My "Glam Job"
So I have this totally "glam" job as an apartment manager... Cool, right? I get my rent for free. I spend about the first 7 days of the month collecting money; reminding people that I need to collect money; pissing people off because they don't have the money and they won't have a home anymore; pissing people off because they are getting thrown out for lease violations or they just make me angry... And the rest of the month I just get to sit around my office playing solitaire, chatting on-line, writing in my LJ, screwing off...
Sounds like the perfect outlet for someone with a need to be in control or interract with a variety of people from different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. You know, someone who doesn't really want to work but wants to tell others what to do and have a lot of free time to pursue other interests during business hours.
Hence, "the glam job".
Can I just say up front that I hate old plumbing. On Dec. 30, we had a planned water turn off in one of the buildings to change out a shower valve. Piece of cake. Two hours tops!
My maintenance man notices that there was water on the floor of the laundry room. Possible overflow from a washer; break in one of the washer hoses. No. Couldn't be that simple. Slab leak. Under 40 year old concrete. Rotted, rusted pipes. Oh yeah! I live for this kind of stuff!
So I called my plumbers. (Roto-rooter is very familiar with me, my complex and the slab leaks herein.) They sent me a kid. 24 years old. He's been doing plumbing work with his father since he was very young and began his apprenticeship when he turned 18. He'll just follow "proceedure" to locate the leak and once found, he should have it fixed in a "couple of hours". I smiled that knowing smile and told him to go with god.
It was a comedy. I am a veteran of the slab leaks at this complex, having dealt with at least nine since my managership here. And believe me when I say that it's not just a "call the plumber" sort of thing. My part in slab leaks is keeping people calm while I'm delivering the bad news. I get to call around for parts or run for parts and/or keep checking on the plumbers to make sure they are calm. I get to demand that the job be done a certain way because I used to do this sort of thing and know how it's supposed to be done. The poor boy didn't even have the right jack hammer to break up 40 year old concrete. He had to go back to the shop to get a bigger one and a couple of extra bits. By the end of day one, the problem wasn't resolved. While he was able to at least get the water back on after having deprived my tenants of a day without water, there was also something wrong with the hot water heater so there was no hot water.
On day 2, New Years Eve, I have the appliance repair guy look at the water heater. The circuit board that controls the electronic ignition to the gas valve is burned and will need to be replace. Only the company is on the east coast and closed until the 6th for the holidays. So I can a)grin and bear it and have my tenants without hot water for a week and a half. Or b)find a new water heater and have it installed on the 2nd of January. I opted for plan b.
And still the jack hammering went on. By the end of day 2, the boy had managed to fix the broken cold water line. However, as jack hammering and old pipes go, he managed to vibrate the old hot water pipes and created a leak in one of the main lines. At least there was cold water for my tenants.
Day 3, Jan 2 (Hey, even I get a day off for good behaviour) dawned with me going to Home Depot at 6:30 am to pick up a hot water heater. And $2100 later, using a forklift to put it into my truck, I was back at the complex awaiting the second team of plumbers who would install the beast. Older plumber, Dan, very nice guy shows up at 8:30 to do the install with his sidekick. "no problem ma'am, we'll handle it from here. should have your heater installed in a couple of hours..." The jack hammering only went of for half a day as the boy was able to isolate the exact 2" pipe and a very good connection to make the fix. And he only had to take out the sidewalk to do it!
Dan and his buddy didn't leave my complex until 8:30 pm. And Dan had to come back because... there was a leak in the soldered cold line connection to the water heater. Pin hole leak, no problem. Wrap it with a bit of cellophane to keep the area fairly dry and at least the tenants have hot water until the leak can be re-soldered on Monday. And just as we began to think we were seeing the end, there is smoke coming from the recirculating pump. Maybe a bit of water got in there. Turn it off. Dry it off. Turn it on. More smoke and that wonderful electrical burning smell. And the pump is red hot like the motor is burning... Fortunately, the water heater works and there is a smaller pump that can at least get some of the water flowing.
During the course of the weekend, the water temperature got up to 100@ which is basically warm enough to take a shower if you are really cold but not enough for that really hot shower to wake you up in the morning. And it might have gotten warmer if the plug where the ignition system was plugged into didn't keep blowing the breaker. And when the plumber resolved that by plugging it somewhere else, he plugged it into the pool light which is on a timer that turns off at 2 am. When I discovered the lack of hot water on Saturday morning, I found out that little bit of "fun" and took care of that one myself.
On day 4, Jan 5, I had Dan replace the bad pump. He was here for 8 hours. As a side note, My staff and I were all supposed to get our pay checks in the morning on the 5th. A slight miscommunication with Fed Ex caused them not to be delivered until the 6th.
Water heater: $2100.
Plumber to fix slab leak(s): $4500.
Plumber to replace water heater and pump: $3500.
The "Glam Job": Priceless.
Sounds like the perfect outlet for someone with a need to be in control or interract with a variety of people from different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. You know, someone who doesn't really want to work but wants to tell others what to do and have a lot of free time to pursue other interests during business hours.
Hence, "the glam job".
Can I just say up front that I hate old plumbing. On Dec. 30, we had a planned water turn off in one of the buildings to change out a shower valve. Piece of cake. Two hours tops!
My maintenance man notices that there was water on the floor of the laundry room. Possible overflow from a washer; break in one of the washer hoses. No. Couldn't be that simple. Slab leak. Under 40 year old concrete. Rotted, rusted pipes. Oh yeah! I live for this kind of stuff!
So I called my plumbers. (Roto-rooter is very familiar with me, my complex and the slab leaks herein.) They sent me a kid. 24 years old. He's been doing plumbing work with his father since he was very young and began his apprenticeship when he turned 18. He'll just follow "proceedure" to locate the leak and once found, he should have it fixed in a "couple of hours". I smiled that knowing smile and told him to go with god.
It was a comedy. I am a veteran of the slab leaks at this complex, having dealt with at least nine since my managership here. And believe me when I say that it's not just a "call the plumber" sort of thing. My part in slab leaks is keeping people calm while I'm delivering the bad news. I get to call around for parts or run for parts and/or keep checking on the plumbers to make sure they are calm. I get to demand that the job be done a certain way because I used to do this sort of thing and know how it's supposed to be done. The poor boy didn't even have the right jack hammer to break up 40 year old concrete. He had to go back to the shop to get a bigger one and a couple of extra bits. By the end of day one, the problem wasn't resolved. While he was able to at least get the water back on after having deprived my tenants of a day without water, there was also something wrong with the hot water heater so there was no hot water.
On day 2, New Years Eve, I have the appliance repair guy look at the water heater. The circuit board that controls the electronic ignition to the gas valve is burned and will need to be replace. Only the company is on the east coast and closed until the 6th for the holidays. So I can a)grin and bear it and have my tenants without hot water for a week and a half. Or b)find a new water heater and have it installed on the 2nd of January. I opted for plan b.
And still the jack hammering went on. By the end of day 2, the boy had managed to fix the broken cold water line. However, as jack hammering and old pipes go, he managed to vibrate the old hot water pipes and created a leak in one of the main lines. At least there was cold water for my tenants.
Day 3, Jan 2 (Hey, even I get a day off for good behaviour) dawned with me going to Home Depot at 6:30 am to pick up a hot water heater. And $2100 later, using a forklift to put it into my truck, I was back at the complex awaiting the second team of plumbers who would install the beast. Older plumber, Dan, very nice guy shows up at 8:30 to do the install with his sidekick. "no problem ma'am, we'll handle it from here. should have your heater installed in a couple of hours..." The jack hammering only went of for half a day as the boy was able to isolate the exact 2" pipe and a very good connection to make the fix. And he only had to take out the sidewalk to do it!
Dan and his buddy didn't leave my complex until 8:30 pm. And Dan had to come back because... there was a leak in the soldered cold line connection to the water heater. Pin hole leak, no problem. Wrap it with a bit of cellophane to keep the area fairly dry and at least the tenants have hot water until the leak can be re-soldered on Monday. And just as we began to think we were seeing the end, there is smoke coming from the recirculating pump. Maybe a bit of water got in there. Turn it off. Dry it off. Turn it on. More smoke and that wonderful electrical burning smell. And the pump is red hot like the motor is burning... Fortunately, the water heater works and there is a smaller pump that can at least get some of the water flowing.
During the course of the weekend, the water temperature got up to 100@ which is basically warm enough to take a shower if you are really cold but not enough for that really hot shower to wake you up in the morning. And it might have gotten warmer if the plug where the ignition system was plugged into didn't keep blowing the breaker. And when the plumber resolved that by plugging it somewhere else, he plugged it into the pool light which is on a timer that turns off at 2 am. When I discovered the lack of hot water on Saturday morning, I found out that little bit of "fun" and took care of that one myself.
On day 4, Jan 5, I had Dan replace the bad pump. He was here for 8 hours. As a side note, My staff and I were all supposed to get our pay checks in the morning on the 5th. A slight miscommunication with Fed Ex caused them not to be delivered until the 6th.
Water heater: $2100.
Plumber to fix slab leak(s): $4500.
Plumber to replace water heater and pump: $3500.
The "Glam Job": Priceless.