AFTER HOURS Maintenance and Emergency Information

Office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Please try to report maintenance issues during our regular business hours as our staff and outside vendors are more readily available to solve any maintenance issues that come up during that time. If there is an after-hours non-emergency maintenance issue, please refer to the following protocol for tips, tricks, and information that can help. If at any time you feel like you need maintenance assistance from our staff for an after-hours emergency, please leave a message with our emergency staff at 530-312-3105 and your call will be returned shortly. Thank you!

Detectors in Your Unit: Your unit contains both smoke detectors and combination alarms, which detect smoke and Carbon Monoxide. Keep in mind that a fire is not the only source of danger your alarms can detect. See below for more information regarding Carbon Monoxide and the link to Pacific Gas and Electric’s website.

In case of FIRE:

1. Notify all roommates to leave.
2. Use on site fire extinguishers (located outside of unit) if you feel safe enough to do so.
3. Exit the building.
4. Call 911 first. Then call the leasing office if this occurs during business hours. If it is after hours, please leave a message with our emergency staff at 530-312-3105 and your call will be returned shortly.

Reminder: Smoke detectors do go off even when there is not a fire. For example, cooking can sometimes create smoke that triggers alarms. In this case, fanning the alarm with a towel often helps clear the air and the alarm will stop beeping. Please identify the source of the alarm or smoke to verify if there is any danger before calling 911. Similarly, identify the source of an alarm to ensure you are safe before silencing an alarm.

Kitchen Safety:

• If a pan is on fire, smother the flames with a metal lid NOT glass (glass lids may shatter). Or use baking soda to put out a grease fire. Never use water to put out a grease fire.
• If you have a fire in your microwave oven, turn it off immediately. This will stop the fan so it won’t feed oxygen to the flames. Then simply wait until the fire suffocates. Do NOT open the door unless you are sure the fire is out.

Reminder:

• Stock up on baking soda just in case a grease fire occurs.
• Use microwave safe dishes in the microwave.
• Never leave what you are cooking unattended and NEVER leave the unit while the stove or oven is on. Pay attention to cook times and whether an appliance is on.

If you smell GAS:

1. Get out of the building immediately.

2. Call 911.

3. Call Pacific Gas and Electric at 1-800-743-5000.

4. Then call the office if this occurs during business hours. If it is after hours, please leave a message with our emergency staff at 530-312-3105 and your call will be returned shortly.

• If you detect a gas leak or your alarm is going off, exit the building immediately. Do not use anything that could be a source of ignition, INCLUDING CELL PHONES and flashlights. Do not turn any light or electric switches on or off.
• According to Pacific Gas and Electric’s website, gas has a “distinctive, sulfur-like, rotten egg odor” so you can detect small amounts. Also, pay attention to “hissing, whistling or roaring sounds coming from underground or from a gas appliance.”
• Pacific Gas and Electric advises you not to store flammable materials, such as mops, brooms, laundry and newspapers, near your water heater, oven, stove range or any gas appliance.

Please follow the link for more information regarding gas safety tips and information.

https://www.pge.com/en_US/safety/gas-safety/gas-safety-tips.page#p5

EMERGENCY ALARM SEQUENCES (Combination Alarms)

• If Carbon Monoxide is detected, the combination alarm will beep 4 times, pause, beep another 4 times and will continue this pattern. A red light will flash in sync with the beeps. After the alarm, the red light will keep flashing red on for 2 seconds then off for 2 seconds.
• If there is a fire, the combination alarm will go off by beeping 3 times, pause, beep another 3 times and will continue this pattern. A red light will flash in sync with the beeps. After the alarm, the red light will keep flashing red on for 2 seconds then off for 2 seconds.
• The malfunction signal for the combination alarm is 3 chirps per minute and a green light flashing quickly 3 times.

SILENCING YOUR ALARM

PLEASE NOTE: NEVER remove the batteries to silence an alarm. This disables the detector completely. Never disconnect or pull the alarm down. If silenced correctly, detectors will still function correctly and will still monitor your unit for fire/gas hazards.

If one or multiple Smoke detector or Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide detectors are alarming in a non-emergency situation, please first verify that you are safe. Once you have confirmed that you are safe and out of any danger, you can attempt to silence the alarm(s).

If your Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide detector is beeping because of a low battery or an “end of life” warning and it is accessible to you, you can silence it.

LOW BATTERY WARNING

If the Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm is warning that it has a low battery, it will chirp and flash green once per minute.

To Silence: Press the Test/Silence button on the alarm cover until you hear the acknowledge chirp. When it is effectively silenced, it will flash a green light once a minute for the next 8 hours. It will remain silent for an 8 hour period.

END OF LIFE WARNING

If the Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm is warning that it is near the end of its life, it will chirp and flash green five times per minute.

To Silence: Press the Test/Silence button on the alarm cover. This may last for up to 2 days. Leave a message with the office or fill out a maintenance request so that we can replace it during business hours.

If the batteries are dead, then the alarm cannot be silenced. Please call the office during business hours or leave a message on the emergency phone after hours and your call will be returned shortly.

If the detector is not accessible, is not remaining silent, or you are having trouble silencing it, please call the office during business hours or, if it is after hours, please leave a message with our emergency staff at 530-312-3105. Your call will be returned shortly.

DISCLAIMER

Please note: the above instructions are general and should apply to most of the smoke detectors in your unit. However, there are different brands of alarms installed that may act differently than the above descriptions. Again, if you are having trouble with an alarm and you have confirmed it is not notifying you of an emergency, please call the office during business hours or, if it is after hours, leave a message with our emergency staff at 530-312-3105 and your call will be returned shortly.

Water Heater Leak Detector

• • When the Leak Alert detector comes into contact with water, a loud 85dB alarm sounds for up to 72 hours. The alarm is as loud as your standard smoke detector. Please call the office during business hours or, if it is after hours, please leave a message with our emergency staff at 530-312-3105 and your call will be returned shortly. 
• • In the event of a low battery, the leak detector will chirp (a short beep every five seconds). We will want to replace it with a brand new 9V battery.
    • Please call the office during business hours or, if it is after hours, leave a message with our emergency staff at 530-312-3105 and your call will be returned shortly. 

POWER OUTAGES

Is the power out in one area of your unit, but is still working in another? You may have tripped a breaker.

TO RESET YOUR CIRCUIT BREAKER:

• • • Locate your breaker box in the hallway. In townhouses, check behind the downstairs bedroom door.
    • Turn off or unplug equipment that connects to the tripped circuit. (You will be able to tell which breaker is tripped because it will be in a different position than the others).
    • Push switch firmly to the “off” position. Must turn it all the way off.
    • Flip the switch back to the “on” position.
    • View this video for a general demonstration (note: this was not filmed at your apartment complex, but the visuals still apply).                                           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp831h10rgw

How to Prevent breakers from tripping:

• • • Do Not plug in several appliances to a single outlet
    • Do Not use high energy items, like a hairdryer or a portable heater, for an extended timeframe or at the same time.

If your circuit breaker trips repeatedly, this could indicate a problem with the circuit and/or breaker that requires additional maintenance or an electrician. Please call the office to let us know or fill out a maintenance request online through your resident portal.

FULL UNIT POWER OUTAGE

If the power is out in your entire unit, please contact your electric provider (Pacific Gas and Electric) to check if there is a scheduled outage occurring or if there are multiple outages in your area. Also, double check to ensure you paid your bill.

To get information about Pacific Gas and Electric outages:
 https://m.pge.com/index.html#outages

PLEASE NOTE: Management may have limited information regarding electric outages in the area, since all Pacific Gas & Electric accounts are set up in the resident’s name.

How to Prepare for a Power Outage:

• Make sure you have a flashlight with extra batteries.
• Keep a list of your important phone numbers on hand.
  • • 911 (emergencies)
    • Davis Police (Emergency): 530-758-3600
    • Davis Fire Department (Emergency): 530-756-3400
    • The Davis Fire & Police Department (NON-emergency):  530-747-5400 or 530-752-5684
    • Sutter Health-Davis Hospital: 530-756-6440.
    • Kaiser Permanente Medical Offices: 530-757-7100

Discover other important numbers the City of Davis recommends here:

 http://cityofdavis.org/about-davis/emergency-information

If a Power Outage Occurs:

• Turn off heat producing appliances (especially stove tops and ovens) that were on when the power outage occurred. This will eliminate a fire hazard when the power comes back.
• Make sure food stays cold by keeping your refrigerator and freezer doors closed. You can place ice in plastic containers and keep it inside the refrigerator.

WATER INTRUSION OR LEAKING

For any actively leaking water issues, please call the office during business hours or, if it is after hours, please leave a message with our emergency staff at 530-312-3105. Your call will be returned shortly.

• Please note: if there is a small leak (or water dripping down a drain), maintenance can attend to the repair on the next business day IF the dripping can be contained to a bucket. If there is any confusion on the severity of a leak, please call the office during business hours or, if it is after hours, please leave a message with our emergency staff at 530-312-3105. Your call will be returned shortly and a staff member will talk you through it.
• Call immediately if there is a large amount of water leaking in any area of your unit.
• If a sink or toilet is overflowing, you are able to turn the water off by locating the water shut-off valve behind the toilet, or below the sink, on the water supply line. Once located, turn the valve all the way to the right to shut off the water.

Clogged Sink or Toilet

A backed up toilet or sink, as long as it is not actively leaking, usually will need to wait until the next business day for repair if there is a second one available for use in the unit.

Please call the office to leave a voicemail or submit a maintenance request online and the manager will contact you the next business day about the repair. Post a sign to relay to any roommates that may not be around to avoid use of the clogged sink or toilet.

Clogged toilets can be embarrassing! If you would like to take care of this issue yourself, please refer to this plunging video for a visual guide.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGndCGSEVwQ 

Do not flush facial tissue (Kleenex), paper towels, any wipes, feminine hygiene products, contraceptives, toilet bowl scrub pads, Swiffer pads, Q-Tips, cotton balls, dental floss, cat litter, coffee grounds, egg shells, fats, oils, greases, hair, medicines or any pharmaceuticals, plastic, diapers or any other non-organic material.

Sewage

Please call to inform us if there are any sewage problems immediately.

APPLIANCES

Appliance repairs generally will need to wait for business hours so that technicians are available.

Please fill out a maintenance request or call the office phone to leave a message so the problem can be addressed on the next business day. Any delays in reporting issues to the manager may delay the repairs, depending on if a part needs to be ordered or if outside technicians need to be scheduled. Being proactive about reporting issues may speed up the repair process! If there are any questions as to whether an appliance repair is an emergency, please call the office during business hours or, if it is after hours, leave a message with our emergency staff at 530-312-3105 and your call will be returned shortly.

Washers and Dryers
Remember to clean your dryer's lint screens regularly. If the lint builds up, it could become a fire hazard!
 

HEATERS AND AIR CONDITIONERS

Before Reporting that Your Unit Is Not Working, Check This First:

Some units have a light switch that controls the heater and air conditioner, which is located in the hallway. Most should be labeled as “HEAT/AIR” or taped to prevent them from being accidentally turned off. However, we find that many residents may not notice this or automatically hit all the switches off in order to conserve energy. Please check that this switch is flipped on (like the picture shows) before notifying us that your heater or air conditioner is not working. You or a roommate may have shut the power to the heat and air system off by flipping this switch.

Please Note: This switch can look like the picture or may be just one switch in a row of them, which makes it even more likely someone might accidentally turn it off when hitting all the switches to shut off all the lights.

If this switch was flipped and the power to the heating and air system was shut off, you will need to turn the thermostat off, then flip the switch, and wait for at least five minutes before you turn the heat or air system back on.

When Your Unit Is Not Working:
If your heating or air conditioning system stops working (and the power switch has not been turned off!) or needs to be repaired, contact the office immediately. If this occurs outside of regular business hours during the week, submit a maintenance request or leave a voicemail with the office. Management will contact you the following morning to coordinate an appointment with a technician. If your heater or air conditioner goes out over a weekend when office staff is unavailable, please leave a message with our emergency staff at 530-312-3105 and your call will be returned shortly.

Tips to Dealing with Extreme Hot and Cold Weather

Please test your heating and cooling systems before extreme weather starts. We recommend turning your heater on and checking for proper operation in September/October. We recommend turning your air conditioner on and checking for proper operation in April/May. If you wait until the first heat wave or until cold weather starts, vendors are often booked and repairs can be delayed. Being proactive may save you time and frustration!

Pacific Gas and Electric recommends that you keep your air conditioner set at 78 degrees or higher when it is more than 100 degrees outside. If you are away for more than a few hours, set it to 85 degrees. In the winter, set your thermostat to 68 degrees. According to Pacific Gas and Electric, “three to five percent more energy is used for each degree you set your furnace above 68 F,” which will increase your bill. Similarly, if you turn it down to 56 degrees when you are away (for an 8 hour period), you can “save 5 to 15 percent a year on your heating bill.” Using these guidelines saves energy as well as puts less strain on your heater and air conditioner.

https://www.pge.com/en_US/residential/save-energy-money/resources/everyday-tips/energy-saving-tips/energy-saving-tips.page

Ways to Keep Your Unit Cool During the Summer

• When temperatures are cooler in the evening and in the early morning, open your windows! Be sure to close your windows before temperatures start to rise throughout the day. Otherwise, the hot air from outside will be trapped in your unit and it may take longer for the air conditioner to cool your unit. On a hot day, you may want to shut windows as early as 10 a.m.
• This region benefits from the Delta Breeze—an evening wind that comes from the southwest off the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. This wind brings the cooler, more humid air from the Pacific Ocean generally during the late Spring and early summer months. Take advantage of any cool air that Nature provides!
• We recommend having a fan to circulate cool air throughout your unit
• Cook meals that require less use of the stove and oven to keep temperatures cool in your unit.
• Keep blinds and curtains closed.
• Turn off and unplug all electronics not in use.