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The number 1 cause of toilet clogs is due to flushing an
excessive amount of toilet tissue at one time.
The waste line under the toilet has a pipe size diameter of about 2 ½
inches. If when flushing the toilet you notice the water is
rising in the bowl rather than going down, shut off the water supply
immediately! The water supply shut
off will be located on the left side of the toilet; you will see a knob or a
valve with a pipe going up into the bottom of the toilet tank.
Turn this valve clockwise to shut off the water.
The rising water in the bowl should stop. Each on site manager should have a plunger for tenant
use. To use the plunger, place the
rubber portion of the plunger in the center of the toilet bowl. Rapidly plunge
in and out about 3 or 4 times, withdraw the plunger and see if the water begins
running down the toilet drain. Sometimes you may need to repeat the procedure a few times on stubborn clogs.
If the water drains, turn the valve back on and flush to be certain the
toilet is functioning properly. If
the toilet refuses to drain, it may require professional services such as a
drain cleaner. Contact the
management or Maintenance staff person in this case. Toilet runs for no reason This means there is a leak in your toilet.
It is non-hazardous, however, it wastes water and can be annoying.
Report this to the management. Toilet takes a long time to fill Be certain that the valve is all of the way open, turn it
counterclockwise until it stops. Toilet does not stop running Connected to the flush handle is a rod, this usually has
a chain or plastic line connected to the end of it. The chain hooks on to a flapper.
The flapper raises as the toilet is flushed. As the water drains out of the tank the flapper re-seats
itself on the drain hole from the tank into the toilet base. Sometimes the chain is too long and gets trapped under the
flapper; this will allow water to continue running into the toilet as the tank
fills. Shake the handle a few
times, allow the tank to fill and see if it stops running. If it doesn’t, shut the water off and contact the
management for maintenance. You can
use the toilet but you will have to turn the water on and off when you have
flushed it until it is repaired. Hints for toilet cleaning Those that are professional cleaning persons say that the
toilet additives such as the chlorine tablets or colored water dispensers, do
very little to keep the bowl clean. The
best method of cleaning the bowl is the use of an abrasive sponge and cleanser
or a pumice stone stick. A product
called Zud Cleanser seems to be as good as any. The expensive liquid clearers do not work any easier or
better; they are little more than liquefied cleanser with a nice smelling
deodorant. Rather than deal with the bowl full of water, an easy way
to lower the water level is to fill a pitcher or pan with water.
Dump it all at once in the center of the toilet hole, the water will drop
to a very low level, after you are finished cleaning the bowl, simply flush the
toilet and the water level will rise to normal again. Under sink leaks Almost all leaks under the sinks are on the plastic waste pipes that drain the water. The leaks are most often caused by carelessness in storing items under the sink. Use caution to not hit these pipes or store tall objects under the sink. It requires very little to loosen the pipe when striking it, causing a leak. If you notice water under the sink, attempt to visually
locate the leak, try to put a catch pan under the area leaking and notify
management of the need for maintenance. Sink clogs and stoppages Poor drainage is usually caused by food and soap buildup
in the trap directly under the sink. The
idea of liquid drain cleaners seems good, but they rarely work.
Plunging the sink sometimes will work.
Fill the sink that is clogged about 2 inches above the drain and plunge.
Place the plunger directly over the drain and rapidly plunge about 4 or 5 times.
Withdraw the plunger and watch to see if it begins draining.
Repeat several times if necessary. It
usually only requires a few minutes work by a professional if these steps do not
work, so notify the management and request maintenance. Bathtubs with poor drainage Usually this is caused by a buildup of soap and hair.
Plunging sometimes works, but first you should use a wire (a
coat hanger is ideal!). Use a pair of pliers and bend a slight hook on the end of the
wire. Push it into the drain,
pushing and pulling to dislodge the clog of hair.
The wire should go in at least 18 inches. Hints for tub and shower cleaning The fiberglass units can be a “pain” to clean especially once they have discolored and the buildup has gotten out of hand. Tilex Tub and Tile Cleaner with bleach and a lot of hard work will restore the tub and shower units to acceptable condition. The best way to avoid the mess and hard work is to wipe the tub and shower out after each use. Body oils, soap and conditioners cause the discoloration
on the fiberglass. By simply
wiping out the tub and shower walls, the buildup never starts. A circuit breaker shuts off because of a direct short, or overloading the line on the breaker. The small “space heaters” are infamous for creating overloads, especially if there is anything else on the line. They look innocent, however some require up to 1800 watts to run. You will usually know immediately which appliance is the
culprit, as once you turn it on the breaker will trip.
When a breaker trips, turn off all electrical items that went off when
the breaker tripped. This avoids a
power surge. Re-setting the breaker Wait at least 2 or 3 minutes before attempting to re-set the breaker. If it is hot, it will not reset until it cools. The breakers are located inside of a metal box most often inside of a closet. Open the breaker panel door and look at the switches, the tripped one should be slightly offset compared to the others. Turn this switch completely off and then back on to reset it. Attempting to turn it
back on will result in reset failure. If
the breaker is too hot, it will immediately snap back off.
Wait a few minutes and try again. You
may need to unplug all appliances on the line involved to reset the breaker.
If the breaker refuses to reset there may be serious problems that
require professional services. Advise
the management immediately in this case. GFCI stands for ground fault circuit interrupter. The Electrical code requires that any plug within arms reach of a sink or object designed to hold water, must be equipped with one of these switches. They are easy to identify as there is a red button and a black button between the plug in sockets. In a simplified explanation, the slightest amount of
moisture or grounding will trip this breaker to prevent electrocution.
These can be troublesome, especially when using a handheld hair dryer.
If this trips while using an appliance, press the button marked
“reset” to recharge it. You may
have to wait until the plug cools off. If
this happens continuously, the plug may require replacement as they do wear out. Appliance plugs do not hold in socket A lot of electrical appliances are manufactured to the
“bare minimum” requirements, especially those manufactured out of this
country. If a cord fits loosely or
does not stay in the socket try spreading the prongs slightly inward or outward
before plugging in, this usually suffices. All computers should be used with a guaranteed surge protector. The strip plugs in protectors are useless with the exception you can plug in several appliances on one strip. As many motherboards are fried on these as computers using nothing. Get an adequate surge protector, that guarantees in writing that they will protect your equipment from power surges. Many things can cause power surges. As an example, an
auto accident where a utility pole is involved, the lines swing back and forth
and the power goes off then immediately comes back on.
We are in a time where utility companies are unable to deal with the
demand required. Intentional electrical power outages are occurring to conserve
energy. All of these things can damage a computer system without surge
protection. ALWAYS! Turn
off light switch before changing a light. It
is very easy to touch energized parts of light receptacles.
Use only enough wattage to adequately light the area. Where possible, use
the fluorescent light bulbs. Wasting
energy is going to become very expensive in the near future! Although telephones are very low voltage, and not really
in the classification of “electrical”, there are a few things to consider
when planning your communications needs. Most apartments are pre-wired for at least 2 lines. To
use single line phones for each occupant, rewiring must be done to accommodate
this. Generally speaking, the cost
of having maintenance staff provide this service is usually far less than Pac
Bell. When ordering phones, we suggest you add the interior
protection on your features. This
covers your phone wires up to the phone. The
service is quite affordable and well worth the money. One thing to remember, cordless phones do not work during
power outages. You may want to
purchase an inexpensive regular phone to keep in case of electrical outages. There is a very serious misunderstanding as to what garbage disposals are for. Most people think that all “grindable” garbage should be put in the disposal. This is a misconception! Disposals should be used to dispose of debris from dishes when rinsing them for the dishwasher. Excessive amounts of garbage only clog sewer lines. Larger portions of garbage should be disposed of as regular house trash. Jams If the disposal jams and stops running, you should remove
all of the debris you can from the disposal with your hand (obviously with the
switch to the disposal off) Use a flashlight to attempt to locate the reason for
the blockage. Common items that jam disposals are olive pits, peach pits, coins,
broken glass, and fish tank rocks. Try
to turn the disposal after you free the item from the inside of the disposal.
If it will not turn, it may be necessary for maintenance services. If the inside of the disposal turns, but will not come on with the switch, the overload protection button may be out. To reset this button, look on the bottom side of the disposal, you will see a red or black button. Push it in and it should snap into place. Try the switch. If it works, run water through the disposal with the disposal running for a few minutes. If the disposal hums when you turn it on, it is still jammed. Try finding the item causing the jam again. If you are not successful, request maintenance services. State law mandates that there is to be no flammable,
explosive, or combustible items stored in, around or near any water heater or
heating device with a semi-closed or open flame. Simply put, water heater closets are not storage
units! On recent inspections we
have found Propane tanks, gasoline containers, Camping fuel containers (Coleman
Fuel or white gasoline), cardboard or paper items, within inches of the front of
water heaters! This is an extremely
dangerous practice. Those persons
causing fires or human injury or death can be held liable because of
thoughtlessly storing items mentioned in a water heater closet Smoke detectors save lives! They are designed to detect a 3% smoke factor within any room
they are operating. This is done
purposely to afford human beings the opportunity of escaping a burning building.
The first minutes prior to a blazing inferno is the
pre-ignition smoke! Never
disconnect a smoke detector! If you
think they are too sensitive, maintenance will install another one at no charge
to the tenants. There are smoke detectors that become overly sensitive
due to age, dirt or damage by power surges. Maintenance furnishes batteries free of charge and this
includes installation. All that is required is a request for a service call from
you. A periodic chipping sound
indicates that the battery is getting weak indicating the need for immediate
attention! People buy mountain properties in the spring and summer. There is little or no thought about what the area would be like in the winter with 2 feet of snow. The same principal applies when we decorate the interior
of our homes. We place obstacles in
exit pathways that should be kept open, affording a clear exit in the event
of an emergency. Imagine being awakened by a smoke alarm in the middle of the night. The house is filled with smoke! To understand the full meaning of this, you can simulate the chaos by practicing getting out of your bed, holding your breath with your eyes closed and attempting to get out of the apartment. You will find that it is not an easy task. In a true
panic situation in an effort to save your life, the inability of being able to
breathe or see is enough trauma to deal with, tripping over a sofa, or coffee
table is only added seconds that may cost your life.
Think about what you are doing when decorating! Energy items such as Natural Gas and Electrical are only
going to increase in cost! There
are steps you can take to live comfortably, yet conserve on energy. 1.
Heating and air conditioning.
When you are away set thermostats to a reasonable temperature.
In winter, set the heating at 50 degrees.
In warmer weather, set the Air Conditioning at 75.
Upon arriving home set temperature to your comfort range.
It only takes a few minutes to adjust the total temperature in the
apartment 2.
Lighting.
Light bulbs should never exceed 75 watts inside of the apartment.
Use the small energy saving fluorescent lights when possible. 3.
Showering.
To conserve energy, limit showers to between 3 and 5 minutes. 4.
Dishwashers.
The washing time involved with a dishwasher is minimal in cost.
The drying time can be expensive at 1500 watts per cycle.
Air dry the dishes or dry them by hand. |
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