Re: Re:Jeff May, Carl Grimes or Others, Can you Advise? URGENT

[Guest guest]

I know a way to stop the air flow, but you would probably not make

many friends doing it.

If you had a flow of air going out of your apartment window, into the

flow of dryer air, it would break up the laminar upward flow and make

it turbulent. It would also increase the amount of dryer air impinging

on other apartments air, evening out the burden somewhat.

A fan directed sideways or downward would do the trick. In effect, you

would be " stirring up " the air breaking up the flow.

That would allow you to keep your window open and reduce the

concentration of dryer-smell-laden air coming into your apartment

without your having to pressurize or depressurize your space. It would

also make your super realize that it was bugging you in a way that

they could not misinterpret, it also would not be dangerous.

It IS your air shaft. The laws on air shafts were written to allow

people to have fresh air, because it became obvious that if they

didn't, they got sick. If they steal your fresh air, they owe you some

of your rent back.

Its a very real reduction in the apartment's value.

On Wed, Oct 8, 2008 at 7:03 PM, jill1313 <jenbooks13@...> wrote:

> Whoa! Thank you so much for the good advice. I will advise them they

> have to move it back to where it once was (which followed building

> codes). They're in violation now anyway so if I push the matter they

> have to do it.

>

>

>>

>> _Jill,

>>

>> Putting a MERV-8 filter (or ANY filter for that matter) could burn the

>> building down.

>>

>> Do not filter the exhaust as it will clog up with lint and block the

>> hot air flow leading to excessive temperatures and lint build up in

>> the vent piping.

>>

>> The course screens at the dryer have to be cleaned daily. Imagine how

>> often a more efficient filter would have to be cleaned. It is simply

>> not possible.

>>

>> Unfortunately, there is no good way to stop the air flow up to your

>> unit other than moving the vent. Perhaps it can exit further away from

>> the building.

>>

>> Both the chemical residues on the lint as well as the odors may be a

> problem.

>>

>> Do not install any other filter for the dryers.

>>

>> Jeff May

>> May Indoor Air Investigations

>> www.mayindoorair.com

>>

>>

>> __________________________________________________________

>> > Jeff May, Carl Grimes or Others, Can you Advise?

>> > Posted by: " jill1313 " jenbooks13@... jill1313

>> > Date: Wed Oct 8, 2008 12:48 pm ((PDT))

>> >

>> > My building manager has agreed to put a filter where the six dryers in

>> > the laundry room are venting--into the courtyard. I'm on the second

>> > floor and my bedrooms and bathroom are over the courtyard and I've not

>> > only been smelling BOUNCE at all hours of day and evening but I'm

>> > getting a lot of lint. They are actually breaking code this way and

>> > need to vent to the other side of the building, which they had

>> > initially done, but tenants were complaining about how hot the laundry

>> > room was as a result.

>> >

>> > My building manager is actually pretty decent. Today he saw me and

>> > asked why I was busting his chops etc and I said because I have asthma

>> > and he said he has asthma too etc. Anyway he asked if we could try a

>> > filter and I said yes that might make a lot of difference but it has

>> > to be Merv 8. (That popped out of my mouth from reading Jeff's posts.

>> > I don't really know what Merv 8 is).

>> >

>> > He said if I researched it--and the super added in, it should be about

>> > 18 by 24 as that is the size of the vent.

>> >

>> > Do you have a recommendation for a good filter in this size vent in a

>> > laundry room where six dryers constantly in use are venting? They will

>> > accomodate me I think as they know I can get the city in because of

>> > the code violation and they would rather put a filter in.

>> >

>> > THANKS!!!!!

>> >

>>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Is there any chance that due to medical issues that the landlords could move you

to a safer apartment in the building? We once had a similar problem and a note

from the doctor indicating this as a medical neccesity was all it took. Perhaps

if they won't or can't move you, at least they would let you out of the lease if

there were no other solutions?

Sam

> Thanks Jeff. There are 250 apts in my building so I

> can't control

[Guest guest]

Sam,

This hopefully is not always the case but sometimes, now, they don't ever

want to admit that *anything* is not safe or is less desirable.

Also, I think its a strong possibility that in the area where Jill lives " new "

apartments are VERY expensive,

(more expensive than very BIG homes in other parts of the country)

and one tenant's " right " to pay

a low rent is tied to that one exact apartment.

I don't know the legal implications

of an apartment swap within a building, but with SO much money at stake,

things can sometimes get VERY complicated, very fast.

Poor people like us are often

in over out heads before we know it. We can't hire lawyers to defend ourselves,

even if we are defending a home that might be worth literally millons to

someone else, *vacant*.

Nonetheless, in most situations, it IS a very good suggestion, its

just the bizarre economics of

corporate behavior under some situations and in some cities and with

some landlords where that happens.

If she has a good relationship with them or they are responsible, it

might work,

but if she doesn't and they are the bad kind, it might also make them want to

find any excuse to evict her. Telling your landlord you are sick is

like painting a target on your back

saying " I am an easy target " - do you see what I mean?

They might rationalize it to themselves with tenants

as being " for their own good " but the truth is that the tenants can

rarely find another

apartment in that city that they can afford again, and losing ther

apartment throws their lives

into extreme turmoil or worse. Imagine the situation of somebody who

has a job and

if they can stick it out a few more years, a pension. Losing their

place to live might

mean having to commute two or three hours a day, often relying on

multiple busses

or train connections to work, a situation that makes it hard to keep your job.

We need better laws. Mold cleanups are a necessity and they need to be done

well and quickly

in order to not destroy people's lives. Bad landlords often want to BOTH avoid

liability and ALSO avoid spending money on needed ongoing repairs and after

the fact cleanup. In some cities, special laws requiring longer notice

in evictions, etc,

laws are triggered by tenants disabilities or age over 60 or 65,

but those laws also make it much harder for the disabled and older to

rent new apartments..

Its really a difficult situation. People need to be able to hold on

the apartments they have, and

have them BE safe, or be MADE safe!

On Fri, Oct 10, 2008 at 1:57 PM, Sam <yaddayadda53@...> wrote:

> Is there any chance that due to medical issues that the landlords could move

> you to a safer apartment in the building? We once had a similar problem and

> a note from the doctor indicating this as a medical neccesity was all it

> took. Perhaps if they won't or can't move you, at least they would let you

> out of the lease if there were no other solutions?

> Sam

>

>

>> Thanks Jeff. There are 250 apts in my building so I

>> can't control

>

>

[Guest guest]

I had to live in a situation much like this, but in a different city,

also very expensive-like NYC

with similar laws limiting the amount they can raise rents to the

Consumer Price Index.

This means that the longer you have lived somewhere, the more they want you out.

The mold was essentially a weapon that they used to force us to move.

And it worked. But, even though I got really sick, it was very hard

for me to give

up the apartment because we literally had noplace else there to go we

could afford there

and I had lived there for more than 20 years, it was my home.

We tried living in a ($2000/month) studio for a few months (we were

limited in our choices because

we had a car and so we also needed parking which can cost a LOT) but

that didn't work out.

They were supposed to fix the problems but they would not commit to

anything or even admit that

there was a problem except as far as to use the concept of " the work "

TO GET US TO MOVE.

We ended up moving a very long distance away to find an affordable

situation in which I could hopefully recuperate while we lived on one income.

We had to leave almost all of our friends very far behind and we also

lost almost everything we had in the move. Its expensive moving. We

figure the whole

thing cost us at least $30k-40k in direct expenses. We had to give

away furniture, books, etc.

They do this kind of thing all of the time. Its just busness to them

but it kills people.

Its an almost impossible battle. I have lots of photos and test

results but the whole thing was

such an ordeal I don't want to relive it again. These real estate

management companies are

evil. They do this to so many people. SO many people. They buy buildings and

empty them of tenants, then resell them. Its a WAR.

People rarely can afford anyplace else, unless they make a LOT

of money. Salaries have not gone up along with rents.

In other towns around there rents have jumped 20% in one year during the

dot com boom. The average rent for a tiny house in some towns is

higher than in NYC.

I have seen $4000 month single family homes - that might be fairly

typical. (in P.A or M.P.)

In the city, with its controlled rents, its cheaper as long as you

stay in the apartment you rented.

If you have to move, a very small number of older people or AIDS

patients might find some kind of subsidized housing

situation, but that is the exception rather than the rule. The rest

might see places offered but they can't get the place with

all the competition who makes more money. Housing is tight and you

often have bidding wars where several people

want an apartment and are offering checks to hold it. Often there are

bribes. Even now, it hasn't cooled off that much.

Its an atmosphere of extreme hostility in which they want you out and

they try to wear you down.

Our apartments were both broken into during this also, at the same time.