Here is some information you may find helpful for EYA townhome living including:
- Paint colors: interior and exterior
- Rooftop terrace flooring maintenance: Duradek and floor tiles
- HVAC maintenance: dampers, filters, EZ Trap
- Hose bibs maintenance
- Other home maintenance: fire detectors, backflow valve
- Fine-tuning settings: bathroom exhaust fan switch, Ecobee thermostat
Exterior Paint Colors:
This document describes the colors and finishes of paint to use on the exterior of your house. The colors are Dunn Edwards, but you can go to any hardware or paint store and give them the information and they can color-match.
Interior Paint Colors:
If you need the original builder paint, you can get a free touch up kit from McCormick Paints. This flyer has the program information, the paint color/finish used in our houses, and a 20% off coupon.
Cleaning Duradek:
If you cannot get the vinyl deck membrane on your rooftop deck clean, this article has a recipe for a cleaning solution that really works: Common Mold and Fungi and How to Remove Them from Duradek.
Lifting Rooftop Tiles:
Our rooftop drains have a tendency to clog. If it clogs, the rooftop can flood and overflow into the fourth floor. If you have a floating tile floor, you have to lift the tiles to check the drain. Bob Kraft fashioned a lifting tool holding an Allen wrench in a vice grip (see photo).
HVAC Dampers:
You may remember that heat rises. You probably feel this on the top floor during the summer. You may be able to help balance out the temperature between floors by employing HVAC dampers. This article does a decent job of explaining what they are and how to use them both in the summer and in the winter.
Cleaning Aprilaire Filter:
The filter inside the Aprilaire fresh air ventilator should be cleaned about every 6 months by rinsing it in water. Here are instructions from the manual on accessing the filter and cleaning it.
Cleaning EZ Trap (HVAC Tube):
Have you seen that clear U-shaped tube on the HVAC in the mechanical closet in your garage with the brush hanging off of it?
That is an EZ Trap. It is designed to prevent and address condensate drain clogs in your HVAC system. This article does a pretty good job explaining what the EZ Trap is and how to clean it using that brush.
Winterizing/Draining Hose Bibs:
Outdoor pipes and fixtures are vulnerable to freezing once outdoor temperatures fall below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, so you should plan to winterize the hoses and hose bibs when the outdoor temperatures are consistently below 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Here are instructions for draining hose bibs.
Winterizing a hose bib too early in the year won’t have any negative impacts on your home, but you will no longer have access to water while outdoors.
Turning Water ON to Hose Bibs:
If you winterized/drained your hose bibs, you may want to turn it back on when it gets warm out so you can clean your deck or water your plants. Here are instructions for turning water ON to hose bibs.
Changing Fire Detector Batteries
Why do fire detectors insist on chirping in the middle of the night? They tend to chirp due to low battery when it is colder (e.g., when temperatures drop overnight in the winter).
To avoid this annoyance, consider replacing the batteries the first weekend of November when we "fall back" to standard time. This page describes the different types of fire detectors in our homes and how to access their batteries.
Annual Backflow Valve Testing
Did you get a notice reminding you to have your backflow valve tested? Most houses in this community are required to have their backflow valve tested every May.
This page has some answers to the frequently asked questions (FAQ) of backflow valve testing.
Adjusting Bathroom Fan
Does the exhaust fan in your bathroom sometimes turn on when you don't want it to? You may want to adjust the sensors. This manual has instructions on how to do it.
Ecobee Thermostat Functions
Learn more about the smart features the Ecobee thermostats in your house have on their website, such as:
- Follow Me: prioritizes sensors in rooms with recent activity to accurately set the temperature
- Overcool Max: uses the air conditioning to help reduce excessive humidity