if it oozes, just looks bad.
Dear Maintenance Men:
I own 8 units and recently I have been attempting to water proof my shower/tub fixture flanges and walls. My problem is getting the caulking to dry before a resident uses the shower. Any Suggestions?
Have Gun Will Caulk
Dear Will:
A lot of people will say: “Just tell the resident not to use the shower till the caulking is dry”. Well it doesn’t work and by the time you are driving away from the building, your resident is already taking a shower and your fresh caulking is washing down the drain. Your caulk should cure at least 24 hours before use. Also, you may be using a common water based latex caulking. We find the cheaper the cost of the caulk; the longer it takes to cure.
Try using a silicone or polyurethane based caulking for doing tubs, showers, toilets, sinks or other wet locations. It tends to set quickly and will repel water during its cure time.
Another solution we have found works well with very busy showers is to remove all the fixtures, including the showerhead & arm, valve handles and tub spout, before caulking. (A bit extreme, but effective) We then plug with a capped pipe the showerhead and tub spout. Then caulk the tub/shower. We came back 24 hours later and reinstall all the fixtures.
One more thought; if you have sliding shower doors for your tub, check the bottom track. If it is loose, do not caulk until the track is removed, cleaned and dried. Reinstall the track with new adhesive caulk to hold it down and caulk the edges to keep the water out.
Dear Maintenance Men:
I need to replace an old Formica counter top in one of my units. Do I need any special tools to get the job done and how skilled does one need to be?
John
Dear John:
Counter top installation looks overwhelming only because the parts are so big. They can be installed with simple tools and limited skills. First lets define the different counter top types:
1: Pre-formed Formica top with a built-in back splash. These come as 4’, 6’, 8’ & 10’ slabs. They are relatively inexpensive and easy to install. Possible tools needed: Skill saw, jigsaw, file or router, glue.
2: Pre-formed Formica top as above with pre-mitered 45-degree corners. This top is used when your installation requires a 90-degree inside corner. The only extra tool needed from the above list is an adjustable wrench to bolt the corner together.
3: Formica sheet: Sheet material installation is the most difficult, but not out of range for most DIY people. Most applications that will need a Formica sheet are bar tops with no backsplash. The required tool with sheet material is a router with a special edge bit.
In a future column we will describe installation of the various counter tops along with tricks of the trade.
Bio:
Jerry L'Ecuyer is the owner of JLE Property Management & Buffalo Maintenance and is a licensed contractor & real estate broker. He is currently on the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Education Committee for the Apartment Association of Orange County. Jerry has been involved with apartments as a professional since 1988 and can be reached at (714) 778-0480. Frank Alvarez is the Operations Director for Buffalo Maintenance. He has been involved with apartment maintenance for over 13 years. Frank can be reached at (714) 956-8371 or visit the office at, 202 E. Broadway in Anaheim, CA 92805. Please visit our web site at: WWW.JLE1.COM