Dear Maintenance Men by Jerry L’Ecuyer & Frank Alvarez
Dear Maintenance Men: I am interested in becoming a Maintenance Mechanic or tech. What skills should I hone or include in my “Tool Box”? Robin Dear Robin: That is a very good questions. The list below should be considered as the minimum needed to be a well-rounded maintenance technician that wants to be excellent at their job. 1: We believe a good maintenance mechanic needs a bit of “Detective” in them or have Problem Solving Abilities. In other words; getting to the root of the problem and not just fixing the issue at hand. Find out what caused the issue in the first place. 2: Care about the details. The details can including anything from noticing something out of place to having the right tools for the job at hand. Detail oriented means having a keen eye on what is going on around you and making sure “good enough” is NOT Good Enough. An often forgotten detail is the importance of being on time & clean up after the job. 3: Technical aptitude or technical abilities. Learn the system you are working on. Become proficient, get hands on training on systems you are unfamiliar with. Attend training programs etc. 4: Learn organizational skills. Being organized will save time, money and will create efficiency to get more out of each day. 5: Ability to work under pressure. In other words; get in, get out and get the job done quickly and correctly the first time. 6: Be versatile. Don’t be scared to try something new. Don’t get bogged down; learn to think outside the box to find solutions. Not everything is black and white. Dear Maintenance Men: We tried to replace an angle stop valve under the kitchen sink, but found a brass collar around the copper pipe, which traps the nut behind it. The new angle stop threads are not compatible with the old nut. What can I do? Also, how often should I routinely replace my under sink water flex lines? Roland Dear Roland: On the first question; it is always best to remove the old collar. That is easier said than done. You cannot pull off the collar with your fingers, it is too tight. Pliers will damage your soft copper pipe and cutting the line behind the collar is OK if you have enough pipe to spare. But, in most cases the space is limited and cutting the line won’t work. The hardware or plumbing store sells a compression www.rhaoregon.org
Sleeve Puller (approx. $20.00) designed for this job and it will not damage your pipe. You can now install your new angle stop valve. An alternative once you remove the collar is to solder a male or female ½” fitting to the end of the copper pipe. Install a male or female angle stop valve and never again deal with a stubborn brass collar. If you ever need to replace the valve, just twist it off and install a new one. On your second question about replacing under sink water lines; if any of your lines are the white plastic lines, replace them immediately, they are a flood waiting to happen. We like using the stainless steel braided flex lines. They last a long time, don’t seem as susceptible to fatigue or abuse. A way to spot a bad flex line before they leak or burst, it to look for telltale signs of rust, calcium build-up, loose or broken braids, tight kinks, brown spots or they just look bad. While you are replacing those water lines, be sure to replace the angle stop valve also. Dear Maintenance Men: How do I get oil or grease stains out of concrete? I have both a concrete patio and a parking area with grease stains and soap and water does not get them clean. Brenda Dear Brenda: 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 the hardware store or industrial supply house 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. WE NEED Maintenance Questions!!! If you would like to see your maintenance question in the “Dear Maintenance Men:” column, please send in your questions to: DearMaintenanceMen@gmail.com Bio: If you need maintenance work or consultation for your building or project, please feel free to contact us. We are available throughout Southern California. For an appointment please call Buffalo Maintenance, Inc. at 714 956-8371 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 30 years. Frankie is President of the Apartment Association of Orange County and a lecturer, educational instructor and Chair of the Education Committee of the AAOC. He is also 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 real estate broker. He is currently a Director Emeritus and Past President of the Apartment Association of Orange County and past Chairman of the association’s Education Committee. Jerry has been involved with apartments as a professional since 1988. RENTAL ALLIANCE UPDATE December 2020
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