Dear Maintenance Men:
Dear Maintenance Men:
I need to locate the main sewer line for a project I am
doing. How can I find it without
digging up my whole property?
Sam
Dear Sam:
There are several ways to locate the main sewer line. One
is to find a 4” cleanout, typically at the front or rear of the building and
guess which direction it takes and dig pilot holes to locate. This is OK if you
don’t mind digging a number of 4 to 10 foot deep holes. Another method is to locate the lead or brass marker
sometimes located at the street, imbedded in the curb’s concrete top or side.
This method will tell you the location of the sewer line as it enters the
city’s main sewer system in the street. But
not the depth or location of the pipe further up on your property.
The best method we have found is contacting a plumber who does pipe
location services. He will run a
tracer line down the sewer and then use an electronic sensor to locate the pipe.
The sensor will be able to tell the direction, pitch and depth of the
pipe. This will eliminate the
need for pilot holes and the entire length of the pipe can be mapped out with
depth measurements.
Dear Maintenance Men:
I’m getting ready to re-roof my building.
The quotes I am getting vary widely.
One contractor wants to strip the entire roof and start from scratch.
Another wants to go over the existing roof. What is best and is it legal
to go over the old roof?
Thomas
Dear Thomas:
Before you start with any roofing jobs, be sure to get to know your roofer. Ask him for references, check that he is a licensed contractor, has adequate liability insurance and if he has employees, check for Workers Comp insurance coverage. Try to get a “Not to exceed” price from the contractor, many disputes could be avoided if the contractor would estimate for unforeseen wood replacement and maximum cost. And don’t forget to get a lien release with the final payment.
Now that you have done your homework … Removing all
traces of the old roof or roofs and starting fresh is the best roof, but not the
least expensive. It is less
expensive to go over an existing roof, as you save the cost of removing and
hauling away the old roof. Most
city codes will allow up to three different roofs and no more.
If you can count two roofs on your building, you can go one more. If you
have three roofs, you will need to remove all three roofs and start fresh.
Dear Maintenance Men:
A long term resident has just moved out.
He and his wife were very heavy smokers and the walls are literally brown
with nicotine. What is the best way
to remove both the smell of cigarettes and the nicotine from the walls?
Overwhelmed
Dear Overwhelmed:
Cigarette smell is very hard to remove even after painting and cleaning the carpets. Chances are if the resident was long term, the carpets will need to be replaced. Remove the carpets, pad and tack strips. The tack strips are wood and can absorb and release the smell of smoke, urine etc. Thoroughly clean the floors with soapy water mixed with bleach. After cleaning the floors, it is not a bad idea to paint or use a primer to coat the flooring. One of the best ways to remove the nicotine residue from the walls is using old-fashioned elbow grease! Again, wash the walls with soapy water using a brush or rag. Adding TSP (a powdered cleaning solution available at most hardware stores) or using a degreasing agent will help in the cleaning. If you have flat ceilings, wash them too. If you have “acoustical” or “pop-corn” type ceiling, that’s a problem. By its nature, acoustical ceiling material can not be cleaned. Adding to that, is the possibility it may contain Asbestos. If the ceiling contains asbestos, disturbing it will be a violation of California’s Proposition 65 (The Safe Drinking Water & Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986). A licensed Hazards Material removal company should do the asbestos removal work. If you do not wish the expense of removal, coating the acoustical ceiling with spray paint may solve the problem. You will need a minimum of two coats of paint and a primer coat. If the smell is still present, give it another coat of paint and let the unit air as much as possible. Don’t forget to wash the windows and window frames if they are aluminum.
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 or jerry@JLE1.com. Frank Alvarez is the Operations Director for Buffalo
Maintenance. He has been involved with apartment maintenance for over 14 years.
Frank can be reached at (714) 956-8371 or visit the office at, 202 E. Broadway
in Anaheim, CA 92805. Please view our web site at: WWW.JLE1.COM