Winter is a'coming

It's getting cold out, so now is probably a good time to change your filter in your HVAC unit. It's probably been a while, so if you notice there is no air flow through your filter, go get a new filter this weekend. You can also refer to my previous post to turn up the heat on your hot water heater (but remember to be careful when doing this!)

Motor Outdoor Party

We've hashed out the details for the fall Motor party. Check the Facebook page or the flyer in the elevator for more details.

Annual Fire Truck Parade

Every year the firemen have a parade on 9-11. I happened to be coming home when it was starting, so I took a few pictures. Enjoy!

+++Click here for photos of the parade+++

Replacing the Boot Gasket on Your Washer

Recently, I was doing a load of laundry when water started leaking from the front of my washer. I put a bucket under it until it was done, and found out that the problem was a small piece of rubber had broken off of the seal on the door (see picture).


After some research, I found that this piece is called a "boot gasket". I ordered it from partstore.com (here's a link to the product page) You can look elsewhere to find it cheaper. It was about $50 with shipping. Your washer is a Bosch WFL2060UC.

If you want to attempt to replace this yourself to save money, it requires few tools, but the difficulty is a little hard. Why? It's because of the fact that you'll be working in the small space between the drum and the opening in the door. I'll explain as I go along, but know this going in - it isn't the easiest of projects.

So you've decided to do it? Good for you. The first thing you want to do is to remove the metal ring that holds the gasket to the front of your washer. If you look closely, there's a small spring that holds it in place (where my finger is in the picture.)


I used two needle-nosed pliers to get it off, by holding onto one end of the metal ring and pulling the spring up with the other.

Once that metal ring is off, you'll need to remove a large spring that is wrapped around the back of the gasket towards the drum. It's pretty tight, but I just stuck a screwdriver between the gasket and the lip holding it in place and pulled back, and it released the spring and gasket. After the spring is loose, the gasket can be easily removed. Pay attention to how everything fits in place before you go ahead and rip it out though (so you'll remember how to put it back in.)

Now for the hard part - putting it back on.

If you look at the picture below, you'll see that the spring fits in a little groove all around the gasket like this. The difficulty is that you have to do this is the confined space that you see in the pictures.

The first thing you need to do is put your gasket back in (don't worry about the spring yet). If you look at your gasket, there are three drain holes which need to be facing the bottom of your washer. Make sure they are on the bottom.

The next step is to seat your gasket in the lip that goes around the washer. If you look at the fourth picture (the one with the screwdriver) you'll see the lip. It's a brownish-gray metal ring that goes around your drum. Find the part of the gasket that needs to go in there (the part where your spring will eventually go (see picture below)) and fit it in there with your fingertips. Get it in there snugly (you'll feel it when it goes in the lip) and once you get one part in there, guide the rest around from that point in a circle. You don't have to stretch it hardly at all.

Now comes the spring. This is the most difficult thing you'll have to do. If you have your gasket in place, you'll feel the groove that the spring is supposed to fit in. You'll need to go under the gasket and try to stretch this very tight spring around the entire thing to hold it in place. Let me explain my method and the difficulties.

The gasket is a big rubber ring, and you're going to have to stick your hands under it and work all the way around it trying to stretch this very tight spring, while keeping it in the groove, joining the ends with all that tension, and finally fitting it in place.

Here's what I did. You might find something that works better for you.

Tie a piece of fishing line around one end of the spring and tie the other end to the door. (See picture below) It will be a lot of force, so make sure it's something that can take the stress. I used several pieces of fishing line. This allowed me to tug on the spring with one hand and hold it in place with the other, while keeping the other end tight.

Pulling the spring tightly (but not too tightly) put it in the groove where you want to start and hold it in place with your other hand. From your starting point, keep pulling the spring as much as you can and sliding your other hand over the tightened area to keep it in place. This takes a lot of hand strength. Keep pulling with one hand and holding it in place with the other hand, working it all the way around. Surprisingly enough, the rubber helps to hold it in place to a degree. Pull too much, or at the wrong angle though, and the whole thing will snap out of place and you'll have to start all over again, so be careful.

Once you're a little more than 3/4 of the way around, attach the two ends of the springs. Make sure to keep holding it into place because you don't want the whole thing to snap out after all that work! Since you have enough of the spring wrapped around the rest of the lip, this should allow you to stretch the attached ends of the springs over the rest of the lip with two hands. Remember to always keep that tension on the springs though. Once you've fit the entire spring around the lip, clip the string and check to make sure the spring is entirely in the groove.

Some advice I would offer on this part of the project would be to make sure the string you use will allow you to make that last pull of the spring so it can fit over the lip. Don't tie it too short or you'll be stuck.

Another thing I would recommend is to fold the rubber carefully in toward the washer. (See picture below) Since you'll have to work around the outside of the circle, it gets in the way a lot and can be frustrating. Keep working with it, and it should look like the picture below.

If you've gotten the big spring in place, rejoice! You're almost home. Now all you have to do is put the metal ring back on. Unfold the rubber and it should fall nicely into place. On the outside of the door is a very small lip that the gasket fits into. Put it in place, working it all the way around. Finally, get your metal ring ready to put over the gasket.

This time put the whole ring together first, put it around the gasket as much as you can and pry the rest into place with a chopstick.

That's how you replace your boot gasketfor your Bosch front loading washer. It's a little frustrating and a bit time consuming (It took me about two and a half hours) but it wasn't horrible.

A Look at the Flower Box

I thought I'd take a few pictures of the flower box to show the progress since the last post.

+++Here are a few pictures if you're interested+++

Recycling Program Cancelled

Why?

1. Cleanliness – Some people were not cleaning their recycling. Not only was this an issue with bugs, it was also something the volunteers shouldn’t have had to handle each week.

2. Trash – Each week (especially with the plastic) lots of trash was put in the bins. Just because it’s plastic does not mean it can be recycled. Also, the lids should have been removed from glass. This was not happening.


3. Volume – The amount of recycling we were getting was getting to be more than a few people could handle. It was also starting to outgrow the little improvised area we set aside in the hall, and was starting to look bad.

4. Junk – For some reason, the recycling area attracted all kinds of junk. Everything from wood to clothes was being left next to it, and it looked really bad.

My original intent for the recycling program was that if a few of us were already recycling, we could help out others by taking back their clean recycling. Maybe we could still arrange something like this with cooperative volunteers. If you are still interested in recycling, or have any ideas, please contact me.

Cardboard is still being collected (it's a separate program) and for now we are still collecting aluminum.

District Directory for the 63rd District

Our lovely state representative sent a district directory for 2010 in the mail. I was getting ready to toss it (who needs more junk in their loft?) when I thought it might be a good resource for the Motor community.

If you have any political issues or questions - like contacting a city official - this guide might help you out.

Here's a link to the directory. You might need to hit "zoom" to be able to read the phone numbers.

Flower Box

Passing by the flower box the other day, I was reminded of the famous line from Hamlet, "...fie 'tis an unweeded garden, That grows to seed; Things rank and gross in nature Possess it merely."

Okay, it's not Denmark, and we could go on forever discussing if Hamlet's view on nature is apt, or how today's modern political situations relates to medieval Denmark, but where was I going with this? Oh yeah, the flower box looked pretty bad, so I decided to take action.

Some of the black-eyed Susans (a native Missouri wildflower) from last year had already sprouted. They are a good, hearty flower and need little maintenance; however they were surrounded by a lot of weeds and junk. I pulled out most of it: weeds, cigarettes, a newspaper, a big stick, and a condom. Yes that's right,
someone was getting freaky in the flower box. I would call that the "rank and gross in nature" part of Hamlet's statement. (In case you're wondering...no, I didn't touch it. It was old, and I just flicked it in the trash bag.)

While I was finishing up on my weeding, I happened to espy two of the girls from Gateway Greening. I asked if they had any spare seeds that I could use, and they magnanimously gave me a few packets to throw in there. If they take root, we could also have some bachelor's buttons, Irish eyes, and zinnia. I appreciate their help and hopefully we'll have some nice flowers coming up soon.

Making the Parking Lot Safe

Make sure you are careful coming in and out of the parking garage, or turning the corner in the lot. With a full building, there will often be cars and pedestrians in the lot. Make sure there is no one coming before you turn a corner or descend into the garage.

Blue Urban has ordered signs and mirrors to help with this process.

Spring Cleaning

Spring time is here, and you might want to think about changing your air filter. I know we all get busy, but this is something that needs to be done on a regular basis. If your filter is too dirty, you make your HVAC unit work harder to pull air up. This strains your system, and eventually holes will develop in your filter, which lets all kinds of dirt get into your ducts.

I believe that it's recommended that you change your filters once a month, but I think you can go a little longer than that depending upon how dirty they are. Put your hand under the filter when the unit is running to make sure that it has a good air flow.

Make sure you get a 16x20x1" filter, and if you forget, you can check this article on your phone!

++Some other helpful reminders while at the store:

Floodlights are 60 watt halogen indoor/outdoor - Remember that the floodlights should last for 2 years, so if your floodlight goes out, tap it, spin it, and flick the switch near the base of the bulb before replacing them.

Candelabra bulbs are 60 watt also

Need a Desk?

Claire is trying to get rid of her desk - for FREE! All you have to do is pick it up. Contact Claire if you have her contact info, or me (my email is on my profile).

Condo Association Meeting 1-21-2010

Because of a family commitment, I wasn't able to attend the meeting Thursday, but I did forward all of your concerns to Jerry and Jenni before the meeting, and asked them to address them at the meeting. Leslie attended and took copious notes, so I think I can accurately relay the minutes of the meeting.

The meeting was to address two issues: passing the budget and listening to owners' concerns. The budget was passed. Jerry distributed a list of revenues and expenses with actual numbers instead of estimated numbers. I will pass this on to you individually, in case you didn't receive a copy. The good thing about having a full building is that it gives us a good idea of the expenses and services that will be needed for the building in the future.

Trash - A question was asked about trash pick up. Right now, trash is picked up twice a week and the cardboard recycling is picked up once a week. Around the holiday, trash did get a little heavy, but besides that twice a week seems to be working well for the building. As always, Jerry said that if you have a concern, feel free to contact Blue Urban or your Director.

I had a concern with the large trash that was being left in the hall by the dumpster and on the dock. There is often furniture, Christmas trees, and other large items that the waste management company isn't picking up. The burden of the disposal then falls onto the building, which means that our maintenance guy is hauling trash to the dump instead of taking care of the building.

Jerry is looking into getting some sort of bulk pick-up for our building, but in the meantime Blue Urban will circulate a letter informing people that they cannot just dump their trash in our hall. This is already in the renters' leases. Two of the people who dumped their Christmas trees were identified by Blue Urban and fined for their actions.

Jerry is also concerned about the safety of allowing Christmas trees in the building because they could be a fire hazard. Next year, renters may not be allowed to bring real trees into the building.

A question was brought forth by James Leonard about the phones in the budget. (James has been an owner for a while, but this was his first condo association meeting) Motor has five phone lines (2 for the elevators, 1 for the HVAC, 1 for the front door, and 1 for the fire monitoring system) and because we are a company, we have to pay commercial phone rates, which are a lot more expensive than a residential line.

A few owners who could not attend the meeting had several issues that I asked Jerry to address:

Snow removal - An owner was concerned with the parking lot being cleared in a timely manner, since it is part of the condo fees.

Jerry's response was that, unfortunately, Blue Urban had switched snow removal companies the day before it snowed, so Motor was last on the list to be cleared. In the future, there shouldn't be a problem with snow removal. He also pointed out that plowing the lot isn't a great idea early in the morning with all of the cars still on the lot.

This also brought up a question about an initial response to snow removal for the people parking in the garage, because of the difficulty of getting out of the garage with snow on the ground.

Jerry said that Jake (the maintenance man) will try to keep the area in front of the garage clear during snow days from now on.

There was also another issue concerning ice on the ground in the area when you walk out the back door. This is caused by water dripping from the top of the building and freezing in that spot.

It was decided that a 5 gallon bucket of ice melt will be left by the door so that people can spread some in that area if it gets icy.

Another issue was window washing. An owner was concerned that their windows were not washed in October.

Jerry wants the owners to make sure that they contact Blue Urban immediately if they believe a service has not fulfilled by a contractor. That way Blue Urban can call the contractor to come out and rectify the situation. If you wait several weeks or months, there is less that they will be able to do.

An owner at the meeting commented that the window cleaning wasn't very thorough, and that the window sills do not get cleaned.

Animals defecating in the basement - This was an issue with which both the owners and Blue Urban were concerned, but I'm happy to report that the perpetrator has been caught and fined. This person wasn't a renter, but was a friend of a renter and the situation has been rectified. The renter had to sign another lease and pay an extra pet deposit. If this incident happens again, they will be evicted.

Jerry noted that it is all of our responsibility to keep and eye out for our building, and to report any behavior like this to Blue Urban. If you are not comfortable confronting the person, then pass along the information to Jenni.

Size and number of animals - One owner thinks that some people have too many animals, and that some of the dogs are too big.

Renters cannot have more than two animals and they cannot be more than 60 lbs. If anybody is out of compliance, report them to Blue Urban.

Owners, according to the charter (declaration 1:gg (pg. 6)), cannot have more than two dogs (not heavier than 70 lbs.), three cats, birds and fish. Also, according to by-law 12.12 (pg. 23) the Board can ask any pet to be removed from the building, or ask the owner to leave a pet deposit.

There was an incident with a dog-on-dog attack. The dog's owner was forced to remove the dog from the building.

Basement clean-up - A couple of owners are concerned with the rules that are not being followed regarding the new basement rules. There are still a number of people who have items in their parking spaces.

Basically the response to this is that those people were fined. They have been given notice that they must pay their fine and clean up their spaces or Blue Urban will begin the eviction process. (For owners, a lien will be put on their property until they pay)

Renting properties is a legal minefield. Blue Urban cannot just do whatever it wants. They cannot just move people's property without their permission. Only after a person has been evicted can they begin the process of moving that person's stuff out of the building (at their expense).

As evident in the basement rules that we defined, there should be no items stored in the inner ring parking spaces. Only the owners will be allowed to store things in the outer ring of parking spaces, with a few exceptions. Because of legal reasons, the people who signed a lease and stored things in the basement prior to the rules being put in place will be allowed to keep their storage until their lease is up. At that time, they must sign a new lease, which will not allow them to store items in the basement.

Blue Urban is also looking into power washing the basement in the near future.

Smoking - Owners can smoke in their units, renters cannot. Nobody can smoke in the common areas. If you see anyone smoking, report it to Blue Urban. This also includes pot smoking. One owner took exception to people smoking pot in the building. If you believe your neighbor is smoking pot, contact Jenni to rectify the issue. If Jenni is not available, she says to call the police. She says she has only received one complaint so far about a person smoking pot in their residence, and that issue has been addressed.

Security and Cameras - Cameras will be $8000 a year. Blue Urban is considering placing three cameras all in the parking lot.

Some of the owners questioned the effectiveness of cameras as either a deterrent or as a way to identify criminals. Some people wanted a camera in the lobby too.

Lobby - Packages are still being stolen. This was addressed at a previous meeting, and Blue Urban's position is "get packages delivered at your own risk". It's probably not a good idea to let packages sit in the lobby for a long period of time. Either pick up your packages immediately or have them delivered to Blue Urban, and pick them up during business hours.

There have also been a lot of issues with the trash can in the lobby. People have been dumping large amounts of trash and dog poop in that tiny can, so Blue Urban has decided to remove it from the lobby.

Renting out your unit - If you would like to rent out your unit, Blue Urban would be happy to assist you in leasing your unit. There will some management fees involved. Contact Jenni for more information. If you'd like a copy of the lease, that can be provided.

Rec. Center - Kevin is in the middle of a project at the old DCC site. He had been in touch with his bank, and they will discuss the rec. center for Motor after construction begins on the old DCC project. No promises, but it sounds promising.

One owner told me to pass along the concern that rules are not being followed by everyone in the building. Blue Urban asks that you contact them with any of your concerns when you see something that is wrong. They would like to point out that the fines and warnings given out for the Christmas trees, dog pooping in the basement, and storage in the basement are proof that they are concerned with the building and that rules are being followed.