HOMEOWNER SERVICES
The magic number is 1-847-866-7400. When you need immediate help, when the boiler room phone goes to voice mail, before any other calls, call HHS&G Homeowner Services. If it is during maintenance staff hours (Mon-Sat, 7-3:30), they will contact our staff via beeper and let them know. If it’s after hours, Homeowner Services staff will handle it – that number is staffed 24/7!
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AIR CONDITIONERS
Pull the filter out every spring and run water over it in the bathtub to clear out dust and debris that it catches. Try not to let any large bits go down your drain and clog it.
Recommendation from Madeline Binder (1860)For people who have allergies, asthma or want to filter more particles from the air conditioner:Filtrete Micro Allergen Reduction Hammock Filter 30 x 60 – Inches Fiberglass It comes in sheets and feels like a thin piece of cloth. Available online. Amazon has 4 sheets in a package. Walmart and others sell it in one sheet packages.
Directions on How to Use: Cut the Filtrete to fit the size of your existing air conditioner filter. Place the Filtrete on top of your air conditioner’s filter with the smoother side facing your room. Tape the Filtrete to the air conditioner filter. I use painter’s tape because it is easier to remove each year.When you clean your air conditioner once a year, change the Filtrete.
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BALCONIES
Glass Replacement
Referral from HHS&G: MC Glass 847-329-9866
Balcony Slab Edge Coating
If the edges of your balcony next to the wooden doors/windows did not get painted, you can use this product to “match” the rest of the slab. You cannot, however, paint over the floor of the balcony – it will just crack and peel up.
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Refinishing Balcony Wood Doors and Windows
The front doors of our units (in buildings where they haven’t been painted) are stained Minwax Polyshades Pecan Satin 320.
In case you ever wondered, the inner doors (bedroom, bath) were originally stained with Minwax Classic Oak Satin 370. Many of us have painted or refinished inside doors, but in case you were curious??
Balcony wood/doors are finished with Minwax Wood Finish Red Mahogany 225. For the sake of uniform exterior appearance, we are not allowed to use paint on these balcony doors. If you replace the screen moldings please use wood also – there is metal on one balcony and it sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb. Use marine or spar varnish for your finishing coat.
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MAILBOX LOCKS
Lose your mailbox keys? The entire lock has to be replaced. Lemoi carries one that fits – it is Pestillo-Buzon S-4138. You will need to catch the mail person when they are delivering and the whole row of boxes are open. Difficult, but no other way to get in to change it.
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THERMOSTATS
Your thermostat controls the heat in the unit above you. Medium setting is generally best, but if your neighbor asks you to readjust, please do so. It will not affect the heat in your apartment unless you are on the ground floor. Concerns about defective/malfunctioning thermostats should be handled by a note in the black box for maintenance. Disagreements about heat should be taken to your building director.
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NEED A HANDYMAN?
The Evanston Handyman Program provides minor repair and maintenance services in the homes or apartments of older adults who live in Evanston and are income eligible.
The service is free of charge to qualifying older adults (ages 65 and older), but there may be a minimal charge for the cost of materials.
This program is a partnership between the City of Evanston and CEDA and is funded by the Evanston Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. To determine eligibility or schedule a phone assessment, please contact the City of Evanston Senior Services at 847-448-8250 or aging@cityofevanston.org.
And for those who do not qualify for the above program but are in need of home repairs, I recommend Chris Larson who recently installed new closet doors in my hallway. He is conscientious, knowledgeable, helpful and handy, and Chris is probably less costly than most private handymen. His phone is 847-749-5691.
Thanks to Joan Taylor (1860) for these tips!
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IN’S AND OUT’S OF OUR KITCHEN FANS
A reminder about the procedure for cleaning the kitchen fans: you should put a note in the black box so that Rafael or Oscar can come to disassemble the fan. You may then clean the parts according to their instructions. When you are finished, call to have him put it back in your window.
A problem with the fans can be the connector area on the top of the fan. If the connectors come loose, the fan may not work. Simply pressing on the top of the fan could be enough to start the fan fanning again. Since the VentAxia fans are no longer available for sale in the U.S., we want to take good care of them!
Listed on the International Distributor list is:
UNITED STATES
Last Updated by Vent on Jul 14, 2011
Distributor: Coast Products Inc
Contact: Larry O’Donnell, Pat O’Donnell
Address: 954 Elliott Ave West, Seattle WA 98119, USA
Telephone: 800 735 7026
Fax: +1 206 285 5123
Email: info@ventaxiausa.com
According to the website http://www.ventaxiausa.com/:
Vent-Axia, Ltd., based in Crawley England, has provided a number of ventilation products for the North American market for many years.
These product trademarks included the Standard Range, Universal Range, Powerfan, LoWatt6, MV350, and T-Series. All of these product lines have been discontinued, but we encourage you to contact Coast Products, Inc. for troubleshooting and potential parts & repair options at info@VentAxiaUSA.com.
If you are interested in potential replacement products please visit XpelairUSA.com.
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SHERMAN GARDEN APARTMENTS 