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359 st johns heat/air quality issues — Brooklynian

359 st johns heat/air quality issues

littlekates
littlekates
edited November -1 in Prospect Heights
i live in 359 st. johns and about a month ago, our oil heater set on fire, causing our apt. to fill with smoke and a (very nice and handsome) firefighter to wake me up at 5am telling me to open up all my windows and air out my place.

ever since that happened and the heater in question was allegedly cleaned/given maintenance, our pipes are emitting something that results in a black residue being left on EVERYTHING in our kitchen and bathroom. its like a smudgy soot and it's disgusting.

so this morning, i woke up again to a smoke filled apartment and the smell of burning. went into the bathroom and there were literally black particles floating in the air, covering the toilet, tub, sink, everything. i called the super, he was mildly unresponsive, so i called the fire department and they came within 2 minutes (very impressed). they confirmed that the oil heater needs to be cleaned, now our heat/hot water is gone again, and the black schmeg has settled in an even thicker coat around the apartment. also every morning when we wake up and blow our nose, there is black crap on the tissue. nice to think that this is in our lungs too.

i guess this post is a bit of a rant and a bit of a cry for help. is anyone else in 359 st. johns experiencing anything like this? i told my landlord last week about the black residue, and they said they'd "look into it." (they never do). what next steps can i take? NYC DEP? can i withhold rent till the situation is remedied?

Comments

  • modsquad
    modsquad
    That kind of soot is usually found in the basement near the boiler itself or is sent into the sky via the chimney.
    The very first thing I would do is make sure your CO detector has a good battery (you do of course have a CO detector?) before I sleep another night in the apartment. The fact that the soot has come into your apartment means there is a leak in the system, a real danger.
    You don't say if you have steam heat or forced hot air. I'll presume hot air for now. There is a "heat exchanger" that is heated by the combustion of the oil mixed with air etc. Fresh air is drawn into that heat exchange and is heated and forced with a fan throughout the building. Occasionally these boxes develop leaks and allow byproducts of the combustion to be sucked in and dispersed with the fresh air. This is not a good situation and should be checked immediately and repaired. The other possibility is that the fresh air intake is somewhere near the exhaust from the furnace, illegal and rather stupid.

    If you had steam heat "radiators" the problem would indicate a leak in the chimney taking the exhaust to the roof. You would probably have a black smear on a wall somewhere (rather obvious)

    Fine tuning the burner on the furnace is not hard to do. Even if the soot problem is solved, it doesn't mean the possibility of combustion gases coming into your home is solved. The soot only allowed you to "see" the problem.

    Seriously, make sure you have working CO detectors. A canary would be advisable also.
  • modsquad
    modsquad
    Oh... The legal aspect, Keep records and monitor the CO detectors. Call the FDNY every time the soot appears or the COs go off. Yes you can withhold rent but you need to start with a lawyer. PM me for a good tenant advocate if needed.
  • doctorj
    doctorj
    Sounds like you're getting your daily requirement of benzopyrenes.
  • rockhound
    rockhound
    I wonder if this is what caused the diesel like oil stench that filled my apartment's back bedroom a couple times over the last few weeks. My 4th Floor apartment window on Lincoln faces north, almost directly south of 359 St Johns on the other side of the block. I came home to a really appalling stench a few times, like a truck farted in my bedroom.

    Strangely the odor was nowhere else in the apartment or building and seemed to come from outside and invade the bedroom. The odor was very strong, didn't notice any sooty flecks. Never happened before..I'm just glad my birds are still alive.
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