Post date: Nov 9, 2015 4:20:57 AM
I am still at the Seattle house. Some of you may know that I have a tag line (signature) for my Email that reads, “observe, analyze, design, create, repair”. Old houses need constant attention and frequent repair. I only added the word “repair” in the past two years, when it dawned on me that a large part of what I do is fix things, either my own or someone else’s problems.
I replaced the water heater (after ten years) as a prophylactic repair. I would not wish hot water pouring across my basement floor on any prospective tenant.
I also discovered after Halloween that my doorbell does not work. The button had been damaged, so I replaced that, but the bell still does not work. Sadly my electrical tools are all in Taos and my time is limited. So I hire that job out. I had noticed that the puck lights I installed above the shelves at the end of the dining room stopped working. Probably the cheap transformer I used has finally given up the ghost. A second task for the electrician while he is here.
Next I discover water on the tile floor next to the toilet. The filler pipe seems to leak — very slowly, and the floor is impervious, but still it leaks. Since I had packed all my appropriate tools, I purchased another adjustable plier, but could not tighten the nut enough to stop it leaking. A visit from the plumber.
The little sink off the second bedroom has often drained slowly. I guess the plumber will have two jobs (for the price of one?) when he comes.
A year ago I decided that, since I have no water connected to my refrigerator, I should remove the ice maker, as it often collided with food stored in that area of the freezer. About two months later the thermometer readout changed to a flashing symbol. After considerable effort (and with zero help from Samsung customer ‘service’), I discovered that error message indicated that the ice maker is disconnected! So Friday I reconnected it and the temperature again appears on the display. I figured that an error message is not the best I can give to a tenant. Still, my experience with Samsung was expensive (I had to hire a service man to remove the ice maker) and very un-satisfactory. I will not buy one of their appliances again, no matter how well rated or priced.
All this deferred repair built up because I have not lived in this old house for seven months. Normally I can repair things as they arise, and it never seems like much. So many repairs piled up like this means it is time to hire professionals, just like most people do all the time!