Dealing with Apartment Problems

Life outside the parental nest can be pretty blissful: parties, walking around naked, drinking beer for breakfast. Until, that is, a furry little head pokes out from behind the fridge, the fire alarm goes off, and the sink overflows. The trade-off for fabulous freedom is that when

the you-know-what hits the fan (or floods the bathroom, as the case may be), the ’rents aren’t around to handle the situation. So, on this long road to adulthood, it’s nice to know where to turn when things go south. From rats and roaches to leaks and breaks, read on for tips on handling apartment problems yourselves, or hiring a pro.

Attack of the Vermin: Infestations

Everything is gravy until a rat scurries across your floor with a family of cockroaches in tow. (Probably because you dropped actual gravy on the floor and never cleaned it up.) Hopefully these unwelcome guests scurried into a hole and they’re out of your life for the moment. If not, there’s not much more you can do other than use a broomstick to shoo them out of your place. At that point, however, it’s time to react with aggressive preemptive measure. Scout out your place for any holes, nooks, and crannies. These critters can spread diseases (hello, Black Death!), contaminate your food, and can even cause allergies, so even if you’re not grossed out by roaches in your sock drawer, it’s worth taking care of the problem. Always remember that the super is there to help—learn to be a good tenant to ensure that the he’s got your back

Do It Yourself

• Keep spaces dry and clutter-free and keep all food cleanly stored.
• Keep areas, including alleys and yards, clean and trash-free so that critters have no place to hide. Try using small trash bags and taking out the garbage every day.
• Make sure that all holes in the apartment are filled with both steel wool and covered in plaster to prevent roaches and rats from entering through infested walls.
• Control cockroaches by cleaning with disinfectant, vacuuming, and using roach gel and roach baits. Most hardware stores carry all these things.

Call A Pro

• Many apartment buildings also have free extermination. A sign-up sheet is usually placed in the lobby of the building or the elevator along with the date of service. If not, call the managing agent and ask for the extermination schedule.
• Experts at Pro Service Pest Control in New York suggest calling professionals the minute you find evidence of infestation. Even if you don’t hire them, they can offer advice on where and how to set the traps.
• Companies like Orkin or the National Pest Management Association provide easy access through their web sites: try PestWorld or Orkin.

Electric Break-Down: When Appliances Stop Working

Electrical problems aren’t that prevalent, but it’s helpful to know how to nip them in the bud, and how to react when they happen. As a proactive measure, never plug too many appliances through a single outlet. A good rule of thumb is that you should only be using one multi-outlet surge protector per wall outlet. This helps to prevent electrical fires, especially in older buildings and homes. Other than that, just use common sense. Since fixing electrical issues can be very dangerous, we suggest that you talk to a super regarding any problems, ranging from lights not working to the landlord-supplied refrigerator going warm. The one quick fix we do feel comfortable sharing is using the circuit breaker. If an appliance isn’t working or the lights aren’t turning on, check your circuit breaker. But once again, if you don’t know what that is or how to use it, defer to the super. Here are some tips for specific electricity-related problems.

Do It Yourself

Appliances

Prevention

• To prevent electrical appliances from breaking, keep them in top shape. Here is a check-list for caring for those little items that make our lives so much easier.

Dealing With It

• Check the circuit breaker–it might just be a blown fuse.
• Unplug the appliances.
• Most appliances come with an instruction booklet with the manufacturer’s number should you get stuck.
• Many websites offer advice and how-to guides catered to each appliance, from microwaves to air-conditioning. Check out Repair Clinic and Appliance 411.

Electricity/Lights

Prevention

• Problems with lights occur most often when power is interrupted to the light fixture or when the light bulb or its socket is defective. Don’t overload power cords and always have extra bulbs available.

Dealing With It

• Test the bulb in a working socket; if that doesn’t work, try a new bulb.
• Check out this home solver website for tips and tricks on circuits, bulbs, and dimmers.

Heating

Prevention

• Furnaces/boilers and heat pumps are often powered the electricity in your place, so a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker can blow the whole heating system.

Dealing With It

• Furnaces: After ruling out a blown fuse or thermostat malfunction. follow this guide to furnace repair.
• Heat Pumps: Similar to furnace repairs, rule out blown fuses and thermostats, then follow this guide to heat pump repair.

Call A Pro

The landlord should have an electrician who deals with the apartment, so if you’re super can’t help you he should at least be able to call in back up. if you don’t have faith in your super and want things fixed stat, call in an electrician. Instead of flipping through the Yellow Pages, ask friends and neighbors to suggest their favorite handyman. That way, you get a trustworthy recommendation and not some guy named Lou who calls us sweet-cheeks and smells of tobacco and dirty socks.

Appliances

• When you call a handyman, get a price quote. Only repair an appliance if the cost of repair is less than that of buying a new one.
• Check out these Helpful Tips for when the handyman arrives.

Electricity/Lights

• If your fuses blow regularly, the lights dim or flicker no matter what bulb you try, or there is a burning smell coming from the socket, it’s time to call a pro.
• At the risk of bolts of electricity coursing through our bodies, best call an electrician.

Heating

• Messing with furnaces and heat pumps can be tricky and dangerous. Call when things move beyond cleaning the filter and motor.
• Check this list of heating repair services

Drip Drip: Plumbing Problems

Water is supposed to come out of the showerhead. Water is not supposed to leak from the ceiling or exploding out of the toilet. Luckily, leaky sinks and blocked toilets are some of the easiest (and most disgusting) things to fix.

Do It Yourself

Prevention

• Plunger, anyone? Besides The Gradspot.com Guide to Life After College, it may be the most important thing sitting next to the toilet and it never hurts to be prepared.
• Keeping drains clean and being careful of what you flush will help keep the pipes clean. Follow these tips from Roto-Rooter on other ways to prevent disaster.

Dealing With It

• In all plumping-related circumstances, the first thing you should do is to shut off your plumbing by turning the knob connected to the pipes. If you have a non-plumbing leak, grab a bucket, place it under the leak, then figure out what needs to be done from there.
• Here’s an ace leaky faucet tip: Tie a piece of string to the faucet so that the dripping water clings to the string and just slides down into the sink. Maybe it’s a temporary fix-it, but it does cut out the annoying noise.
• Online guide: The Do It Yourself network provides videos and step-by-step guides from fixing a leaky sink to plunging a toilet.

Call a Pro

Before calling in someone on your own, holler at the super who should be able to either help you out or call a plumber that your landlord will pay for. If that doesn’t work, find someone on your own (but considering pre-gaming their arrival with a little porno so you’re not shocked by the inevitable plumber’s crack). Check out Find A Plumber or the famous RotoRooter.

Safety First: Hidden Dangers

Unfortunately, there are all sorts of hazards lurking inside the brand new pad (or pre-war walk up, for that matter). Besides the week-old chicken lo mein sitting in the fridge, there are fires, gas leaks, and carbon monoxide.

Do It Yourself

Prevention

Get a basic toolbox and grab a copy of Home Maintenance For Dummies by James and Morris Carey:

• Don’t overload electrical circuits, outlets, or cords.
• Make sure light bulbs are the proper wattage
• Watch for faulty electrical equipment and be careful with space heaters.
• Don’t smoke inside.
• Have a working fire extinguisher with a pressure gauge that is checked monthly
• Don’t do any construction without checking the location of gas pipes.

Dealing With It

• Fire and carbon monoxide detectors, as well as fire extinguishers, are available in most hardware stores. They should be checked monthly and placed in every bedroom and throughout the house, though having one in your apartment is probably more realistic. Conveniently, the NYC Fire Department lists safety tips online.

Call A Pro

If any gas or fire problems occur, immediately call a pro. At the end of the day, there’s only so much our handy fire extinguisher can do. Keep a list of emergency numbers: fire/police, poison control, hospital, etc…