Sometimes it is smart to save money and rent an apartment. This can save money in a lot of ways from paying for repairs, insurance, maintenance but other things are different as well such as the fire and water safety rules for living in an apartment. There are differences such as the building is likely much bigger than an average home. With having many other people living in the building there are many factors to consider when avoiding fire and water hazards in an apartment.
Living in an apartment poses a certain risk because a fire in one apartment can quickly spread to someone else’s apartment. One reason for this is because of the amount people living so close with what could happen. In order to stay safe, prepared, and to prevent costly fire damages to your apartment home, it is smart to make sure everybody in your apartment is accountable and knows an exit plan. When you first move into an apartment, there a lot of things you can do immediately to ensure your apartment home is not at risk for avoidable fires. It is important that you routinely go over each of these tips, probably every 6 months. Other things to look out for and pay attention to are candles or oils burning, how often your neighbors are gone, what electrical problems that could occur, maintenance of the building, how often smoke alarms checked or any other issue that could turn in to a fire hazard. The biggest difference between a house and apartment is the ability to escape.
When it comes to water in an apartment, make sure to examine your water and make sure that nothing seems funky. Being that close to other apartments or condos means that something could not be your fault, if another apartment has a leak and you are below them, that could be your apartment could be in trouble. Color, smell and taste are the main ways to know if something is wrong with your water that will be used everyday.
When it comes to the water coming out of the tap, it has a brownish tinge and has a lot of sediment, then something might be wrong. Knowing how old the building is or when the pipes have been replacement might be something that you want to know. The presence or iron and manganese is generally harmless, but they may also cause a metallic taste or smell.
Smell and taste also can indicate if something is wrong. Generally, noticing a heavy chlorine smell, caused by the processing of water in the treatment plant to kill bacteria and viruses in your tap water can help you know. The smell should be more of a rotten egg or chemicals as they may indicate contamination. The water should not have any odd tastes or smells.
Always be aware of water marks around walls or ceilings from other apartments around you. If something were to happen, call the maintenance dept and have them call your friends at Blue River Restoration to help.
