Questions Back Garden and Patio
Board of Directors/Committees/Management
Covenants Violations
Emergencies
General
HVAC System
Mail & Packages
Moving In/Out
Onsite Staff
Roof Deck
Storage Space
Trash/Recycle
Unit Maintenance
Answers Who can use the back garden/patio? Any Bader resident can use the back garden/patio. Only Bader residents can host a function in the back garden/patio. The back garden/patio can be used from 8am to 10pm Sunday through Thursday and 8am to midnight Friday and Saturday. Can I reserve the back garden/patio? Any Bader resident can reserve the back garden/patio. To reserve the back garden/patio, speak to or give the Supervisor a note listing your name, your unit, and the date and time you want to reserve the back garden/patio. Can I build a temporary structure in the back garden/patio? Any Bader resident can build a temporary structure in the back garden/patio as long as building it does not harm the patio or garden, the resident reserved the back garden/patio, and the structure is taken down at the end of the reserved time period. Does the Bader employ a condominium Management Company? Yes, currently EJF with Douglas Melendez and Matthew Hunter as our Managing Agents. Our Management Company helps us with day-to-day operations at the Bader, employee management, contracts management, payroll, budgeting, and emergency services. How are Board of Directors members chosen? As per Article IV, Section 4 of the Bader Bylaws, Board members are elected to office by the owners at the Bader annual open meeting in the Fall. Board members serve a two year term. Currently Board members’ terms are staggered so that three members’ terms expire one year and four members’ terms the next year. As per Article V, Section 2 of the Bader Bylaws, once elected, Board members then elect Board officers from the seven member Board. Can I come to a Board of Directors meeting? Yes, as long as you are a unit owner. You can attend the entire meeting except “Executive Session” where the Board discusses dilinquent home owner association dues. How does a Board of Directors meeting work? The Board President presides over the Board meeting. First minutes from the previous Board meeting are reviewed and accepted by the Board. Next the President and Treasurer give their reports. Then committee heads give their reports followed by the Managing Agent’s report. It is during the Managing Agent’s report that the Board goes into “Executive Session” where the Board discusses dilinquent home owner association dues. Next, the Board discusses old business followed by new business. This is usually the point where non-Board member unit owners can bring up any issues they have. Then the next meeting is scheduled and the Board meeting adjourns. When does the Board of Directors meet? The Board meets at least once every quarter. Notices of the next meeting are posted on the lobby and laundry room bulletin boards. Can I join the Board of Directors? Yes, as long as you are a resident unit owner. Non-resident unit owners and renters are not allowed to serve on the Board. What committees are there at the Bader? There are two permanent committees at the Bader, Covenants and Facilities. The Covenants Committee is in charge of enforcing the rules and fining violators. The Facilities Committee makes decisions concerning common area aesthetics including paint colors, carpet colors, and re-decorating. The Board from time to time also establishes other committees such as Budget, Communications, Garden, etc., that are necessary for the efficient performance of its duties. The Budget Committee works with the Managing Agent to create a budget for the upcoming year. The Communications Committee oversees the design and maintenance of the Bader website and sends email and snail mail communiques to the unit owners. The Garden Committee oversees the health and foliage of the Bader front and back gardens. Yes, as long as you are a unit owner. Non-resident as well as resident unit owners can serve on a committee. What are quiet hours at the Bader? Quiet hours at the Bader are 10pm to 8am Sunday through Thursday and midnight to 8am Friday and Saturday. What do I do if my neighbor is committing a noise violation? We first ask that you talk to your neighbor and ask them to keep the noise down. If you are feeling nice, feel free to ask them to keep it down a couple times if they do it again but once is all we ask. After that, if they continue to be a nuisance, please write a note explaining the circumstances and slip the note under the condominium president’s door. The president will forward the note onto the Covenants Committee chair. Depending on the severity of the violation the Covenants Committee chair may give the violator a warning or choose to fine the unit owner. Should the neighbor be having a party where you suspect people are drinking and they are committing a noise violation, we suggest you let the police deal with the situation. Call the police and then be available to let the police in the front door and guide them to the party. To avoid reprisals, we will try to maintain your anonymity. What do I do if I see someone commit an act of vandalism? Although vandalism peaked in 2007, it still continues to be a problem at The Bader. Should you see someone commit an act of vandalism, try to tie that person to a certain unit number and slip a note explaining the circumstances under the condominium president’s door. If the vandal(s) continue and stick around, call the police and then be available to let the police in the front door and guide them to the vandal(s). To avoid reprisals, we will try to maintain your anonymity. If you smell gas in your unit, check your stove and oven. If a burner or the oven was on, turn it off and open your windows. If the stove and oven were off, open your windows and call the Washington Gas emergency number at 703-750-1400. If you smell gas in a common area, call the Washington Gas emergency number at 703-750-1400. What do I do if I notice a major water leak? Contact our Managing Agent IMMEDIATELY. Also contact the Supervisor if the leak is discovered during his working hours. Their contact information is here. What do I do if I get stuck on the elevator? Contact our Managing Agent and ring the elevator emergency bell. Also contact the Supervisor if stuck during his working hours. If you cannot contact any of the above and no one comes to your assistance after ringing the elevator emergency bell, use the elevator emergency phone to call the DC Government for assistance. What do I do if I get locked out of my unit? Lock outs are NOT an emergency so do NOT call the Bader’s Managing Agent. Contact the Supervisor if locked out during his working hours. For renters, if locked out outside of the Supervisor’s working hours, call your landlord to come let you in. Board of Directors members can let you in but are not required to do so. It is advised that residents give a spare key to a trusted neighbor in anticipation of lock outs. As an owner, why should I provide a set of keys for my unit front door to the condominium association? In case of an emergency (gas leak, fire, water leak), if the unit owner or tenant is not home, the set of keys provided to the association will be used to gain access to the unit. If the unit owner has not given the association a set of keys, the unit owner is in effect granting the association permission to forcibly enter by destroying the unit front door should there be an emergency. In that case, the unit owner is responsible for replacing the unit front door. As of 2011, all unit front doors met DC Fire Code and our insurance master plan requirement. Should the unit owner have to replace their front door, the DC Fire Marshall requires that the door be self-closing and fire-rated which, as of 2011, ran between $1,200 and $1,500 installed. So, it’s up to the unit owner…give the condominium association a set of unit front door keys for $5 or get a new unit front door for $1,200 to $1,500? Here is information on replacing a unit front door. Can you tell me about the Bader laundryroom? The laundry room is located in the basement across from the rear stairwell. The laundry room door is locked at all times and can be opened by the building front door key fob. The machines are card activated. You can purchase a card or add money to it using the ATM in the laundry room. The washers run for 30 minutes and the dryers for 45 minutes. The washers and dryers cost $1.50 each per load. For out of order machines, please follow the instructions of the vendor as posted and report the malfunction to the vendor or the Supervisor. The Association assumes no responsibility, nor does building insurance cover lost, stolen, or damaged laundry. Please return in a timely manner to remove your clothes. Any clothes left in the laundry room for more than a week will be removed and disposed of by the Supervisor. As a courtesy to other residents, please use no more than two machines at any one time. The use of dyes is not permitted. Can I install a washer/dryer in my unit? The Bader Board is not allowing in-unit washer/dryer. There is a laundry room in the Bader basement. How do I get the outside of my windows cleaned? The Board of Directors has professional cleaners clean the outside of all windows twice per year. What do I do if someone wants to come in an entry door behind me? Security is a serious matter at the Bader. There have been thefts, break-ins, and at least one incident of robbery on the elevator, so the Board of Directors requests that you only let into the Bader people that you know. Should someone try to follow you in the door, politely ask that they contact the person they are visiting and ask that person to let them in. If you see someone hovering outside the front door and you don’t want to have to confront them, use the back door instead. If you do not know the person but they “look safe”, consider the fact that one ex-resident had a restraining order placed against an ex-boyfriend who was harassing her. He was a clean cut K Street consultant so looks are NOT a good indication of “safe”. How do I get another entry e-key? You can purchase an e-key from the Supervisor for $50. Only owners are allowed to purchase e-keys. How do I post a notice to the other residents in the building? There is a bulletin board in the laundry room where anyone can post a notice to the rest of the building. What is the latitude and longitude of the Bader? Latitude = 38.903 Degrees North What is the minimum lease term allowed at the Bader? As per Article VI, Section 8, Part B, Paragraph xv of the Bader Bylaws, the minimum lease term allowed by the Bader is six months. Can I sub-lease my unit at the Bader? As per Article VI, Section 8, Part B, Paragraph xv of the Bader Bylaws, the lessee is NOT allowed to sub-lease their unit at the Bader. Can I have a dog at the Bader? As per the Bader Handbook, all residents can have a dog maximum of two (2) dogs which are licensed under DC Code. Renters are not permitted to have pets unless approved by the homeowner or with the exception of properly documented service animals. All pets must have a veterinarian certificate confirming their weight, shots, and general good health. What are the three cable jacks in my unit? There should be one jack for each of Comcast, RCN, and the roof antenna in everyone’s unit. Can I get satellite TV in my unit? The Board of Directors has decided not to let anyone mount satellite dishes on the window sills for aesthetic reasons. Residents are welcome to mount satellite dishes inside their units and try to get the satellite signal thru the window. Can you tell me about the surveillance cameras in the Bader? The Bader has seven (7) motion activated surveillance cameras throughout the building common areas and in the side alley. The cameras are on at all times. The footage is recorded and stored for a limited amount of time. The surveillance camera footage is owned solely by the association and can only be viewed by the Board, the Managing Agent, the Supervisor, or a law enforcement officer. The cameras are for surveillance purposes only and are NOT monitored. How does the HVAC system work? The HVAC system(s) contained within your unit consists of a radiator and a blower fan. The blower fan sucks air in the big duct, blows the air across the radiator, and out the little ducts. The Bader sends chilled water to the radiator during the warm months and heated water to the radiator during the cold months. Therefore, the system can deliver only heat or A/C but not both at the same time. The unit owner is resposible for maintaining the blower fan and a condensate pan and drain under the radiator. The association is responsible for maintaining the radiator. What do I do if my HVAC system isn’t working? First check the obvious, that you have the temperature on your thermostat set high enough in the cold months or low enough in the warm months to cause the HVAC to come on. If the blower fan inside your wall comes on but the air coming out is not cool in the warm months or warm in the cold months, then speak to the Supervisor about checking the HVAC in other units in your tier. If the blower fan won’t come on, then it needs to be repaired. The blower fan is the unit owner’s responsibility. When do we switch to heat in the Fall and A/C in the Spring? The decision to switch is never easy as there are those on the North side of the building whose apartments never get any Sun and those on the South side of the building whose apartments get baked. The temperature here in DC is very fickle with hot and cold spells in the Spring and Fall being the norm. Normal temperatures for the Spring and Fall range from the 40’s to the 70’s but days with temperatures outside of that range are common. If there is a heat wave in the Spring, there is no guarantee that it won’t get cold again before the general warming trend into Summer. If there is a cold snap in the Fall, there is no guarantee that it won’t get warm again before the general cooling trend into Winter. To make the switch, Board of Director approval is needed so the Board President contacts all Board members asking for their vote on the matter. It usually takes a day or two to get in touch with everyone. If the decision is made to switch, the Board President then contacts our Managing Agent and asks him to contact the plumber at start of business the next day to set up an appointment to make the switch. Since many schools/businesses/apartment buildings in this area have the type of HVAC system we have (A/C or heat, but not both at the same time), the plumber we use for the switch is sometimes already booked for the next several days and can’t start the work immediately. Note that the switch from heat to A/C and from A/C to heat is not a simple process but a complicated and expensive all day job. Therefore, once we switch, we don’t go back until the next Equinox. Note also that the decision to switch is not a financial issue (saving on energy costs), but one of consideration for everyone in the building. We will have to pay the plumber to make the switch whether it’s early or late in the season so the finances are a wash. We make the decision based on balancing the comfort and discomfort of everyone in the building. At any time around the Equinoxes, the South side apartments can be hot while the North side apartments are cold. Note also that your Board members live in the building with you and suffer through the same temperature extremes that you do so it’s not as though we are absentee landlords detached from the situation. So, the Board apologizes in advance for any temperature discomfort you may experience in the Spring and Fall should we get a suprise heat wave or cold snap. We will make the switch at the appropriate time based on the long term temperature trend forecast. Note that DC Housing Laws dictate that as of October 15th the indoor temperature has to be kept at 65 degrees or greater which means turning on the heat. There is no deadline for turning on the A/C in the Spring/Summer. Why is there water on my walls and ceiling after switching to heat in the Fall? In the warm months, cold water is pumped through the radiator inside your HVAC unit and as a result, condensate forms on the radiator fins. When the system is switched from A/C to heat in the Fall, hot water is then pumped through the radiator inside your HVAC unit which evaporates the condensate off the radiator fins. That water then condenses back out on the ceiling and walls around your HVAC vent. On the A/C-to-heat switch over day, the Board of Directors suggests you crack your windows and leave your thermostat set to run the heat (set to low or high fan speed and temperature set high) to clear the humidity from your unit. Who replaces the filters in my HVAC? As per the Bader Handbook, twice per year, as a preventive maintenance service, the Bader replaces all HVAC filters in all units. This is done by the Supervisor. Should you notice that your filter is clogged, you can, at any time, request a new filter from the Supervisor. This service is provided as a courtesy to Bader unit owners but the Bader is not required to perform this service. There’s water on the floor around my HVAC unit. Why is that? There is a pan underneath the radiator inside your wall to catch the condensate that drips off the radiator fins in the warm months when the A/C is on. There is a drain in that pan that feeds into the Bader sewage system. If that drain becomes clogged, the condensate water in the pan overflows out into your unit. If that happens, contact the Supervisor immediately to get the drain cleaned out before damage to the unit below yours occurs. As a courtesy to all Bader residents, the Board of Directors has all condensate pan drains cleaned out once per year shortly after the A/C has been turned on. This service is provided as a courtesy to Bader unit owners but the Bader is not required to perform this service. Can I put a label on my mailbox? Since people were placing hand written labels and typed labels in all kinds of fonts on their mailboxes making the lobby mailboxes look aesthetically unpleasing, the Board of Directors decided to remove all mailbox labels. Please do not place one on your mailbox. The Postal Service places labels on the inside of the mailboxes so they know who is living in each unit. What do I do if my mailbox lock is broken? As per Section V of the Bader Handbook, mailboxes are the responsibility of the unit owner. Federal and DC Law, and therefore the Bader, requires that all residents keep their mailboxes in working order. If your lock is broken, it is up to you to get it fixed or replaced. The locks are standard and can be found at most hardware stores. Where do I place outgoing mail and packages? Outgoing mail can be slipped into the mail slot on the wall to the right of the counter in the lobby around the corner from the map. Outgoing packages can be left on the far right end of the counter in the lobby. Can I get the Supervisor to accept a package for me? Yes, you can. It’s good to let him know that the package is coming and what day you expect it to arrive. He can either hold the package in his office in the basement, lean it against your front door, or set it inside your front door, your choice. Most residents tip him a dollar or two for doing that. What is the process for moving in/out? Please see Section V of the Bader Handbook for the move in/out process, rules, required documentation, and fee. What door do I use for moving? Residents are only allowed to use the back door for moves in/out. Use of the front or patio doors for moving is prohibited. Does the Supervisor help me with my move? The Supervisor is only there to monitor the move to make sure that the Bader is not damaged in the process. He puts the pad up on the walls of the elevator and then runs the elevator for the person moving in/out. He is NOT required to help the person move in/out. Does the Bader have a Supervisor? Yes, Douglas Melendez, and his office is in the basement to the left of the laundry room. What are the Supervisor’s duties? The Bader Supervisor is more of a supervisor than a Superintendant as he does VERY little repair or maintenance work. The following is a partial list of the Supervisor’s duties: semi-manage the cleaning company custodian who does the lion’s share of the cleaning, monitor the health of building mechanical systems and washers/dryers, accept packages, monitor moves in/out, contact and monitor contractors, clean the front sidewalk, water the front garden, remove snow, weed the gardens and plant flowers, minor painting, minor repairs, organize the common areas, storage and bike rooms and Bader personnel only rooms in the basement, and keep the Management Company and Board of Directors appraised of building related matters. This is by no means a complete listing of his duties but it covers most of them. What are the Supervisor’s hours? The Supervisor works 7am to 3pm Monday through Friday. Is the Supervisor allowed to come into my unit when I am not there? If there is an emergency, the Supervisor, an emergency worker, a gas worker, or what ever contractor the Bader hires to stop water leaks can come into your unit when you are not there. It behooves all owners to provide a key to their unit to the Board of Directors so in case of an emergency, we won’t have to break through your door. For non-emergencies, if you are uncomfortable letting the Supervisor into your unit when you are not there, please let him know that and any time he needs to get into your unit for servicing of your HVAC or other, schedule a time with him to come by when you are there. What are the cleaning company’s duties? The cleaning company custodian vacuums, dusts, and mops the common areas, cleans up the laundry room, lobby, back patio, and roof deck, and prepares the recycleables and trash for the trash removal company. What are the cleaning company’s hours? The cleaning company custodian works 8am to noon Monday through Friday. Any Bader resident can use the roof deck. Only Bader residents can host a function on the roof deck. The roof deck can be used from 8am to 10pm Sunday through Thursday and 8am to midnight Friday and Saturday. Any Bader resident can reserve the roof deck. To reserve the roof deck, speak to or give the Supervisor a note listing your name, your unit, and the date and time you want to reserve the roof deck. The roof deck cannot be reserved during Independence Day fireworks. Can I build a temporary structure on the roof deck? Any Bader resident can build a temporary structure on the roof deck as long as building it does not harm the roof deck or roof, the resident reserved the roof deck, and the structure is taken down at the end of the reserved time period. Cooking on the roof deck is NOT allowed as per DC Fire Code. The Bader could have our roof deck closed permanently by the DC Fire Marshall should a fire code violation occur so anyone caught cooking on the roof will be fined the maximum fine allowed as defined in the Bader Handbook. Can I climb out on the roof or up on top of the elevator shaft penthouse? Climbing out onto the Bader roof or up on top of the elevator shaft penthouse is NOT allowed. The Bader had a new roof installed in 2003 and walking on the roof can cause damage to the water-proofing. As such damage can lead to costly water damage and costly roof repair, anyone caught out on the roof or up on top of the elevator shaft penthouse will be fined the maximum fine allowed as defined in the Bader Handbook. Is there a limit to the number of people allowed on the Bader roof deck? As per the DC Fire Marshall, the maximum number of people allowed on the Bader roof deck at any one time is 33. Can I build a locked structure in my storage space? You can but the Board of Directors requests that you be mindful of the other building residents. The division of the storage room was an after-thought so the walk paths are only 12 inches wide in there. If everyone were to build a permanent structure that completely filled their storage spots (4 feet times 4 feet), that would leave only the 12 inch walking paths. If that were the case, owners whose storage spots were in the back would have a hard time getting big things to/from their storage spots. The Board therefore requests that you build your structure to be at most 3 feet times 3 feet and that it be on wheels so that it can be easily moved by others so that they can get big things to/from their storage spots. What do I do if someone else puts their stuff in my storage space? When entering the storage room, you can place it either just to the left of the entrance door in the open area in the corner of the storage room closest to the recycle bins or to the right of the entrance door at the end of the storage room where the ceiling is very low. Once placed there, the Supervisor will eventually remove it. Where do I put my small trash? Small trash should be placed in a sealed bag and dropped down the trash shoot next to the back stairwell entrance door on each hall. Where do I put my large trash? Reach out to the Superintendent There are two recycle bins in the basement around the corner to the left when exiting the elevator. One bin is for cans, bottles, and plastic, and the other is for newspaper, magazines, and cardboard. How can I get rid of hazardous waste and old electronics? Hazardous waste and old electronics should be taken to the DC hazardous waste collection center. The Bader’s trash disposal company does NOT handle hazardous waste. As a unit owner, what do I own? What am I in charge of? This listing of the boundaries between unit owner property and association property at each unit is by far not a complete list but is meant to provide a general guideline to the unit owner. Unit owners own from the outer walls of the unit inward. That includes the interior walls, the interior surfaces of floors, outer walls, and ceilings, the horizontal pipes inside walls, the front and interior doors, the door locks and hardware, the windows, the lighting fixtures, the kitchen and bathroom fixtures, the toilet, the sinks, the tub, the HVAC unit(s) blower fan(s) and condensate pan(s), the electrical switches and outlets, the cable jacks, the phone jacks, and the appliances. The association owns the vertical hot and cold water pipes, sewage pipes, and HVAC supply and return pipes shared by all units in a tier, the electric supply and return wiring shared by all units in the tier, the HVAC radiator(s) in each unit, the unit front door frames and doorsteps, the outer walls of units, and the unit window frames. These are all owned by the condominium association so that they can be kept standardized across all units. For more information, see Article VI, Section 5, Paragraph B of the Bader Bylaws. As per Article VI, Section 7 of the Bader Bylaws, no unit owner shall make any structural addition, alteration, or improvement in or to his/her unit without the prior written consent to the Board of Directors. Most requests to the Board are approved as long as no load bearing walls or columns are removed or altered. How do I get the outside of my front door painted? When the Board of Directors re-decorates the hallways (approximately once every 10 years), the association has all unit front doors painted. If you want your door touched up at a time other than that, feel free to paint it yourself. Ask the Supervisor if he has any paint that you can use, and if not, get the correct paint color from him and purchase the paint yourself. Who do I contact to have minor plumbing repairs done? For minor plumbing repairs or waste line backups, unit owners may wish to contact Stevens Plumbing (202-882-4500), who have been used satisfactorily by unit owners and the association in the past. This suggestion is given as an aid rather than a recommendation or endorsement by the Bader Board. For major water leaks, contact our Managing Agent IMMEDIATELY. Also contact the Supervisor if the leak is discovered during his working hours. Their contact information is here. What are the walls made of and how do I repair them? Depending on where you are, the interior of the walls can be made of brick, cement, cinder block, mortar, or terra cotta block. The surface of the wall is a layer of plaster and then, most likely, many layers of paint. Over time, plaster can delaminate from the surface below it and paint can delaminate from the plaster below it. Since The Bader was built in 1939, these occurrances are common in our building. Note that since the bathrooms do not have exhaust fans, moisture can cause the paint to bubble. To repair this, scrape the loose paint off, repair the plaster, and put several layers of Kilz primer on the repair before repainting. Note also that since the building was built before lead paint was outlawed (1978), the inner layers of paint on your walls and ceilings are more than likely lead based. It is recommended that you educate yourself about working in a lead hazard environment before doing renovation work on your unit. Here are some links dealing with plaster repair: Why is the paint/plaster coming lose from my wall? Over time, plaster can delaminate from the surface below it and paint can delaminate from the plaster below it. Since the Bader was built in 1939, these occurrances are common in our building. Since the bathrooms do not have exhaust fans, moisture can cause the paint to bubble. If you touch the damage and the plaster is mushy/wet or there are “fluffy crystals” growing on your wall, there is probably a water leak in the wall or in the apartment above yours and you need to report this immediately to the Managing Agent and/or the Supervisor. Note that since the building was built before lead paint was outlawed (1978), the inner layers of paint on your walls and ceilings are more than likely lead based. It is recommended that you educate yourself about working in a lead hazard environment before doing renovation work on your unit. For information on plaster repair, see this answer. Yes, you can replace the glass but not the frames. The unit owner owns the glass but the condominium association owns the frames. Replacing the glass is good for the Bader’s energy usage and could possibly give the unit owner a Federal tax break as new windows will be a better insulator. The windows in the Bader are double pane with an inert gas between the two panes. If your windows are foggy, there’s a good chance the seals between the two panes of glass have degraded and so air, dust, and water vapor have gotten between the two panes. Some Bader residents have had a good experience with Blaine Window Repair Service, Inc in Silver Spring, MD. This is just an aid in providing you with a useful vendor and should not be considered a recommendation or endorsement by the Board of Directors. Can I replace my unit front door? Yes, but you must replace it with a self-closing fire-rated door as per the DC Fire Marshall and our insurance master plan requirement. As of 2011, all unit front doors meet DC Fire Code and our insurance master plan requirement. Unit front doors are the unit owner’s responsibility. A description of the replacement door would look something like this: 2-10 x 6-8 flush steel door installed in existing frame complete with 1 concealed continuous hinge, 1 entrance lock set, 1 dead lock with cylinder and thumb turn, 1 streamline overhead door closer, 1 peep hole, and primer paint. Also remount knocker. One door company representative said it would probably be best to use single hinge doors since the door frames are not always square. Whether to purchase a single or multiple hinge door is up to the owner. Note that the owner can purchase door closer hinges in place of an overhead door closer. As of 2011, a new unit front door runs any where from $1,200 to $1,500 installed. Some Bader residents have had good experiences with Home Depot, House of Doors in Alexandria, VA, and Southern Specialty (5200 Wilson BLVD, Arlington, VA 22205, 703-522-6226). The Board of Directors used Southern Specialty to replace all the stairwell doors in 2011. This is just an aid in providing you with a useful vendor and should not be considered a recommendation or endorsement by the Board of Directors. Can I get some information on the smoke detector in my unit? Every unit at the Bader must have a smoke detector that is dual-powered as per the DC Fire Marshall and our insurance master plan requirement. Unit smoke detectors must be hard-wired to the electric grid with battery back up. Note that this is just hard-wired to the electric grid, NOT hard-wired into our fire safety system. As of 2011, all unit smoke detectors met DC Fire Code and our insurance master plan requirement. Smoke detectors are the unit owner’s responsibility. Here is an image showing the proper smoke detector configuration. In the image, the smoke detector is powered by a wire running off the hall ceiling light contained in a plastic conduit glued to the ceiling. Not pictured is the battery inside the smoke detector. |
