Property maintenance plays a crucial role in overcoming home hassles that would otherwise adversely impact residents’ precious hours. What are the specific areas that need periodic maintenance to ensure a hassle-free lifestyle in an apartment complex? Here are some tips.
Cracks in the wall
Cracks may appear in the wall in the first years of occupation, for the following causes according to IS Code in the internal and external plaster, due to humidity changes, thermal variations, elastic deformation, creep, chemical reaction, foundation movement and soil settlement , vegetation and earthquake. Do not panic. The cracking process can continue for the first few years. After that, you can simply fill the cracks with primer putty and repaint the walls and see how they stay that way.
Door and latches
After a period of time, the doors to your apartment may not close properly and the latches may no longer seem to work perfectly. This happens due to the own weight of the doors combined with temperature fluctuations and also the expansion and contraction of the wood causes a displacement (generally downwards) of the original positions of the doors. You are advised to wait until the season changes and watch how things return to their place, or if necessary, you can call a carpenter, who will rectify the problem as a precautionary measure, the door hinges should be oiled regularly, by least once every three months.
Flat
The ceramic / vitrified / granite tile floor should be cleaned periodically with diluted liquid detergent. Don’t use acids, ever. Corners and baseboards should also be periodically cleaned to make them look like new. To reduce the problem of dust accumulation at the baseboard, make all the baseboards flush with the wall.
Humidity stains
In the first monsoon, damp spots and the resulting cracks may appear on the walls, due to seepage. This is not a major problem. It is recommended to wait until summer before repairing moisture stains, filling in cracks and repainting the walls and the problem will not reappear. It is advisable to repaint the entire building from the inside and outside every three to five years.
Leakage
After a period of time due to regular use, it is normal for the faucet washers to wear out and cause the faucets to leak. You can solve this problem simply by replacing the washers, even yourself. If cracks form in the kitchen sink or in the joints of the glazed tiles that cause leaks, immediately fill the same with materials such as M-Seal White or any other cementing material available on the market. Do not use strong acids to clean bathrooms and toilets, as this will cause leaks and damage to the floor. If the traps under the bathroom or kitchen sink pipes are clogged, have the plumber clean them immediately. Failure to do so will lead to leaking joints or dirty water spilling out of the bathroom traps. You can use ‘Dranex’ or a similar product to clean the blocked area. Leaking water taps should be taken care of immediately to avoid water loss and damage to the residential unit below. Every apartment owner should clean all rainwater jets and pipes just before the rainy season begins, so that no water harvesting takes place on the balcony and terrace. Make sure all faucets are closed before blocking your apartment, as water can flood the kitchen and other rooms, marring the furniture and paint finish on the floor below.
Termite attack
Think of termite treatment as termite insurance. No house, old or new, and no material, be it concrete, wood, brick or slab, is safe from termites. There is no such thing available as termite proof construction. We have taken adequate precautions to prevent termite attacks by providing the necessary treatment before laying the foundations of each building, but even high-quality furniture, fabrics, books, documents, and plastic insulation provide a convenient natural food substitute for termites. Therefore, it is advisable to carry out an anti-termite treatment (pest control) on your furniture, every year.
Lift
Stuck in an elevator? Do not charge for the emergency exit. There is an alarm button inside the elevator, which must be pressed. Once activated, the alarm is heard outside, alerting security personnel. If the elevator is stuck between two floors due to a power outage or any other reason, a trained person should turn off the three-phase main switch from the meter room on the ground floor or the elevator machine room on the 9th floor, and confirm to others involved in the rescue procedure that the power is off. Once the main switch is turned off, there is a device called a ‘brake release’ that can be accessed in the elevator’s engine room on the 9th floor. With this, you can raise or lower the elevator to the closest landing level. For your convenience, all of these instructions can be displayed inside the elevator machine room. As a precautionary measure, the apartment association office managers should train a responsible person / security person on operations.
Drowning plumbing lines
* Sewer / Silage Lines: By throwing non-degradable items (sanitary napkins, solid waste, etc.) into the plumbing systems, the lines become blocked, so the system begins to leak at the joints. Call the plumber to clear obstacles in the lines and allow the water to flow smoothly.
* Water lines: Initially, the dust on the new CP fittings will drown the nozzles in the fittings, so there will not be enough pressure in the water flowing through these fittings. Call the plumber, who will open these fittings and clean the washers.
* Aerial tanks and sump tanks: fine suspended particles present in the water, will settle when the water is stored in tanks, so the capacity of the tanks will be reduced and when the water at the bottom of the tank flows to through the pipes, your CP fittings will get clogged. Note that initially the upper water tanks are cleaned at least once every three months.
