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Old 12-22-2017, 06:39 AM
 
24,541 posts, read 10,869,900 times
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Sorry but you have time for 3,225 posts on CD since 2015, have time to make veiled threats about folks to the police but as low income senior rentor you have not managed to get a toilet fixed?

 
Old 12-22-2017, 07:09 AM
 
13,754 posts, read 13,322,930 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NYgal1542 View Post
I don't know how old a pipe has to be before it is considered old, but this place was built in 2011.

Your idea is excellent. Thank you. How do I get into an "off the record" chat with someone in the health department?
I spend a good part of my career picking up the phone and calling "the experts" when I need help. Recently a customer wanted us to monitor voltage into his facility for spikes. So I call my ace electrician who knows exactly who to call for voltage monitoring.

Sometimes gov't agencies are difficult to reach through all of the automated answering stuff "press 1 if you speak Swahili" When you finally get to where you need to go you're told to leave a message. LEAVE ONE. It may be next month before someone gets back to you but that's okay.

You can go to web sites and leave emails, too.

Then there's social media. I believe that's monitored pretty closely by everyone but a message through that can be effective. (Your county probably has a fb page where you can leave a message.)

-I'd jot down your "to the point" points: There's an ongoing issue with plumbing that my landlord is not fixing. Is there anything I can do?
-"what kind of issue?" The toilet backs up. (even if it doesn't overflow because of your careful monitoring, let them know if you flush twice it overflows)
-I'd be ready with documentation of all the times you've reported it.
-I'd also let them know you don't want to cause trouble, you just want your plumbing operational.

You can always call a plumber and ask their advice, too. A good plumber might be able to steer you in the right direction.

Just as an aside, if you're still reading I worked at a "gaming property" in Tunica in the facility maintenance department. I pm'd the restrooms for loose hardware, properly operating fixtures, lights out, etc. One toilet just wasn't flushing right. It was cleared time and again but it never really got straightened out. I finally spoke with my ace night shift guys and pleaded my case. The next day they told me they pulled a pair of drawers out of there, looked like they belonged to an elephant! So yes, there's something in there somewhere. It might be further down the line. Which makes me wonder if there are other people on that plumbing line having the same problem that you have.
 
Old 12-22-2017, 07:22 AM
 
Location: Central NY
5,947 posts, read 5,113,548 times
Reputation: 16882
Quote:
Originally Posted by Threestep View Post
Sorry but you have time for 3,225 posts on CD since 2015, have time to make veiled threats about folks to the police but as low income senior rentor you have not managed to get a toilet fixed?

Your post totally confuses me. I was not the one to make a veiled threat...... it was a neighbor who did that to me.

And why are you counting my posts? Are you going to send me a prize?? It better be a nice one!

I think my ex was a lot like you. That's why he is my ex.
 
Old 12-22-2017, 07:30 AM
 
Location: northern New England
5,451 posts, read 4,053,058 times
Reputation: 21324
I also rent and have a very OLD toilet that has the same problem. It must use about 5 gallons a flush, but after the flush is done, little wisps of TP reappear in the bowl. Or the water gets brown after a "motion" (you should excuse the expression). But it doesn't overflow and the next flush will correct it. I figure it is just a poor design in the toilet. And I just had the maintenance guy here replacing a pipe (it is so old there is a pipe connecting the tank to the bowl) and he had the bowl right off the floor so there is probably not a blockage in the pipe.

The plumbing in this place is majorly effed up, 5 minutes after I take a shower, I can hear the tub drain give a final burp/gurgle.
 
Old 12-22-2017, 07:36 AM
 
Location: Central NY
5,947 posts, read 5,113,548 times
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hunterseat: Thank you. I really appreciate what you wrote here.

I just PM'd my county's Board of Health via FB.

I am on top (2nd) floor and woman downstairs does not have trouble with her toilet. There is a couple who are on 1st floor down at the end of the building who had problems and were given one of those high pressure toilets (soon after moving in), no problem. But I think they had a lot of other trouble with their plumbing besides the toilet. We all just moved in this newly built building in September 2011. In that couple's plumbing they discovered a large amount of cat litter. How that got in there is anybody's guess. But this building was put on a long-time empty field in village in between businesses and behind this building are residences. It could be that people would empty their cat's box in the field. I had also heard that no one was happy that this building was being built.

A couple years ago during a very cold few days (minus zero temps), pipe froze and broke. Water backed up into a few of the 1st floor apartments, one worse than the others. Service Pro was called in (8:30 p.m. Sunday) who mopped up as much as they could and then set large fans to dry out the carpet. Woman who lived in this apt. was in wheelchair and was not offered being moved to a motel for the night. She slept(?) in her apartment that night and following with fans going and smell. And it took over a year for them to remove the mold and replace the carpeting.

These people are very slow to do anything.
 
Old 12-22-2017, 08:05 AM
 
11,230 posts, read 9,325,075 times
Reputation: 32252
As far as the toilet problem, you are already on the far side of my next suggestion, but:

In my experience, if you have an issue you need to bring it up right away and continue to work it (in a calm, nonconfrontational manner) until it's fixed. The longer you let something go, the more likely that the response will be "well, she's been going along for years and only now it's a problem? Sounds like it's not much of a problem if she's been dealing with it all this time, so I wouldn't make it much of a priority."
 
Old 12-22-2017, 08:12 AM
 
Location: Central NY
5,947 posts, read 5,113,548 times
Reputation: 16882
Quote:
Originally Posted by turf3 View Post
As far as the toilet problem, you are already on the far side of my next suggestion, but:

In my experience, if you have an issue you need to bring it up right away and continue to work it (in a calm, nonconfrontational manner) until it's fixed. The longer you let something go, the more likely that the response will be "well, she's been going along for years and only now it's a problem? Sounds like it's not much of a problem if she's been dealing with it all this time, so I wouldn't make it much of a priority."

I have pestered these people throughout the six years. Not every day. But probably should have persisted more often. It's either they fired the maintenance man, we don't have a maintenance man, the owner has a serious health problem, another maintenance man hired/fired, long period of time with no maintenance man. They hired a decent guy for the job who does his best but his responsibilities include this building besides driving (5+ miles) to one or two other buildings. He does snow removal, vacuuming, minor repairs, whatever else they can think of. So he's a good guy, but he is stretched pretty thin. Works in this building maybe 3 days/week.
 
Old 12-22-2017, 08:19 AM
 
8,085 posts, read 5,249,640 times
Reputation: 22685
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYgal1542 View Post
Waited six years because I kept hearing it would be taken care of. Foolish me, I gave them a long leash.

Why can't I call a plumber? Because I rent...... if I called a plumber, I would be paying him/her. And who knows what the people who own this place would do. They have been very derelict in taking care of many problems. I wrote the attorney general including copies of pertinent info and was told they could not help me.

Why haven't I moved?? No money.

To be honest, I have not thought about renters' rights. I ran out of steam a while ago. I'm tired of being on top of everything including things that weren't my responsibility but no one else stepped up to the plate. I made a complaint regarding another issue to the cops and they weren't interested. It was a veiled threat (don't forget, I know which car is yours).

Hope I answered all the questions. It's just so fun to be low-income senior.
Ya...that's how it works.

Six years? And you couldn't have saved up???
 
Old 12-22-2017, 08:38 AM
 
Location: Central NY
5,947 posts, read 5,113,548 times
Reputation: 16882
Quote:
Originally Posted by LLCNYC View Post
Ya...that's how it works.

Six years? And you couldn't have saved up???
Saved up?? For what?

Have you heard that some of us live paycheck to paycheck?? I'm 75, on SS and some other retirement that does not make me rich.
 
Old 12-22-2017, 09:05 AM
 
Location: Idaho
2,104 posts, read 1,933,344 times
Reputation: 8407
NYgal1542,

I hope that your official complaints will get the apartment manager to get a plumber coming in to fix the problem.

In the meantime, you can check this webpage to see if there is anything that you can do by yourself now to alleviate the weak flushing issue.

https://www.fluidmaster.com/toilet-p...et-flush-weak/

Quote:
1. Cleaning the rim (feed holes) and jet holes of your toilet

My note: you may not be able to follow all the cleaning steps but this one is certainly doable

Using a toilet bowl cleaner, for example Lime-A-Way® or Clorox®, hold the flapper open and pour 1–2 cups of cleaning solution down the flush valve opening. Be careful to not let any cleaner spill over into the tank. If it does, wipe it up immediately. Let the toilet sit unused for several hours or overnight. The cleaning solution will work its way into the flow channels and help to dissolve any mineral build up.


2. Other Causes for an Incomplete or Weak Flush
- Check the water level in the tank...
- Flapper closes too soon....

3. New Fluidmaster Kit or New 502 Flapper
My note for item 2 & 3: New kit or flapper (does not have to be this brand) may solve your problem.

When we were staying at my daughter's guest living quarter last month, we often had to flush twice. We opened the toilet tank lid and found that the water level was low. The water stain marks showed that it used to be at a higher level. Something had worn out over the years affecting the water refil level. We tried to adjust the trip lever, played with the lift rod etc but could not fix the problem until we replaced the assembly with a new flush kit.

https://inspectapedia.com/plumbing/T..._149_DJFes.jpg

So some simple fixes like cleaning the mineral deposit in the flow channels or replacing the flush assembly (by the apartment plumber) may solve the problem. If not, the apartment manager will have to install a high pressure toilet flushing system.

Good luck with getting the problem fixed.
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