Brockport hosts informational meeting for landlords

An informational exchange meeting was hosted August 7 by Brockport's Code Enforcement Officer Scott Zarnstorff for members of the Brockport-Sweden Landlord's Association and other interested property owners.

"We talked about a variety of topics ranging from the importance of servicing appliances on a yearly basis to the selection of reputable contractors to changes in technology with heating appliances," Zarnstorff said.

Tim Andrews from Rochester Gas and Electric spoke to the more than 20 landlords and property owners about the technological advances in heating systems, the options property owners have in choosing a gas supplier and billing options that are available to them.

The primary reason the meeting was scheduled, Zarnstorff said, was because during the course of his routine inspections he has noted problems with poor vent performance and general maintenance questions regarding furnaces and water heaters. "RG&E does the same type of inspections that I do and they run across similar problems," he said.

Advances in fuel efficiencies in furnaces and water heaters, Zarnstorff explained, means they operate at lower flue temperatures. "Some of the older chimneys and vents don't perform as well with the lower temperatures," he said. "The lower temps lead to deteriorated chimneys and vents that don't perform as well and rusted pipes that lead to the production and build up of carbon monoxide."

This was the first of what Zarnstorff hopes will be a series of informational meetings. "As it gets closer to heating season we'd like to offer this RG&E meeting again," he said. "We'd also like to explore electrical issues ... the importance of not overloading circuits, proper extension cord use and other safety issues."

Attendees at the meeting received free carbon monoxide detectors and informational hand-outs from RG&E, Zarnstorff said.