Do I have to become an expert on every system in my house?

Parent Cafe
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<p>I am frustrated, and need to vent. </p>

<p>A few years ago, I had a new boiler and piping installed by my long-time plumber. (This guy is great, I trust him completely and have never had any problems with him.) We noticed a little fluid on the basement floor. The plumber came out and inspected it, and told me that the leak was almost certainly caused by the fact that the system had not been cleaned! I have had a contract with an oil company every year, with a service contract that includes yearly cleaning. The last “cleaning” took place in May, and according to my plumber, nothing was done. I had this particular company only for the past year, in previous years I’d been using a different one. The boiler that I have is the best one available, and it comes with a lifetime warranty. But this is in force only if the boiler has been maintained. If one fails (and my plumber has never seen it before), then they take the old boiler, inspect it, and replace it for free only if it the warranty terms have been met. The plumber said to watch it for a while, because sometimes small leaks seal up. </p>

<p>My contract with the old company is up this month, so I am looking for a new one. I asked my plumber whether he would do the cleaning and servicing. He does not do either, and has a contract with an oil company on his own boiler. He told me to be sure to watch the new oil company do the cleaning to make sure it is done right. Now I have to become an expert on the care and maintenance of boilers! He recommended the company he uses, and I will call them. But I may be stuck with the cost of a new boiler! I know that I could try to sue the oil company, but I don’t think I’d have much of a chance of winning. How could I prove that they didn’t clean the system, or even that they came out in May, or even that it was their fault and not the fault of the company I had the year before? I’d spend a tremendous amount of time, which I do not have, even without the new need to become an expert on boilers.</p>

<p>Another issue: we had a bathroom renovated a year ago by a contractor who lives in the neighborhood, and who was highly recommended by multiple neighbors. After less than a year, the caulk at the bottom of the shower started exploding out. We are now having another bathroom renovated by a different contractor, also very highly recommended. (I did not like working with the old contractor, but like the new one very much.) The new contractor told me that the old one had used glue instead of thinset in the shower, and the glue was expanding because of the steam. The vent in that room also doesn’t work properly - either it is undersized, or it just is not functioning well. The new electrician is looking into that.</p>

<p>I spend an enormous amount of time doing research before renovations. I already have a fulltime job, a husband, and two children. I am swamped and overwhelmed even without these problems that have been caused by experts not doing their jobs properly (or at all).</p>

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<p>After we put in the pool, I realized that I can never divorce my husband because I don’t understand how the pool works.</p>

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<p>NYMomof2, I am extremely sympathetic, have had some similar problems with my house!! One thing that occurs regularly is that different “experts” do not agree on how to do various repairs or jobs, and they regularly criticize the methods used by whoever worked on the job or system previously. But it is funny how none of them are willing to testify or be quoted for a legal case against the previous person when it comes right down to it!</p>

<p>I am curious - has anyone here ever paid the fee for Angie’s List to check contractors out? I am reluctant to pay the fee, I don’t know whether I would even find what I need out there or how reliable the reports would be.</p>

<p>Lol, missypie, I discovered after getting divorced that maintenance and repair items I thought my ex understood and was taking care of were NOT being handled properly.</p>

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<p>Our pool is surrounded by lovely limestone - exactly the look we were after - only the salt in the pool is causing the limestone to deteriorate…when the pool was built, the limestone wasn’t sealed. If sealing had been put in the bid, we would have paid for it…Were WE supposed to do the research to determine that the limestone should have been sealed? or perhaps not even used around a salt pool? Just like you, were we supposed to have been the experts?</p>

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<p>Shortly after I became a diagnostic engineer, I noticed that I find myself in my high heels every holiday and family gathering, traipsing through mud and field to look at cracks in my relatives’ brickwork.</p>

<p>I guess my point is, befriend an engineer and have them take care of it. ;)</p>

<p>Seriously, though, it might not be a bad idea, if you know a civil engineer or an architect, to ask them who they’d recommend for household contract work. There’s typically “a guy” that everyone around the office uses for their own homes’ work, and they use him because he’s not going to mess them around and he knows what he’s doing.</p>

<p>Don’t feel bad… I just issued a 175 page specifications manual for a domestic residence that spells out <em>everything</em> they’re supposed to install, and exactly <em>how</em> they’re supposed to install it… and that’s just for the civil engineering stuff. The architect tells how all of the tile and whatnot is supposed to be installed, so that’s another 175 pages, and then there’s all of the specifications for how the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems need to be installed, so that’s probably another 175 pages…</p>

<p>There’s no way… NO WAY… you can know all of this stuff. We barely know all of this stuff.</p>

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<p>Sure it’s not efflorescence? PM me… I’ll send you my e-mail address and if you want to send me a picture, I’ll take a look at it. I think it’s efflorescence…</p>

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<p>^^^^That is exactly the type I thing I find all the time with contractors. You have to research everything and put every little detail on paper. I used to think if I missed something I could expect a contractor to recommend it, now I never assume anything. </p>

<p>I feel for you NYMom</p>

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<p>It sounds like efflorescence is a color thing. The limestone is actually crumbling away. We now have it sealed every year, but my guess is that the type of stone they used should not have been used around the pool in the first place.</p>

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<p>I have the same gripe about computers - probably most people do. If something doesn’t work (that really should work) you have to be a tech systems expert to troubleshoot the darn thing. Just give me a computer that works!!</p>

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<p>I learned the hard way that it really is important to do some research before you have something serviced or repaired. We just had our chimney re-done (it was leaking)-- we used a mason and he seemed to know what he was doing. He recommended a particular kind of flashing, chimney cap, etc. but neglected to really look at the damper (which I asked him to specifically). Well, it turns out that after he did the work, the damper would not work because it was so old and rusty so now he is saying that he needs to take the new cap off and install another type which has a damper incorporated into it. And wants another $1000 to do it. If I had just done some basic research online, I would have known enough about the structure of a chimney to ask the right questions. I assumed, wrongly, that he would educate me and give me choices. It seems plain stupid to me that he didn’t. But that seems a common procedure with contractors. So yes, you do need to know enough to ask the right questions.</p>

<p>Also, I would not have hired a mason at all but a chimney person (something I figured out after doing the research, AFTER the job was done). These days contractors are hurting and will take on jobs that are not really within their specialty and it makes a difference.</p>

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<p>We used limestone in a master bath and it was (supposedly) sealed. Within a year, it looked awful. It seems like even water leaves stains on this stuff. I’m really disgusted with it. Original tile contractor, who was hired by the builder, has moved to Hawaii and builder isn’t taking responsiblity (it’s been 5 years since the house was completed). Tile guys who’ve come in say it wasn’t sealed properly–it’s confusing. Who’s telling the truth and how do I know? I’m at the point where I’m ready to tear out the limestone (it’s called crema marfil) and get a manmade stone that isn’t high maintenance.</p>

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<p>From what I know, sealant isn’t really a magic cureall… The crumbling away is likely a problem with the stone itself, missypie. They probably skimped. </p>

<p>Bromfield, that might be a sealant problem, but crema marfil is a type of marble… </p>

<p>It’s kind of tough to call. I know what I would do in the commercial building world, but often, I’m told “it doesn’t work that way” in the residential building world. I’d have laid out specifications for all of this stuff, which includes tests and checks and balances to keep everyone from trying to skimp on product or quality. Architects can put together specifications for a particular project for you, if it’s something you really want to keep control of, but it’s going to make the contractor’s price go up because it’s being dictated to them that they’re going to need to do some testing of the materials that they receive, and they’re going to have to be properly trained to do what they say they’re going to do… Usually, in residential construction, things are a lot more lax because it’s only thousands of dollars going into a project, instead of millions of dollars…</p>

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<p>Regarding bathroom vent - mine failed 5 years after construction. I went to look at how to replace and found that it had not been hooked up to an outside vent (e.g. the pipe that goes through the roof). In fact the outside vent had not been installed. So fan had been blowing moist air into the insulation for 5 years - no wonder fan rusted out…</p>

<p>General contractor came out and scratched his head and said I don’t know how that happened - and replaced it for free. He blamed it on the plumber - but also said he didn’t know how the inspector missed it. </p>

<p>Bottom line - see if the fan is pumping air to the outside. I tested all mine by steaming up the bathroom really well - and then turning on the fan - you should be able to see the steam coming out the vent. A smoke bomb would also work but I don’t know where to buy those other than on the 4th!!!</p>

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<p>Such a frustration!</p>

<p>We moved into our home when it was 3 years old. There was virtually no air coming out of the floor vent in one west-facing room. I figure the previous owners’ kid must have never actually slept in that room. It was a sauna.</p>

<p>The furnace company wanted to cut into the ceiling below this room, but first sent me this guy who looked like Jerry Garcia, played rock music as he worked at top volume and had his plumber’s butt in full view to see if he could find an obstruction (he was their top “investigator”).</p>

<p>Somehow he miraculously found and retrieved something from the vent from 2 floors below. The painters had stuffed or dropped a DONUT BAG into the vent in that room and it was halfway through the vent system. Gee, thanks guys. Way to be careful.</p>

<p>Thank you to my Jerry Garcia furnace man who saved me lots of money and tearing open my ceiling!</p>

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<p>you should be a expert in everything. I certainly am.</p>

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<p>Oh, man…this is timely! I have been trying to collect bids for a master bath remodel and bids for new windows. Yikes! Just who do you believe??? Talk about confusing!</p>

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<p>We hired a well regarded landscape architect for the initial set of pool and landscaping plans. I should have demanded my money back after we talked to the pool contractor. What the landscape architect drew could not be built - the guy totally ignored the set backs and easements shown on the survey we had provided to him, called for a gas spa even though we had no gas service to the house, and recommended shade loving plant materials for full Texas western exposure sun. From time to time I see articles in the paper highlighting this guys’ great work and I always want to write in bit I’m afraid of a libel action.</p>

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<p>We had a home with one area that would not get warm in winter. It was a new house and we had called ‘the guys’ out a few times. Finally made one last try with the HVAC guy and they found a vent line stuffed with insulation, so no heat was getting through. What is with lazy contractors!!</p>

<p>And why have i had several homes where the water in the shower is hot enough most times, but every now & again it’s just warm- and no one else has used it, no dishes, dishwasher, laundry, just warm instead of hot for an hour???</p>

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<p>NorthMinnesota:</p>

<p>One thing to put on the must have list for a bathroom remodel is a recirculating hot water system. Essentially a little pump that sits next to your hot water heater - with a extra pipe that leads to the far end of the house. Every now and then, it comes on and runs the hot water around the system - so that whenever you turn on the hot water it is instantly hot - no running the shower waiting for the water to get hot.</p>

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<p>Tile store where I purchased it said that the crema marfil was a colored limestone from Spain. Others (like the tile contractors I’ve been calling for the redo) have called it marble. I’m totally confused.</p>

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<p>Since limestone and marble are closely related geologically, I expect the difference is a matter of opinion. I found sources for both–and the photos looked pretty much identical. However, marbles and limestones both need to be treated carefully–NO ACIDS. It’s probably not the salt in the pool that’s causing the limestone to deteriorate but acid-based pool cleaners. Lots of pool maintenance companies use hydrocholoric acid (muriatic acid) to clean pool walls.</p>

<p>I’m in the middle of a remodel, and yes, I do think you have to understand every single step of what they’re doing. My husband and I check on the contractors every morning and every evening. We say “tell us what you’re doing today. Do you have any questions?” We chose these particular contractors because we’re living in a house where they did a lot of work three or four years ago for the previous owners–and the stuff they did still looks great. The other guy’s work… not so much.</p>

<p>The more you know when you start a remodel, the better. And I think it’s very important to ask them “have you ever used this stone this way? how did it hold up?” I was looking at a gorgeous onyx for my bathroom–and the owner said “oh, that’s best for a table top, it doesn’t do well unless you’re going to dry it off every time you shower.” I know myself well enough—that one was out of the question. (I ended up with a nice marble tile. On sale.)</p>

<p>My husband and I have done four remodels and built a house from scratch. At this point, we know a lot about how to do a remodel. It makes a difference. We’ve vetoed some of the fancy stuff the designer wanted; we’ve listened when the tile setter said “maybe you should do it THIS way” (even though that wasn’t the original spec). When the cabinet maker called and said “I have this idea to make use of that corner”–we listened. </p>

<p>If you’re trying to decide whether to seal a stone, here’s the advice I was given. Leave a cup of coffee on the stone over night, sitting in a puddle of coffee. If, in the morning, you can see the ring even after you clean the stone… either don’t use that stone (my choice) or plan on sealing the stone at least once a year. That’s why I don’t have carrera marble kitchen counters.</p>