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Maintenance Tips

Granite

Clean with soap or granite cleaner.

Do not clean granite or let it make direct contact with the following:

• Bleach

• Scotch brites

• Vinegar

• Acids or abrasives

• Aluminum oxide products

• Hot pans

Quartz

Clean with a softer sponge or a non-abrasive cloth soaked in warm water. For Tougher messes, use basic dish soap with warm water.

Do not clean quartz or let it make direct contact with the following:

• Abrasive sponges

• Acids

• Drain cleaners

• Paint strippers

• Acetone

• Anything with a very high or very low pH

• Hot pans

Marble

Clean with a softer sponge or a non-abrasive cloth soaked in warm water. For Tougher messes, use basic dish soap with warm water.

Do not clean marble or let it make direct contact with the following:

• Acidic or brasive sponges

• Bleach

• Aluminum oxide products

Laminate

Clean with a softer sponge or a non-abrasive cloth soaked in warm water. For Tougher messes, use a pH-neutral cleaner or basic dish soap with warm water.

Do not clean lmainate or let it make direct contact with the following:

• Harsh products or tools

• Abrasive pads like steel wool, Scotch-Brite, or sandpaper

• Abrasive cleaners like Ajax, Comet, or magic Erasers

• Acidic or alkalair based cleaners

Your electrical panel is the access point for electrical power in your home. It controls how the electricity is distributed along circuits throughout your home, that can be turned on and off indiviually, as well as a controlled all at once through a main circuit breaker that controls the entire panel.

Each circuit is rated for a specific amperage, of which when exceeded, will "trip the breaker", or cut power to that circuit, a damaged or broken appliance, or a defective breaker.

Important things of note:

• The cover on your electrical panel should only be removed by a qualified electrician, to prevent injury.

• Doing electrical work yourself could void the warranty on your electrical panel. All work should be done by a qualified electrician.

Carpet

• Vacuum often, at least once a week to keep your carpet clean and prevent matting.

• Don't use cleaning solutions not recommended by the manufacturer, as it would set stains into your carpet or void the warranty.

• Don't remove or adjust any carpeting in your home, beacuse that can void it's installation warranty.

Hardwood

• Vacuum or dust mop 1 or 2 times a week to keep dirt from scratching your flooring.

• Don't wet mop the floor or use a large amount of moist products to clean your floor. It could cause the flooring to swell over time from moisture getting trapped beneath it, or it could be absorbed by the wood and change it's color or hue.

• Be careful when moving furniture, as dragging it would leave permanent scratches, dents, or other markings in the hardwood.

LVP

• Sweep or vacuum regularly to clean up debris that can scratch the floor, like dirt ad dust.

• Unlike hardwood, LVP is water resistant. You can use moist products to clean it, but be sure to not use soap based detergents or harsh chemical cleaners like bleach.

• Be careful when moving furniture, as dragging it could leave permanent scratches, dents, or other markings in the LVP. Also be cautious if your furniture has rubber pads on the surfaces where it meets the floor, as they may cause yellowing in the flooring the pads are pressed against.

Maintenance Tips

• If the buttons on your remote or keypad no longer funtion as expected, change out the batteries.

Every six months

• Manually operate your garage door. If it is unbalanced or binding, call a technician to take a look at it.

• Check to make sure the door completely opens and closes; adjust if needed.

• Test the safety reversal system; adjust if needed.

Every Year

• Oil bearings and hinges, but not on the garage door opener.

• Pressure wash your door so that it stays clean.

Every Two to Three Years

• Clean away existing grease from the garage door opener rail, and reapply a small layer of white lithium grease to the top and underside of the rail surface where the trolley slides.

• Pressure wash your door so that it stays clean

How to unjam your gargabe disposal unit

• Make sure the switch is in the "OFF" position on your disposal, and the unit is unplugged beneath the sink

• Use the allen wrench provided with your garbage disposal unit on the hexagon bolt on the bottom of the unit to turn the disposal

• Once unjammed, use pliers or a similar tool to remove the object that caused the issue

• Remove the allen wrench and plug the unit back in

• Gently press the red button to reset the unit

• Run cold water in the sink and turn on the swicth on the disposal into the "ON" position

Things to not put into your disposal

• Starchy or hard leftovers, such as bones

• Coffee grounds

• Egg shells

• Grease, oil, or fat

• Bleach or commercial drain cleaners

• Your fingers

Extra Tips

• Always use with cool water, and let the water run for 15-30 seconds after turning off the disposal to clear all waste

• Feed small amounts into the disposal, and avoid giving it large amounts at one time

• Clean and freshen with warm (not hot) water and cut up lemons and oranges

What is a GFCI outlet?

GCFI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters, and they sense imbalances in an electrical circuit and cut off the flow of electricity if a risk is detected. They can be commonly found in areas where there is water, like bathrooms, kitchens, or garages. If you don't see a CFGI outlet where you think one should be, it may already be frotected in your electrical panel as part of a GFCI circuit, or is controlled by another GFCI outlet connected to the same circuit.

How to test your GCFI outlets

• Plug in a lamp into the GFCI outlet to make sure it's on.

• Press the test button on the GFCI, which should turn the lamp off.

• Press the reset button, which should turn the lamp back on.

How to change your filters

• Make sure your HVAC system isn't currently running

• Open the access panel to reach the filter

• Remove the old filter fromt the vent

• Place the new filter inside, and make sure the arrows on the filter, which indicate air-flow, are pointing into the HVAC unit

• Close the access oanel, and you're free to turn your HVAC system back on

Things to know:

• Not all filters are the same. Keep note of where they are in your home, and the size of each one.

• Filter locations can either be in the HVAC unit or in an air return ont he wall or ceiling of your home

• Check your filters to make sure they're clean. How much buildup prodiced int hem can vary depending on the time of year, and the age of your home

Safety Information

• Never remove the smoke or carbon monoxide detectors

• Replacing the batteries is recommended twice per year

• Some units have a built-in lithium battery that does not need to be changed out

• You should replace your units every 10 years

What is a sump pump?

A sump pump is a pump that helps keep water from accumulating in your basement. A basin sits in the floor and collects water within it, and a pump empties it to the outside

Welled exits

If your home contains a welled exit, the drain will typically empty into the sump crock. The crock is the large container that collects the water. Ensure in the fall that the drain remains unobstructed by leaves so the drain will work properly

How do you clean your sump pump?

You should clean them monthly if your pump disposes water from a washing machine, or quarterly if it doesn't

• Turn off the sump pump and make sure that no one is using any appliances that will drain water into the sump pit (e.g. washing machine)

• Use the garden hose to rinse the pump. Then use a plastic scraper or putty knife to remove caked debris

• Use a wet vac to clean out the sump pit

• One the pump is dry, reattach it tot he discharge pipe and plug it into its power source

How to winterize your hose bib

• Turn o the hose bib so a small stream of water is flowing out

• Locate the shut-off valve within the house. Cut off the water by turning this valve clockwise, or if it's a lever, turn it perpendicular to the pipe

• If you have a bleeder valve, slowly open it to break the air lock. Its normal if water comes from the vale when doing this

• Close the bleeder valve and keep the shut-off valve until the spring when temperatures remain above freezing and you're ready to start using your hose bib

• Close the hose bib