Wasting Water: DrIp, Drip, Drip

Wasting Water by Uncle George

If you hear a dripping noise at night and have checked your faucets, that dripping may be your toilet tank leaking. It is unusual for new fixtures to begin leaking in less than two years; however, I found both of my toilet tanks leaking. The cure is simple. Replace the flapper in the tank.

The flapper is the part that the chain pulls to allow the water to flow into the bowl.
On a closer look, I noticed that both flappers were warped on the sealing edge permitting leakage. Since we all have the same fixtures, it is probable that others will discover leaks as I did. How do you know if it’s leaking?
One way to detect the leak is hearing it. The sound will keep you awake at night with worry that a flood is eminent: a dry version of water torture.
Another sign is the occasional inrush of water as it opens the water valve to replace the lost water.
A more scientific way is to shut the water valve that supplies the water to the tank. Turn it off for several hours. (Do not flush the toilet or you will have to start over.) If the tank is empty or lower, you are loosing water due to a poorly sealing flapper. What to do?
Hire a plumber or find a friend that is handy. This is a ten minute job. Going to the hardware store will take longer than the fix.
Do it yourself. Go to that hardware store and buy a flapper replacement kit. It’s a good idea to remove one of the current ones and take it to the hardware store to get a match. Almost any one will work. Personally, I’ve always have had good results with Fluidmaster. Ask the hardware guy if you aren’t sure.
Replacement:
Do one toilet at a time. Just in case a situation of need arises. Also, you can use the other unit as a model while working.

Step One: Remove the tank lid carefully and place it in a safe spot away from your work area - not on the toilet seat. If you drop it, you may need to replace the entire toilet. (Been there, done that!) Close the inlet or “shut-off” valve at the tank. Flush the toilet to empty the tank. Remove flapper and chain from the tank. They are often dirty and black to the touch so use a paper towel or cloth to hold them. The chain can be unclipped from the handle arm. Make note of the chain length and operation of the flush handle.

Step two: Go to the hardware store. Buy two kits. You only need the flapper assembly. Most times the floats are OK. It’s your decision otherwise. ACE is my favorite. True Value, Lowes, Home Depot, and maybe Wal-Mart all have the parts.

Step Three: Figure out how to fasten the flapper so it hinges freely. The kits usually give you a few extra parts to accommodate different manufacturers. See the included photos to see what worked for my fixture. Most of us should have the same fixture.

The ring part on the right was not required for my model.

Step Four: Adjust the chain length. OK, this is where your old part can help. Measure the chain length and clip it so that the action is the same. The chain needs to be just long enough to allow the flapper to close. Try the handle to see if it opens and closes freely.
Step Five: Open the shut-off valve. Wait for the tank to refill. Flush several times and watch to make sure nothing is sticking, binding or tangling. Replace the tank lid. DONE!
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Send me an email mc900@comcast.net
Uncle George

Max Myers Electrician: This guy is good!

One of our readers, G.M., recommended Max Myers for his professionalism as an electrician.

We hired Max to add some light fixtures to kitchen area.

Over the counter, he hung three accent lights.

On the Kitchen ceiling, he mounted a fan

and to replace the "builders grade" florescent fixture,

he installed several recessed lights.

He also added switches to accommodate control of the new fixtures.

Wow! things look better than ever.

Great to work with as he offered some good ideas.

Best of all, he was done in one day.

Thank you again, G. M.

Here is his contact information.

Myers Electric LLC

4226 Beulah RoadHurlock, Md 21643

Master Electrician Max Myers

C: 410-924-0380

FAX: 410-943-1748

Cambridge Creek Bridge Closing

One effect of the bridge closing has been an increase in traffic through Deep Harbour. It appears that some "no outlet" signage would be helpful.

Since Beazer has a sales office on site, locking both gates seems to be unlikely during daylight hours. A reasonble solution would be to close the north gate as prospective customers would be more likely to enter from the Cedar St. side.

I urge residents to keep an eye on this. Hopefully, as time passes, most of the local traffic will find it easier to use Cedar St. to enter town. Keep your Board of Directors informed.

Send your commnets to MC900@comcast.net

Cambridge Creek Bridge Closing

The Cambridge Creek Bridge will be closed to automobile traffic Aug. 1 to Oct. 31 to allow for repairs and repainting of the drawbridge.

The drawbridge spans will remain locked in an upright open position for most of the closure period to facilitate work on the underside. Work includes cleaning and repainting structural steel and mechanical components of the movable spans, and repairing the drawbridge and bridge approaches.

Marine traffic will be permitted to pass. There may be some passage limitation due to workmans' rafts.

see the Dorchester Star for more information.
http://www.dorchesterstar.com/

Letters to the Editor: Noise levels within 900 Marshy Cove

The following has been submitted by a resident:

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"Due to the poor construction and lack of attention to details at 900 Marshy Cove, Tenants who are not as fortunate as those living on the top floor experience excessive noise from tenants living above them. i.e., when the man above me gets out of bed in the morning I can hear his bare feet on the floor. When one of the tenants grand children runs the hallway on the 3rd floor I can hear it in my unit on the first floor. All this means is that the sound attenuation in the floor system is not adequate....There are HUD standards as well as Building Code standards that are suppose to be followed or exceeded set standards of decibel levels of sound that are allowable.
Since Comanco is in Beazer's pocket, I wonder if there is another way of checking this standard to get the construction certified or disapproved.....If it is the later then it can be fixed with sound insulation that they can blow into the ceiling spaces to reduce the transmission of noise ...... Maybe a question for HUD....I don't know"

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Send your comments mc900@comcast.net

900 Marshy Cove Blog Site: Join us!

Residents,

The 900 Marshy Cove blog site has been in place since January 2009.
We have lots of useful information in our archives.

Please join us at www.900marshycove.blogspot.com

Most of all, your comments are appreciated.
Make this a community site.
Send your comments to mc900@comcast.net

You don't need to be in the elevator to know what's happening.

Grass roots at its best!

Power Outages

Last Sunday Morning, July 25, 900 Marshy Cove experienced a partial power failure. A Delmarva Power lineman told me that we lost a phase. For the non-technical-electrical, that means of the three power legs that connect to the building, one failed. It was not a problem within our building, but, on the street side.

Many of us had air conditioning, but no lights in half of the condo. Others had the opposite.
Things were back to near normal by late morning.

Again on Wednesday, there was a total power failure.

Lessons Learned:

1. Have a flashlight nearby. Although the emergency lighting in the hallway and stairs should work, they were not operational. Because the power failure was partial, the emergency circuits that detect power failure thought that things were OK even though, the lights were out in the stairway. Of course, in some cases, the batteries may have been worn-out.
2. Have you checked you fire exit key? Does it work? You don't need your key to exit the building; but, you need it to return. If the elevators are out of service, climbing the stairs is the only way back. Many folks, this week, were surprised that their keys didn't work. Sometimes a little wiggling will do it. I had several keys cut at a local hardware store only to find that none of them worked on the door. I went to a different hardware store and their machine did a better job. If you get keys cut, test your key before copying and test all new keys.
3. Our system needs some serious attention. We residents are at risk. The Board has a plan to replace the emergency lighting. The sooner the better. We also need to figure out the exit key problem. Either new locks or distribute keys are sure to work.

Send your comments to MC900@comcast.net

One readers comments:

"Sunday morning we were told things would be back up in a couple of hours so we went out to church and to lunch. When we came back, the elevators weren't actvated yet, so we (owners and weekend guests) climbed the stairs in the dark, only to find we couldn't get in the locked stairwell doors. In essence we were locked out of the condo, and my calls to Mr T at Commanco and Mr. S at Beazer (just fishing for an idea of how to get back in) were not returned. I was disappointed."

Beazer Plan for Deep Harbour Approved by City

Since the economic turn down, Beazer has been hard pressed to obtain financing for their original plan to build four more 48 unit condo buildings. for many months they have been negotiating with the city for a revised plan which has now been approved.

The new plan places townhouses on the undeveloped plots. No detail s of the architectural design have been made available to us at this time. The site plan only shows the placement of the townhouses. The good news is the the view from the upper floors of 900 Marshy Cove will be mostly unchanged after construction.

It is unknown how quickly Beazer will move on the building the townhouses; however, be assured that they would like build, sell, and get off the property as soon as possible. Simply put, 'time is money.'

Note: Due to the format of the plan, I was unable to attach a copy.

Where are the best crab recipes found?

RAIN DOESN'T STOP CRAB LOVERS FROM ENJOYING AT THE TASTE OF CAMBRIDGE!
July 11, 2010—Thanks to the hundreds and hundreds of crab lovers, visitors, volunteers, restaurants, vendors, and others—who came out despite the soggy weather to make a terrific Taste of Cambridge! The People's Choice winners in the Crab Cook-Off will be announced in the coming days, after we've counted all the ballots. In the meantime, congratulations to our JUDGE'S CHOICE winners:

Cream of Crab Soup: Jimmie & Sook's Raw Bar and Grill

Crab Soup: Clearview at Horn Point

Crab Dip: Kay's at the Airport

Crab Cake: Kay's at the Airport

Crab Specialty: Ocean Odyssey (for Oyster Crabafeller)

Taste of Cambridge, Tommorrow, Saturday, July 10

JULY 10 TASTE OF CAMBRIDGE PROMISES FUN FOR ALL AGES!
Crab cakes, crab dip, crab soup, and crab specialty items—18 dishes in all from 10 restaurants—are on the menu at the 2010 Crab Cook-Off, the highlight of the Taste of Cambridge event on July 10, 5-10pm.

The street festival, which happens rain or shine, also includes live music, non-crab food, contests and activities for children, and a professional crab-picking contest. Because it’s also Second Saturday, shops will stay open until 9pm and several galleries will be hosting free receptions.

Admission to the street festival is free.

Tickets to the Crab Cook-Off cost $25.

Advance tickets are selling quickly, so buy yours today!

Click here for all the details on Taste.
[More]

see you there! mc900@comcast.net