Tenant/Landlord Responsibilities/Liabilities for Repairs

So, just need some advice.

Came home today, heat is out. My house is managed by a realty company not the owner. It was after their closing hours and I don't really think this qualifies as an 'emergency'. It is still in the 60s in the house, not miserable yet.

ANYWAY, since I figure I will call tomorrow, I'm not sure if they will get anyone out tomorrow and even if they do, I fully expect they won't do any more than a diagnosis tomorrow, then parts ordering, and I think I'm looking at early to mid next week at the earliest before having this thing repaired.

So, I started my own troubleshooting. I've basically got the problem narrowed down to a bad PCB on the unit causing the blower motor to not come on, so when the gas lights, the air doesn't move, it overheats and auto-shuts down.

My question is this. I call the property manager tomorrow, despite having an idea of what the issue is, I don't really think I should tell them that I've been messing with the furnace. I surely don't want to be blamed for 'breaking' it and charged for any repairs. The part though is 150+ bucks and I'm surely not fixing this myself (as in out of pocket).

At the same time, I want this fixed quickly. I have thought about taking the PCB out and attempting to fix whatever bad solder joints are causing the failure, but again, HVAC tech comes in, finds a PCB that has been amateurishly soldered, I don't want the blame.

This is the first time I've ever had a company for a property manager, if it was a single landlord, I would feel more comfortable about being honest, letting them know I can fix it, and just wanting a credit for the parts off next months rent. Right now though I don't know how to best handle this.

Issues? Possible problems I'm getting myself into? Comments?

Alright, enough rambling, thanks for reading.

Contact the realty company. You might as well do it right now. Most places will at least let you leave a message after hours, so even if there is no one there now, they'll be able to get on it first thing tomorrow. Then you can call them again tomorrow if you want.

Do NOT attempt to fix it yourself. Don't tell them what you think is wrong with it. Don't give them any hint you've messed around with it at all. When the repair guy comes, you can maybe tell him directly. Use your judgment. But by all that is holy, don't let the management company know you've poked around with it at all. Nothing good will come of that.

DO NOT FUCK, with a gas furnace. Seriously man. I worked / repaired them for the last 4 years. Those PCB's are not field serviceable. Even if it's just a shot relay on the board, the service tech will replace the whole thing. Not worth blowing yourself up over.

Call the landlord and raise hell. Don't even tell them you poked around in the damn thing. Most states require a special license to even look at a furnace unit.

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Originally Posted by SouthtownKid

Contact the realty company. You might as well do it right now. Most places will at least let you leave a message after hours, so even if there is no one there now, they'll be able to get on it first thing tomorrow. Then you can call them again tomorrow if you want.

Do NOT attempt to fix it yourself. Don't tell them what you think is wrong with it. Don't give them any hint you've messed around with it at all. When the repair guy comes, you can maybe tell him directly. Use your judgment. But by all that is holy, don't let the management company know you've poked around with it at all. Nothing good will come of that.

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That's basically what I figured. Damn. I just want it fixed quicker and that seems to be the best way to do it. Oh well. Time to bust out the blankets.

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Originally Posted by SamuraiShodownSensei

DO NOT FUCK, with a gas furnace. Seriously man. I worked / repaired them for the last 4 years. Those PCB's are not field serviceable. Even if it's just a shot relay on the board, the service tech will replace the whole thing. Not worth blowing yourself up over.

Call the landlord and raise hell. Don't even tell them you poked around in the damn thing. Most states require a special license to even look at a furnace unit.

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I must not live in one of those states then, because I look at the thing every time I'm in the basement doing laundry.

No offense either, but if this was my place. I would be opening it up just the same.

Have you tried setting the Fan to "ON" on the thermostat? not leaving it in auto?

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Originally Posted by SamuraiShodownSensei

Have you tried setting the Fan to "ON" on the thermostat? not leaving it in auto?

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Yeah, still doesn't come on in either mode. I jumpered the blower motor connectors to a different source on the PCB (method from some internet thread) and it powered on, the blower motor ran this way.

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Originally Posted by lithy

Yeah, still doesn't come on in either mode. I jumpered the blower motor connectors to a different source on the PCB (method from some internet thread) and it powered on, the blower motor ran this way.

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Yeah, the fan relay on the board is probably toast. It's probably in a row with a few others, should be a little black plastic box. You might even see it swollen a little or it's entirely possible on the underside a solder connection broke loose (or you might see some charring) and just needs to be reflowed. Again, I'm not telling you to attempt any repairs.

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Originally Posted by lithy

So, just need some advice.

Came home today, heat is out. My house is managed by a realty company not the owner. It was after their closing hours and I don't really think this qualifies as an 'emergency'. It is still in the 60s in the house, not miserable yet.

ANYWAY, since I figure I will call tomorrow, I'm not sure if they will get anyone out tomorrow and even if they do, I fully expect they won't do any more than a diagnosis tomorrow, then parts ordering, and I think I'm looking at early to mid next week at the earliest before having this thing repaired.

So, I started my own troubleshooting. I've basically got the problem narrowed down to a bad PCB on the unit causing the blower motor to not come on, so when the gas lights, the air doesn't move, it overheats and auto-shuts down.

My question is this. I call the property manager tomorrow, despite having an idea of what the issue is, I don't really think I should tell them that I've been messing with the furnace. I surely don't want to be blamed for 'breaking' it and charged for any repairs. The part though is 150+ bucks and I'm surely not fixing this myself (as in out of pocket).

At the same time, I want this fixed quickly. I have thought about taking the PCB out and attempting to fix whatever bad solder joints are causing the failure, but again, HVAC tech comes in, finds a PCB that has been amateurishly soldered, I don't want the blame.

This is the first time I've ever had a company for a property manager, if it was a single landlord, I would feel more comfortable about being honest, letting them know I can fix it, and just wanting a credit for the parts off next months rent. Right now though I don't know how to best handle this.

Issues? Possible problems I'm getting myself into? Comments?

Alright, enough rambling, thanks for reading.

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Legally, the landlord has to provide a house that offers heating. Pretty sure that is the case in PA. If you were to alert them and they fail to fix it in a reasonable time, you can pay for it and they would be obligated by law to compensate you.

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Originally Posted by SamuraiShodownSensei

Yeah, the fan relay on the board is probably toast. It's probably in a row with a few others, should be a little black plastic box. You might even see it swollen a little or it's entirely possible on the underside a solder connection broke loose (or you might see some charring) and just needs to be reflowed. Again, I'm not telling you to attempt any repairs.

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Thanks for the help. For tonight, I put the thing all back together and call the property manager tomorrow. If it won't be fixed for a few days I might see if I can get the PCB out, right now it is encased in a pretty ridiculous plastic housing except for a few exposed connectors.

If the fan can be jumped to run constantly, your heat should work fine until repairs can be made.

I mean I've done that in the past as a temporary fix. Again, I'm not saying you should do this. ;)

Just call the management company tomorrow. If they don't think it is going to get fixed in a timely manner, ask if they have any space heaters in storage you can borrow until they get it repaired. A single space heater in the bedroom should get you through cold nights. If they don't, it probably wouldn't be a horrible idea to own one yourself. They're relatively cheap and probably would cost a lot less to power than heating the whole house anyway. I'm not really sure what the problem is and why there are so many replies to this thread. My ADD won't let me bother reading them all, but I wouldn't tinker too much with the unit and just let them come out in fix it. If something gets damaged they'll likely hit you hard on repairing it.

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Originally Posted by nruva

Just call the management company tomorrow. If they don't think it is going to get fixed in a timely manner, ask if they have any space heaters in storage you can borrow until they get it repaired. A single space heater in the bedroom should get you through cold nights. If they don't, it probably wouldn't be a horrible idea to own one yourself. They're relatively cheap and probably would cost a lot less to power than heating the whole house anyway. I'm not really sure what the problem is and why there are so many replies to this thread. My ADD won't let me bother reading them all, but I wouldn't tinker too much with the unit and just let them come out in fix it. If something gets damaged they'll likely hit you hard on repairing it.

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We actually do have one of those little hot oil radiator type heater things. It makes enough smelly heat for one room.

The guy came today, after letting him tinker around with it for a while and not getting anywhere new, I just told him what I had figured out. He pulled the board, hardwired it like I had done last night to confirm the blower works. The board has a burnt out contact underneath the blower motor relay. So, he is going to try to find parts tomorrow and replace the board and the capacitor just in case.

He took the board with him though, otherwise I'd be tinkering with it tonight.

I appreciate a hands-on attitude, and I like to tinker with things myself (with varying success). But I probably wouldn't fool around with a gas furnace... But hey, that's me.

Good luck, lith. Hope it isn't too cold in your parts. It's been a bit unseasonably cold here for the last few weeks... Like in the 40s. Usually it doesn't get too chilly 'til January.

Go buy a cheap electric heater you cheap fuck. It will be yours forever and ever.

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Originally Posted by lithy

We actually do have one of those little hot oil radiator type heater things. It makes enough smelly heat for one room.

The guy came today, after letting him tinker around with it for a while and not getting anywhere new, I just told him what I had figured out. He pulled the board, hardwired it like I had done last night to confirm the blower works. The board has a burnt out contact underneath the blower motor relay. So, he is going to try to find parts tomorrow and replace the board and the capacitor just in case.

He took the board with him though, otherwise I'd be tinkering with it tonight.

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I've never used one of the oil ones. I had no idea they smelled. I've used these before:
http://www.amazon.com/Lasko-755320-C...2893214&sr=1-3

They're silent, get wicked hot and are smell free. I've seen them at Osh/Home Depot/Lowes for about $35 from time to time. Anyway, sounds like they're going to take care of you quickly (which they should). What's the temperature like there now anyway? Mildly chilly? It's 39 here right now, thanks to the wind we've been having. We had up to 97MPH winds two nights ago. Massive amount of damage to the area. It literally looks like a hurricane hit us (and in a sense, one did). Giant trees all over the place came down. Luckily we didn't lose power. It's 70 inside, though, thanks mostly because our days are warm and sunny still, even though the nights are getting pretty chilly. Ah well, that's Southern California, for you.

Yeah I haven't looked, but I'm thinking mid to high 30s at night and low to mid 50s during the day. Better it goes out at the beginning of December than the middle of January I guess. The house is pretty chilly at the moment, reading at the bottom of the thermostat which says 50 so might be colder than that, but we're camped out in the front room.

I didn't hear anything about that storm, sounds crazy.

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Originally Posted by lithy

I didn't hear anything about that storm, sounds crazy.

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Pretty crazy for here. People's hair getting mussed up and everything.

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Originally Posted by lithy

At the same time, I want this fixed quickly. I have thought about taking the PCB out and attempting to fix whatever bad solder joints are causing the failure, but again, HVAC tech comes in, finds a PCB that has been amateurishly soldered, I don't want the blame.

This is the first time I've ever had a company for a property manager, if it was a single landlord, I would feel more comfortable about being honest, letting them know I can fix it, and just wanting a credit for the parts off next months rent. Right now though I don't know how to best handle this.

Issues? Possible problems I'm getting myself into? Comments?

Alright, enough rambling, thanks for reading.

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I used to be a service tech for an HVAC company and now I am in a semi related field. I don't know any service techs that would try and repair the board. A PCB is an easy swap and almost any decent HVAC company should have your board on hand if the furnance is a semi known brand. I have kept a few bad boards and repaired them for my own amusement.

Do not attempt a fix yourself. Check your lease, they may have grounds to evict you if you are tampering with their equipment. If they don't get this resolved quickly call the fire department or gas company and have them come out. They will probably do a lock out/red tag on your furnance and then your management company(depending on your lease provisions and state law) will have to fix t. Keep absolutely everything in writing and all the documentation. If you havent paid rent yet, I probably wouldn't untill the issue is fixed. Make sure you keep the money in the bank and are able to prove that you are willing to pay as long as the issue is resolved.

depending on your relationship with your landlord (property management company), some may let you just call in the repair yourself and deduct the cost of the repair from the rent with the receipt. I know at my last apartment before i bought my house which was run by a management company when the washer died and the repair guy said it was dead, i offered to get a new one minus the rent (they said it would be a week until they could get a new one). I did a little research and stayed within the budget they gave me and was able to have my problem fixed faster then they were able to.

They have to have an emergency number to call (and, yes, this is an emergency).

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Originally Posted by Agent Sands

Legally, the landlord has to provide a house that offers heating. Pretty sure that is the case in PA. If you were to alert them and they fail to fix it in a reasonable time, you can pay for it and they would be obligated by law to compensate you.

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Don't you love when good advice is blown off?

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Originally Posted by aria

Don't you love when good advice is blown off?

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Next time I'll tell him to google the pinout for the pcb and post links for good deals on soldering irons.

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Originally Posted by aria

Don't you love when good advice is blown off?

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He forgot IANYL...

Edit: In any case, I did note his advice. I just didn't have anything to reply to it with. The issue was resolved by Saturday around noon which seemed like more than a reasonable amount of time to me.

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Originally Posted by lithy

He forgot IANYL...

Edit: In any case, I did note his advice. I just didn't have anything to reply to it with. The issue was resolved by Saturday around noon which seemed like more than a reasonable amount of time to me.

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That's good to hear.

Just what does IANYL abbreviate, anyway?

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Originally Posted by HeartlessNinny

Just what does IANYL abbreviate, anyway?

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I always hoped it stood for I am not your lover :emb:

I am not your lawyer.

That phrase comes up often enough to have an abbreviation everyone knows? Huh.

P.S. IANYL 'Duf. :D

Sort of - I see IANAL often enough (I am not a lawyer) but only it matters where people are discussing the law.

And I only now just realized that IANAL is "I ANAL"

LOL

:D

Guys...

It has been Bobak's rank for at least a year right?

This responsibility stands with the owners realtor, at the owners expense. Money will be taken out of the payment you make monthly for whatever repairs are needed.

You know what acronym I hate? SMH - when the fuck did that ever get popular?

I don't even know what that stands for.

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Originally Posted by lithy

Guys...

It has been Bobak's rank for at least a year right?

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Yeah, but it's hardly the only nonsensical custom rank around. At least, so I thought... Makes me wonder what the other ones I don't get mean.

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Originally Posted by Lagduf

I don't even know what that stands for.

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I am not your lawyer

He meant SMH, silly Kid.

(I don't know what it means either)

Stickman Hoser. Obviously.

I miss when my custom rank was "el roker the big dicked bastard who swooped in and fucked every member's mother"

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Originally Posted by Lagduf

I miss when my custom rank was "el roker the big dicked bastard who swooped in and fucked every member's mother"

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smh

I can use a search engine.

How much does your subscription to the Sydney Morning Herald cost?

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Originally Posted by SamuraiShodownSensei

DO NOT FUCK, with a gas furnace. Seriously man. I worked / repaired them for the last 4 years. Those PCB's are not field serviceable. Even if it's just a shot relay on the board, the service tech will replace the whole thing. Not worth blowing yourself up over.

Call the landlord and raise hell. Don't even tell them you poked around in the damn thing. Most states require a special license to even look at a furnace unit.

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Totally agree, if the pcb's buggered best just leaving it.

Well, usually I love irony, but not so much in this case. Now my heater is out as of 3 days ago and I am fucking freezing. It's been in the low 40s at night, and this house holds in the cold like a motherfucker. Place never warms up, even in the middle of the day. Since I work from home, this is a problem. Even though it's been a manageable low to mid-60s outside, my thermostat informs me that the house is in the mid-50s at 12:00 noon.

Furnace people are coming towards the end of this week. FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

This was a thread that deserved less than 5 replies.

But I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm enjoying it.

You got a couple screwdrivers? I'll walk you through troubleshooting and repair with a 25% success rate of not blowing yourself up.

In all seriousness. Hang in there, at least if you work from home you can dress like an absolute bum in 3 layers of sweatpants/shirts, order yourself some Snuggies and I know you'll make it through this.

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Originally Posted by lithy

at least if you work from home you can dress like an absolute bum in 3 layers of sweatpants/shirts,

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Why would I remove 4 layers? I'm at 7 layers atm. Found my navy watch cap, too. So I've got 2 hats on. In a bit, I'm going to upgrade by adding parka with hood.

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Originally Posted by SouthtownKid

Why would I remove 4 layers? I'm at 7 layers atm. Found my navy watch cap, too. So I've got 2 hats on. In a bit, I'm going to upgrade by adding parka with hood.

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http://sacredcatalyst1.files.wordpre...tmas-story.jpg

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Originally Posted by lithy

http://sacredcatalyst1.files.wordpre...tmas-story.jpg

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Yeah, I need mittens. Looking all over. Thought I had some. Hard to type with, though.

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Originally Posted by nruva

smh

I can use a search engine.

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Like I had to

When I first saw that acronym

I remember several Halloweens in NY where you'd get all dressed up as whatever, then have to put on the snowsuit, boots, mittens, hat and so forth. I should have just gone as the kid from Christmas Story, but then... So was everyone else.

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Originally Posted by SouthtownKid

Well, usually I love irony, but not so much in this case. Now my heater is out as of 3 days ago and I am fucking freezing. It's been in the low 40s at night, and this house holds in the cold like a motherfucker. Place never warms up, even in the middle of the day. Since I work from home, this is a problem. Even though it's been a manageable low to mid-60s outside, my thermostat informs me that the house is in the mid-50s at 12:00 noon.

Furnace people are coming towards the end of this week. FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

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First off, I fail to see how this situation is ironic for you..... Unless you've misused the word. But surely that's not the case. The Kid never makes mistakes like that!

Second, buy a space heater. Even if it only takes the edge off, it's better than nothing.

P.S. I don't have a thermometer in here, but I bet the room I'm in right now is 60 degrees, max. It's the coldest room in my place -- for some reason it never heats up unless you turn the thermostat up so high the rest of the house is an inferno.

I just wear a sweater. It also helps that I'm a big guy -- I've noticed that the bigger you are, the less the cold seems to get to you.

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Originally Posted by HeartlessNinny

First off, I fail to see how this situation is ironic for you..... Unless you've misused the word. But surely that's not the case. The Kid never makes mistakes like that!

Second, buy a space heater. Even if it only takes the edge off, it's better than nothing.

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The irony comes from me kind of taking lithy's plight a bit lightly. and then BAM, the universe says, "Your turn, Asshole."

AND HJOLYSHIT ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!! I NOW SEE THAT SPAC E HEATERS ONLY RUN BETWEEN $20-$50. I WOULD HAVE BOUGHTY ONE IN A SEVCOJF IF I KNEW THEY WWERE THAT CHEAP BUT NOW IT'S TOO LATE FOR TONIGHT BECAUSE ANYEHERE THWT WOULD SELL THEM IS CLOSED. CURSES. Typing errors are due to my fingers stiffening in the COLD. Fuck, I will definitely buy a space heater tomorrow along with a chain so I can hang it around my neck.