Plumbing Problems & Fox Management Group (#214)

We e-mailed Fox Management & the Board...
Since we moved in five years ago, there has been minor backflow from the washing machines in other units' on the '60 E line.
(We don't have a washing machine, we use the designated space for storage)

Up to about a year ago, it was a minor inconvenience, a little foam, a little water in our bathtub or kitchen sink, depending on which we left unplugged.
Not great, but livable.

However, over the past year, it has been getting progressively worse, until the past month, when the volume of water and laundry detergent suds almost fills the tub!
Had we left the sink unplugged, it would have overflowed!
In addition, when we plug up the drains to prevent backflow, the pressure literally "pops" the drains open! Luckily, it pops the tub (which is lower than the kitchen sink) first, or we would have already had a flood!
We confirmed our theory by checking with 2E's C as backflow occurred and discovered she was doing laundry at the time, using the same detergent and water temperature as the water backing up into our tub!

Note: the washing machine in 2E seems to be correctly installed, so that, most likely, is not the problem.
And C & M have agreed to do only one load at a time, instead of several in a row, to minimize backflow problems.
(Previously, we were able to time when backflow would occur when J & K in 1E did their laundry as we could hear and feel their washer directly above us, but the unit has been unoccupied since May, so when backflow does occur, it's been a complete surprise.)

Note: This does NOT occur when people do their laundry in either of the basement laundry rooms.
When backflow occurs, I check both laundry rooms, in 90% of the cases, the washers were not in use.
OTOH, in 100% of the cases, somone on our line WAS doing laundry.

A related item of note; from time to time, we've endured the smell of sewage from the sink drains (one of the reasons we plug them up).
The same stench also occurs in the '60 laundry room.

Since the blockage / venting problem is obviously OUTSIDE our unit, where the pipes from all four units on the '60 E line merge (or even further down the line), we are reporting it to the Board and
management company for appropriate action before the matter gets any worse.

The logical course of action would be to check the line for blockage at the plumbing access points in the laundry rooms.
If you call a licensed plumber, and (s)he needs access to our bathroom (although why [s]he would, since the problem is obviously an external one), after checking the laundry room access points, please contact us in a timely fashion so I can allow access.

We have attached an RTF file, for reference, of similar plumbing problems.
They recommend using licensed professional plumbers, not handymen.

Hoping this is corrected before flooding occurs,
B

PS: On a non-Board-related-matter, Fox Management now owes over $650 on it's long-overdue bill (July 2008, a year ago) to me.
Ask anyone who kept a library book or dvd past it's due date, those late fees DO add up! ;-)

Fox's Response:
Thank you for informing us of the back-up problem in the 60 building.
As the Board of Directors will be meeting on Wednesday, it will be brought up at the meeting and appropriate action will be taken.
Again, as discussed at previous meetings, the invoice that you billed to Fox Management Group is erroneous and will not be paid.
We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.
Mara Fox

My response tomorrow...

Monday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008(almost a year ago)...$676.52, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $6, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $30+ a week!
And, it's over 200 (two hundred) late charges, and almost a full year...
I hope Mara's better with her library books and DVD rentals! ;-)