All Forum Posts by: Brandt Tingen

@Steve Vaughan No problem glad I could be of some help!  Good advice on the hoses.  A lot of the shutoff valves to the fixtures are really old & crudded up also.  I'm going to replace most of them with shark bites and replace a lot of fixtures throughout the older rentals just to get everything tightened up.  Never thought I'd spend a Saturday night cruising for toilets, but this one keeps coming up as a bomb proof commode when used with the heavy duty flapper. Toto CST744E Low Consumption Siphon Jet Flush Toilet.

I have two duplexes I want to sub meter.  Meter is very accessible in front of the house in a via a man hole cover, plenty of room to install additional equipment.  The large sub metering companies don't want to mess with it because it's not enough units.  A lot of plumbers aren't familiar with it.  If I research which sub meter I want is any master plumber capable of installing?  Or should I find someone with experience.  I looked into it and it looks like in my jurisdiction sub metering is legal.   

Very good suggestion.  I just completed writing the new provisions for my next lease, and finished a new template letter sending out to every tenant tomorrow explaining what to do in the event of leaks, emergencies or needed repairs, and any alternations the property. 

Great tip nothing beats educating the tenant what to do in the event of a leak or emergency. 

Also if anyone out there has to shutoff a valve and doesn't trust their tenant to not turn it back on until it's repaired (this may seem extreme but some tenants won't even wait a 1/2 day for it to get fixed, it's not their problem) I found these:

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-Rotating-Valve-Lockout/dp/B007NAGGUI

Thanks for all the advice.  Unit was built 75+ years ago.  Lots of deferred maintenance.  I probably need to change most of the fixtures to more efficient ones, and replace most of the shutoff valves.  This most recent one was a toilet leak.  Only thing is I'm not sure if the toilet itself is failed or just the guts.  I timed it at the meter the toilet was leaking 4 gallons per minute - seems like a lot.  

It was the toilet valve running like a son of a gun.  Tenant rigged some type of rubber band contraption as a makeshift toilet flapper chain.  It was one of those modern flappers that is a cylinder that goes up and down as opposed to the traditional flapper.  Turned all the shut off valves and the meter came to a dead stop.  Turned on the toilet in question and it was running at 4gpm.  By my math that's more than 5,500 gallons per day.  

Learned a few very good lessons.  Number one sending a letter to this tenant and all other tenants stating with the process on shutting off shutoffs valves in the event of a leak and how to spot a leak.  Also reaffirming in the same letter that after a leak is contained, under no circumstances is a tenant authorized to repair the problem itself, to notify the landlord immediately, and that the landlord will have a plumber to repair the issue within 24-48 hours.  Number two is to add setting up high usage alerts with the water company in my lease-up playbook.  I usually do this on instinct but don't have it written down and the one time I forget is the time it costs me :[ 

Hoping I can appeal the water company after the plumber comes out and get that bill reduced. 

Will also be systematically replacing all of the shutoff valves a lot of them are questionable, and upgrading the toilets and fixtures over the course of the year.

Thanks for the great suggestions. 

@Frank N. Thanks for the tip.  How do you sub meter did the city set that up for you or you used a plumber/yourself to set it up?  Btw my little bro is graduating this year in Brooklyn we may be looking for a multi-unit for him soon. 

@Jeff Robert I think they must be.  I am paying the bill.  Low flow everything getting installed next week. 

Hi,  My tenant's water usage is normally 60 - 500 gallons per day.  I just looked at my bill and the water usage has been 3,000 - 7,000 gallons over the last few days.  I called the tenant immediately and asked what was going on and they said they had re-installed a new flapper but it was leaking.  Is it possible for a toilet to overflow this much, or does this much water have to be a burst pipe?  We have had very cold weather the last week and a half.  I asked the tenant what day they tried to repair the toilet and the day after is when the water usage spiked.  I have sent the tenant a letter reaffirming that they are to make no self-repairs under any circumstances, but looking for some ideas for now.  

Also these tenants are home all of the time, so if anyone recommends bomb-proof and leak proof toilet guts or kitchen sink faucets and parts, I would gladly take suggestions.  I am even open to installing commercial grade equipment.  

I have a tenant that is using 50 - 600 gallons of water per day.  Their fixtures leak occasionally I bought the place with cheap stuff installed.  The toilets always leak.  My question is, what are the most bomb proof toilet guts (flapper & valve) and kitchen sink faucets?  I am open to commercial grade equipment, if I have to invest more up front to stop the leaks that is fine.  The tenants are Section so they are home all day.   

My Section 8 tenant's daily water usage ranges from 50 - 600 gallons per day.  It is a family of 3 adults and 2 children.  1 full bath and 1 half bath.  Is this normal?