Maintenance Troubleshooting
Here are some frequent troubleshooting items that may save you a service call.
My outside outlets are not working
This is usually a GFI issue. Several of the outlets in your home have built in circuit breakers. Go to each of those outlets and test and reset that outlet. This will normally take care of the issue with the outside outlets. Normally the outside outlets are controlled by the garage, basement, or kitchen GFI outlet.
My outlet in my bathroom is not working
This is usually a GFI issue. In one of the bathrooms in the home there should be a GFI outlet, test and reset that outlet. If that does not reset the bathroom, check the circuit breaker and the kitchen GFI.
My power is out in my bedroom (or another room)
Unplug everything in the room that is plugged in, check the circuit breaker in the breaker box, and reset the breaker.
My oven/range or microwave is not working
Check the circuit breaker for the oven/range
My garbage disposal is not working
There is a reset button on the bottom of the disposal. If the disposal is clogged you may need to take an allan wrench to the bolt on the bottom to manually turn the blades to free them before resetting the unit.
My dishwasher is not draining
Check the air gap. This is the little silver cup like device on your sink. Unscrew it and remove the cover and clean the cover and screen and make sure there is no debris in the air gap. Check the screen in the bottom of the dishwasher it may need to be removed and cleaned.
In the winter my heat pump makes a loud sound
This is the normal defrost cycle, if it lasts longer than a few minutes; switch your thermostat to E-Heat for a while to allow the unit time to defrost.
My air conditioner is not blowing cold air
Check your filter; if it is dirty change it. Remove the cover of the furnace and see if the coil is frozen. If it is, turn off the unit for an hour and restart. Again, that usually happens because your filter is dirty or the cold air returns in the house are clogged
My HVAC is not blowing out much air
Check your furnace filter; change it if it is dirty. DO NOT use the accordion style filters, they actually restrict airflow. Clean all of your cold air returns throughout the home. Remove the cover and use the sweeper to clean them out.
My basement has some water around the foundation
Check and make sure that all of the downspouts have splash blocks and the water is running away from the foundation. If you have a sump pump, make sure it is plugged in and test it to make sure it is working (put some water in the sump pit to activate the pump)
My smoke detectors are chirping
Change all of the batteries to all smoke detectors. If they continue to chirp, reset the circuit breakers. If you have a CO2 detector, make sure that it has not expired and has fresh batteries as well.
