What to do if hot water and cold water are turned off for non-payment?

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Many residents of apartment buildings have already become accustomed to the lack of hot water; as a preventive measure, it does not happen every year for about 10 days in the summer.

Many managed to adapt and adapt. A shutdown of cold water in an apartment becomes a truly natural disaster for residents .

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Reasons for shutdown

The lack of cold water can occur for certain reasons, which are specified in Federal Law No. 416 of December 7, 2011.

There are water supply shutdowns (Article 21 of Federal Law No. 416):

• Emergency. Typically, outages occur unscheduled as a result of unforeseen accidents in the water supply or sewerage system.
• Planned. If there is a violation of established standards that do not meet the required criteria or the water supplied to residential premises is of poor quality, then, by decision of the sanitary and epidemiological authorities, the supply of water to apartments may be turned off until the situation is corrected. Planned water supply repairs.
• In case of fires. To extinguish fires, it is possible to turn off the water supply if necessary.
• If prohibited substances enter the wastewater system. Water supply is stopped until the cause is identified and the source is eliminated. The list of such substances is specified in Appendix No. 4 of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 644 dated July 29, 2013. These include explosive materials (gasoline, kerosene), acids, alkalis, and radioactive substances.
• If there is debt. In this situation, the disconnection is carried out locally, only in the debtor’s apartment until his debt is repaid, which exceeds the 2-month service fee.

Where to complain if the management company does not respond to turning off the water?

In the event that there is no water supply, and the management company does not react in any way to this situation, then it is important to know that there are higher authorities above the management company that control their work (Articles 13 and 20 of the Housing Code and Procedure No. 170) . The inappropriate work of the management company will then be dealt with by :

• District administration,
• housing and communal services management,
• housing inspection,
• Rospotrebnadzor,
• local prosecutor's office.

Read in the next article how utility bills are calculated based on the number of registered or resident residents.

Rules for the provision of water supply services

What does the Law say, how long can you turn off cold water according to the law?

The Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 644 of July 29, 2013 outlines the basic conditions and rules for the provision of cold water supply.

An agreement between the management company and the supplier must be concluded. Moreover, this is done for both water supply and sanitation. .

Such contracts must necessarily reflect the following essential parties:

1. The volume of water supplied, its pressure in the pipes;
2. Delivery time;
3. Cold water quality and regular monitoring;
4. Conditions under which there may be a temporary interruption or restriction in the supply of cold water.

The conditions under which it is permitted to stop the water supply without warning can only be emergency situations.

The time to eliminate the accident depends on its severity and the depth of the water pipes, but it should not exceed 24 hours.

In other situations, residents cannot be without water supply for more than 4 hours per day and 8 hours per month in total. At the same time, the supplier and management company must notify residents about water supply outages .

Where to call?

Having discovered that the water supply has been stopped, you should not panic, but you just need to know who to contact for clarification and elimination of the problem with the water supply.

If the house is managed by a management company, then you can find out the reason for the lack of water or report other problems with it by calling the dispatcher .

If the HOA is present in the house, you can call the chairman of the association.

The payment receipt also contains phone numbers where you can contact and get answers to questions about water supply. In all cities there is an emergency dispatch service , which can also provide explanations.

Responsibilities and responsibilities of the supplier for violation of deadlines

The duties and responsibilities of the utility service provider are specified in the contract, which guarantees uninterrupted water supply and maintenance of water quality in accordance with standards.

In case of violation of water shut-off standards, the utility service provider is liable to residents, which may include compensation for payments for water supply.

Every hour above the standard for lack of water saves 0.15% of residents' payments.

In what cases is the provision of CG terminated without warning?

Suspension of the provision of utilities is a temporary cessation of the supply of a utility resource to the consumer: hot or cold water, electricity and heat, gas, as well as a break in water disposal (clause 114 of RF PP No. 354).

At the same time, such a break in the supply of utility resources to the consumer cannot be regarded as termination of the contract for the provision of the relevant utility service.

The suspension rules are set out in section XI of the RF PP No. 354. The CG contractor has the right to suspend the provision of CG without prior notice to consumers or by warning them within the time limits established by clauses 117, 119 of the RF PP No. 354.

Without warning, such work is carried out, in accordance with clause 115 of RF PP No. 354, for the following reasons:

• an accident or the threat of its occurrence on intra-house or centralized utility networks;
• natural disasters or emergencies, as well as their localization and elimination of consequences;
• unauthorized connection of intra-apartment equipment to intra-house or central engineering and technical systems;
• use by the consumer of equipment with a power exceeding the maximum permissible load in the networks;
• the presence of an order from the state supervisory authority regarding the need to suspend the provision of CG.

Let's talk in more detail about each of the grounds for temporarily stopping the supply of utilities to an apartment or apartment building.

Sources of information

The easiest way to obtain reliable information on shutting off cold water supply is to call the management company or the central control room, which operates around the clock.

You can find out the contact number directly from the receipts sent monthly for utility bills..

According to Government Decree No. 354 of 05/06/2011, the utility service provider is obliged to promptly inform residents about upcoming work (Chapter 4, Clause 31) and shutdown dates.

• If the shutdown concerns work outside residential premises, then the management company must provide information about this to residents no less than 10 working days before turning off the water supply.
• If it is necessary to carry out actions inside a residential premises, then first there is a verbal agreement (Chapter 4, paragraph 31n) with the residents . If the management company does not have such an opportunity, then a notification is sent to the apartment.

Citizens must receive notification at least three days before planned events.

The notification indicates not only the date, but also the time of completion of the work, its duration, a telephone number for contacting a representative of the management company, as well as his full name and position.

Read the article about what to do and where to go if there is low water pressure in your apartment.

Procedure for appeals when water supply is turned off in the city of Moscow

Below are the contact numbers of authorities that can help citizens in the event of a cold or hot water outage. In addition, residents of houses can receive information about planned outages and their duration.

Dispatch service of the city of Moscow

According to experts, as a first step, you can contact the Unified Dispatch Center (UDC) in Moscow by phone number: +7. When applying, a citizen must provide personal information and residential address, as well as the essence of the appeal or complaint.
After this, the citizen will be connected to the Call Center specialist responsible for this area. To obtain information more quickly, residents of the building can access the Moscow House portal service on the Internet and, by indicating their address, receive information about the telephone number of the dispatch service of the Management Company responsible for the service. The sequence of working with this portal is as follows:

• go to the website of the Houses of Moscow portal;
• indicate the address of the house in the search bar and start searching;
• in the information about the house that appears, select the field about the management company;
• The uploaded information will indicate the contact number of the dispatch service of the service organization and reception hours.

Dispatch service of the city of Moscow for housing and communal services

Using the contact number, you can contact directly the Dispatch Service of the city of Moscow for housing and communal services issues. In addition, the website of the city administration Mos.ru (address: https://www.mos.ru/) contains contact information for public utilities, including Mosgaz, Mosvodokanal and others.

Filing a complaint

If there are reasonable claims from residents regarding compliance with cold or hot water supply standards, a complaint should be filed against the actions of utility services and their responsible persons. First of all, you should complain to the management organization servicing the house. You can then file a complaint with the local administration. If you have Internet access, you can submit a complaint electronically through the State Services portal. In addition, it is possible to contact Rospotrebnadzor, which is responsible for the quality of services provided to citizens.

In the event of a gross or systematic violation of the quality and timing of the supply of cold and hot water, citizens can bring the prosecutor's office to this issue. Particular weight will be given to the submitted application by the presence of a collective complaint, to which previously sent appeals can be attached.

Inaction on the part of the Management Company regarding the issue of illegal water shut-off may serve as grounds for residents to appeal to the courts, including for the recovery of moral damages or harm to health.

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Separately, it is worth noting that each owner, making payments for the use of hot water, has the right to receive hot water, and not slightly warm water, and also one that meets strict hygienic standards for cleaning and composition.

Watch a video about turning off water:

What should management authorities remember when suspending the provision of public services?

Management organizations, being executors of utilities in an apartment building and exercising the right to disconnect consumers from water, gas, electricity, heat supply and sanitation without warning, must remember the requirements of clauses 121, 122 of RF PP No. 354.

If the suspension of the supply of power supply is caused by an unauthorized connection to in-house engineering systems or the use of equipment with unacceptable power, then the provider of the power supply system is obliged to ensure that the rights of other consumers are not violated (clause 121 of RF PP No. 354).

In this case, actions to suspend and subsequently resume the provision of CG should not harm the common property of the owners of premises in the apartment building or violate the requirements for the suitability of the house for habitation (clause 122 of RF PP No. 354).

Cases of suspension of the provision of public services due to accidents, natural disasters, emergencies and by order of the state supervision authority are not subject to clause. 121 RF PP No. 354. When terminating the supply of a utility resource, the utility provider should not take into account whether his actions will lead to a violation of the rights of consumers who fulfill all legally prescribed obligations in the provision of utility services.

Reasons for the lack of hot water in the tap, why it does not flow

During the long-term operation of plumbing equipment, many problems arise related to emergency situations, low pressure, or, conversely, a complete lack of water supply.

Then the question arises why hot water does not flow from the tap and what factors influence this. In fact, options for getting out of a difficult situation are determined individually for each case.

Requirements for the quality of hot water supply

Process water should not be ingested; it is used exclusively for domestic purposes, but despite this, the quality of the heated liquid supplied through the water main must meet all currently established sanitary standards for water consumption. Increased attention is paid to the temperature regime of hot water supply.

The upper and lower temperature thresholds are set. For example, the heated water at the outlet must have at least + 60°C; it is at this level that the majority of pathogenic microbes and harmful bacteria die. The highest temperature threshold is set at + 75°C - with a higher value, it is possible to get minor burns.

Consumers should take into account that when tap water is heated above + 40°C, the carbonate hardness of the liquid increases several times. This most often leads to the formation of scale on the inner surface of the pipes, which causes clogging and premature failure.

To independently verify the quality of the hot water supply, you need to order a full biochemical analysis of the liquid flowing through the pipes. Based on the results of laboratory tests, we can say with confidence whether the water is of poor quality or, on the contrary, meets all sanitary standards.

Reasons why hot or cold water does not flow from the tap

It may happen that the water pressure in the kitchen has decreased many times, and the liquid from the tap began to flow in a small trickle. Several reasons contribute to this process:

• general condition of water pipes and riser;
• clogging of the existing large flow filter cassette;
• the small filter is clogged with grains of sand or rust particles;
• In the absence of filters, the cause of low pressure may be the technical condition of the mixer.

Even a small crack in the faucet body can cause poor water pressure

If you have a water filter, you should keep it clean.

Poor condition of water pipes can cause a lack of hot water

Before you start diagnosing your own water supply system, you should find out from your neighbors on the riser what their pressure is? If at the moment there is poor water supply to all floors, this means a decrease in pressure in the central water supply.

The surest way out of this situation would be to immediately seek help from the housing and communal services. Qualified company employees will clean the coarse and soft filters installed on the main line, remove blockages, and establish water supply on all floors.

You can deal with other frequently occurring everyday situations on your own.

Mixer

Buying an expensive, high-quality faucet for a kitchen or bathroom is a serious expense, but at the same time, purchasing a cheap water tap is often the main source of water supply problems. The result of unjustified savings will be premature failure of the crane. As a result, you will have to spend additional money on repairs or purchasing new equipment.

Another common problem is incorrect installation of the faucet. This unpleasant situation can happen to beginners who are installing a water tap for the first time and are not well informed about this issue.

It should be noted that installing a mixer cannot be called a difficult job, but in any case, the installation must be carried out correctly, taking into account all the recommendations of qualified specialists. Particular attention is paid to installing complex models; before starting work, you must study the instructions offered by the manufacturer.

Water may not flow well due to improper operation of the water tap. Plumbers do not recommend tightening the water supply regulator too tightly, exposing the mixer to serious external influences and excessive mechanical stress.

It is not recommended to press hard on the spout, and the valves should be rotated carefully, without sudden movements.

If you do not follow the manufacturer’s recommendations during operation, the plumbing equipment will malfunction and eventually fail completely.

If the spout joint is leaking, then you should think about repairing or replacing the faucet with a new one.

If necessary, replace the mixer cartridge

Plumbing

Quite often, the cause of poor operation of the faucet is wear and tear of the plumbing fixtures. A large number of on and off cycles leads to abrasion of individual elements and the appearance of cracks or chips on the surface.

Over time, moving parts become damaged and rubber gaskets fail. The wear process is irreversible and is a natural result of the operation of even expensive high-quality products. However, it should be taken into account that structural damage associated with wear and tear rarely leads to the fact that water does not flow well from the tap; on the contrary, a process of constantly increasing leaks is observed.

Corrosion and blockages are the main problems of steel pipes

In old houses, a common cause of low pressure is the unsatisfactory condition of the water pipes. Metal products rust over time, so inside the water supply there may be a large number of small particles that form a blockage. In this case, the pipes should be purged with a special pump under pressure or the rusty water pipes should be completely replaced with new products.

The most popular today are water pipes made of polypropylene or metal-plastic. The advantages of replacement are quite obvious: plastic does not rust, is resistant to temperature changes, durable, and does not require constant painting.

Recently, metal-plastic pipes have been mainly used for water supply.

Faulty heater

If hot water flows from a cold tap, the reasons for the abnormal operation of the plumbing system may be the following:

• difference in pressure supply - hot water can “suppress” cold water when there are problems with the plumbing or the equipment is not assembled professionally;
• faucet breakdown - the elements of the mixer fail during operation and do not cope well with their direct responsibilities, so warm water is mixed with cold water;
• installation of a shower cabin - if the installation of the product was not carried out correctly or the shower is not used correctly - this over time can become one of the main reasons for the failure of the water supply system;
• installation of a water heater - water from the boiler heated to a certain degree is mixed with cold water due to improper assembly of the equipment, or the absence of the necessary valve.

Don't have a valve installed on your water heater yet? It is better to purchase it, otherwise a situation will arise when hot water flows from a tap with cold water. Sometimes the heated liquid still penetrates the heat and water supply system even when the hydraulic valve is operating. Such a malfunction is possible due to incorrect use of the heating device.

If a water heater is installed in the bathroom, problems with its operation can lead to a lack of hot water.

Users should follow the operating instructions:

• Before starting operation of the water heater, the hot water supply safety valve should be closed;
• after turning off the boiler, you need to turn off all the valves so that they cannot affect the change in pressure in the water supply system.

The filter or mesh is clogged

As a rule, various cleaning filters are installed on the water main. After an emergency shutdown and subsequent connection of the water supply, the pressure in the living space may become much less. This is a signal to check the condition of the filter element; perhaps it is time to clean it.

The central shut-off valve should be carefully inspected. If the external condition of the pipes causes concern, it is better not to risk it and not unscrew the filter yourself, otherwise you could flood the entire apartment.

Before cleaning the filter, experts recommend turning off the central tap installed on the water supply to completely prevent liquid leakage. After this, you need to unscrew the nut from the bottom and pull out the clogged filter. It may happen that the filter element is completely clogged with grains of sand or particles of rust.

The filled mesh must be thoroughly rinsed in a special container and then under running water. After cleaning, the mesh is inserted into the filter, and the entire structure is tightened with a nut. Instead of a gasket, experts advise winding natural flax, because paronite gaskets “stick” over time, and natural material is easy to replace with a new one.

Stages of disassembling a coarse filter

Clogged input filter

Reasons for lack of hot water

Malfunctions of the hot water supply system are becoming a big problem for residents of comfortable apartments. In fact, all problems are similar to defects that occur in a cold water supply system, but in addition to this, individual features are added:

• temperature changes - the cause may be blockages formed in the lower part of the risers or air pockets in the upper section;
• emergency leaks - today all communications are closed with special plasterboard structures, so small leaks of liquid are often unnoticeable;
• defects and corrosion - the main factors influencing the formation of corrosion inside communication pipes are increased fluid temperature and the presence of oxygen.

Of particular concern is the failure of the hot water system, namely when hot water does not flow from the tap.

As a rule, this is a short-term phenomenon that arose as a result of a scheduled inspection or emergency repair work; upon completion, everything works as usual.

But there are situations when the water supply has been disrupted for a long time, in which case it is necessary to urgently take action: find the problem yourself or contact specialists.