This is an excerpt from our Maintenance Department which was sent to all our tenants as a Winter Weather Reminder. Thought everyone in the PNW could benefit from this information.
Weather in Portland is often unpredictable, and the latest forecast is showing freezing temperatures and the potential for snow. We encourage you to review the information below to help prepare your home and avoid weather-related issues.
Prevent Frozen Pipes
When temperatures reach freezing or below, please take the following precautions:
Drip Faucets: Let cold water drip slowly from faucets served by exposed pipes. Even a small trickle can help prevent pipes from freezing.
Open Cabinets: Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warm air to circulate around plumbing. Please move any harmful cleaners or chemicals out of reach of children and pets.
Keep Garage Doors Closed: If your garage contains water supply lines, keep the garage door closed as much as possible to retain heat.
Thermostat Settings: Keep your thermostat set to the same temperature during the day and night. Maintaining consistent heat can help prevent frozen pipes and costly repairs.
If You’re Away: If you plan to travel during freezing weather, leave the heat on and set your thermostat no lower than 60°F.
Know Your Shut-Off Valve Now: We strongly encourage you to locate your home’s main water shut-off valve before freezing weather occurs. Knowing where it is ahead of time can significantly reduce damage if a pipe bursts. If you have questions on how to locate your water shut off valve, please contact our maintenance department via email at maintenance@uptownpm.com, and we’d be happy to help.
If a pipe does burst, please act quickly:
Shut Off the Water Immediately: Turn off your home’s main water shut-off valve right away. If you are in a single-family home to a four-plex, this is typically located in the garage, basement, crawl space, or along an exterior wall of the home. If you are in a larger multi-family complex, a plumber or technician will have to access the water shut off valve for you.
Turn Off Electricity if Necessary: If water is near electrical outlets, appliances, or your breaker panel, do not step into standing water. If it is safe to do so, turn off power to the affected area at the breaker box.
Contact Us Right Away: Create a work order in Appfolio and call the emergency maintenance line immediately at (503) 329-4445, so we can dispatch assistance as quickly as possible.
Minimize Damage: If it is safe, begin removing excess water with a shop vac, towels, mops, or buckets. Move personal belongings away from the affected area to prevent additional damage.
Document the Damage: Take photos of the affected areas and include them when submitting your maintenance request.
If there is active flooding you cannot safely control, or an immediate safety concern, please call 911 first.
Power Outages
Winter storms can sometimes cause power outages. If your power goes out, please determine the following:
If you have a total outage, please contact your power company first to check for scheduled outages in your area.
Pacific Power: Power Outage Map
Portland General Electric: Power Outage Map
See if any other outlets in the home are non-operational.
To do this, check the GFCIs and locate the RESET button in the center, and press it. Test and reset every GFCI you find. If the GFCI won’t reset or the button doesn’t pop out when you press the “test” button, there may be no power to the GFCI, or you may have a bad GFCI.
Here is a helpful video on how to reset GFCI outlets: Video on How to Reset a GCFI/GFI Outlet
Check the circuit breakers.
Find the breaker box and locate the switch for the tripped breaker.
Flip the switch to the off position. Press the switch firmly to the “off” position. You should hear a click.
Reset the breaker by pushing the switch firmly to “on” position. It should line up with all the rest of the breaker switches.
Here is a helpful video that gives step-by-step instructions to reset a breaker: Video on How to Flip a Breaker
Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed to preserve food.
Use flashlights instead of candles when possible for fire safety.
Dress in layers and use blankets to retain body heat, close other rooms to conserve heat to a central location, and avoid using ovens or stoves to heat your home — this is extremely dangerous.
Furnace or Heat Outage
If your furnace stops working:
Check your thermostat settings, thermostat battery and circuit breakers first.
Replace the furnace filter if needed (if applicable to your unit).
Submit a maintenance request with as much detail as possible, including photos of the furnace and its location in the home, then call the emergency maintenance line immediately at (503) 329-4445, so we can dispatch assistance as quickly as possible.
We strongly recommend keeping a safe, approved space heater available for emergencies. Please follow all manufacturer safety instructions, dress in layers and use blankets to retain body heat, close other rooms to conserve heat to a central location, and avoid using ovens or stoves to heat your home — this is extremely dangerous.
Snow & Ice Safety
Use caution on walkways, driveways, and stairs.
Wear appropriate footwear with good traction.
Avoid unnecessary driving during severe conditions.
Apply ice melt, rock salt, or sand to walkways, stairs, and entrances to reduce slipping hazards.
Work Orders & Emergencies
For all maintenance concerns, please submit a work order through your tenant portal and include photos if possible so we can assist you more efficiently. It is our policy to always start with the work orders in the time they are submitted, and we appreciate your patience as we resolve each issue with every tenant experiencing an emergency.
If you experience a true emergency such as active flooding, a major water leak, fire, please call 911 first, then notify our office so we can assist as quickly as possible.
If you smell “rotten eggs” and have natural gas service, contact your gas provider immediately. If you have NW Natural, please contact their gas leak emergency hotline: 1-800-882-3377, then notify our office so we can assist as quickly as possible.
Thank you for taking these preventative steps. We appreciate your cooperation in helping protect your home during winter weather and are here to support you.
Stay safe and warm,
Uptown Properties
503.941.0276
