For how long and why hot water is turned off, where to find out about the shutdown and how to solve the problem of lack of hot water

How can you find out from what date it will not be hot and when it will be turned on?

There are different ways to check that the DHW is disconnected.

Online methods

You can always find out the exact schedule for turning off the water supply (for how long it was turned off, when the water supply will be resumed) on the Internet. As a rule, all the necessary information is posted on the official website of the supply company of your city or region. Also, schedules can often be found on various city reference and information sites.

If you don’t know exactly the name of the supply company, just enter it in the search bar of your browser. For example, the phrase “schedule for shutting off water supply in the city “N” 2020.” The first lines most often display a link to the official website of the supplying company; when you click on it, you will be redirected immediately to a page with the necessary information.

Let us give as an example websites with information on water supply to the largest cities in Russia:

How to check offline?

In 2020, you can find out all the information about when the shutdown will be made and hot water will be supplied again by calling the help desk. The telephone numbers of organizations involved in supplying water to residential buildings in the largest Russian cities are indicated in the table below.

Why is the hot water turned off?

In every city there are organizations that are responsible for resolving this issue.
Let's take Moscow as an example. The Moscow United Energy Company is an enterprise that deals with this issue in the capital. This organization employs employees responsible for preparing heating systems for the upcoming season. That same prevention includes a set of planned preventative work . They are carried out at small boiler houses, on the territory of block and district thermal stations.

These works have their own characteristics:

• It all starts with conducting a manual examination.
• The next step is to start the water under high pressure. In this case, it is 25 percent more than usual.
• Holes are found even if they are not visible underground.

Turning off the water is necessary so that the equipment can be prepared for autumn-winter, when the maximum load falls on the system. During the shutdown, the following activities are carried out:

1. Relocation of heating networks.
2. Repair.
3. Diagnostics.
4. Strength tests.
5. Technical examination.
6. The equipment is being replaced with something more modern and more reliable.

Standards for shutting off hot and cold water supply in 2020

In accordance with Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354 of 05/06/2011 “On the provision of utility services to owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings”, water supply shutdowns are strictly controlled. A constant water supply throughout the year on an uninterrupted basis is mandatory.

Disconnection for necessary or unforeseen emergency reasons is permitted:

• Hot water may be turned off for a total of eight hours during the month, or for 4 hours at a time. In case of a sudden emergency in water supply systems, shutdown is permitted for up to 24 hours in a row.
• When carrying out maintenance and repair work in the summer, utility companies are required to be guided by SanPiN 2.1.4.2496-09, which is approved by the Federal Service for Supervision and Protection of Consumer Rights.
  It clearly states that during periods of summer maintenance work in public water supply systems, the maximum period for turning off hot water cannot exceed 14 days. That is, the maximum possible shutdown in the summer cannot last more than two weeks in any case!
• As for the cold water supply, its shutdown is allowed for a maximum of 8 hours (in total) within one month and 4 hours at a time. Longer interruptions in cold water supply are prohibited, even in the event of an emergency.

If necessary, residents of an apartment building may request that a representative of the water supply organization be sent to them to find out why the water supply service is not provided beyond the period specified in the law.

The main reason for the shutdown is old pipes

Almost all residents of our country are accustomed to such preventive measures; in some cities and towns, hot water is completely turned off for the entire summer season. This is due to worn-out heating networks. The specialists do not have time to repair one area when another breakthrough immediately occurs in another.

The newer the technologies and pipes, the less the load on them, the lower the risk of force majeure situations. But new heating networks are not installed everywhere; people have to put up with such conditions. Local authorities draw up a schedule of planned outages in advance and determine their duration.

According to accepted standards, hot water supply cannot be interrupted for more than 14 days. Exceptions may include major repairs to completely replace heating systems. In this case, residents who do not have individual metering devices will be recalculated.

For what reasons do they have the right to shut off the water supply to a house?

The most common reason for turning off the water supply in the summer is scheduled maintenance work, which is carried out in preparation for the winter heating season. It could also be:

• replacement and repair of various equipment;
• pipe replacement.

The most common emergency causes of shutdown are:

• Various emergencies at substations.
• Damage, burst pipes on the highway.
• Equipment failure, etc.

How can I find out that the water will be turned off at a specific address?

If there is no notice hanging at the entrance, then the first organization you should contact is the HOA, or homeowners' association. Or another company responsible for managing the house.

In the case of an HOA, the easiest way to find out the phone number is by contacting the chairman of the community. Or see the contacts on the receipt according to which the apartment resident pays for utilities.

One option is to call representatives of the emergency dispatch service. They often give their contact information at the entrance, or somewhere nearby.

How long in advance are utilities required to notify residents?

Notification of residents about a planned shutdown of water supply, in accordance with paragraph No. 117 of the Federal Law “On the Rules for the Provision of Public Utilities to Owners and Users of Premises in Multi-Apartment Residential Buildings” of 2011, must be made no later than 10 days before the actual shutdown.

Hot and cold water is turned off for several reasons, one of which is debts to pay for utilities. Whether such a measure is legal, and where to file a complaint, read on our website.

Another problem is lack of funding

It is impossible to immediately replace old pipes with new ones in one city; this is a rather expensive undertaking. Not everyone even has the funds for local repairs and maintenance of heat supply in good condition. The most unpleasant thing is when a lack of finance is discovered already at the time of work, then some people can wait more than a month for water connection.

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Due to insufficient funding and the inability to replace old pipes, worn-out elements have to be constantly repaired. Of course, this cannot continue indefinitely, since such work is often done poorly and breakthroughs arise again. The increase in resource tariffs is closely related to the lack of external funding.

Many repair organizations do not want to modernize the entire utility sector of their activities for the reason that this will result in a sharp increase in tariffs for services. But the state, on the contrary, is trying to restrain such an increase, since people’s dissatisfaction will be inevitable.

Hot water will not be turned off in the summer in those apartment buildings that have their own boiler rooms and do not depend on the general heating supply.

Legislative regulation of the issue

The term “hot water supply” means the supply of water at elevated temperatures to residential and industrial premises to carry out the heating function and provide household needs.

DHW can be centralized or local . In the first case, water is supplied from a boiler room or the second cooling circuit of power plants, which is subsequently distributed to residential and public buildings. Local DHW provision is installed for 1 or a certain number of houses. It is designed for short distances: tens of meters. Water is heated using small-volume boilers using electric or gas heating.

There are legislative acts that control the termination of the supply of hot water to residents. These include the following:

• Rules and regulations for the operation of the housing stock, approved by Decree of the State Construction Committee of the Russian Federation No. 170 dated September 27, 2003. They state that when repairs are carried out on any heat consumption systems in the summer, the hot water supply is turned off at a time. Their duration upon termination of the service is 14 days. The contractor responsible for providing public services has the right to set his own repair duration for each case.
• Hygienic requirements for ensuring the safety of hot water supply systems (SanPin 2.14.2496-09 No. 20 of April 7, 2009). They indicate that scheduled preventive maintenance with cessation of hot water supply cannot continue for more than 14 days.

However, such organizations that have the status of increased epidemic significance (medical structures, boarding homes, schools and kindergartens) receive hot water from personal backup sources during annual work. This must be provided for at the stage of project creation.

Emergency shutdown of cold water

If a breakdown is detected in the water supply system, the resource supplying organization is obliged to take immediate measures to identify the causes. Utilities are also obliged to eliminate violations and carry out repairs as soon as possible. All efforts of the organization must be aimed at eliminating the accident. The time to solve the problem and carry out repairs is regulated by SNiP 2.04.02-84.

During the period of restriction of water supply through the central system, the utility organization is obliged to provide a supply of drinking water in special automobile tanks. The volume of water should be delivered taking into account consumption standards per person. But there is one drawback - the time for water delivery is not specified.

At the same time, during planned outages, utility companies warn consumers in advance about the outage. Citizens have time to prepare for the shutdown; they stock up on their own. In this case, drinking water tanks will deliver liquid only if the planned work lasts more than a day. In emergency situations, the organization is obliged to ensure the supply of water to meet the daily needs of citizens.

How water is turned off for non-payment, is it legal and what does the warning look like?

When the supply of a resource is suspended, the person does not use it, so the payment must be recalculated. If the period is exceeded by one hour, then a tariff rate reduction of 0.15% is required. Changing the payment amount is necessary when, after repairs, cold water flows instead of hot water.

A difference of 3-4 degrees allows a person to write an application to the housing office and reduce the interest rate by 0.1%. If the DHW pressure is 25% lower, then the tariff rate will also be reduced by 0.1%.

Where to contact

Before drawing up an application, you need to find out where to send the document for recalculation or complaint.

The following authorities are worth considering:

1. Management company or housing and communal services.
2. Administrative building of the settlement.
3. GZHI.

If these organizations ignore the application, then you can go to the courts to restore justice. In this case, the management company will be obliged not only to recalculate, but also to compensate for moral damages and costs.

The letter is written to the director of the management company. The legislation establishes a special form. This document must be drawn up strictly according to the model.

It is mandatory to indicate:

• name of the management organization;
• FULL NAME. the applicant;
• personal data of the citizen;
• Contact Information;
• essence of the question;
• evidence base;
• list of attached documentation.

At the end of the application, put the personal signature of the owner and the date the form was filled out.

The application is drawn up in two copies and must have attached documents. Their list includes:

1. An act that states that the metering devices have been verified.
2. A paper stating that there was no water for a certain period.
3. Verification document from the responsible authority.

When the faucet in the room is faulty or installed incorrectly, water may not flow. The lack of water supply is also often due to the fact that utility workers have detected an unauthorized connection to the pipe. In this case, the person is subject to a fine.

Where to contact

How to solve problems associated with lack of hot water?

Installing a water heater in an apartment is one of the most affordable ways to solve this issue. Nowadays many models are produced, with various operating schemes. Their use becomes as comfortable as possible in any conditions. There are compact varieties that can even be transported to the country.

Water can be heated by gas or electric stoves. This is not the most convenient way. But this is the only solution for those who do not want to use additional devices in principle.

Another suitable solution is a boiler. Many problems are eliminated with modern dishwashers and washing machines. They do not need hot water, they can work in cold water. You can also use a regular electric kettle if you need to heat water in small quantities.