Electricity and light
There are many types of electrical equipment in the apartments, some of which are part of the apartment's equipment and some are tenant's own equipment. It is tenant's responsibility to replace the burned-out bulbs in apartment. It is also the tenant's responsibility to inspect the fuses and, if necessary, replace a blown fuse. On this page, you will find instructions to help you complete the tasks for which you are responsible.
If a fuse blows in your apartment, you will lose power in parts of the apartment. The purpose of a fuse is to protect you from hazards potentially caused by faulty appliances. A fuse may also blow if you overload it. For example, extra heaters can cause it to blow. Overloading the system can cause the electrical wiring to heat up, which in turn could lead to a fire. Electricity can also be restricted, if your home-away switch is in the wrong position, or if the bathroom circuit breaker has tripped.
Replacing the fuse and setting it back to working state is the tenant's responsibility. If you repeatedly blow a fuse, disconnect all appliances and lights from their power sockets and try adding them back one by one. If the problem is not caused by any individual appliance, reconnect all appliances and check if your fuses are too small for the number of devices connected. If you cannot identify the reason why your fuses blow repeatedly, please send a fault report to Hoas.
Tenants can change the fuses in the fuse box themselves. If you have a fuse box in your apartment, it's a good idea to check the fuses before any of them blow, so you can buy a few fuses ahead of time. You can buy fuses in any supermarket.
Instructions for checking and changing a fuse
- First, check which fuse has blown. Often the indicator on the end of the fuse will fall off when the fuse blows. The indicator is normally red. Sometimes, the indicator will not fall off, and you have to find the blown fuse by testing them.
- Turn power off at the main switch in the fuse box.
- Check that the protective cover of the fuse is not cracked. If it is cracked, send Hoas a fault report mentioning that the cover is cracked. Do not change the fuse yourself in such cases.
- Unscrew the fuse with its protective cover. If the fuse does not come out with the protective cover, screw the cover back on and try again.
- Check the rating of the fuse and replace it with one that has the same rating: Fuse power rating/ Maximum load / color: 6 A / 1400 W / Green; 10 A / 2300 W / Red; 16 A / 3700 W / Grey; 20 A / 4600 W / Blue
- Screw the fuse and the protective cover back on.
- Switch power back on from the main switch.
The fuses are usually labelled to show which space or appliance they are for. Sometimes, especially in older properties, the labels may not be correct. Therefore, even if the blown fuse is not for the area where power is off, it's still worth trying a new fuse.
More information can be found on the Tukes website (in Finnish).
Newer or recently renovated properties may have automatic fuses. If an automatic fuse blows, the fuse box switch will change position. Power will be restored when you set the switch back to the "I" position, and the fuse will be operational again. A fuse in the "0" position has blown.
If the automatic fuse blew due to overload, the fuse may not work right away. You should let the fuse device cool down for a moment before setting it back on.
When no one is living in the apartment or the tenants are away for a long time, for example travelling, you can limit the electricity and energy used in the apartment with the Home/away switch.
Home/away switches are present in newer apartments and in some renovated properties. If you move into a new apartment and there is no power, you should check this switch.
If your apartment does have a home/away switch, you should also check it when the power doesn't seem to be fully on, even though the fuses and the RCD are working. The home/away switch usually looks like a light switch.
A residual-current device (RCD) is a safety device that may be installed in your apartment in addition to fuses. Often the RCD will be installed in your bathroom power socket. There is normally an RCD installed in apartments built after 1998, but they are less common in buildings older than that.
If for example your washing machine isn't powering up, it maybe be because the RCD has tripped. Therefore, in addition to checking the fuses, you should also check the RCD. If the RCD trips again, check which device is causing the problem, just as you would with fuses.
You should test the RCD regularly, for example quarterly. There is a test button on the power socket. Pressing it should trip the switch. When you have tested the socket, set the RCD back to the "I" position.
Connection box with terminal block
In older apartments, the connection box usually comes with a terminal block. A connection box with a terminal block normally does not have a socket, but rather a hook and a terminal block for connecting the light. Before you connect a lamp, please ensure that the connection box power is turned off.
The lamp should be hung on the hook. The two wires from the lamp need to be inserted into the holes in the terminal block and fixed into place with the screws in the terminal block. If you have no terminal block, please contact Hoas by submitting a fault report.
Light socket
The connection box in the apartment may be a light socket, which means there is a hook and a power socket for the light. With this type of connection, no extra tools are required. The lamp can simply be hung on the hook and plugged into the socket.
Hoas recommends that tenant's do not dismantle or alter the connection box found in the apartment, but instead use a light that fits the box. If tenants still make changes, it is their responsibility to ensure that the connection box is properly and safely reconnected when you move out. If the connection box is faulty or modified after tenant moves out Hoas can invoice the tenant for the cost of fixing the connection box.
If you have just moved in and the connection boxes are faulty, please submit a fault report to Hoas as soon as possible.
Changing fluorescent lights is the tenant's responsibility. If a fluorescent light stops working, detach the plastic cover and then the fluorescent tube by turning it and pulling it away from the fitting. When you replace the tube, you should also replace the starter. It is housed in a small cylindrical casing. A faulty starter can cause the light to flicker or to not light up at all. The starter is located in the body of the light fitting. The starter can be detached by pressing it lightly and twisting it. If you replace the starter, please be sure to replace it with the right kind of starter.
The fluorescent tube can be replaced by positioning the end of the tube in the gaps on the fitting and turning it by 90 degrees. If the gaps are not aligned, you can try to move them carefully. They do present a danger of electric shock, so you should not touch them carelessly. If you turn the tube too much or too little, it may not work. So if the lamp does not light up after you have replaced it, try rotating it a little. When finished, put the cover back on.
Do not put fluorescent light tubes in mixed waste bins. They must be taken to shops selling SE devices, or to SER collection points or hazardous waste collection points.
It is the tenant’s responsibility to replace the burned-out bulbs into their own lamps and also to the lamps that are part of the apartment’s equipment. The oven and refrigerator lamps must also be replaced by the tenant. In shared apartments, tenants need to agree together about changing lamps in common areas.
New and recently renovated buildings may have LED lamps in the apartments, that cannot be replaced by tenants themselves. If the LED lamp in your apartment needs to be replaced, fill in a fault report to Hoas.
If the heater at your parking place does not work at the intended time, first check that the settings on the pole are correct. There are different pole designs, but it generally works as follows:
The timer usually has two moving meters. You rotate the meters in the direction indicated on the pole (usually clockwise). The inner meter determines current time (this should already be correct as a default so you should not have to adjust it). The arrow just outside the meters shows current time.
The arrow(s) on the outer meter show the start and end time of the heating period. The fuses must also be correctly set for the heating pole to function.
If you have no warm water or electricity, check the website of the energy provider in your area to see if there are any planned disruptions or other problems in your area.
Helsinki:
Helsingin Energia
Espoo: Fortum
Vantaa: Vantaan Energia
If the energy provider has not announced any disruptions, please fill out the fault report.