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Cables, Coffee, Cycles, and Cocktails


Tarheel

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A family trust, of which I'm a trustee, recently purchased a circa 1930s duplex in Royal Oak, MI.  The trust will rent the two units to my two sons.  Our business will also pay rent to the trust for the use of storage space.  One son will rent the lower unit.  The other son and his female significant other will rent the upper unit.  It has the potential to be a win/win, or a total bust.  The adventure got off to a rocky start.

 

The inspection was 11/5/17.  The inspector, using a gas sniffing device, found 9 gas leaks in the basement.  The common basement houses 2 gas furnaces, 2 gas hot water tanks, and 2 gas dryers.  Seven of the leaks were to the service to the upper unit, with the other 2 leaks regarding the lower unit.  The inspector said it was a new personal record for leaks found during an inspection.  The homeowner followed the inspector like a puppy dog, so he watched the inspector put red duct tape at each leak.

 

You need only recall the tragedy that befell the Klipsch family when Dion and Jennifer Longworth were killed by a criminally orchestrated natural gas explosion that leveled a neighborhood.  Gas leaks are seriously dangerous.

 

I called Consumers Energy to inquire about the procedure to address the leaks.  I quickly felt like I'd opened Pandora's box, as the woman on the phone began to read me the gas warning protocol (twice due to 2 addresses) and stated a technician would be at the residence within the hour.  If unable to gain access to verify the leaks, a notice would be left advising the homeowner to contact Consumers or the gas would be turned off.  I should mention the "duplex" has been lived in by the owners for 30 years.  It was never rented by them.

 

Immediately upon hanging up with Consumers, I called our realtor to ask him to call the sellers' realtor to alert them to the Consumers technician's arrival.  I apologized for unleashing Consumers.  I learned that Consumers is like TSA, hypothetical is not in their vocabulary.  Consumers is especially sensitive to the danger, since a man was killed a few years ago by a natural gas explosion, also in Royal Oak, MI, due to the negligence of Consumers workers.

 

The closing went forward on 11/30/17.  The purchase agreement required the sellers to vacate by 1/31/18, paying $40/day after 11/30/17.  I naively did not mention the gas leaks at the closing, in the belief that Consumers would have insisted the leaks be repaired prior to restoring gas service.  I knew the sellers had not spent November without heat.

 

Fast forward six weeks.  I called our realtor to ask him to ask the sellers' realtor to ask the sellers if we could arrange a mutually convenient time to measure the two kitchens for new appliances.  The woman owner, an attorney -- but who isn't, left a terse message with our business answering service, "Tell Mr. D***** he is not to enter 828 Edgewood until after we move." I was taken aback by the, IMO, inappropriate response to, IMO, a reasonable request.

 

I heard from their realtor they were upset about the gas being shut off.  Their realtor said it was a blessing the leaks were identified and repaired.  He was mistaken.

 

We got notice they had moved out on Thursday January 18th.  On Friday 1/19, we signed the escrow form and collected the keys and a check for the rent.  Upon entry, we discovered the gas leaks were still present.  The smell of gas was in the basement.  The 9 red tags were untouched.  Consumers was called immediately.  A technician arrived within an hour, confirmed the multiple gas leaks with his sniffer, and shut off the gas at both meters.  I called the HVAC/plumbing company I've used for years and arranged to meet a technician first thing Saturday morning.  As the low temp for the night would be in the 20s, I felt compelled to shut off the water and drain the lines to prevent frozen pipes.

 

Two technicians arrived early Saturday morning, also confirmed the leaks and repaired two leaks in the service to the lower unit.  My cost was $49.00. The service to the upper unit was left off. 

 

 An appointment was scheduled for today, Wednesday 1/24, to get an estimate regarding the multiple remaining leaks.  With heat in the lower unit, the frozen pipe danger was eliminated.  On Saturday I called Consumers to inquire about the history of events following the notification of the leaks on 11/5/17.  The Consumers representative said the records showed the gas was shut off on 11/9/17, due to the homeowners' failure to respond to the shut-off notice.  The records also indicated the gas was turned on at the request of the homeowners, also on 11/9/17.  The records indicated the technician performed a bubble test to confirm the absence of leaks. She advised calling the business after 7:00am on Monday.

 

At 7:00am on Monday, I waded through the Consumers Energy phone jail to eventually speak to a supervisor.  I was told that another supervisor would call at 8:00 to arrange to meet me at the residence.  At 8:20 I received a call from Steve, who advised he was at the duplex.  I told him I could be there in 15 minutes.

 

Steve and another technician immediately verified the multiple un-repaired gas leaks.  Almost sheepishly, Steve discovered a new leak in the “repaired” service at the shutoff valve in the supply line to the furnace.  He tagged the leak and insisted the gas be shut off again.

 

Fortunately, I was able to get my HVAC people back that afternoon to replace the valve; heat was restored.  My cost was $183.15.

 

I sent an email to the Assistant General Counsel at Consumers Energy to request copies of the records.  She called today, and I have been in contact with several individuals at Consumers.  I seem to have their attention.

 

During the estimate this morning, my technicians found a few more gas leaks.  Fortunately, they were able to eliminate all known remaining gas leaks.  My cost was $387.49.

 

I was surprised to receive a call from the other technician who had accompanied Steve, the supervisor, on Monday.  He was obviously rattled as he explained to me in Spanglish that he was the one who turned on the gas and re-lit the pilots in all four devices on 11/9/17.  He repeatedly told me he thought the leaks had been fixed.

 

It’s frustrating that Consumers pays lip service to the real hazard of natural gas leaks, but does not have a system to adequately document that leaks have been eliminated.  The technician who turned on the gas and lit the pilots was incompetent or a liar.

 

I assured the Assistant General Counsel I have no intention of suing the sellers or Consumers over $600 in repairs.  My motivation is to assure that no one is killed by such negligence.

 

While I’m pissed at the sellers for deliberately shifting to me an expense they should have incurred, I believe they did not fully appreciate the danger they were in.  I assume they thought the leaks were exaggerated, if not made up, by our inspector to provide negotiating leverage at closing.

 

NATURAL GAS IS DEADLY.  EXPLOSIONS ARE POWERFUL.  DO NOT IGNORE GAS LEAKS.

 

 

 

 

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Some neighbors had a carport on the back of their house, beside which they poured a concrete slab for additional parking. The slab was poured right up to the foundation of their house which rested on a low concrete block crawl space foundation. There were huge oak trees in the neighborhood and apparently a tree root had caused a leak in the gas line. The natural gas apparently rose up to the concrete slab and was directed to the crawl space under the house.

I was still asleep when I was blasted out of bed by a huge explosion. I took a few steps to the bedroom window and saw the neighbors house was fully engulfed in flames. What the explosion hadn't blown apart burned to the ground quickly. The elderly retired couple that lived there managed to get out of the house but suffered horrific burns. They both lingered in the hospital for about a month and both passed away the same day.

I later learned that the neighbor lady had got up and turned on the stove which sparked the explosion. That was over 30 years ago and I'll never forget it.

 

Keith

 

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1 hour ago, DizRotus said:

NATURAL GAS IS DEADLY.  EXPLOSIONS ARE POWERFUL.  DO NOT IGNORE GAS LEAKS.

 

59 minutes ago, T2K said:

That was over 30 years ago and I'll never forget it.

 

I think you are right, the people did not appreciate the danger they were in.

 

The whole mess sounds like a big pain to go through, but you really had no choice but to get it all fixed or shut down the building.

 

Our daughter just went through this with a 100 year old house they were remolding. One section of the gas line was completely rotted away under the raised house. Once fixed they could test everything else and found many leaks. We thought it was all ready and they came out and did the pressure test and another tiny leak was found and fixed. Like you they had no choice, it's very dangerous.

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this place had propane. It went bye bye. All electric. Natural gas isn't available here.

that looks like the "coffee" I make for my granddaughter.  This is the one that says the speaker isn't working unless she can feel the music.

 I play a lot of different stuff for her. INXS got her at first. Primal beat, I guess. Her taste is getting a little more sophisticated. She only 3.

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14 hours ago, billybobg said:

I've found that Mr. Coffee makers wear out at about a year.  Designed to be replaced.  Surprisingly, we found a Black and Decker that has lasted going on 3 years. 

We buy the beans at Costco and grind our own.  Can't drink any of the common brands such as Folgers and Maxwell House.  Horrible in my opinion.  The Keurig's per cup are not cheap, but again Costco can keep the price down a bit.  My biggest issue with Keurig is the size of their large selection, but when I'm into a single cup in the late afternoon, it works. 

Yes seems we had a B&D one time that did pretty well. We have a 12 cup MrCoffee that has lasted abit longer now. One thing about those and other's no doubt is running some white vinegar through them regularly to clean and keep them dripping faster. At a motel last autumn, ran into a Keurig maker, and had a funny time sorting it out, like the previous times. Need a cup to wake up before can understand the directions. The coffee tastes great that I had but, getting there the prob...

A bit like Steve(BSM) who posts here. Usually, will take a cup of Joe and just be happy to get it. Did treat myself to some espresso deal found online with some demi' cups. Has a nice unbitter taste with a rich aftertaste like chocolate(subtle). Know what good coffee is, just slow to get there as fellow

CC&C  can tell you. So after being here since 2014, have made little progress, ...so far. lol thanks!

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14 hours ago, WillyBob said:

Now you're talking my language.

 The last MrCoffee machine I had, well, It worked OK. But try to pour a cup w/o it dribbling all over. Found a Cuisinart garage saling. It lasted 7 years.  We were given a GE that's going TU. It lasted 3 years.

 

Beans .... wife will drink Folgers at work and want a cup of day old and cold good coffee. She sez it doesn't matter to her ... until she has been away from the locally roasted beans, fresh ground. Me ... I'm a coffee snob. I admit it.

 

if you like "cowboy coffee" ... boiled. An electric percolator, with the stem and basket pulled out, works great. It almost boils, then shuts down.

My aunt used to make Swedish boiled coffee, with an egg in it to settle the grounds.

Like abit of cold coffee occasionally. Have asked here about eggshells in coffee but, may have been thinking about the whole egg Cowboy coffee.

Like the old percolated also. Thanks for the info...

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7 minutes ago, WillyBob said:

I can't say I am totally familiar with how to do the egg thing ... I was just a kid,  just remember her putting an egg in. One of those memories.

 

Think it was to help settle the grounds. Have asked about it here before, but cannot remember the replies, if any...:lol:

Have a good one :emotion-44:

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Sorry if I go on about mundane stuff ...

it pretty quiet around here. so to speak.   Get to see lots of military aircraft. DavisMonthan AFB is in Tucson and we are between it and GoldwaterBombingRange.

 Today's event. Plunge the chimney.

oh ... and run laundry. How's that for excitement?

 

the weather is nice. 75.

from freezing this AM.

the R/H is 5 - 10 % Cat is sitting in my lap ... this is really messed up ... I am petting it just so I can watch it jump when the static discharges ..

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4 hours ago, billybob said:

Yes seems we had a B&D one time that did pretty well. We have a 12 cup MrCoffee that has lasted abit longer now. One thing about those and other's no doubt is running some white vinegar through them regularly to clean and keep them dripping faster. At a motel last autumn, ran into a Keurig maker, and had a funny time sorting it out, like the previous times. Need a cup to wake up before can understand the directions. The coffee tastes great that I had but, getting there the prob...

A bit like Steve(BSM) who posts here. Usually, will take a cup of Joe and just be happy to get it. Did treat myself to some espresso deal found online with some demi' cups. Has a nice unbitter taste with a rich aftertaste like chocolate(subtle). Know what good coffee is, just slow to get there as fellow

CC&C  can tell you. So after being here since 2014, have made little progress, ...so far. lol thanks!

better step it up billybob....

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1 hour ago, dirtmudd said:

So after being here since 2014, have made little progress, ...so far. lol thanks!

Don't feel bad I have not changed one single thing, same old drip coffeepot and same coffee. The only thing I did was take the advice and try some good espresso, it was good.

I never did say where this happened, since we usually don't do things like this I want to tell where I had my first good espresso.

 

We were invited by a friend to go have lunch with a good friend of his, one of those "offers you can't refuse" kind of things and this is where we went, after lunch we all got coffee and my first espresso. We sat out on the balcony overlooking the ocean and golf course, very nice.  The course has been rated the best par 3 in the US. This is NOT the kind of place we normally hang out. :o

http://www.golfontheocean.com/

 

 

 

al-fresco.jpg

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