Common Maintenance Fixes - Tenants
If you notice the toilet is leaking, then it is important to shut off the water to it prior to IPM, or a plumber, arriving on site: The following video is a great step-by-step guide to do this:
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 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 circut 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 response near immediatly.
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 IPM.
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 IPM 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 IPM for further assistance.
If you notice the toilet is leaking, then it is important to shut off the water to it prior to IPM, or a plumber, arriving on site: The following video is a great step-by-step guide to do this:
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 IPM to come out and make the repairs:
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 IPM.
How to Handle Hot Water Heater Issues
If the pilot light goes out on the hot water heater, call PG&E: 1-800-839-1741