REFRIGERATORS

All Bannockburn Village & Plaza apartments are equipped with a refrigerator of a size specified for your particular apartment. Alternate sizes are unavailable and standard refrigerators cannot be removed and/or stored by Housing.

Your refrigerator will operate most effectively and efficiently when it is set at a midrange temperature setting---usually 4-6 on the temperature dial. We suggest that you resist the urge to set the temperature dial at higher settings. If you feel that your refrigerator is not cooling or freezing food items properly, please submit a Work Order at the Resident Services Office immediately.

Most refrigerators are frost-free. However, if you notice that ice is beginning to accumulate on the inside of your freezer compartment, it is important to remove it, since it will hinder the efficiency of the refrigerator and could lead to permanent damage. The safest manner in which to defrost your freezer compartment is to unplug the refrigerator or switch it "off" and allow the ice build-up to melt. Place towels and/or basins appropriately in order to avoid damage to your apartment or surrounding apartments caused by excess water leakage. (Never use a knife, ice-pick, or other sharp object to remove ice from your freezer compartment. This could result in a puncture hole that will cause the refrigerator to stop functioning properly. In such cases, residents are responsible for repair or replacement costs). Contact the Resident Services Office, if desired, for alternate defrosting methods.

It is recommended that you clean the interior and exterior of your refrigerator regularly in order to keep the accumulation of food particles, spills, dust and dirt manageable. We suggest cleaning your refrigerator with a mild soapy solution or all-purpose cleaner and sponges, rags, or non-abrasive scrub pads. Periodically, it will be necessary for you to move your refrigerator in order to keep the areas beneath, behind, and adjacent to it clean.

To replace the light bulb inside the refrigerator, place a Work Order at the RSO.

All Bannockburn Village & Plaza kitchens are equipped with electric stove/ovens. Most stove/ovens are accompanied by an exhaust hood mounted directly above the stove/oven for ventilation of fumes and smoke. Some Bannockburn Village apartments are accompanied by exhaust fans which are built into the wall or ceiling near the stove/oven.

It is strongly recommended that residents clean the interior and exterior of their stove/ovens and stove hoods regularly in order to keep the accumulation of food particles, spills, dust and dirt manageable to prevent the smoke alarm sounding and to prevent attracting insects. Periodically, it may be necessary for you to shift your stove/oven in order to keep it and the areas adjacent to it clean. Stove tops and stove hoods can be effectively cleaned with an all-purpose cleaner and rags, sponges, or non-abrasive scrub pads. Ovens may need to be soaked for a short time period with an oven cleaner (e.g. Easy Off) and then wiped off with sponges, rags, or light-heavy duty scrub pads.

To replace a stove hood and/or oven light bulb when they burn out, place a Work Order at the RSO.

A unique condition exists with some large older stoves at Bannockburn Village in which ovens will stop functioning, but the stovetop will continue to operate. This is caused by a misadjustment of the manual timers for the stove. You may attempt to correct this problem by spinning each of the timer dials located on the top of the stove.  To be correctly configured, one dial will need to be pushed in and turned, while the other will need to be turned until it pops out. If you are unable to achieve this equilibrium and correct the problem, please submit a Work Order at the Resident Services Office.

If you feel that your stove/oven or stove hood is not operating properly, please submit a Work Order at the Resident Service Office.

DISHWASHERS

The Plaza apartments come equipped with a dishwasher. In order to help reduce maintenance problems with dishwashers, the following guidelines should be followed:

• Always rinse and/or scrub dishes before placing them in the dishwasher, especially if the load of dishes will not be cleaned on the same day that they are placed in the dishwasher.
• Use only detergents labeled as an “automatic dishwasher detergent,” not one for hand washing dishes.
• Use dishwasher detergent in minimal amounts or as directed on the product label.
• Submit a Work Order at the Resident Services Office if water squirts out of a chrome device near your faucet during dishwasher operation, if dishwasher fails to operate or for any other malfunction during dishwasher operation.

GARBAGE DISPOSALS

All Bannockburn Village & Plaza kitchen sinks are equipped with garbage disposals. Garbage disposals are able to "digest" only certain types of food items. To ensure that your disposal continues to operate properly, please adhere to the following guidelines:

• Immediately, before placing food items into the disposal, turn it “on” and run cold water into it.
• Most fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish can be placed into the disposal while it is “on” and cold water is running into it.
• Do not wait for the garbage disposal to become full before operating it.

The following is a sample list of items, which should NOT be placed into a garbage disposal:

• Never place stringy food items such as corn husks, potato peels, artichoke leaves, or celery stalks into a disposal.
• Never place metal parts/pieces, cigarette butts, glass, clothing, rocks/gravel, paper, or plastic parts/pieces into a disposal.
• Never place grease/cooking oils, fruit seeds/pits, banana peels, fruit peels/rinds, noodles or rice into a disposal.

If your garbage disposal stops operating, DO NOT stick your hand or any other probing object into it. Switch the disposal "off" and wait approximately 30 seconds.  Next, look under your kitchen sink and locate and push a small "reset" button that is located on the bottom of the disposal. Test your disposal by attempting to switch it "on" again with cold water running into it. If is still does not function, contact the Resident Services Office to submit a Work Order.

If you switch "on" your disposal at any time and it makes unusually loud or irregular sounds, immediately switch it "off" and contact the Resident Services Office to submit a Work Order.

Your garbage disposal Work Order is processed free of charge by our maintenance staff unless evidence of one of the items that we have suggested should not be allowed to go down your disposal (Review above) is found during the repair. In such a case, you would be responsible for the cost of the repair, including replacement of the disposal, if deemed necessary by the maintenance staff.

SINKS, TOILETS & SHOWERS/TUBS

Water that is leaking or overflowing from sinks, toilets, or showers and tubs is considered a high priority at Bannockburn Village & Plaza because of the extensive damage that can potentially be caused by it. Always treat water leaks, water overflows, or improper draining as an emergency and call the Resident Service Office or RA after hours to report the situation immediately.

Never flush paper towels, feminine hygiene products, or any other item not described as toilet tissue/paper down a toilet regardless of what the product’s packaging may state. If your toilet water does overflow, the first thing to do is to shut off the water supply to the toilet by twisting (to the right) the valve located behind the toilet near the floor. Next, contact the Resident Services Office or RA on duty after hours.

If a sink, shower, or tub does not drain properly, never use drain-clearing chemicals (e.g. Liquid Plummer, Drano, etc.). Contact the Resident Services Office or RA after hours immediately.

Though not an emergency, water dripping from faucets or shower heads and toilets that "run" continuously are wasteful and should be reported at the Resident Services Office during regular business hours (i.e. Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST). Work Orders can be submitted for any improperly functioning faucet, shower/tub, or toilet at no charge to the resident.

Your apartment is equipped with at least one functional telephone connection. You will need to arrange for service and provide an actual telephone. If you desire an additional telephone connection, special telephone services, or billing assistance you will need to contact the local telephone company. Currently, AT&T is our local telephone service provider. Long distance service may be arranged with alternate companies. Please consult your telephone directory or do an internet search for alternate companies.

In addition to ensuring that one telephone connection in your apartment is operational, we are also responsible for maintaining the condition of existing interior telephone wiring. If you do not have at least one operational telephone connection upon move-in or if, during your residency, you encounter problems with your telephone service, please contact the Resident Services Office (RSO) for assistance.  Repairs that are determined to be within our realm of responsibility will be arranged and/or paid for by Housing.