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DEAR MAINTENANCE MEN
BY JERRY L'ECUYER & FRANK ALVAREZ
DEAR MAINTENANCE MEN:
I have a parking area at my building with concrete bumper stoppers. The problem is that when the cars touch the stopper, they move. How do I attach them to the parking lot?
Bill
Dear Bill:
If you have an asphalt parking lot, it is quite easy. Most concrete bumper stoppers have two holes that go through from top to bottom. These holes are just the right size to fit a piece of half inch rebar rods. Pick up two 12-to-18-inch pieces of rebar for each stopper. Place the rebar through the holes in the stopper and then use a sledgehammer and pound the rebar into the asphalt.
If your parking area is concrete, use a hammer drill with a 1⁄2 inch concrete bit to drill a hole in the concrete. Use your existing parking bumper as a guide. Either drill down through the holes in the bumper stop to the concrete below or use powdered
chalk poured down through the bumper stop’s holes to mark the concrete. Then drill all the way through the concrete until you hit dirt. Hammer your rebar into the bumper and concrete. If the fit is loose, pour some concrete into the parking lot holes and then insert the rods.
DEAR MAINTENANCE MEN:
A resident is complaining that their water heater is knocking and making rumbling noises. What is the problem and how do I fix the rumbling issues.
Jane
Dear Jane:
These are what we call tell-tale sign of a looming issue in the making. The tank could start to leak or burst if this issue is left unchecked. Sediment collects in the bottom of the tank and traps water under layers of the minerals such as calcium & lime. When the burner heats the water; the trapped water boils and bubbles up causing the rumbling or knocking noise. The solution is to flush the water heater of any
Frank Alvarez is licensed contractor and the Operations Director and co-owner of Buffalo Maintenance, Inc. He has been involved with apartment maintenance & construction for over 20 years. He is also a lecturer & educational instructor and Co-Chair of the Education Committee of the Apartment Association of Orange County as well as being Chairman of the Product Service Counsel. Frank can be reached at (714) 956-8371 Frankie@ BuffaloMaintenance.com For more info please go to: www.BuffaloMaintenance.com
Jerry L’Ecuyer is a licensed contractor & real estate broker. He is currently on the Board of Directors and Past President and past Chairman of the Education Committee of the Apartment Association of Orange County. Jerry has been involved with apartments as a professional since 1988.
APARTMENT MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE - JULY 2022 CS-37