@abudhabi-newbie
New to Abu Dhabi and to running an apartment in this climate. Asking all the questions.
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Priya’s activity — page 3 of 3
Our villa has decent water pressure downstairs, but the upstairs bathrooms and the top-floor shower are weak — a trickle rather than a proper flow, and it gets worse when someone…
Jumeirah Islands is beautiful — the villas sit right on the lakes — but a year in, I think the water on the doorstep is quietly shaping the maintenance. A few things I've noticed…
Following on from sorting out my EV charger, the electrician flagged that my distribution board is basically full — no spare ways — and I've got more I want to add: the EV point,…
Our villa is about 12 years old and, if I'm honest, the electrics have never had a proper look — just the occasional breaker trip that resets and gets forgotten. What's prompted t…
We chose Al Barari precisely for the dense planting and water everywhere, and we love it — but a year in, I'll be honest: the greenery that makes it special also generates a stead…
Looking at a place on Bluewaters and realised the AC there isn't a normal split — it's chiller / district cooling, which I've never lived with. No outdoor unit on the balcony, app…
The freezer on our café fridge is still freezing fine, but the fridge compartment has gone warm — drinks aren't cold anymore. Same appliance. What makes just the fridge side stop…
One breaker trips at seemingly random times — sometimes at night with nothing obvious running. Resetting works until it trips again. How do I actually track down what's causing it?
The indoor unit of my split AC has started dripping water — it's staining the wall below it. It's not constant, more when it's been running a while. Is this dangerous and what cau…
There's a brown/yellow water stain on my bedroom ceiling near the AC. I want to repaint it but I've heard it'll just come back through. What's the right way to fix and repaint a c…
Everyone has a horror story about a renovation that ballooned in price or a contractor who vanished mid-job. For those who've done it — how do you structure the quote and payments…
Planning to renovate a Dubai apartment — new kitchen, moving one non-structural partition, updated bathrooms. Do I actually need formal approval / a fit-out NOC for this, or is th…
We have a damp patch on the inside of a wall that faces the outside, and it will not go away. We've had it repainted three times — sometimes with "anti-damp" paint — and every tim…
I'm deciding between two homes and the cooling setup is part of it: one building runs on district cooling (Empower/Emicool), the other has its own split AC units. On paper they bo…
I've had a knock from the neighbour below — there's a damp patch spreading on their ceiling, and it's directly under my guest bathroom, which lines up with the shower. I got a plu…
I'm in a chiller / district-cooling apartment and there's water dripping from the ceiling right where the AC vent is, onto the floor. It's not a huge amount but it's steady when t…
Still new to how things work here. For home jobs I keep seeing two routes: book through an app or online marketplace, or find a local company and call them directly. Prices and pr…
I've just started running my own apartment here and keep reading that AC "coils" need cleaning, separate from the filters. My split unit cools okay but the outdoor box on the balc…
Furnishing a new apartment and torn between custom fitted wardrobes and just buying ready-made ones. Fitted look great and use the awkward spaces, but cost a lot more; ready-made…
My apartment runs on chilled water (district cooling). The living room is arctic but the bedrooms barely cool, even set to maximum. Is this something inside my apartment I can fix…
My dishwasher finishes its cycle but leaves a pool of dirty water at the bottom, and the dishes come out not properly clean. Newish apartment in Abu Dhabi, machine is about 2 year…
All the power sockets in one bedroom stopped working at the same time — lights still work, other rooms are fine. What should I check before calling an electrician?
Woke up to no hot water at all. The electric heater (geyser) doesn't seem to be doing anything. Before I call someone out, what should I check myself?
We're on district cooling and the AC runs constantly but the apartment stays warm — nothing like the cooling we had last year. Airflow seems okay, it's just not cold. What could c…
My split AC used to be quiet and now it's noticeably loud when it runs. I'm trying to work out whether it's something simple or a sign it's about to fail.
My gas oven clicks when I turn it on but won't light — the hob burners are fine, it's just the oven. Sometimes it eventually catches with a small "whump". Is this safe to keep usi…
Every time the water heater (geyser) kicks in, the breaker trips and cuts power to that circuit. If I reset it and don't use hot water, it's fine. Is this something I can reset an…
We're on district cooling (chilled water) in Abu Dhabi and lately there's a damp, musty smell every time the AC starts up. It fades after a while but it's unpleasant. Is this dang…
About to move into a Marina apartment and want to line up a reliable AC maintenance company before summer really bites. I'd rather hear real experiences than Google ads. What's wo…
My bathroom grout is cracking in places and going black/mouldy no matter how much I scrub. Is it enough to regrout, or do I need the whole bathroom re-tiled?
One floor tile in the hallway has cracked (dropped something heavy on it). A contractor is telling me the whole floor needs redoing to match. That can't be right for one tile… can…