Common Maintenance Issues & Tips
In case of any maintenance issues, see these helpful tips from our property maintenance team. For further assistance, you can report by contacting us. Contact numbers are provided in our tenant handbook. Our maintenance team will assess the problem and the person handling it. You will be informed when it will be resolved.
Heating
Gas Central Heating: Controlling Temperature
- Check the location of your thermostat.
- Turn the dial to the point of temperature you want.
- Radiators are also used through the turn knob.
- Make sure your boiler works before the winter sets in.
- Set the thermostat at 15 degrees for peak cold days.
- Monitor pipes to prevent pipes from freezing.
It is easy to check and repair yourself for minor defects. Simple checks are as under:
No Power To The Boiler
Inspect your fuse box if the boiler refuses to catch fire or the timer doesn’t work. If the fuse is blown, flick the switch to get it back working. You can find the circuit breaker in the room where the boiler is fixed. The boilers with safety devices will need a simple reset to work again.
Resetting The Boiler
- Read the boiler manual.
- Press the reset button for 10 minutes.
- The boiler should catch fire in 2-3 minutes.
- Repeat if necessary.
- Check the gas supply.
Re-Pressurizing The Boiler
Loss of water pressure may be a cause of lost central heating. The water pressure indicator should read between one and two bars of atmospheric pressure. The below one indicates low pressure. Find your filling loop to increase the pressure. It is a silver or grey-coloured flexible hose with small valves at each end.
- The boiler must be switched off, and the system should be cool.
- Both ends of the hose should be attached to both valves.
- Tap handles or flat-headed screwdrivers are used to open the valves.
- Opening the valve will fill the system with cold water.
- The filling of the system can be heard.
- Close the valve when it reaches 1.5 bar.
Switch on or reset the boiler when the required pressure is attained. Contact our Property Maintenance Team if it doesn’t work.
Bleeding A Radiator
The need to bleed your radiator arises when the top of the radiator is cold and the bottom is warm. It is a symptom of air trapped in the system. This simple thing maintains the efficiency of the boiler and central heating system. Bleeding fills the whole system with hot water. Follow the instructions given below:
- Radiators must be cool and turn the heating system off.
- Get a radiator key from a DIY shop.
- Put a cloth and bucket aside.
- Turn up the radiator valve if the whole radiator is cold.
- The system needs an engineer if more than one radiator is cold.
How To Bleed The Radiator?
- Bleeding is done with the square nut at the radiator’s top.
- Put the key on the valve and gently turn it. Hear the air releasing.
- Keep the cloth ready to absorb the water.
- Shut off the valve once the water begins to release.
- Never unscrew it completely.
- Re-pressurize the boiler if you have the sealed system.
Loss Of Electricity
Power cuts in the area may be a cause of power getting off. Observe around if it is only your property. If only your property is affected, check your fuse box. Circuit overload may cause these problems. Consumer unit contains fuses or trip switches. The tripped switch breaks the circuit to stop the power supply to the circuits in case of a fault. Old units have fuses for this purpose.
Switches in the consumer unit should be in the “on" position. Turn them on if there are any “off" switches. The main switch also needs to be switched on. Find out the trouble-making electrical item. Plug all your electrical items individually to see which trips the consumer unit.
How To Replace The Fuse?
- Unplug the appliance.
- Open the plastic casing and remove the fuse.
- Replace the fuse with the same amperage, usually 13A. These are easily available at hardware stores.
- Plugin the appliance to test it.
Turning Off Electricity: Use the main ON/OFF switch to turn off the electricity on your property.
Leaking, Burst of Frozen Pipes
What To Do When Pipes Leak?
- Put something under the leakage.
- Remove carpets and place rough clothes to absorb the leaking water.
- Our property maintenance team is here to cover up minor leakages.
What To Do When Pipes Burst?
- Turn off the main stop tap and switch off the water heaters.
- Opening taps will remove any water in the pipes that are not frozen yet.
- Use warm clothes, heaters, or a hairdryer to unfreeze the pipes. Do it carefully to avoid cracks by overheating.
How To Avoid Bursts And Frozen Pipes?
- Turn the stop tap off and on often to prevent the stop tap from sticking.
- Keep your property warm.
- Turn off the taps completely. Prevent dripping of taps.
- While leaving your property, turn the heating on low and drain water supplies.
Blockages
Clear all blockages as soon as they occur. Blockages can be expensive if a specialist is needed. Simple blockages can be removed with small efforts.
Toilet
- Toilet blockages are difficult; a simple plunger may do the job.
- Chemical drain cleaners are also useful.
- Overflushing the toilet may flood it.
Sink
- A plunger is helpful.
- Place a bucket beneath the sink and unscrew the connection to rinse out.
Bath And Shower
- A simple wire can remove the blockage. Use 15 tablespoons of bicarbonate and 100 millilitres of white vinegar to clean the drainage.
- After reading the manufacturer’s instructions, you can also use a chemical drain cleaner.
- Investing in a hair trap over the plughole will prevent future blockages.
- Our property maintenance team is here if the above tips don’t work.
Some Helpful Blockage Tips
- Prevent grease and cooking fats from going down the sink or drain.
- Dispose of food waste separately before rinsing plates into the sink.
- Wet wipes, makeup wipes, sanitary towels, or similar items are major causes of blockages. Remove them to a bin.
- After the shower, don’t forget to pick up the hair from the plughole.
Condensation
Well-ventilated properties are less likely to catch condensation or mould buildups. Condensation is caused by the extra moisture created in homes, and the air gets colder. This excess moisture is condensed water on hard surfaces like windows and walls. The frequent condensation may result in black or green mould on walls, furniture, clothes, or other fabrics. Continuous cleaning with mould and mildew removal is recommended.
How To Avoid Condensation?
- Prevent the extra moisture.
- Cook at a ventilated place.
- If possible, drying the clothes outdoors is a good habit.
- Vent the tumble dryer outdoors.
- Extractor fans help to remove moisture.
- Clean window sills in the morning that are mostly wet.
Do Ventilate Your Home
- Use an extractor fan while cooking and washing or open windows and doors.
- Prevent the moisture of washing and cooking from entering the other rooms by closing the connector doors.
- Air vents should be working.
- Keep windows trickles open.
- Keep your wardrobe light-weighted.
- Furniture should be placed against internal walls.
Keep Home Warm
Heating your home helps dry the moisture and reduce the chances of condensation.
Troubleshooting
Common Problems:
- Oven not working: Check the timer and the clock.
- Washing machine not working or not draining: It may cause if something is stuck in. It is better to check the pump filter and drain the machine.
- Tripped electricity: This may be caused by a particular appliance. Check the electricity section for details.
- Drainage problem: Food waste or any limescale may block drainage. See the “Blockages" section above.
- Radiator not hot: “Bleeding a radiator" section will solve your problem.
- The combination boiler is not working: Pressure must be topped up. See “Re-pressurizing a boiler" above.
- Fridge light not working: Turn on the fuse spur and check the plugin.
- If the water is not hot: Is the pilot light working? Inspect the fuse in the meter box for electric systems.
- Lights not working: Try replacing the lights. Don’t forget to check the fuse.
- Smoke alarm beeping intermittently: Low batteries may also cause frequent beeping. Replace the batteries whenever needed.
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