On Christmas Lights and Roof Leaks

We’re pragmatists in our house, for better or worse. More times than not its for the better, as this tends to lead to a lot less bickering than I have engaged in in my day, but I saw the other side of the coin the other day when I was ordered, and I use that word specifically, to take down our Christmas lights. I can only be thankful that this weekend saw an unseasonable warm streak for January, which didn’t much help for all the struggling and pulling I did on a silver ladder older than my grandmother. The next day, I could have very well appeared in an Advil television advertisement.

Our roof is an old pitched roof that has seen many a repair and more than one replacement, both which usually were spurred by a leak – our house used to be the property of a family friend and I have assisted in finding a good roofer for the home on more than one occasion. NYC handymen, roofers and the like have yet to deal with a big snowstorm quite yet but as soon as the first one hits, calls about leaks will likely being coming in double-time.

With a roof like ours, the leaks generally come from overlapping areas where flashing is needed, leaving an open area for the water to get into. Flashing is also needed whenever a skylight, chimney, air stack or hatch is put in, and these are also areas where leaks are common. There are similar problems with both flat roofs and tiled roofs: wherever flashing or two intersecting areas are joined is where water can get in and cause a leak over time. Gutters are also places to check, which will usually be noticeable if the leak is coming in near a corner.

The most important things to mark down in this situation is how long it has been since your roof was last serviced, where the leak is coming from, and the frequency of the leak; does it happen every time it rains or is it more sporadic? Roofing, perhaps more than any other home improvement venture, is one where professional help is required and a professional, licensed roofer will need to know these things before coming over. It is my sad duty to say, however, that most fixes are just stop-gaps before a new roof installation is needed. Much like the putting up of Christmas lights leads to the tiresome chore of taking them down, it’s a loathsome inevitability. 

On Hot Water Heaters and Gustav the Plumber

Today, at the office, my post yesterday brought up a few questions about a related subject: hot water tanks. The funny thing is that as compared to boilers, which are prone to more damage and problems, hot water tanks are relatively simple in terms of diagnosing problems and fixing the entire mechanism. One of my first jobs as an apprentice, in fact, was installing a new hot water heater with Gustav, one of those old-school Greek NYC plumbers that fill the stereotypical “crank” role so well that you’re forced to love them.

Whatever our differences, Gus was a great teacher and hot water tanks became one of the easier fixes for me. That being said, I am remiss to report that they are not something that I would suggest a novice undertake fixing, unless you happen to be particularly ambitious. What I can go through here is how to troubleshoot your hot water tank if you find that you’re having trouble getting your daily hot shower or being able to get hot water to wash your dishes. As our designer pointed out to me, this could work as a bit of a companion to yesterday’s post.

Oddly enough, the first part of troubleshooting would be identifying if you have an honest-to-god hot water tank or if you get your hot water from your boiler. This should be evident as boilers with hot water capabilities often are attached to the wall with a coil coming out of them whereas a hot water tank is, well, a tank; there’s also the difference between electric and gas heaters, though electric heaters are very rare these days. Now, comes the issue of size: there’s 30, 40 or 50 gallon units for most homes, and 40 gallons should be adequate for an average one-family home. If, in the morning, the first person gets hot water in the shower but the third one doesn’t, that more than likely means you have an undersized water heater.

Next, check your warranty. If you were smart and got a 10-year warranty, you should be set until that 10-year mark and don’t get greedy: if your heater lasts for ten years, be happy and pony up for a new one. And again, like a boiler, sometimes the problem is the pilot light, which is controlled by a small pump that should be right above the temperature control. Make sure its set to “Pilot On” and pump it if you’re suspicious that its not lit. Also, check that the temperature control is where you want it to be. These are all easy fixes, as stated before, and in the case of leaks or factory defaults, its simply a matter of calling in your warranty or replacing your existing water heater and having a licensed, bonded and insured plumber install it for you. These are really the only two options though, if he were still around, I imagine Gustav would have a few things to say about that opinion and a few, more curse-laden things to say about me.