Manual for apartments

Condition of the apartment

Taking care of the apartment and its condition are every tenant’s responsibilities. If you don’t know what to do, see if the instructions of this page are of help. Many instructions for your own apartment and apartment building can be found via Tenant’s Page. In urgent matters, contact Soihtu Facility Services.

Windows

In case you can feel some draught near the window, always check first that all window latches are properly closed. You can borrow a window handle from Soihtu Housing service point during opening hours. Check also that the air inlet vents above the window are open, so the air can circulate according to design and will not come in through the window seals. If the draught continues after this, contact Soihtu Facility Services.

During summer months, the south-facing apartments in the higher floors can get warm. Increase the changing of the air in the apartment by opening the window at night.

Mini ball valves

If the tank or another part of the toilet start leaking, close the mini ball valve behind the toilet as first aid. Water stops flowing and bigger damages are prevented. In case your toilet is leaking, contact Soihtu Facility Services immediately!

Changing light bulbs

It is the tenant’s responsibility to buy and change screw bulbs. Fluorescent lamps are provided and changed by the maintenance staff. Please contact Soihtu Facility Services if you need help in changing the light bulbs.

Fire alarm system and smoke detector

Soihtu provides a smoke detector and is battery change to each apartment. The tenant’s responsibility is to check the operational readiness of the smoke detector. Check the condition of the smoke detector once in a month and after a longer absence from the apartment. It is easy to check that by pressing the test button on the detector. For pressing the button, you can use for example shank of a brush to avoid climbing. You will know that the smoke detector works if it makes a loud warning noise. If there is no smoke detector in your apartment, or its battery is on the decline, fill in a maintenance request.

In the Student Village’s buildings A-E there a fire alarm system that reacts to warmth. Maintenance of the system is the repair shop’s job. If necessary, you can carefully vacuum the fire alarm, but a lot of moisture can also cause an alarm so it can’t be washed. Removing the fire alarm will also cause an alarm. You can switch off the alarm yourself if you know the alarm is unnecessary. See your Tenants’ page for more detailed instructions (link above).

Stove

Instructions for using the stove can be found in the documents section on Tenant’s page (link above). In some of the stoves in (Student Village buildings E, M, N, O and P) both cast-iron burners don’t heat up when the oven is on. Usually, the burner that doesn’t heat up is the farthest.

In the renovated tower buildings, the stove hood can be used to up the ventilation during night for an increased changing of air. See the Documents section on Tenants’ Page (link above) for instructions.

Exhaust air vent

Clean the air vent regularly so that ventilation in your apartment works well. You can’t adjust the vent yourself, but it is adjusted automatically.

In building Q of the Student Village, the cooking hood also works as a control of outgoing air. There are four adjustment levels in the cooking hood and the first level should be enough with normal use. After taking a shower or if you want to air the apartment more, adjust the control to a bigger level. Remember to clean the filters of the cooking hood regularly. You can clean the filter with some warm water a dish washing liquid.

Replacing a fuse and switching the automatic fuse back on

In most Soihtu apartments, there are modern automatic fuses and residual current circuit breakers. They are located in the switchboard of the apartment. If some power sockets are out of power, the tenant must turn the switches back on.

The tenants in the Student Village buildings KLMNOP are responsible for replacing fuses. You will notice that a fuse has burned out if for example many lamps go out at the same time. You can buy fuses in ordinary stores. Check how many amps the fuse was (e.g. take the old fuse with you). Always remember to switch off the power in the fuse box.

If problems occur, contact Soihtu Facility Services.

Replacing a Fuse and Resetting a Circuit Breaker

Most Soihtu apartments are equipped with modern circuit breakers (circuit protection devices) and residual current circuit breakers. These are located in the apartment’s electrical panel. If certain electrical outlets in the apartment are not receiving power, the fuse or residual current circuit breaker has tripped. In this case, the tenant should switch them back to the operational position.

In the KLMNOP buildings of the Student Village, the tenant is responsible for replacing fuses. A blown fuse can be identified when an area no longer has power – for example, multiple lights stop working simultaneously. Fuses can be purchased from regular stores. Check the fuse’s ampere rating (you can take the old fuse with you). Always remember to turn off the power from the main electrical panel before replacing a fuse!

In case of problems, contact Soihtu Facility Services.

Blocked sink

The principal cause of a blocked sink is a blocked drain trap. You can clean the drain trap easily by opening it and removing the dirt that has collected there. If the sink doesn’t flush after that, contact Soihtu Facility Services.

Fresh air vent

You can adjust the incoming fresh air using the knobs in the end s of the vents. The vent is totally open if both knobs are towards the ends of the vents and closed when the knobs are towards the centre of the vents. You can half open the vents by adjusting one towards the end of the vent and the other towards the centre of the vent. Recommendation for cleaning the filter case is at least twice a year. The vent and the filter are removed by opening the screws attached to the frames. Inside the case, there is a cellular plastic filter that can be cleaned in mixture of soap. The air channel is vacuumed, and the parts installed back to their places.

Heating

The heating in all of Soihtu’s buildings is controlled automatically according to the outside temperatures. The system measures the outside temperature continuously and channels the heating into the radiators accordingly. The water-circulating radiator heating is slow in adapting to changes. The automatic measurement system uses the average temperature of the past 24 hours to channel the heating. Thus, any rapid changes in the temperature don’t affect the heating quickly.

The Finnish autumn / fall season is rather challenging for a heating system. When the weather is wet and windy and temperatures vary around zero degrees Celsius, the air outside feels colder than it actually is. Even when the air outside is cold and damp, the temperature of the heating system varies between 38 to 42 degrees Celsius. The radiator feels lukewarm at best, causing the sensation that the heating is not “on”.

If you suspect a problem with the heating, file a maintenance request.

Painting set

Some of Soihtu’s apartments have already seen a fair share of life and tenants. Tenants living in buildings K, L, M, N, O and P of Kortepohja Student Village can paint their apartments with the painting set that Soihtu offers (not in furnished apartments). When painting you commit to following the instructions that the material supplier and Soihtu have given you. If you neglect the instructions and damage is caused to the apartment, repair work will be charged from you.

If you want to, you can paint the dry spaces meaning the walls of the hallway, bedroom and living room (in buildings M, N, O and P also the notice board on the wall) with the color that you choose. Walls of the wet rooms may not be painted. Inform our customer service by email that you want to paint walls of your apartment. We’ll send you by email painting instructions and a painting coupon that you should show in K-Rauta Touruntorni to get the painting set. (You can print out the coupon or show it from your e.g. phone.) Follow the instructions that you have received and take the rubbish that are caused by the work to a dumping ground or to a waste collection point and follow the regulations regarding them.