All Forum Posts by: Randy F.

Along with the dust mask, you should wear a pair of 3D glasses. After a home is vacant that long, ghosts think its safe to walk around naked!

Rob can send him to Alaska to knock in my door next... And last! Up here its legal to shoot bores in defense of life and property. And I wouldnt want him stinking up the place.

Oh... Oops! ... Shoot "bears" in defense of life and property. Oh well, bears... bores... They both start with "b"... Close enough!

Ive been out of the heating business for twenty years and havent seen AOSmith water heaters in Alaska( doesnt mean they arent up here!)I did a bit of research and see that they have a a model with a combustion air blower. If its a sealed combustion chamber it must be this model and the blower pressurizes the chamber. In that even it is critical that the air/gas ratio be maintained for clean, efficient combustion. For that reason I wouldnt drill any holes as that will change this balance.

The sole funtion of the thermocouple is to sense the heat from the pilot light. If the pilot goes out the gas valve closes so that gas cannot continue to flow to pilot or open when theres a call for heat.

Rarely is the problem the gas valve. It usually involves a bad thermocouple, a change in pilot flame size, position of thermocouple sensor in relation to flame, or simply carbon buildup not allowing enough heat transfer.

Check to ensure thermocouple is not carboned up or burned up. Need good positive contact with flame. Brush it off i carboned. If end appears burned/has irregular shape, replace it. Ensure that pilot flame is strong and blue. If it appears lazy or is more yellow in color, clean orifice where gas comes out. If it is still lazy and not blue flame, there is a screw on gas valve that you can adjust to increase gas flow. Light pilot and turn screw in tiny increments as you watch flame until it becomes stronger and blue in color.

Another possibility is when the main gas valve opens and closes the pressure change blows out the pilot. This can be rectified with the adjustment of pilot flame, unless it is caused by blockages in the burner tube orifices. Watch as the burners light. Does the burner light within seconds of the gas valve openin? Do the burners light smoothly from front to rear? If not, that could mean that there has to be a buildup of gas before lighting and the increases pressure blows out pilot. In this case burner tubes may need to be pulled and cleaned. If they are clean and no blockages, thermocouple is doing its job, and pilot flame is strong and blue, air inlet on burners may need to be adjusted to slow draft/air flow.

If this is happening when there is demand and the flue is hot, it could be caused by the increased draft. When the flue is hot, draft is greater. Air is movin thru burner tubes at a higher speed and pilot isnt in close enough contact with gas flow. Again, either adjusting pilot position in reference to burner, increasing pilot size, or adjusting air flow at burner tubes, should rectify problem.

It could also be insufficient draft, but this is usually accompanied by the odor in the room when combustion occurs which you didnt mention, and with a three story flue isnt likely.

The cleaning and thermocouple replacement is simple. The rest is best done by a heating tech. Its a carefully balance system that can change over time and easily corrected by a professional. If you make too many changes and it doesnt fix problem, it could cost you more to have it brought back into balance. I offered what I know so that you are armed against the guys that come out and just start replacing parts until it works.

Only other thing I can think of is posession by evil spirits! Do you know a good Catholic Priest?

Low inventory in Vegas? Overall or deals?

Are you a wholesaler or investor? If you're a wholesaler and the numbers tell you theres room for you to make $20K... go for it. If you're an investor and there is low inventory, and the numbers are truly that good, why wouldnt you add value and flip or hold yourself?

Simply a low inventory of good deals doesnt cause investors to jump at bad ones. And if you are thinking you'll just relist it and make an easy $20K, kicking the problem down the road to a fellow American after youve pulled the cream off the top, may very well end up biting you in the backside. As well it should.

There aint no free lunch?

Amie, to your question about investing out of state, being that you already have the properties there, I see nothing wrong with continuing to invest in that area. I would however, first get your PM concerns settled. If you can buy properties that cash flow in your out of state market, and you are completely at ease with the service you get from a PM, I say go for it.

While you continue to build in the area you know, you can take your time learning about the potential markets in your new area and wont feel the pressure to move on deals until you are comfortable and possibly have more income to reinvest.

As far as I know, once the court makes the support order its a done deal unless you or her go back to the court seeking an adjustment to the original order. So yes, she could request the court to reassess your income and adjust the support order according to the findings.

I agree more with Rob K on this one. The majority of porcelain tile do have a body color in the same tones as the surface color, whether glazed or not. Porcelain is much less prone to chipping than ceramic and if it does chip is often less visable. And once the glazed surface of ceramic is compromised, it is much more likely to continue to chip out from there than porcelain. I never put ceramic tile on a floor, rental or not.

Carpet has become very unpopular as folks have been made increasingly more informed on the presence of dust mites, dead skin cells, and the like that take up residence therein.

Vinyl plank seems to be the flooring of choice with many here on BP, but there is much to be said for porcelain tile floor, especially on mid range and up rentals or flips. I dont believe there is a "one size fits all" solution for every property. But then, I look at a rehab in terms of what fits the property more so than what fits a potential renter or buyer. "Build it, and they will come" applies. If all treatments are complementary and cohesive with the overall character of the home, it will appeal to the masses.

Ive seen some stunningly beautiful hundred plus year old tile floors. I highly doubt youll ever see the same in a vinyl flooring. Yeah... I know... You wont likely hold your properties that long. But what does THAT have to do with it!! :c)

This post reminded me of an epoxy company I did some business with years ago. It was real eye opener. Their epoxy hung on the racks next to numerous other brands at all the hardware and box stores. The brands and packaging are all different, but in many cases the exopy inside is the exact same thing. They were little more than a packaging and marketing company. The exopy came to them in fifty five gallon drums from a manufacturer. Not a proprietary blend... The same stuff his competitors package. The inly difference between theirs and the others is the bubble in the package and stir stick for mixing, and the words and colors on the package.

When I had my heating business in the eighties, I carried a variety of equipment. A lower end downflow trailer furnace I brought in came with five different name brand stickers. I guess in a larger market selling a different sticker than your competition makes sense!! LOL!!

So... It very well may be that mixing two different products isnt as big a risk as we might think. Ya never know!

I wouldnt mix them for use on a floor, but Cabot is a great product.