Dear Maintenance Men:

 March 2001

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?  -Cold in Anaheim

Dear Cold:

If hot water turns to cold after only a few 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 Men:

What is a GFI switch & why should I use one?  -Wet Feet in Santa Ana.

Dear Wet Feet: 

A GFI or GFCI is a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter.  The GFCI is a receptacle or breaker used to protect against electric shock.  By code these receptacles are located in bathrooms, kitchens, garages and outdoor locations. Actually any potentially damp location where the risk of shock is high should be protected by a GFCI.

A GFCI works by monitoring the incoming and outgoing current. Whenever that current becomes unequal, indicating a current leak, the GFCI opens the circuit, cutting off power.  GFCIs are designed to trip in 1/40^th of a second in the event of a ground fault of 0.005 ampere. That’s fast.

Dear Maintenance Men:

How do I get oil or grease stains out of a concrete parking area.  -Greased Off in Costa Mesa.

Dear Greased Off:

Go to your local grocery store and pick up the cheapest brand of cat litter you can find. Spread the cat litter over the oil stained concrete and grind it in with your shoes.  Leave the litter in place for a minimum of an hour or best for 24 hours. Then sweep up the cat litter and the stain should be gone. Cat litter is an absorbent that helps draw out the oil or grease.  If you have a large area to clean, you may want to go to Smart & Final and purchase 50 pound bags of Absorbent. The cost is a little bit more than a regular sized bag of cat litter at the supermarket.

Dear Maintenance Men:

I have a garbage disposal problem.  After thoroughly inspecting my vacant unit and finding every thing working properly, including the garbage disposal, a new resident moves in and the disposal does not work.  This happens every now and then, but it drives me crazy.  -Stumped in Stanton.

 Dear Stumped:

Most likely what is happing is your resident is moving in weeks or maybe a month after the unit is deemed rent ready. The garbage disposal has been sitting idle and may have rusted shut.  A quick turn of a wrench will get the disposal working again, but that means a trip out to the property and lost money.  As a preventative measure, spray the inside of the garbage disposal with WD-40 while it is running.  Do not use water and only let the disposal run two or three seconds.  This should be adequate to keep the garbage disposal loose and ready for action. 

 Bio:

Jerry L'Ecuyer is the owner of JLE Property Management & Buffalo Maintenance and is currently on the Board of Directors and First Vice President for the Apartment Association of Orange County.  Frank Alvarez is the Operations Director  for Buffalo Maintenance. Jerry has been involved with apartments as a professional since 1988 and can be reached at (714) 778-0480. Frank can be reach 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