Maintenance Troubleshooting Webbook
Smoke Alarms
If you are experiencing issues with your smoke alarms please contact our office immediately on 02 4973 3111.
Handy Troubleshooting Tips
Have you checked the following issues:
NO POWER
- Have you checked your fuse box? There may have been an overload and the safety switch has been activated and needs resetting
- Have you checked that one of your appliances is not faulty? Unplug all appliances in the house. Reset the safety switch in the meter box. Plug in the fridge and turn on the power point, check the safety switch. If the safety switch clicks off then you know that there is a fault with the fridge and you need to get it repaired. Otherwise disconnect the fridge and plug in the stereo and continue checking all appliances until the faulty appliance is located. If the electrician attends to the job and finds the fault with one of your appliances, then you will be charged for the service fee
- Have you contacted your Electricity Company? There may be a fault in the street
- If you live in an apartment or townhouse check if your neighbour has power? If more than one property has no power you may need to contact the Body Corporate/Owners Corporation manager.
NO HOT WATER
Have you arranged for the connection of your Gas or Electricity when you moved?
If it is an Electric Hot Water System:
- Have you checked to see if your hot water system needs refilling/topping up? There is normally a copper valve on electric hot water systems and an overflow pipe. You may need to pull up this lever until a flow of water starts coming out of the overflow pipe. This needs to carried out every six months or so
- Have you checked the fuse in the meter box?
- Have you checked that the water tap on the hot water system itself is turned on?
If it is a Gas Hot Water System:
- Have you checked to see if your pilot light has gone out? Some units can be easily relit; others may require a tradesperson
LIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING OR POWER POINTS NOT WORKING
- Have you checked your fuse box? If there has been an overload the safety switch may need resetting
- Have you replaced the light bulb?
STOVE OR STOVE TOP ELEMENT IS NOT WORKING
Electric Stove
- Ensure electricity has been connected to the property
- The connections may be loose or dirty
- The energy supply may not yet have been connected
Gas Stove
- Ensure gas has been connected to the property
- The gas igniter may be obstructed
- Ensure the element is correctly positioned on the stove top
WASHING MACHINE NOT WORKING
- Are the washing machine taps turned on at the wall?
- Have you checked to make sure that the appliance is turned on at the wall?
- Have you checked that the lid is closing properly?
- If the machine has stopped halfway through a cycle you may have overloaded the machine or that it is out of balance, rearrange the items evenly in the bowl
GARAGE REMOTE CONTROL IS NOT WORKING
- Have the batteries gone flat?
- Check that the lever (which is usually situated next to the control box) inside the garage is set to ‘auto’, as opposed to ‘manual’ (which allows you to open the door with a key or lift the door manually
- The doors will not close if anything is in the way. Check that nothing obstructs the doors or rollers
AIR CONDITIONER NOT WORKING
- Clean the filters (these are found by lifting the front cover up)
- May need to be re-set – turn off at switch board – leave 5 mins turn back on to reset
- Check batteries in remote. (in some cases the remote may need replacing and the unit is not syncing with the remote correctly)
TAP WONT TURN OFF
- If a tap won’t turn off and water is gushing go to the mains which is usually situated near the garden tap – turn off the mains tap here and call the office or the urgent maintenance phone if outside business hours
- If there is a stop tap under the sink which is leaking this can be turned off rather than the mains at the front of the property so that water is then available for the remaining of the property
BLOCKED TOILET / SINK / SHOWER
A major blockage must be reported to your property manager.
However, if your sink or shower takes a long time to drain:
- Clear hairs and old soap from the waste pipe and U bend by putting a bucket under the pipe, unscrewing it and removing the debris. Re-attach the pipe and pour boiling water down the drain
- Remove old food from the kitchen outlet and pour boiling water down the drain
- Never put fat and oil into a drain as these clog up the pipes
- Please note that should the blockage be found to be at fault of the tenant (such as hair, toys, sanitary products) the tenant will be sent the invoice to pay
If you have thoroughly conducted your troubleshooting and still have issues, please log your maintenance request online with photos and as much detail as possible at