Dealing with a clog in your bathroom or kitchen? Fortunately, most clogs can easily be resolved on your own. Use the information below to attempt to troubleshoot.

Toilet Issues

Household plungers work well to resolve most toilet clogs. Simply press your plunger over the toilet drain and create a seal for suction. Move the plunger up and down to force anything stuck in the pipe through the system.

Drain Clogs

If your sink, shower, or bathtub clogs, first try to use a plunger to clear the pipe. If this is unsuccessful, you may want to purchase a drain cleaning tool. Many hardware stores sell these inexpensive plastic cleaners, which are used to fish large clogs out of the pipes.

 If you use drain cleaning chemicals, be sure to purchase noncaustic products that are safe for home plumbing systems.

Have you lost electrical power or water access in your home? Before making contact with us, please call your utility provider to troubleshoot the issue further. There may be an issue in your neighborhood restricting access to your property.

If you don’t have enough hot water (or any) in your home, check the settings on your water heater to attempt to isolate the problem. It’s possible your tank is operating in vacation mode, for example, which limits the amount of water available at any given time. If your water heater is powered by gas, you should also verify that the pilot light is lit.

Heating or air conditioning on the fritz? Before you make contact with us, check the settings on your thermostat. It’s surprisingly easy to accidentally make changes that cause the system to behave unexpectedly.

In the event of a maintenance emergency, call us for immediate help. 

If you’re in a dangerous situation and need first responders, call 911.

A circuit breaker provides protection by stopping the flow of electricity if an overload or fault occurs. When an electrical fault occurs or the load on your circuit becomes too great, the breaker on that circuit trips and interrupts the flow of current to that circuit. A tripped circuit breaker is still sometimes referred to as a “blown fuse” in reference to the older technology that circuit breakers replaced. If your home uses an actual fuse and not a circuit breaker, click on “Checking a blown Fuse” for information on fuse boxes.

Before electricity can be restored, the circuit breaker must be reset. However, even before you do that, you must take steps to ensure that it is safe to do so. Turn off or unplug all of the devices that are plugged into the circuit. Make certain no dangerous condition exists before restoring power. A Circuit Breaker which has been tripped will either be in the middle or “OFF” position. Locate the tripped circuit breaker and reset it by pushing it all the way to the “OFF” position and then back to the “ON” position. Often when you can’t cannot reset the circuit breaker, it is because it must be turned all the way to the “Off” position first.

Electricity should now be restored to the circuit. If the circuit breaker trips again before you have turned anything on or plugged anything in, please submit a maintenance request immediately.

If no circuit breakers were tripped and you still do not have power at an outlet, the circuit is probably on a GFCI. Click on “I lost power to the bathroom, kitchen or outside” for information on GFCI outlets.

A GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) outlet is a device that adds a greater level of safety by reducing the risk of electric shock in locations such as bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms and outdoors.

A GFCI outlet may be wired in a branch circuit, which means other outlets and electrical devices may share the same circuit and breaker (or fuse). When a properly wired GFCI trips, the other devices down the line from it will also lose power. Note that devices on the circuit that come before the GFCI are not protected and are not affected when the GFCI is tripped.

If you have an outlet that doesn’t work, and the breaker is not tripped, look for a GFCI outlet which may have tripped. The non-working outlet may be down line from a GFCI outlet. Note that the affected outlets may not be located near the GFCI outlet, they may be several rooms away or even on a different floor. Pressing the “Reset” will restore the circuit. If the outlet doesn’t reset, then whichever appliance that is causing it to trip, may still be plugged in. If after unplugging everything, checking the circuit breaker or fuse, and resetting the GFCI does not work, please submit a maintenance request right away.

If you have an older home, you may have fuses as opposed to circuit breakers. Located inside or outside of your home is a fuse box that contains a fuse for each of your home’s circuits. A fuse provides protection for each of your circuits. When an electrical short occurs or the load on your circuit becomes too great, the fuse on that circuit burns out and breaks the circuit; this is what is referred to as a “blown fuse”. If your home uses circuit breakers instead of fuses, click “I lost power or need to reset the circuit breaker”.

Before electricity can be restored, the fuse must be replaced with a new fuse. However, even before you replace the fuse, you must take steps to ensure that it is safe to do so:

• Turn off or unplug all of the devices that are plugged into the circuit. Make certain that no dangerous condition exists before restoring power.
• Replace the fuse with a fuse that is of the proper rating for the circuit. For instance, if the circuit is rated for 15 amps, use a 15-amp fuse. Never use anything other than a fuse of proper rating.
• When removing or inserting a new fuse, NEVER touch the metal parts of the fuse. If your fuse box is equipped with a master switch to cut power to the fuse box, cut the main power prior to replacing the fuse.

Electricity should now be restored to the circuit. If the fuse blows again before you have turned anything on or plugged anything in, submit a maintenance request  right away.

If the fuse blows after plugging in or turning on a device, that device may have a short or may be placing too much of a load on the circuit.

If no fuses were blown and you still do not have power at an outlet, make certain that the switch, if any, that controls the outlet is turned on. If you can find no problem, the outlet, switch, wiring or some other component may be at fault. Also, the outlet may be on a GFCI branch circuit. Click on “I lost power to the bathroom, kitchen or outside”.

KEY TIP:  Never put fats, oils, or grease into a garbage disposal.  

1. Run a steady stream of cool water into the sink before turning on the garbage disposal.  
2. Before placing any food waste into the disposal, turn it on first
3. Gradually feed food waste into the disposal, avoid putting large amounts of food waste all at once as this may slow the grinding process
4. Once the food waste has been broken down, turn the disposal off and let water run for a few seconds to flush the drain pipe

Note: It usually takes only a few seconds to grind food waste, although it depends on the quantity and type of food waste.  The sound of the disposal will change when there is no more food waste in the grind chamber.

We know that unintended problems do arise in the kitchen, so if your disposal stops working, check out “How to Reset a Garbage Disposal”. 

If your garbage disposal won’t run you may need to reset the garbage disposal using the RED overload protector button on the bottom. If the disposal is clogged, if it is run for a very long period of time, if it overheats, or if there is something wrong with the disposal, it will shut down automatically and need to be reset.

If the overload protector has tripped, you will see that the red button has popped out about a quarter of an inch (5mm).

To reset garbage disposal follow these simple instructions:

1. Make sure that the disposal switch is in the “OFF” position.
2. Gently press the red button in to reset garbage disposal. If it does not stay in (retracted), wait ten minutes and try again.
3. Turn on a cold stream of water and turn the disposal switch to “ON” position, the disposal should now run again.
4. If the garbage disposal reset button still will not stay in, or if you have to repeatedly reset the overload protector, the disposal may require service or replacement. 

Before calling in your problem or making a work order request, please check the below possible options:

1. Check that a fuse hasn’t blown or that the circuit breaker hasn’t tripped. Replace with the appropriate fuse or reset the circuit breaker.
2. Check the furnace filter. If the filter is dirty it needs to be replaced.
3. Check the thermostat. Make sure the batteries are good and that temperature isn’t set too low if the inside temp is high inside.
4. Check the outside unit to make sure the fan blades are moving and that the unit is not iced over.
5. Some AC units have a light switch right next to the furnace which turns the furnace and AC off. Because this switch is identical to a light switch, it gets turned off by mistake. Simply check any nearby switches. If they don’t turn lights on and off, they may be turning the furnace and or AC on or off.

If after checking the above and you still do not have air conditioning, please submit an on-line maintenance request.

Dishwasher does not work – no sound, water or lights

• Check for a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker
• Check that the dishwasher is plugged in securely or
• Check the door latch

Dishwasher does not fill with water or it drains while filling

• Check that the water supply is turned on. The valve may be located under the sink.
• Check the door latch

Water does not drain from the dishwasher

• Clean the drain
• Re-run an entire cycle and see if problem continues

Dishwasher is leaking water or soap leaks around the door

• Check your garbage disposal to make sure the drain is not clogged.
• Make certain that your detergent is intended for dishwashers. Do not use liquid dish soap.

Door does not close or latch properly

• Check for obstructions
• Check the door latch

Dishwasher cycle does not complete

• Let the dishwasher complete the cycle wherever it is at, then re-start a new cycle and it should clear itself.

Detergent cup does not open

• Check and clean the detergent cup for obstructions

Dishes are not cleaned adequately

• Clean the drain screen
• Spray off dishes before using the dishwasher
• Run several cycles with no soap to clean out soap residue.

Beep/chirp approximately 2-3 times every 5 minutes most of the time means the battery needs changed. If that doesn’t fix it, it may have lost power to the unit or have a loose connection. If you unplug the detector from the ceiling/wall, it will probably continue making noise because there is a back-up battery in most of them. If you take the battery out it still has enough power stored internally to beep 4-5 more times.

So you used dish soap instead of dishwasher soap? If you did, you know the result; lots and lots of soap suds that just won’t stop. So what do you do?

This is easy to fix, if you know what to do; and we do. First scoop out as much water as you can and dump it in the sink. Next add a cup or two of white vinegar and run the dishwasher for a short time. Now scoop out more water.

The vinegar cuts the foaming action of the soap. You may have to repeat the process to eliminate the suds because some soapy water remains inside the pump and hoses.

Also, if you poured it into the soap dispenser, wash that out by hand to get all the dish soap out.

Refrigerator Not Cooling

The condenser coils are usually located under the refrigerator. They dissipate heat as refrigerant passes through them. If the condenser coils are dirty, they won’t dissipate the heat effectively. As debris builds up on the coils, the refrigerator becomes less efficient, causing the refrigerator to work harder to cool down. If the coils are significantly dirty, the refrigerator will not be able to maintain the proper temperature. Check the condenser coils to determine if they are dirty—if the condenser coils are dirty, clean them.

Water Dispenser Not Working

A clogged water filter can restrict the flow of water to the dispenser and prevent the dispenser from working properly. The water filter should be replaced about every six months to maintain proper water flow and ensure water quality.

Ice Maker Not Working

A clogged water filter can restrict the flow of water to the dispenser and prevent the ice maker from working properly. The water filter should be replaced about every six months to maintain proper water flow and ensure water quality.

Leaking Water

If the defrost drain is frozen, the water will overflow the drain trough and drip down to the bottom of the compartment. This water can eventually leak onto the floor. Check the defrost drain to determine if it is clogged or frozen. If the defrost drain is frozen, thaw the ice. In addition, flush the drain with hot water to ensure that it is clear of debris.

Light Not Working

The light bulb might be out. Replace the light bulb.

If your garage door isn’t closing all the way, you may have a problem with the aligning of the sensors at the bottom corners of the garage door. This may occur if anyone has accidentally bumped into them.