FIX it FRIDAY: What's wrong with my furnace

What’s Wrong With My Furnace?


When heat comes on, lights go dim

by Paul Bianchina

Q: We recently moved into a home with electric forced-air heat. In the winter, every time the furnace kicks on, the lights in the house dim for a nanosecond. Is this something that can be addressed or fixed?

Before we moved in we had to replace the electrical panel (it was made by a company that went out of business years ago because their panels were known to start fires), and I’m wondering if there is something associated with that we can correct. Any help before furnace season starts is greatly appreciated! –Lea


A: The dimming of the lights is caused by a voltage drop that occurs during the startup phase of the furnace. When your thermostat calls for heat, the electric elements in the furnace begin to heat up before the furnace motor kicks on, a process called “heat anticipation.” It’s set up that way so that the furnace fan doesn’t blow cold air through the ducts before the furnace itself heats up. So when you hear the furnace kick on, that’s actually the sound of the fan motor starting up and activating the fan itself.

A couple of possible problems come to mind: The wires leading to the furnace may be too small, or you may have a loose or corroded connection. There should be two circuit breakers on the furnace itself, and they may be loose or faulty. It’s also possible that the furnace motor is going bad, or that you have some problems with the fan, the belts, or other internal furnace parts that are requiring an excessive amount of electricity in order to get turning.

Given the fact that the panel was replaced recently, you definitely want to have an electrician come out to inspect everything — the new panel, the circuit breakers, wire sizes, connections (including the connection to the utility company wires), grounding, etc. All this should be covered under the one-year warranty from the electrical contractor who did the work. I would also strongly recommend that you have the furnace checked and serviced by a heating company that deals with your particular brand of furnace.

One other thing: Since the electrical panel was replaced recently, your local building department will have a record of the permit. I would suggest that you obtain a copy of that, and make sure that the installation was inspected and approved and that the inspector didn’t note any problems.

Remodeling and repair questions? E-mail Paul at paulbianchina@inman.com.
Copyright 2009 Inman News

Reduced Oil Program for Members

Earlier this month I was contacted by district manager Eddie Doyle of Alliance Express.

For those not familiar with the company Alliance Express has been providing heating and other comfort services to the community for over 90 years! They’re home comfort experts and are proud to provide our customers with responsive service and affordable heating oil pricing and payment plans. Some of the services they offer are...

· Competitive oil pricing programs
· 24-Hour emergency service, including Weekend and Holidays
· Preferred Payment Plan that spreads out your energy costs evenly over 12 months(we also accept Fuel Assistance Customers)
· Accurate and dependable automatic fuel oil deliveries (42 Trucks)
· Comprehensive Annual Heating and A/C Service Policies
· Highly trained and licensed service technicians (49 Techs)
· Expert heating and air conditioning sales, service and installations

Mr. Doyle and Alliance Express would like to create an Oil and Service Plan specifically for the members of the Greater Salem Landlord Association. If you have any interest in this money saving opportunity please contact me directly by email at M_Woodcock@verizon.net so that I may register you.

Landlord Support: Mediation for Results

Recently several members of the Greater Salem Landlord Association attended a workshop sponsored by housing authority Community Teamwork Inc and Greater Lowell Landlord Association.
Guest speaker Peter Shapiro of Mediation For Results discussed effective landlord practices and key responsibilities of a landlords life. Mr. Shapiro's organization supports independent income property owners with affordable help in all aspects landlord and tenant relationships. By learning to handle situations in a professional manner often times a landlord can avoid of prevent many crisis's from occurring. For more information about the Mediation for Results visit there website www.mediationforresults.org

More on Recycling and Trash

During our November on site meeting we had guest speaker, Lynn Murray from Salem's Recycling Committee, update the group on the current program. Tremendous improvement have been implemented to keep the city on the green path. If you wold like to be more involved with the recycling committee, they meet the first Monday of every month at the city hall annex: 93 Washington Street Salem Ma.

Ms. Murray will be updating us on the status of non-resident landlords being able to avail themselves to the recycling programs such as hazardous waste day and yard and leaf disposal. Currently if you are not a resident of Salem you are unable to participate in these events. The groups hopes that this policy is amended. Below is some additional information about the
Holiday Trash & Recycling Pickup Schedule

Veterans Day
Because of the Thursday, November 11th Veterans Day holiday, Thursday and Friday trash and recycling pickup will be a day late.

Regular Thursday trash and recycling pickup will take place on Friday, November 12th.
Regular Friday trash and recycling pickup will take place on Saturday, November 13th.

------------------------------------------------

Thanksgiving
Because of the Thursday, November 25th Thanksgiving Day holiday, Thursday and Friday trash and recycling pickup will be a day late.

Regular Thursday trash and recycling pickup will take place on Friday, November 26th.
Regular Friday trash and recycling pickup will take place on Saturday, November 27th.

------------------------------
Reminder:

November 29-December 3, 2010 will be the last yardwaste curbside pickup of the year.

Salem announces a FREE pilot program for expanded e-waste recycling!

Northside Carting and Winfield Allied have partnered with the City of Salem to initiate a drop off e-waste recycling pilot program. Bring items from the list below to deposit in containers at DPS-5 Jefferson Avenue, City Hall Annex -120 Washington Street, 4th floor, and the Senior Center- 5 Broad Street.

Items included in expanded pilot e-waste program are:
Batteries
Battery back up units
Car Audio equipment
Cell phones
Computer wire
Digital cameras
Fax machines
Flash Drives
Gaming equipment (XBOX,PLAY STATION,NINTENDO)
GPS units
Home Stereo Equipment
IPods
Laptops
LCD panels-flat screen TV’s
Memory Sticks
Mp3 players
Office phones base and head set
Portable gaming equipment TOO
Power cords
Printers
Semi conductors
Servers
Telecommunications equipment
Telephone wire
Wire and wireless head sets for phone systems

Not Included: Anything covered by the current sticker program including CRT computer monitors, CRT televisions, Air Conditioners, Light Ballasts, Refrigerators and Freezers.

Making More Money

Marketing “Dead” Building Space

by Gary Zaremba
You need more money. The rent roll doesn’t cut it and the banks won’t return your phone calls. Before the ulcers set in, there might be some ways to squeeze more juice from the lemon.
Billboards: Let’s start at the top. If your building is near a major thoroughfare, you roof is a source of valuable income for very low maintenance. By placing a sign atop your structure, you can generate a monthly rental without doing a thing. A sign company changes the advertising which you can market yourself or sub out to an agency.
Down at street level you might be able to place more signage that advertises local businesses. These signs are much smaller in nature and usually would be placed for longer periods of time.

With both these ideas, you must consult local zoning codes to make sure you can place these signs.
Storage Lockers: Take a good look around your basement and the lightbulb might go off in your head signaling dollar signs. By turning dead rooms into paid storage space you can again invent money from nothing. For instance, placing private storage lockers in newly painted, well lit rooms will let your tenants keep more things without renting at outside facilities. Not only will this generate immediate income, it will also add another amenity to your building.
Laundry Rooms: Everyone in your building at some time will be down in the laundry room. This audience is captive and bored with time to kill. You can exploit this by setting up a locked display board and charging local merchants for putting in their ads. Tenants with items to sell or meetings to announce can also use this vehicle to reach their neighbors.
Roof Decks: Outside space! That’s all your hear from landlocked New Yorkers. If you can turn your roof into a patio area, a whole new area of revenue will open up. You can either subdivide the space and rent it out individually or make it a common area and adjust the rents accordingly. Here again, you’ve not only created more income, but you’ve added an amenity which will make your building more attractive to potential tenants.
Air Rights: Look up. It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s money raining down into your lap. The space above your building might not mean anything to you, but to a developer, it may mean big bucks. Here, it’s a good idea to consult your attorney to find out exactly what air rights you do have and what is the best way to sell or lease them.
Back Office Space: Sometimes all a business needs is space for a desk and a phone. A small storage closet or some dead space in a larger room could be converted into a commercial area for a small businessperson. As with some other ideas, this will have some upstart charges, but they will quickly recouped through you new rental income.
Yard Space: The back alleys or rear yards are sitting idle just waiting for the right idea to spring them to life. Many businesses need storage areas for machinery and equipment they don’t use everyday. If you have access which will not interfere with your other tenants and the hours that these areas are in use are limited, then you might have a workable solution.
Lobbies: Since essentially everyone who enters your building comes through the lobby, a display board similar to the one in your laundry room will generate income without costing you anything. It can be bright and cheerful and blend into your existing decor.
Consult Your Professionals: Your team of dedicated advisers will help you discover which ideas work for you. Your Engineer and Architect will help find out what is technically feasible, while your Attorney can help explain which ideas are legal for your building. Your Building Manager can help market and sell these new spaces to tenants.
In these slim times, it takes new thinking to just stay in place. Anything which can make you money without causing you headaches is worth a closer look.
COPYRIGHT 2010 Gary Zaremba

Do you have vacancies? Consider Specializing

Is Specialized Housing For You?

by Michael Monteiro

Particularly if you own a property in an urban area or near a university or center of business, many specialized tenant markets are just waiting to be captured.

Specialized property management may be just the solution you’ve been looking for to decrease vacancies and guarantee steady rental income.

When considering just a few of your options below, be sure that you take your property, location, property management style, and goals into consideration.
Section 8 and low-income housing
Essentially, the Section 8 program provides low-income individuals with government-assisted rent. Generally, tenants pay approximately 30 percent of a unit’s rent and the government pays the remaining balance directly to the tenant’s landlord.

In such a scenario, the Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) will determine the unit’s fair market rate (FMR) and the landlord is not allowed to charge the tenant anything over this amount. While it is up to you to choose whether or not to participate in Section 8, keep the following points in mind:
You will be subject to property inspection to ensure you meet HUD’s Housing Quality Standards.
You will not be able to charge a Section 8 tenant more than FMR.
Regardless of your state’s laws, you cannot evict a Section 8 tenant without judicial action for eviction.
While there may be some similarities, low-income housing is not the same as Section 8. Rather than receiving rental income from the government, property owners who run low-income properties are eligible for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC).

But it’s important to bear in mind that these tax credits apply only if you adhere to the rules and regulations that determine who can live in your building and how much they can be charged. Not abiding by the rules that are set forth can result in a whole lot of headaches, not to mention economic loss.

Despite the red tape that can come with low-income housing property management, there is a large pool of renters in need of low-income housing. If your property is in an appropriate situation, low-income property management may be a good solution for you.
Student housing
College students can be a landlord’s best friend or worst enemy. The problems with renting to students are fairly straightforward. Generally speaking, you’re dealing with younger renters (many of whom may be living on their own for the first time).

With this in mind, you may be more likely to experience noise and upkeep issues. Because of the school schedule, you may also find yourself turning apartments over annually or having to deal with sub-lets during the summer months.
But there are some very real positives when it comes to renting to students as well, most of which are financial. If you are living in an area that houses a college or university, chances are you will have a more dense renting population than you would otherwise.

This means that—for at least nine months out of the year—students offer a very real way to keep your vacancy levels low. Also, while students may not inherently have a lot of income (or any at all), when a parent or guardian co-signs the lease, in most cases that monthly check is just as reliable as it would be under any other circumstances.
Sure, you may have to be a bit more hands-on than you would otherwise be when it comes to running student housing. But the bottom line is, they offer a nice steady flow of income.
Corporate housing
More likely than not, managing corporate housing is fairly different from any other kind of property management you’ve done to date. First of all, you’ll be dealing with a company rather than an individual tenant.

In most corporate housing situations, a company will rent out one or more rooms in a property, with the understanding that one or more of their employees or clients will occupy this space over the duration of the rental term.

The way this actually works out may vary from having one stable tenant for a year at a time to having a cast of different tenants in and out on as little as a daily or weekly basis.
The good news here is that signing a lease with a corporate entity allows property managers to feel relatively secure that payment issues will be avoided.

There are not necessarily downsides to this scenario, just things to consider that make this situation different from renting to an individual such as: assuming the responsibility for furnishing the unit; the potential inability to build a relationship with the tenant or screen for undesirable tenant behavior; and, in some cases, the knowledge that you will not necessarily have a tenant occupying the unit at all times to immediately alert you when repair and upkeep issues crop up.
If you are looking for ways to decrease vacancy rates and generate more income, remember: There are always ways to think outside of the box when it comes to property management. Before you undertake one of these (or any other) specialized property management endeavors, just make sure you have carefully thought out the pros and cons and are well versed on any specific tax considerations or rules and regulations that may apply.
Check out the Buildium Blog for more property management resources.