Dear Maintenance Men:
By Jerry L’Ecuyer & Frankie Alvarez
www.JLE1.com
Dear Maintenance Men:
I recently had one of my units painted, but now my residents are complaining of peeling paint.
The paint is peeling & chipping on all the doors and frames along with the bathroom and kitchen areas.
What went wrong and what can I do about it?
Frank
Dear Frank:
Sounds like water-based latex enamel paint was used over oil base enamel. Latex paint should only be painted
over oil base after the surface has been properly prepared by sanding or de-glossing the oil base paint.
A primer should then be used over the old coating before repainting with latex paint. Before any of the above
can be done, you must remove all the peeling latex paint. (Painting over the latex will only make the disaster worse.)
Use a putty knife, scraper or sandpaper to remove the latex. It will not be a fun job, but it must be done in order
o solve your peeling problem. If you are using a vender to paint your unit, be sure to ask if they will be using oil or
water based enamel. Direct them to use the same type of paint that is on the walls currently.
Dear Maintenance Men:
I have heard of people having their main sewer line replaced by an insert. The plumber puts a wire
through the old line and then pulls a new liner through. I am wondering if this is proven technology
and how long it lasts?
John
Dear John:
We wish replacing a main sewer line were that easy. After talking to our plumber, he indicated that this process
does exist, but you may need the Tax Base of a medium size city to afford the work. Pulling a liner or insert into
an existing sewer pipe of an apartment building is not cost effective. This is low-tech problem, which allows for
low-tech repair methods: Two laborers with shovels, ABS pipe from a hardware store or home center, a couple
of rubber couplers to mate the old pipe with the new and you are ready to go. While you have everything dug up,
this is a good time to install a 4-inch clean out with a street sweep if your building does not already have one.
Dear Maintenance Men:
I am in the process of installing new dead bolt locks on a number of doors at my building. These doors
have never been drilled for dead bolts before. The problem I’m running into is how to line up where to
drill for the latch plate in the doorframe. The door is either tight against the fame or is too loose. Do you
have any good tricks for getting this done?
Ken
Dear Ken:
Indeed we do. Lip stick or shoe polish is the answer. After the dead bolt lock is installed in the door and with
the door open, extend the bolt. Now, dab the end of the bolt with lip stick or shoe polish and return the bolt to the
unlocked position. Close the door and attempt to lock or extend the bolt into the frame. Open the door and on the
frame should be the exact location of the latch plate bolt hole. Using a one-inch wood bit, bore a hole 1.5 inches deep.
If your wife will not let you use her lipstick, here is an alternate method. Cut a one-inch thick dowel rod three inches
long, insert a small finish nail into the end of the dowel rod, and be sure to center the nail. Cut the head of the nail off.
With the dead bolt lock removed from the door, insert the dowel rod into the latch hole in the door with the nail end
facing out. Close the door and with your finger, push the dowel rod into the doorframe. Pull the rod out and your
drilling site is marked exactly. One last item, if you are doing a number of doors, it may be worth purchasing a
doorknob drilling jig. It will contain all the tools needed for professional door lock drilling and installation. The kit
typically costs about $200, but if you are doing more than a couple of doors, it will pay for itself just in the frustration
is saves.
Trivia: The Sink Trap you find under all sink, toilets, and baths etc was patented in 1782 in England.
This invention eliminated the smell of sewage coming up through the drain.
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