Dear Maintenance Men:
Dear Maintenance
Men:
I have a toilet that
constantly fills every five or ten minutes. I have replaced the fill &
flapper valves but the problems persist.
Mark
Dear Mark:
Leaks at the Flush Valve are possibly caused by a damaged
flush valve seat which may have a hole or the rim is pitted or cracked. The seat
is the large drain hole at the bottom of the tank.
A temporary repair may be to sand the seat with a steel wool pad or
wet/dry sandpaper. This will remove
the calcium build-up. If the seat
is damaged, replacing the seat will be the next option.
“Fluidmaster, Inc” makes a Flusher Fixer Kit that can be cemented
directly on top of your old worn flush valve seat. This is a quick fix that may
not work on all toilets. If the
seat kit does not work, you will need to replace the valve seat.
This can be accomplished by removing the tank from the base of the
toilet: Turn off the water to the fill valve, disconnect the water line and
remove any water from the tank. Unscrew the two or three brass bolts under the
tank and carefully lift off. Once
the tank is removed, turn it upside down. Remove the rubber “Spud” washer
from the tank. Spin the large nut from the threads and then push the valve
seat through the tank. Reverse the
procedure when installing the new valve seat. Always install a new “Spud”
washer and new brass bolts and washers. Be
sure your toilet tank is installed level, as this will aid in its flushing
operation.
Dear Maintenance
Men:
My rental units have electric water heaters and the residents complain of having to take very short hot showers. How can I fix this?
John
Dear John:
If the hot
water turns cool or cold after about five minutes of use, check upper thermostat
and upper immersion element. The upper element is used to boost water
temperature; if it is defective, the water will quickly turn cold. Most likely
you have only one element out of two working.
Replacing the elements should solve the problem.
The best way to accomplish this task is to first switch off the circuit
breaker for the water heater. Then turn off the water supply, and drain the
tank. Remove the two wires
connected to the elements and always replace both elements at the same time.
If the elements are the screw-in type you may need to buy a special
socket wrench designed for element removal.
The wrench can be found in the plumbing department where you purchase
your replacement elements. Replace
the elements and reconnect the wires. Reset your circuit breaker and test the
heater. The top element should start working first and you should hear it
“hissing”. The elements cycle from one to the other. Only one element is on
at a time. After about 15 minutes the bottom element should kick in. Note
of caution: most electric water heaters work on 220 volt electricity, always
double check that the current has been turned off before beginning any work.
If the elements do not work after replacement, you may want to consider
contacting an electrician.
Dear
Maintenance Man:
I
am a new owner of a four-plex and plan on doing my own maintenance.
My first task will be re-caulking the bathtubs. Unfortunately every time
I caulk, I make a huge mess and there is caulking everywhere.
What is the trick to caulking?
Tom
Dear
Tom:
Yes,
we’ve all struggled with our caulking nightmares. Here is a simple solution;
First always remove the old caulk and clean before installing new caulk,
then:
1.
Check the
size of bead you will need. Smaller is better than larger.
2.
Cut the
nozzle of your tube to the desired size. It is best to cut the nozzle at a
45-degree angle and again, the smaller the opening (within reason) the easier it
will be to apply.
3.
(If you
are new at this, it is best to use a water-based product. The clean up is easy.)
Apply your caulk in a slow and even continuous
fashion. Do not stop or worry about defects at this time. Your caulking gun
should be at a 45-degree angle to your work. If you don’t have enough caulk
the first time, you can go over it again. As you get more comfortable caulking,
try pushing the caulking gun as opposed to pulling when applying caulk.
With practice, this will give you a better caulk bead.
4.
Now using
your damp finger wipe away excess caulk from your desired location. Some basics
to keep in mind; keep a damp rag with you to wipe off your nozzle and fingers
from time to time. Don’t let the caulk build-up too much. Position your finger
between a 30 to 45 degree angle to the work, pull your finger along the caulk,
gently pushing the material into the corner. 98 percent of the material should
glide under your finger and not be pushed in front of your finger.
If you have a big gob of caulk on your finger, you may be pushing to hard
on the caulk and not letting enough glide through or you have used too much
caulk.
5.
Now
taking a damp square sponge wipe in a slow continuous fashion along your new
caulk. Being careful to not wipe too much away. You should see a noticeable
difference in your finish.
Bio: