Electricity

For your safety, only a certified electrician may install or repair electrical devices. Residents must get and replace light bulbs, fuses and fluorescent lights. VAV recommends using energy-saving light bulbs.

Part of the apartment is without electricity

If part of your apartment is without electricity, the problem is often a blown fuse. A fuse may be blown due to a broken electrical device or overloading. Replacing and switching on a fuse is the resident’s responsibility during their residency. If a fuse is blown repeatedly, try connecting your electrical devices to the mains one by one. In this way, you can verify that the problem does not lie with your electronic devices or the fuse overloading.

When replacing a plug fuse, make sure that the rating of the fuse matches the current one. You can tell a blown fuse by the little pin that has come loose at the end of the fuse. Before replacing a fuse, remember to read the fuse replacement instructions. Useful instructions can be found on the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency website, for example. If the porcelain casing of the fuse is broken, do not replace the fuse yourself. Instead, report the fault directly to the maintenance company. You can buy fuses in normal supermarkets.

Newer properties are equipped with automatic fuses so that when a fuse is blown or tripped, the switch in the fuse panel turns to the 0 position. Turning the fuse back to the I position should restore the power.

Occasionally, replacing or resetting a fuse in the fuse panel of your apartment does not help. In such a case, the problem is probably in your apartment’s high rise fuses, the replacement of which is the responsibility of the maintenance company. If you cannot restore the power to your apartment on your own, contact your building’s maintenance company.

Replacing light bulbs

Changing light bulbs and fuses is the resident’s responsibility during residency. When replacing a fluorescent light, it is a good idea to replace the fuse at the same time. The fuse is located in one end of the housing. Be careful when removing the protective cover, so that the cover does not break. By first removing the blown bulb, fuse or both you can ensure that you can replace them with a product with the correct rating and base.

You should dispose of a blown bulb correctly at a store selling electric and electronic equipment, at electric and electronic waste recycling points, or hazardous material collection sites.

Some VAV homes built after 2010 have fixed LED lamps with bulbs that the resident cannot remove or change himself. If a bulb like this breaks or stops working, contact your building’s maintenance company, which will arrange for the bulb to be changed.

Residual-current device

The wall socket may be equipped with a residual-current device, which is tripped, for instance, when using a faulty product or as a result of overloading, in which case the socket will no longer receive power. Wall sockets equipped with a residual-current device are often located in bathrooms. If a wall socket equipped with a residual-current device does not receive power, you can reset the socket to operational condition by restoring the residual-current switch to position I.

The wall socket has a test button, which should trip the fault current. The residual-current device should be regularly tested, e.g. quarterly. When the wall socket has been tested, return the residual-current device to the I position.

Ceiling sockets

Separate lights acquired by the resident are connected to ceiling sockets. We would recommend using lights compatible with ceiling sockets. However, if you connect a light that requires the modification of the ceiling socket, when moving out you should ensure that the socket is restored to the same condition as when you moved in. We recommend that all connections be made properly and safely by an electrician.

In older properties, ceiling sockets may be equipped with a ‘sugar cube’. In such cases, the ceiling socket includes a hook, cover and the sugar cube. The sugar cube is part of the ceiling socket and should be left in place if you move out.

Before carrying out installations, always ensure that the light switch is in the OFF position.

Other electrical devices and equipment

If a problem occurs in switches, covers, sockets, the sauna stove or the aerial box, notify your building’s maintenance company.

With regard to the sauna stove, remember that the resident is responsible for replacing the stones on the stove in a residential sauna during the residency period.

We also recommend that, before reporting a fault in an aerial box, you ensure that the fault does not lie with your own devices or connections.