HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Hi all! I hope you are enjoying the season and have found some things to do in our community for some down time and to alleviate some of the stress of the season.

Because Christmas is just around the corner, I wanted to give you some tips on how to keep your kitchens running efficiently and problem free. There is nothing more stressful than to be in the middle of cooking Christmas dinner and have the garbage disposal stop up on you or the dishwasher not work just when you need it the most! So, for this week’s blog, the following are some tips on how to prevent the unexpected emergencies.

GARBAGE DISPOSAL; a garbage disposal is one of the most useful gadgets in your kitchen. However, you just can’t put anything and everything in the disposal. Never put bones, pits, shells from shellfish, banana peels, celery, coffee grounds, corn cobs and husks, onion skins, potato skins, beans and rice through the disposal. NEVER pour oil or grease down the drain. Regularly boil one or two pans of water and pour down your sink. This will melt the “gunk” that has built up and allow for free flow. If the disposal does not power on, check the GFCI equipped wall switches closest to faucet; push the reset button if it has tripped. Check the reset button in the cabinet underneath the sink, on base of garbage disposal (this is usually a red button). Check other outlets along the wall in the kitchen. Check the breaker panel box. If the disposal does not drain or makes abnormal noises, carefully check for any foreign objects that may have fallen into the drain. (Do not turn on while your hand or any object is in the disposal.) Try plunging the opposite side of sink to fee up clog.

DISHWASHER; If your dishwasher does not power on, check the GFCI equipped wall switches closest to the dishwasher, push the reset button if it has tripped. Check the breaker panel box. If breaker has tripped and is in the off position, flip breaker. If the breaker is in the on position, flip breaker to the off position, wait 1-2 minutes, flip back to the on position to attempt resetting the system.

REFRIGERATOR; dirty coils hold in heat and make your refrigerator’s motor work harder to cool the inside compartments. Keep coils clean by removing the cover from below the door and vacuuming out the dust that has accumulated. While you’re there, remove the drip pan from underneath the coils. Wash it well and check the drain for clogs before replacing it. If the refrigerator is not powering on, not dispensing ice, or not staying cold enough, check the plug connection to ensure the fridge is plugged in. Check the icemaker lever to ensure it is in the on position. Remove any excess ice from the interior ice dispenser/ice bucket. Check the temperature gauge in the freezer or fridge. Gauges are located inside and at the front of the appliance. Check the GFCI wall switches, push the reset button if tripped. Check the breaker panel box and reset the breaker if it has been tripped.

RANGE; If your oven does not come on or stops working, check the breaker panel box and reset the breaker if it has been tripped. Check to see if it is plugged in.

The above appliances are generally what can cause a Christmas dinner fiasco. If you find you have one of the above problems, please follow the above instructions before calling for a maintenance request. If you find that you have followed all the suggestions and your appliance is still not working report the malfunctioning appliance to Legacy Property Solutions. You can either do that by calling our emergency maintenance number at 307-371-1939 or if it is not an emergency, you can submit a maintenance request on your tenant portal at legacypropertysolutions.org. We will receive the maintenance request on the next business day.

I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas and hope that whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year, is a wonderful holiday, surrounded by family and friends. We here at Legacy Property Solutions are looking forward to the new year with all the possibilities that it presents to us.

As always, until next week, I hope you stay happy and healthy!
Jane