Maintenance Tips
Garbage Disposal
If you find that your garbage disposal locks up or gets clogged, try pressing the reset button at the bottom of it. Next, unplug it and try turning it a few turns from underneath with an Allen wrench. Do a YouTube search for how to do this or see
https://support.insinkerator.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/515/~/fixing-a-jammed-garbage-disposal
If these things don't work, please contact us to submit a maintenance request.
Winter Weather Reminders, Frozen Pipes Prevention, Furnace Issues, Water Heater Issues, Water Leaks and Tips
Possible Frozen Pipes
If you suspect that you have frozen pipes or if water is not flowing from a sink, tub, or shower, then please shut off the main water shutoff valve until it thaws out or the broken pipe can be repaired.
Main water line shut off valve
Anytime you see a water leak, it is important and urgent that you shut off the main water shut off valve or call the city to shut off the water in the event of a burst pipe or water leak. Setting your thermostat fan to “on” or constant will help dehumidify as well. Set up a drying fan and/or submit a maintenance request. This valve is often near the hot water heater or at a place where the main water pipe enters your unit. We encourage you to do a Google or Youtube search for ways to shut off valves and to prevent frozen pipes. If you cannot find that shutoff valve after suspecting a frozen or leaking pipe, please submit a maintenance request.
Water Leak
If you see water leaking, please shut off the main water shutoff valve or call the city to turn off the water meter to stop the flow of water and please submit a maintenance request. We try to get plumbers out as soon as possible but they are not always available immediately due to the demand for them during cold weather events. While waiting for help, please set your thermostat fan to “on” or constant to help dehumidify. Set up a drying fan if you have one and/or submit a maintenance request.
Furnace not keeping up
During below freezing weather, many furnaces cannot keep up with the temperature differential between the exterior and interior and many report that their furnace isn't keeping up when temperatures drop so low outside. Replacing the furnace filter with a new clean filter is the best first step to improving the efficiency of the furnace. Keep the thermostat set at the same temperature throughout the day so the furnace isn’t trying to catch up if you turn it down and then back up. It can take many hours for a furnace to bring the temperature up to a new temperature set at the thermostat, especially during cold weather events. If your air is dry, try using a humidifier which also helps increase the room temperature and improve your comfort. However, try to keep the humidity level below 40%.
How to Prevent Frozen Pipes
Make sure that all exterior hoses are removed from exterior faucets. Those can hold water and cause the pipes to freeze. If this happens, it is considered tenant negligence, and the cost may be billed to the tenant or tenant’s renters insurance.
Set your thermostat fan to “on”, “constant”, or “continuous” which will help move warm air throughout including the pipes.
If you have a garage, keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage.
Open the kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals up out of the reach of children.
When the weather is very cold outside, let the cold water drip from faucets that may be affected by the cold weather, especially those near exterior walls. Running water through the pipe - even at a trickle - helps prevent pipes from freezing.
Keep the thermostat set to a warmer temperature than usual both during the day and at night. By keeping the fan on and heat higher at the thermostat, the colder areas of the space including pipes will get more warm air flow. You may incur a slightly higher heating bill, but you can prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst.
Smell a “gas” smell
It could be a normal furnace or hot water heater smell but when concerned, please call the gas company on your gas bill for them to check for leaks. Many tenants in this area have Black Hills Energy at 1 (888) 890-5554. If possible, do an online search for how to shut off the gas valves in your place to be safe until experts arrive.
Smell a “sewer” smell
Pour Water or Vinegar in Floor Drains to Prevent Odors and Bugs.
In the winter with low humidity, floor drains in places such as the furnace room can dry up. These drains have traps in them that prevent sewer smells from rising into the home. If that drain dries up, then some of the sewer smell can leak into the home. Also, spiders and other bugs then have a dry on-ramp into the property if the drain is dry. This can be stopped or prevented by pouring water or vinegar into the floor drain periodically. Also, if you don't use a sink or toilet for a while, please run or flush periodically to help fill the drains with fresh water.
Furnace not working
Unless your lease specifically says that the landlord provides the gas utility, then please call Black Hills Energy or the Gas Service provider in your area to make sure the service is on and working and in your name. If you have moved in recently and not activated gas service, in your name, the reason the heat might not be working could be that you need to activate this service with the gas company.
If your furnace stops working completely, please call us at (785) 841-7300 and select 2. Or, if you have been provided specific information about a different heating and air provider, handling your property, please call that provider.
Furnace repairs can take multiple days to get done so please buy or request a space heater if needed until repairs can be made.
Space heaters
Aim an electric plug in space heater, following the manufacturer instructions, at the wall or pipes most likely to freeze such as under the kitchen sink or bathroom sinks. If you choose to use space heaters, please do so with caution following the manufacturer recommendations. Please know that space heaters often kick breakers and so try plugging them in an area where no appliances or other devices are plugged in. Don't plug more than one space heater in the same general area since most electrical breakers can't handle multiple items like that on the same circuit.
If you have had frozen pipes before, consider installing (or submit a maintenance request for) warming cable to be wrapped around any incoming pipes that are accessible.
If you are going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 65° F and shut off your water valve. It helps to shut off the valves to the toilets and sinks as well if you can reach them.
Hot water heater stopped working
Please turn in a maintenance request so we can schedule a plumber. Hot water heater repairs can take several days for a plumber to get the repairs done and sometimes a few more business days if it needs to be replaced. As a temporary solution, try carefully warming up water in a teapot or cooking pot and then carefully pour the warm (but not boiling) water into a bathtub or sink so you can wash with warm water until the hot water heater is repaired or replaced.
Clogged Drains due to freezing weather
Try carefully warming up water in a teapot or cooking pot and then carefully pour the warm (but not boiling) water down the drain to see if that thaws it out. If not, please turn in a maintenance request.
How to Thaw Frozen Pipes
If you turn on a faucet and only a trickle comes out, suspect a frozen pipe. Likely places for frozen pipes include exterior walls or where your water service enters your home through the foundation.
Keep the main shutoff valve off to prevent a surge of water but then keep the faucet open. As you treat the frozen pipe and the frozen area begins to melt, water will begin to flow through the frozen area. Running water through the pipe will help melt ice in the pipe.
Apply heat to the section of pipe using an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, an electric hair dryer, a portable space heater (kept away from flammable materials), or by wrapping pipes with towels soaked in hot water. Do not use a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove, or other open flame device.
Apply heat until full water pressure is restored. If you are unable to locate the frozen area, if the frozen area is not accessible, or if you cannot thaw the pipe, turn in a maintenance request to help with this process.
Check all other faucets in your home to find out if you have additional frozen pipes. If one pipe freezes, others may freeze, too.
If you would like to buy pipe warming tape, you are welcome to buy pipe warming tape/cable at a hardware store like Home Depot. Frost King is one brand that is available. If you do, please submit a receipt to Info@HomesForLease.org and we will reimburse you. Or, please submit a maintenance request if you would like our maintenance team to help with that when possible.
If you see water leaking, please shut off the main water shutoff valve or call the city to turn off the water meter to stop the flow of water and submit a maintenance request.
Here are some important fall and winter reminders that may help at your place. This is a general email to all tenants so you can ignore any info not applicable to your lease.
If your furnace stops working, please call us at (785) 841-7300 and select 2. General maintenance items extension 4.
Maintenance requests can be submitted using your login on our website at www.Location.ManageBuilding.com or you can call us at (785) 841-7300 extension 4 or email us at Info@HomesForLease.org.
Here are some tips to prevent problems that can occur, especially during the winter months. Some of these may not apply to your particular place so please use the applicable information.
The #1 most costly expense on rental properties each winter occurs when tenants forget to do a few timely tasks in preparation for freezing temperatures or leave town for a period of time without taking proper precautions. Please take the following steps to help prevent common winter problems.
Remove Hoses
If you are in a property that has one or more exterior hose hookups, exterior faucets, or garage faucets, please disconnect the hose after each use. Connected hoses cause water to be held in the pipes that then freeze, burst, and then can cause a disastrous watery mess. Sometimes, the cracks in the frozen pipes don't burst immediately and the leaks are revealed later. We have had a few tenants fail to remove hoses in recent years and it is very costly to repair and clean up after pipes freeze due to hoses left connected. If you see any sign of water leakage, please report it to us immediately.
Keep Heat on at 65 degrees or higher
Tenants sometimes shut off the heat while gone in order to save some money on the gas bill. However, this often leads to frozen pipes and other problems. So, please do not completely shut off your heat when you leave town. Please keep the heat set between 60 and 70 degrees in order to keep the home warm enough to prevent freezing pipes. Even though the temperature might be 60 at the thermostat, the cold winds and other areas of the home will likely be colder and so keeping that temperature up will help prevent frozen pipes in the walls or floors. Frozen pipes cause the pipes to later burst and thus can cause many thousands of dollars worth of damage to the property and your stuff. One prior tenant in another property shut their heat off while out of town and probably saved $70 on a gas bill but it cost over $20,000 in repairs to the property and their personal items after the pipes froze and burst while they were gone. Please make sure you have renters insurance in place in case an issue like this does happen. Tenants are responsible for any deductible and other costs not paid by insurance when this happens.
Snow Removal
Depending on the type of property and the lease terms, the lease will state whether the landlord or resident conducts snow removal. Most of the properties we manage require the occupant to do their own snow removal. Please check your lease terms and if required to conduct snow removal, then please remove or hire the snow removal to be done as soon as possible after snow. City ordinances require that the snow be removed from sidewalks promptly, usually within 24 to 48 hours or they will impose fines on the property owner which are passed on to tenants if the lease requires tenants to do this work. If you live in a complex where your lease doesn't require you to conduct snow removal, then most contractors start snow removal after two or more inches of snow. If you see an unsafe condition, please contact us as soon as possible at (785) 841-7300 ext. 0 or e-mail our Customer Service Department at Info@HomesForLease.org.
If your lease requires you to conduct snow removal but are interested in hiring our crews to clear your driveway and walkways for a fee, please submit a maintenance request and we will discuss that possibility with you.
Fireplaces
If you live in a home that has a fireplace and have landlord permission to use it, you have the option to have the fireplace inspected and cleaned at your expense by a chimney sweep prior to using it for the winter. Shane Roeder with SR Chimney can be reached at (785) 331-6730 or you can call and pay any area chimney sweep company you choose. However, please mention that you are a Location Properties tenant and they might give you a discount if they schedule enough properties during the same time period.
Gas Fireplaces
If you live in a home with a fireplace insert with artificial logs or gas logs, those turn on like a gas grill. You can check the manufacturers website or search YouTube for starting/igniting instructions or you can call the gas company where you pay your gas bill to help you activate it if you feel uncomfortable lighting it. Most have electronic, push-button ignition behind the panel that work after turning the gas knob parallel to the gas line.
Pest Control
When it gets cold outside, bugs and animals and bugs try to get into warmer structures. Our leases require tenants to maintain pest-free homes and to control their own level of pest control chemicals in the home. Some of our previous tenants have recommended the following over-the-counter pest control. Try Ortho Home Defense from Home Depot or other hardware stores or Hot Shot Fogger from hardware stores or grocery stores. If you see evidence of mice or rats, try Tomcat brand mice and rat killer or traps. Please follow the directions on the labels of those products when using them. If you see holes or exterior damage that allows pests to enter the property, please caulk those areas or put in a maintenance request with us and we will schedule someone to do so. If you see pests in common areas of a multi-unit property, please report that to us and we will contact the property owner about pest control in the common areas. One way to prevent bugs from getting in is to pour vinegar into the drains which keeps bugs from coming up through the drains.
Electrical Outlets
If some of the outlets in your house don't work. It could be as simple as pressing one button. Do a YouTube search for how to reset your GFCI outlets and electrical panel breakers.
Bathroom, Kitchen, Garage or Outdoor Outlets
Most outlets that are near potentially wet areas are protected by Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlets that trip or shut off sometimes in order to protect you. We often get calls about multiple outlets not working. One GFCI outlet with a reset button on it can control multiple outlets in the home. So, please press the Test and Reset buttons on all of the GFCI outlets in the home in the event some outlets are not working. YouTube has some good videos on how to reset these if you have questions.
Change Smoke Detector Batteries
This is a great time of year to change your batteries in your smoke detectors. Our leases require the occupants to change their own smoke detector batteries. However, if you live in a property where it would not be safe for you to change these yourself, please contact us to submit a support request and we will help arrange a contractor for you.
Carbon Monoxide Detector
If you don't see a carbon monoxide detector in your place, we strongly recommend one. In most cases, the landlord will pay to have one installed if there is not one there now. Please turn in a maintenance request if you don't have one.
Change Your Furnace Filter
Furnace filters help in multiple ways. They help improve your air quality for the air that you breathe. It also protects the internal components of the furnace and air conditioner coil in order to keep them from being clogged from dust and debris. A dirty filter or the lack of a filter can cause thousands of $ worth of damage to the system. Please change your furnace filter at least every 3 months. You will get more airflow with a medium grade filter instead of a pleated filter. If you are unable to change the filter in the property, please contact us for help.
Renters Insurance
Ice and snow can be a liability, so please take necessary preventative measures to remove ice and snow if required by your lease. Please make sure your renter's insurance has liability coverage in the unlikely event one of your visitors has an injury from snow or ice. If you don't have renters insurance, try Hedges Insurance at (785) 841-0200 or sign up for it in your tenant portal.
Mold or Mildew
What to do if you see what appears to be Mold or Mildew?
Please see the EPA website regarding this topic. http://www.epa.gov/mold/preventionandcontrol.htm
In general, mold and mildew can be prevented by keeping water and humidity levels low throughout the home. Run bathroom vent fans when showering, taking a bath, or when you feel humidity inside the unit. The EPA website also discusses how to clean up areas like this. Previous tenants have told us that regular laundry bleach carefully sprayed on the affected areas such as grout or tile does a good job. Please do not spray bleach on paint, carpet or other surfaces that could be altered by the bleach. Mold is only activated by moisture so running a dehumidifier is a way to reduce mold. We encourage tenants concerned about mold to buy and use a dehumidifier.
Clogged Drains
Our leases typically explain that tenants are responsible for clearing any interior drains in the home because it is often hair or other items used by tenants that cause the clog. Hair clog removal liquid and tools can be purchased at local hardware and home improvement stores. Also, go to YouTube and type "How to clean out clogged drain" for various videos with tips. If all of the drains throughout the unit are not draining, then it could be the main sewer line so in that case, please submit a maintenance request for sewer line cleanout and we will schedule that as soon as possible.
Please know that we would like you to contact us if any of the above tips do not work for you. Maintenance requests can be submitted on our website under the Contact Us tab after you log in at:
HomesForLease.org or you can call us at (785) 841-7300.
Air Quality and Should Air Ducts Be Cleaned
Our property owners do not agree to pay for duct cleaning but tenants have permission to hire a reputable company to do so at their own expense as long as the vent system is repaired and restored to it's original integrity. Some duct cleaning companies cut open the ducts which could cause a decrease in future efficiency and loss of air flow and so it is not recommended.
The EPA reports that Duct cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health problems. Neither do studies conclusively demonstrate that particle (e.g., dust) levels in homes increase because of dirty air ducts. This is because much of the dirt in air ducts adheres to duct surfaces and does not necessarily enter the living space. It is important to keep in mind that dirty air ducts are only one of many possible sources of particles that are present in homes. Pollutants that enter the home both from outdoors and indoor activities such as cooking, cleaning, smoking, or just moving around can cause greater exposure to contaminants than dirty air ducts. Moreover, there is no evidence that a light amount of household dust or other particulate matter in air ducts poses any risk to your health.
https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2014-07/documents/airducts.pdf
Instead, as the EPA explains, it is better to regularly change the furnace filter and buy a HEPA portable air filter if you are concerned about air quality. There are many types of portable air filters that tenants can buy at their own expense. Some have HEPA filters, some UV light, some have ionizers, some have humidifiers built in, while others have ozone or plasma air purification systems. Some are multi-funcition. So, we recommend that each tenant research and choose one or more that best fits their needs and buy it at their own expense. Since it is portable, a tenant can set it up, maintain it, clean it when needed, and move it where needed.
Location Properties Property Management
www.Location.ManageBuilding.com
www.HomesForLease.org
Info@HomesForLease.org