Easy Maintenance Fixes
Check out the below helpful tips before submitting a maintenance request through your tenant portal. Still stumped? Let us know and we can send someone out to help.
If you notice your toilet is leaking either from the top tank or the bottom, it is important to shut off the water to the toilet prior to maintenance coming out so that it does not damage the flooring. Here is a great step by step guide on how to do this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA-mlsdKMO4
When you lose power in a region with a GFI, such as the kitchen or bathroom, there is a simple way to try and restore power.
- Locate the nearest GFI to the place where power has been lost.
- Once you locate the nearest GFI to the affected area, look at the red and black buttons in the middle of the outlet. The top one, which is red, is for the reset. It will most likely be sticking out a bit further than normal.
- Press the red button.
- If this does not solve the problem, submit a detailed maintenance request via your tenant portal.
Here is a guide to follow when resetting your GFI: https://www.ahs.com/home-matters/diy-tips/how-to-reset-gfci-outlets/
Here are some simple steps to follow when you think your detector may be false alarming:
- Remove Detector and Remove Batteries
- Use compressed air, or blow very strongly all around the back of the device, by the circuit board/sensors.
- Reinstall Batteries and Test
- CALL PG&E if there is any doubt this is a false alarm, they will do a gas leak test and can respond near immediately.
If there is unwanted water, paper, and waste backing up in your toilet, there are simple steps you can take to get your toilet to flush properly again. There is an excellent video to watch about this and written steps below as well.
- Locate the toilet plunger in your unit. If one is not already present, purchase one.
- Place the plunger securely around the exit pipe at the bottom of the toilet.
- Apply various amounts of pressure, pumping the handle of the plunger up and down. This will loosen the clogged build-up in the exit pipe.
- Once the clog has become unstuck, flush the toilet to make sure that the exit pipe flow has been fully restored.
- If there is still an issue after trying this method, contact Locale Residential.
If water is leaking from the sink faucet or drains, it might be necessary to turn off the water supply there. Here is a video that shows you how to do it and here are some written steps below:
- Make sure that the water supply is shut off at the faucet, first.
- Open the cabinets underneath the problematic sink, and remove ALL items that are stored under the sink. Set them aside for now.
- Look underneath the cabinets for the main water supply to the sink, and begin turning handles clockwise until they have been turned as far as they can go. In some cases, the handle might be missing and the bolt which once held the handle can be turned in a clockwise fashion using an adjustable pair of pliers.
- Call Locale Residential to resolve the issue causing the leak in the first place, and then we will restore water to the area once the problem has been solved.
You can adjust the temp of the water heater. The hotter the more gas/electricity it will use, the lower the less.
- Find your water heater. These are sometimes located in hallway closets, garages or even in outside closets.
- Once you have located your water heater, there should be a dial on the outside of the unit.
- Turn the dial to lower the water temperature/or raise. Make sure to look at the dial to turn it the correct way. If turning up, TURN UP IN SMALL INCREMENTS to prevent SCALDING.
- If you have an electrical water heater, please contact Locale Res for further assistance.
If you have an automatic garage door system at your location, there are times where the sensors get knocked out of alignment. This can cause the door to only open and close partially, or not function at all. Please watch the following video before contacting Locale Res to come out and make the repairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA_uT1rnT0M&t=81s
How to identify a tripped breaker
When you notice a particular electrical circuit is not working at your location, try the following steps to restore power:
- Find your electrical panel.
- Look in the breaker box for any circuit breaker that is tripped (in the off position). Most boxes are labeled with the circuit location, so you can also look for the breaker that matches the area of the unit in which you are experiencing trouble. In fact, a breaker can be "tripped," but still in the on position.
- Once you have located the correct breaker, it's time to reset it. To properly reset a tripped circuit breaker, firmly push the breaker to the "off position" and then turn the breaker back to the "on" position. A properly reset breaker will typically snap into place when returned to the on position.
- Return to the place of electrical outage before and see if there is now power restored there.
- If, after being reset, the breaker still continues to trip, or power does not get restored to that area, call Locale Res.
Click here for a step by step guide.
Turn off the power. Check the bottom of the garbage disposal unit. Find the reset button and press it, then turn on the power to test it.
Follow this video for how to reset your garbage disposal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ7R8LDF9xs
- Turn off the power. Check the bottom of the garbage disposal unit. Find the reset button and press it, then turn on the power to test it.
- If the disposal is still stuck, turn the power back off. Insert a 1/4-inch Allen wrench into the hex socket on the bottom.
- The socket is connected to the impellers. Using the hex key, turn the impellers in both directions to free them up.
- Do not try to loosen any nuts or bolts inside the grinding chamber, as they hold the unit together.
- Turn the power back on and try again.
Please follow this video for tips on how to unclog your garbage disposal: https://youtu.be/NUmKu-1JVCo
Follow this guide for how to safely change a light bulb.
If your AC is not working there might be a quick fix that you can handle.
- Check your air filter. These need to be changed every few months. If left unchanged, they become clogged and can cause your AC to not work. Try changing your filter if it looks dirty.
- Is your thermostat on? If you can see that your thermostat is not working, try changing the batteries for a quick fix.
- Check your breaker. Did the AC maybe trip your breaker?
Keep in mind that your system should be sized to keep your home cool on the average summer day. The average system should be able to maintain a 20-25 degree temperature difference between the outdoor and indoor temperature. In other words, your air conditioner is not designed to keep your home at 68 degrees when it is 95 degrees outside.
If you carbon monoxide alarm is beeping it can either mean that the unit has detected carbon monoxide in your unit or that the alarm just needs some maintenance. A beeping sound is meant to alert to the presence of carbon monoxide, if you mute/silence the alarm and it comes back on, please vacant the unit and call 911. If you hear a chirping sound, it could mean the batteries are dying or it is time to replace the unit. Please check out this video for some examples of alarms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV1VGlr5KCk