The Mechanical Area Salsa!

No I don't mean the dance or the tasty chip treat  (Although it may feel like dancing when traversing those areas). I mean the area of your rentals or your new prospective property that gets the most misused.

The mechanical area is that area containing the boiler, the furnace, the water main, the electrical panel, the main sewer inlet and so on, and so on, and so on.....

These areas can be in a crawlspace or in a room designated for mechanical use.

Things mechanical rooms are not:

A coat closet

A storage room

An ammo reloading area

A camping gear catch-all

A shoe closet

A place for your cat box

Etc..., Ect..., Ect...

In other words the only things that belong in your mechanical area is the mechanical equipment. Anything else is fire-starter.

Your equipment absolutely needs room to breathe. I have spent 20-30 minutes before just emptying the mechanical area to get to the equipment, and in case you were wondering, yes! renters are the worst mechanical room caretakers.

If you haven't addressed the mechanical room in your lease with your renters, do so.

Now for those of you looking at potential properties, the big thing to watch is water.

I have had a number of calls through the years, that ended up being ground water coming in through the foundation where the pipes exited. But boy were they convinced it was a water main leak!

Other things to watch for are:

Mold

Dampness

A lot of old parts from prior fixes (are all the parts different or are there multiple parts that are the same)

Dead animal carcasses

A Greater then normal amount of dirt

Excessive insects

General condition of equipment

How long have the filters been in the furnace?

This list is not everything by any stretch, but the condition of the mechanical area will tell you a lot about the how the house was cared for, so don't just browse by it quickly. Take some time and really look.

The next blogs will begin to break down the parts of heat systems, since winter is almost upon us, and try to save you some money, time, and sanity.