Maintenance Items for LATP Owners 10/1/07 Hello Eveyone, enjoy working on projects and happen to be mechanically inclined. I have run across many items in the lofts that require regular maintenance and thought that writing up a manual for everyone would be helpful to the community. These are a few items that I have found that have been issues in unit 504, Ifyou are inclined to fix things you may find this document useful in performing the tasks yourself. If you are not inclined to fix things then just file this away and hire a service person to perform these necessary items. Water Heaters ~ We have had 7 out of the 24 water heaters fail in the building in the last 3 years. If you have not been properly maintaining your water heater by draining it at least once a year, you should consider changing it. When you do replace the water heater you should also consider installing a pan undemeath the new water heater. The steps for cleaning/draining your water heater are listed below. Why you need to drain the water heater — (If you don’t care, just skip to the instruetions) Taken from: http:/www.improvenet.com/adviceandresources/articleslibrary/jeff_williams_waterheate html ‘Water heater maintenance is easy to overlook because the tank just sits there and has no moving parts to worry about. But inside, two things are constantly attacking your water heater: sediment and rust. Most steel water heater tanks are lined with glass to prevent rust. But the glass lining is, never perfect, and the constant temperature fluctuations cause it to expand and contract, causing minute openings. When water eventually penetrates the lining, the tank begins to rust, At the same time, the heated water causes calcium carbonate to form in the water. I's a type of limestone that you can probably see inside your old teapot. In electric tanks, sediment collects on the heating element, forming a hard crust that eventually renders the element useless, ‘To keep your water heater operating correctly, and to extend its life by years, you need to carry out regular maintenance to minimize rust and calcium carbonate. How to Drain and Clean the Tank — At least Once a Year © Shut off electricity to the water heater.* Attach a garden hose to the drain valve at the bottom of the tank and run it outside. (Be careful when attaching it to the tank. Mine stripped easily.) Close the incoming cold water valve at the top of the tank. Open the pressure relief valve on the tank to break the vacuum. Open the drain valve on the tank and drain it Prior to refilling your water heater you should open a hot water valve in your line to allow the air to escape as your water heater refills, * When finished, reverse the process, remembering to not tum on the gas or electricity until the tank has refilled The Rocking Toilet If your toilet “rocks” back and forth while in use, there are two solutions. One is very easy and the other is more likely and involves more work (as well as a trip to Home Depot). Easy Solution — Try this first ~ tighten the bolts on either side of the toilet. More Likely Probleny/Solution ~ One of the items that that was skimped on was the quality of the PVC flange that connects the toilet to the sewer lines, It is probably very likely that the bolts have fractured the PVC and will no longer hold the toilet in place. You will need to go to Home Depot or Lowes to purchase a few items in the plumbing repair section before starting this repair. Purchase a Bol-Wax #1 Wax toilet gasket (around $4) Purchase a metal shim/gasket Part Number 21015. (around $10) Turn off water to toilet Remove water from toilet (bow! and tank) Disconnect water supply from wall. (Catch the water that runs out) Disconnect bolts holding the toilet to the floor. Lift whole toilet bow! off floor and lean at an angle against wall. Scrape existing wax off of PVC flange on floor and bottom of toilet bowl. This is a very messy process. You may want to have some newspapers to deposit the used wax onto. Place bolt heads into broken PVC flange. Place new metal “gasket” over PVC flange so that bolts go through the new gasket. Place new wax ring over metal flange. Lift whole toilet bow! and place onto new flange. (A second person is useful in getting the bolts to line up propely.) Apply pressure downward so that wax seal seats properly, Tighten bolts. Reconnect to water supply. Check for leaks.Cracked Shower Grout This is very easy to detect. Just look at the grout where the floor of your shower meets the wall. It is very likely that there is a crack in the grout (or in some cases the grout is missing). If there is a crack, water will leak out and damage any type of wood flooring in the area, Easy Solution — Buy a tube of water resistant caulk and a caulking gun and caulk over any cracks that you see. (Follow the directions on the tube for drying times). Hard Solution - Regrout your shower. (This is one of my least favorite repair jobs. I have tried it twice and I am not good at it, so no directions will be offered.) Cast Stone Concrete Surfaces — Maintenance and Resurfacing. The recommended maintenance for the existing cast stone countertops is a monthly application of wax. I highly doubt that anyone in the building has done this. As a result, the countertops show stains very easily. consulted with Sam at Gran Quartz and he provided a program for restoring the countertops. If the countertops are in very bad state then stripping with Acetone is the required first step. If they are in okay shape then start at step 2, * Use Acetone to remove the layers of wax and sealer. A scotch brite pad is useful in removing the layers of wax. ‘The Acetone dries very quickly so work in a small area. IMPORTANT ~ open all windows and doors if possible. Repeat until all ‘wax/sealer is removed. © UsePeriodic Intensive Cleaner (515C) to clean the concrete deeply. A scotch brite pad is also useful in cleaning the surface thoroughly. * Apply Stone Sealer/Enhancer Gloss (357E) to surface in thin coats, IMPORTANT ~ if using a roller to apply, use new rollers for each application, This step requires equal to or greater ventilation than the Acetone cleaning step. A couple of things that I would add. * Make sure that the countertops have dried for 24 hours before applying the sealer. * Use a fresh can of sealer each time. + Allow for each coat to dry for at least 4 hours before applying a new one. + Twould use a nylon for applying the sealant. Contact - Sam Gran Quartz 4963 S. Royal Atlanta DriveTucker, GA 30084 800 458 6222 Leaky French Doors Check to see if the caulk has failed between the exterior brick and the framing of the French doors. Do not caulk the metal top of the frame. A non water soluble exterior caulk should be used to cover any gaps. Sub Zero Maintenance At least once a year (twice is better) the coils on the top of the unit need to be vacuumed, If this does not occur, the compressor runs longer than necessary which raises the pressure and promotes leaks. Leaks are VERY expensive to have repaired. (I know from experience in paying for a $588 service call from an authorized sub zero service person to replace the evaporator and drier. ‘The sub zero warranty covered parts that were replaced but not the installation.) Sterling Service Group Inc. — Authorized Sub Zero Maintenance 400 Pinnacle Ct Suite 470 Norcross, GA 30071 866 818 0100 HVAC Maintenance It is advisable to have your HVAC unit checked at least once a year by a professional to see that the unit is properly charged. Filters should be changed every month or every 3 months depending upon type of filter. Itis also advisable to go on the roof to spray off the condenser remove the dirt that accumulates. Thad a good experience with the following person/company. ‘Owner - Travis Atlanta Indoor Inc - Heating and Cooling P.M.B 303 1025 Rose Creek Dr Suite 620 ‘Woodstock, GA 30189 770 924 4491 Hope this helps. If you have any questions or have encountered issues in your unit that need to be fixed, please feel free to contact me.Best Regards, John Woods - Unit 504 nwoods@atme.net 505 541 9859