Common Fixes
Common Fixes
Common Fixes for Basic Household Issues
Before you decide to contact us regarding a maintenance issue, please review the Common Fixes for Basic Household Issues below.
If your issue is not solved by the list below, feel free to Submit a Maintenance Request
Below you will find some helpful tips to some common basic issues you may encounter in your home. These basic fixes can often save you the cost of placing a service call for items that you may be charged for. Do not attempt if you are not able to or not qualified to do so. You are responsible for any damage you may cause by taking improper actions.
**Always unplug any electrical unit at the wall, or switch off breaker if hard wired, prior to attempting to service or investigate any electrical item**
**Do not attempt if you are physically unqualified to do so or generally incapable of performing the task without harming yourself**
Garbage Disposal
Symptom: Won't turn on.
Typical Causes:
Something jammed in unit.
Red button underneath 'tripped'.
Overheated due to improper use-such as putting items in unit that should not be or running unit without cold water running.
Not used in a long time.
Fix:
Use garbage disposal tool (can be purchased a Home Depot for a few $) to free moving parts by inserting it into the appropriate spot under the unit and rotating from right to left.
Look underneath and press button (usually red).
Extras:
A tablespoon of vegetable oil will help grease the moving parts and keep them free.
Lemon helps clean the unit.
Ice also helps clean the unit.
Symptom:
Water coming back into sink/water not draining.
Typical Causes:
Unit or pipe clogged – usually by items that should not be inserted into disposal such as bones, anything that is stringy, like corn husks or too many shavings such as from carrots or cucumbers, etc.
Fix:
Use tool inserted into bottom of disposal to free mechanisms.
Plunge sink.
Use a clog remover from hardware stores.
Sinks
Symptom:
Clogged.
Typical Causes: Allowing items into the sink that should not be, including hair, thick substances, paint, etc.
Fix: Use plunger. Remove sink stopper (if applicable/possible) and remove obstruction. Use a clog remover from hardware stores.
Sliding Glass Doors/Windows & Sliding Screens
Symptom:
Very tough to open, likely stuck (mostly screens).
Typical Causes: Knocked off sliding track (usually the rollers).
Fix: Locate rollers at bottom, adjust & realign by lifting screen door and putting back on track- a screw driver may be needed to push the rollers back up while putting on track, apply some synthetic lubricant such as WD-40 (do not use oil!).
Symptom:
Door, window, or screen may be difficult to slide – perhaps a grinding or scraping sound can be heard.
Typical Causes: Dirt of grit on track/pathway-typically happens over time.
Fix: Sweep/vacuum track/pathway/area, wipe down, and spray WD-40.
Toilets
Symptom:
Clogged.
Typical Causes: Flushing materials that exceed the capacity of the toilet or flushing items that should not be flushed such as paper towels, diapers, toys, coins, bags, large materials, etc
Fix: Plunge toilet.
Symptom:
Leaking sound. Toilet runs/tank fills often without being flushed.
Typical Causes: Rubber flapper no longer seals (can happen quickly if chemical pucks used in tank). Float needs to be adjusted. Chain is too short. Chain too long and getting tangled.
Fix: Replace flapper (available at Home Depot for about $2.00). Replace flapper and chain. Adjust float upwards (there is usually a little plastic screw on top of the stack at the far left of the tank). Stop using chemical cleaning pucks in tank.
Three Common Fixes:
Ninety percent of the time poor flushing action is due to clogged ports under the rim of the toilet bowl. Clean these out with a stiff brush and some calcium cleaner like CLR or Lime-Away. Water running into the bowl can be due to the water level being too high in the tank. If the inside of your toilet tank has a ball-float with an arm, follow that back toward the hinge point. There you will find a screw, and by tightening it (righty tighty, lefty loosey) you will lower the water level just below the overflow pipe. If water is flowing into the bowl, then you may need to clean the flapper or flush valve. Replacing this flapper is very easy; you just unclip the old one and clip in the new one and connect the chain.
Air Conditioning Unit
Symptom:
Temperature rising, unit running constantly, air not cold/cool.
Typical Causes: Filthy/clogged filter from not changing filter, coils freezing.
Fix: Change filter monthly (this will also improve air quality and lower electricity costs). If coils also frozen leave system off for at least 12 hours with a pan and towel underneath to catch the melting water – restart once defrosted.
Garage Door Opener
Symptom:
Door won't close properly – stops abruptly followed by flashing of lights.
Typical Causes: Safety sensors (small black boxes at the bottom of each track) misaligned usually hit or bumped accidently or while moving items in the garage.
Fix: Realign sensors to point at each other.
Wall Electrical Outlet
Symptom:
No power.
Typical Causes: Breaker flipped. Outlet controlled by a wall switch.
Fix: Check breaker box. Flip wall switches in room to determine which one controls that outlet (often times it is only one plug in the outlet that is controlled, not both).
Dishwasher
Symptom:
Water not draining.
Typical Causes: Drain clogged by food/debris.
Fix: Clean unit by removing food/debris from bottom of unit/drain. Remove food/debris prior to placing dishes in dishwasher.
Internet and/or Cable Provided by Community
Symptom:
Not working.
Typical Causes: Equipment Problem. Network outage.
Fix: Restart equipment. Call provider directly to report outage.