Answers to Frequently Asked Tenant Questions
Frequently asked questions
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 here 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 to Coastal Group Inc 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 here.
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 to Coastal Group Inc 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 here.
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 to Coastal Group Inc 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. Refer to the guide for checking a GFCI circuit.
External link for Troubleshooting
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External Link: What do I do if I smell gas in the house?
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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.
Some properties also have Hydronic Furnaces. This means the heat comes from the hot water in your water heater. To be sure the hot water is getting to the furnace check the water valves going from your water heater to the furnace. They both need to be on (turned the same direction as the pipe). Sometimes the hot water valve is turned off in the summertime in order for the A/C to work at the highest efficiency.
Check to see if the pilot light is on. If it is not you can follow the directions on the water heater to re light the pilot light.
External Link: How do I change my furnace filters?
Before calling in your problem or making a work order request, please check the below possible options:
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.
Check the furnace filter. If the filter is dirty it needs to be replaced.
Check the thermostat. Make sure the batteries are good and that temperature isn't set too low if the inside temp is high inside.
Check the outside unit to make sure the fan blades are moving and that the unit is not iced over.
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.
Before calling in your problem or making a work order request, please check the below possible options:
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.
Check that your thermostat is on, heat is selected, and set at a temperature that would call for heat (not too low)
Check that there is nothing obstructing the airflow from the heater or heater vents
Electric furnaces, not baseboards or cadet heaters, often have a light switch right next to the furnace which turns the furnace 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 on or off.
If after checking the above and you still do not have heat, please submit an on-line maintenance request. Within the request, please annotate the condition of your furnace filters and the status of any steady or blinking red lights.
If you have no heat for systems using gas heat, try these steps before submitting a maintenance request: 1. Check if a fuse has blown or the circuit breaker has tripped. Replace the fuse or reset the breaker if needed. 2. Ensure the light switch near the furnace is on. 3. Verify the thermostat is on, set to heat, and at an appropriate temperature. 4. Confirm your gas service is active and in your name. 5. Listen for any fans or blowers running. 6. Check for any blinking or steady red lights on the furnace. 7. Inspect and replace dirty furnace filters. 8. For Hydronic Furnaces, ensure the water valves from the water heater to the furnace are on. 9. Check the water heater temperature setting. If these steps don't resolve the issue, submit an online maintenance request in the resident portal, noting the condition of your furnace filters and any red lights.
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​Symptom | Possible Solutions |
Dishwasher does not work - no sound, water or lights |
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Dishwasher does not start but motor hums | Submit a maintenance request to Coastal Group Inc |
Dishwasher does not fill with water or it drains while filling |
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Water does not drain from the dishwasher |
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Dishwasher is leaking water or soap leaks around the door |
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Dishwashers not cleaning properly | Get cleaning agent product from WL May called Glisten |
Door does not close or latch properly |
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Detergent cup does not open | Check and clean the detergent cup for obstructions |
Dishes are not cleaned adequately |
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External Link: How to turn off main water supply
External Link: Testing smoke detector / maintenance
All properties have smoke detectors. Properties with gas burning appliances, a fireplace, or an attached garage should have a CO/Smoke combo.
They are usually clearly labeled if they detect carbon monoxide as well as smoke/fire.
Smoke detectors have 2 alarms that mean different things:
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.
Beeping/chirping non-stop means there is smoke/fire or it's a false alarm.
See below for false alarms:
Most false alarms (chirping non-stop) are caused by dust in the sensor area of the detector. - Fixed by blowing out with compressed air or vacuum.
Some smoke detectors have an expiration (10yrs for example & usually labeled on back of unit) and after that time period they start having false alarms. - Fixed by replacing expired detectors.
Very rarely, false alarms are caused by drastic temp./weather changes, such as attic being 120 degrees and house at 75. - Fixed by pushing the silence button (if it has one) and after a short time it will reset and hopefully not falsely go off again.
Very rarely, false alarms are caused by air blowing directly on the detector (open window, ceiling fan blowing upward instead of downward, etc.). - Fixed by re-directing air movement away from detector.
Very rarely, false alarms are caused by a defective detector. - Fixed by replacing detector.
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If your dryer is not heating up, please look at this website: http://www.partselect.com/dryer dryer-wont-heat repair.htm
If your dryer is heating up but not drying, you may have a vent issue. Please look at this website: http://www.ehow.com/how_2081666_fix-dryer-vent.html
If your refrigerator is not working correctly, please visit this website for troubleshooting: http://www.repairclinic.com/Refrigerator-Troubleshooting
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. For a video of how to properly align your garage door, go to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHIytLm0iAU
