What to do, who to call if the sewer is clogged?

The condition of sewer pipelines determines the overall performance of the system. A clogged sewer in an apartment building is a serious problem that affects all residents of apartments related to the problem drain.

It must be eliminated as quickly as possible, since the system cannot be used. At least one of the apartments will begin to flood, and the result will be a lawsuit against the culprit of the blockage. The question is capacious, far beyond the scope of ordinary plumbing tasks, so it should be considered more carefully.

What is the appearance of a blockage?

A clogged sewer riser most often results in a slowdown or complete cessation of water flow through the pipeline. The residents of the floor at which the blockage has occurred will suffer the most - the pressure of the drains in the vertical riser will force the liquids to look for another outlet; most often, they overflow the toilet bowl and flow onto the floor. People living on the upper floors cannot use clogged drains, but they are unaware of the problem and continue to use the systems as usual and increasingly flood their neighbors below.

Other signs of a blockage may include:

the appearance of a sharp unpleasant odor;
cloudy water in the toilet after flushing;
the appearance of air pockets or congestion of organic deposits, manifested in the slow passage of wastewater.

Other manifestations of the resulting blockage are also possible. As soon as its occurrence has become obvious, residents of the lower floors need to notify their neighbors above about the emergency situation and immediately take measures to eliminate it.

Emergency sewer service, repair and flood elimination around the clock!

"Guard! A pipe burst here!” But it’s too late and there’s nothing to help the trouble: feces and other sewer contents are gushing out of the pipe like a fountain, generously watering everything around.

This picture is not intended for the faint of heart; Steven Spielberg himself would envy such a level of psychological impact on the viewer.

If we add to this “special effects” in the form of an unbearable stench, then the unprepared average person is guaranteed “colorful impressions” for life, unless you worked in an emergency situation, the sewerage system with its cataclysms is a routine for them.

But seriously, this situation is quite typical for city residents of old (and not only) houses. It’s hard to imagine, but residents of some apartment buildings experience this regularly, sometimes living for months with a knee-deep flooded basement.

Even in the best cases, the valiant emergency sewer service, having eliminated the leak itself, leaves, and the residents are left alone with the smell and infections, knocking on the thresholds of various authorities, trying to defend their legal right to live in a house where the basement is not filled with feces.

But this description of a completely typical situation concerns the state of affairs when a sewerage system burst in the basement of an apartment building. If the accident happened in an apartment, then, unlike the situation with a basement, where all responsibility falls on the management company or housing office, the owner of the apartment bears full responsibility for the pipes that are in his apartment.

But trouble does not come alone: after the departure of the emergency sewer service in Moscow, as well as in any other city, the owner is also responsible for the apartment of the neighbors below that is flooded with the contents of the sewer.

What if the disaster happened in the absence of the owner of the apartment in which the sewerage system broke, and he was unable to call the emergency sewer service in a timely manner to repair the breakdown? The only worse situation could be when the neighbors below were also absent, which provided the sewer with complete creative freedom.

What could possibly go wrong?

Accidents of this kind can have countless causes, or rather, they can have any cause. But the most common and most common of them are the following:

improper pipe installation. If the layers worked unscrupulously or did not have sufficient experience in work of this kind, then an accident will happen sooner or later, it is only a matter of time;
use of low-quality pipes in the sewerage system. A low-quality pipe is subject to destructive effects, and therefore a much greater risk than a high-quality one. And if the construction company wanted to save on pipes, then, unfortunately, you will probably still find out about it;
the occurrence of rust, cracks or holes on the surface of the pipes. High pressure will do its job, and the weak point will not last long, making you a client of emergency sewer services, as in the case of water supply;
wear of valves, gaskets, etc. Water wears away stones, and even more so the details of the sewer system. An old, worn-out part is unable to restrain the pressure, which seems to be specifically looking for weakness in order to find a way out.

Whatever the reason, what happened happened and it is necessary to deal with the consequences. Obviously, you cannot do without the help of qualified emergency sewer specialists who are ready to respond to calls around the clock.

But while waiting for their arrival, you risk aggravating the consequences by your inaction, giving the sewerage complete freedom to “decorate” the floor, walls, and maybe even the ceiling in your toilet and in the toilet of your neighbors below. They definitely won’t say “thank you” to you for this, except perhaps with sarcasm.

So what to do if the sewerage system in your apartment breaks and how to mitigate the consequences of this extremely unpleasant situation?

What to do first?

If a breakthrough occurs in your apartment, then you need to act in this order:

If the breakthrough is small, then you should try to substitute the largest container you have in your apartment to gain some time;
Next, you should try to stop the leak in any possible way. This is best done with a rubber plug, which will act as a barrier, and a screw clamp, which will press the plug. If you do not have a screw clamp, then stop the leak by applying any rubber barrier, which must be wrapped on top with adhesive tape or cloth, or better yet, both. Improvise and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty, the downstairs neighbors’ new renovation is at stake!
Call emergency water and sewer services immediately! If trouble happened in Moscow and the Moscow region, then contact us! “Plumber Service” will help you eliminate the leak as quickly as possible! Call the number and don't delay!

If the breakthrough happened in the basement of your apartment building, then it is worth adding that after calling the emergency sewer service, you must urgently go around the neighbors, telling them not to flush the toilet or pour anything into the sinks, thereby increasing the scale of the problem . And remember: it is always easier to prevent a problem than to later become a client of an emergency sewer service.

Prevention is always better!

Such situations do not occur immediately; this, as a rule, is the fruit of a long, gradual destruction of the pipe, so the emergency sewer can be repaired in time. Such situations can always be avoided by promptly inspecting the sewer and water pipes of your apartment for:

cracks;
even minor leaks;
suspicious spots;
rust.

If during the routine inspection you find anything else that raises your suspicions, no matter what it is, call a plumber immediately. After all, it is much easier to prevent trouble than to eliminate its consequences by calling an emergency sewer at two in the morning.

Repairing a damaged section of pipe by a professional plumber will cost much less than restoring the sewer system, cleaning and disinfecting the apartment, and paying for the neighbor’s repairs. Do you need all this?

If you live in Moscow, or the Moscow region, then, having discovered a potentially dangerous section of pipe, so as not to later ask the question “my sewer has burst, who should I call?”, do not wait and immediately call the “Plumbers Service” at 8 (495) 320 -06-60. Remember that time is working against you. After all, by delaying repairs, you increase the chances that you will soon have to perform emergency sewer repairs, which, whatever one may say, will cost much more.

Seek help from specialists right away!

Any delay in calling a specialist in such a situation means worsening it through inaction. Regardless of whether the trouble has already happened or you are just afraid that it will happen - in any case, calling a specialist is the most correct decision.

Don’t delay and call us, our qualified specialists will eliminate a breakthrough of any complexity! We have experience in eliminating such problems, and therefore we can easily cope with yours! Call us at 8, “Plumber Service” will cope with even the most difficult situation!

Source: https://sluzhba-santehnikov.ru/prochistka-kanalizacii/avarijnaya-sluzhba-kanalizacii/

What is the reason

The causes of clogged sewers in an apartment building are most often due to improper operation of the system. Any multi-storey building has as many risers as there are apartments on the site. They are connected in the basement into one horizontal line that flows into the yard sewer line. The more subscribers use one line, the greater the likelihood of congestion or traffic jams.

example of a blockage

The sewer becomes clogged for two reasons:

the appearance of fatty deposits in the pipe;
foreign objects entering the sewer system.

Fat deposits enter the internal cavity along with kitchen drains and gradually accumulate in areas of changes in thickness, diameter, and changes in the direction of the pipeline. The main danger lies not so much in the layers themselves, which rarely clog pipes, but in their sticky texture. If any object, even the smallest one, gets into the pipe, it will stick and remain on the surface of the layers. Gradually, there will be more of these objects, a plug will form, which will increase in size and one day completely block the entire cross-section of the pipe.

In addition, pipes often become clogged for the following reasons:

throwing food waste down the toilet;
throwing away cat litter;
hair or wool getting into the pipes.

If everything is more or less clear with food waste, then with cat litter there is some problem. The fact is that manufacturers directly indicate on the packaging that the filler can be thrown into the toilet in small portions. Naive users do this, and as a result they have to answer to their neighbors in court. The called plumbers break through the complex blockage of the central sewer riser, discover the composition of the plug, and the person responsible for the ingress of foreign objects will be held responsible.

Hair getting into pipes causes a lot of trouble for residents and plumbers. They constantly accumulate in the siphons of bathtubs or showers, making it difficult for waste to escape. If they travel further through the system and accumulate in the area of a bend or transition to a pipe of a different diameter, labor-intensive cleaning will have to be carried out to a greater depth. Such plugs are complicated in that they cannot simply be pushed through; they must be removed from the internal cavity, otherwise there will be no beneficial effect from cleaning.

Incorrect installation

There is another reason for blockages - improper installation of sewer pipes. There may be a lack of slope or incorrect connection of horizontal pipelines to the vertical central riser. Mistakes made by builders are the explanation why the sewer system in an apartment building is constantly clogged. Due to the fault of residents, blockages occur relatively rarely, but frequent repetition of the same problem is evidence of improper installation of the sewer network.

As a result, mistakes made by builders

What to do if your apartment is flooded by sewerage?

First of all, let's figure out who is responsible for the sewage system?

According to paragraph 5 of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of August 13, 2006 N 491, the common property in an apartment building includes the in-house engineering drainage system, which consists of sewer outlets, fittings such as transitions, pipes, revisions, tees, crosses, risers, plugs, exhaust pipes and so on. The meaning here is clear, sewerage belongs to common property.

But why am I doing this?

Besides, someone must bear responsibility for the common property; all owners cannot now bear responsibility for it and everyone chip in a little to compensate for the damage, that would be absurd.

It all depends on the form of house management. Since, according to paragraph 42 of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of August 13, 2006 N 491, responsibility for the maintenance of common property in an apartment building lies with the management organizations directly managing the apartment building.

That is, we come to the conclusion that if your apartment was flooded due to a clogged sewer, and this means only one thing, the management organization was negligent in its responsibilities for maintaining the common property in proper condition, then we make all claims against the management company, that is, with the organization, This is usually a legal entity that maintains your home. This can be either a standard management organization or an HOA or housing cooperative.

What if the apartment was flooded due to the fault of the management company?

How to present your demands?

First of all, you need to notify the emergency service about the fact of an emergency and the provision of services of inadequate quality. Call the emergency dispatch service and report the accident. According to paragraph 106 of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 06.05.

2011 N 354, the consumer must inform the emergency service about the fact of a violation of the quality of the utility service, while the dispatcher is obliged to register your appeal in the log, tell him the reason for the appeal, your address and full name, also ask under what number your appeal is registered and specify the name of the dispatcher , write down this data, indicate the date and be sure to save it, they may be useful to you.

Next, we record everything on a photo and video camera, all the damage, the very cause of the damage, we invite witnesses, neighbors from the lower floor so that they can see the reason, we do not remove anything, and then you need to write an application to your management organization, with a requirement to draw up certificate of damage caused by poor-quality utility services.

Write an application in 2 copies, come to your management organization and give both copies to the employee receiving incoming requests so that he can familiarize himself with them. Your copy must be marked with the incoming number, the date of acceptance, or another mark of acceptance and the signature of the receiving person, a seal is required since the Criminal Code is a legal entity. Pick up your copy and save it.

Such a statement is written in free form, the header indicates to whom and from whom, indicate your telephone number for contact, describe the situation below and invite a representative of the management organization to draw up a report on the damage caused, put a date and signature on both copies.

Based on subparagraph “K”, paragraph 31 of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 05/06/2011 N 354, the management organization is obliged to keep records of applications, complaints and other claims from consumers regarding the quality of public services. The management organization is obliged, within 3 days from the date of receipt of the complaint, to respond to the consumer and inform about the satisfaction of the requirements or refusal to satisfy them.

A representative of the management organization should contact you and agree on a time for conducting an inspection and drawing up a report on the damage caused.

On the appointed day, a representative of your management organization will come to you and together with him you will draw up a report, which will indicate the date and time of the inspection, the reason and the violations identified, and the report will also indicate all damage resulting from flooding, be very careful to the damaged things and indicate everything and do not leave out anything; for things that are not indicated in the first act, you will not be able to receive compensation, since the court most likely will not take them into account, since it will consider that you intentionally added them to the second act, for increasing the amount of damage. It’s just that sometimes it’s necessary to draw up a second act, since after a flood, traces can appear and shortcomings can be revealed for about 1 month.

If a representative of the management organization refuses to enter something, write down these things in your list, and when signing the act, write an addition to the act, write that the representative of the management organization refused to enter this list of things and you do not agree with this and list all the things that were not included .

You see, if you do not enter these things and sign the act, then in court you will no longer prove anything, because there was no pressure on you and it turns out that you signed an act in which some things were not included voluntarily, which means you agree with this document.

In a word, be careful and persistent, no one limits you in your rights.

Upon completion of drawing up the act, you sign it and a representative of the management organization also signs and gives you a signed copy with dates. If they give you some other papers to sign, read them carefully and do not sign any agreements, you must sign only the act.

An act is a document confirming that a specific case of violation of the quality of utility services occurred in your apartment, resulting in damage to your property. This is the main document you need, but now you need to assess the damage from flooding!

How to assess damage from flooding in an apartment?

You need to involve an expert who specializes in assessing damage after floods and fires, as well as housing assessments and housing inspections.

Such a specialist has the necessary qualifications and must have a diploma, a license to conduct appraisals, and such an expert must also be on the register of appraisers. Check everything differently, if he does not have documents, then the court will not accept such an examination.

The appraiser will set a date for the inspection, also invite a representative of the management organization to the date of the inspection by telegram 3 days before the inspection, this is a mandatory condition, neglect of which may have a bad effect on the results of your examination in court, it may be challenged, and this is the appointment of a forensic examination which is very expensive worth it and the costs may fall on you.

The most important thing is to notify the management organization by telegram with a notification. As a result, you should have in your hands a notification that the telegram has been delivered to the addressee, a receipt for payment for the telegram and a copy of the telegram. You notified the defendant, and whether he comes or not is his business.

On the appointed day, the expert will arrive at your apartment and draw up a report that will include all repair damage and damaged items, furniture, appliances, etc.

The expert will definitely take photographs of everything, you will sign the report and then the expert will go to prepare a conclusion, the so-called report, which will contain the total amount that will be needed to bring your apartment to the condition it was in before the flood, as well as the cost of all damaged things.

Next, this examination is transferred to you in paper and electronic form and you can already begin actions to recover the amount of damage from the management organization.

It will not be possible to go to court right away; the pre-trial procedure for resolving the dispute, the so-called claim procedure, must be followed; it consists of sending a claim to the management organization with a demand for compensation for damage and a copy of the examination is attached to the claim to justify the amount of damage you require.

You can submit the claim in person to the management organization; your copy must be marked with acceptance and the date; keep your copy with the marks.

Or you can send your claim to the management organization by registered mail with a list of attachments and acknowledgment of receipt. We also attach a copy of the report to the claim and indicate in the inventory that the envelope contains the claim and the report. Later, you will receive a notification in the mail that the claim has been served on the management company.

If within 10 days from the receipt of your claim you have not been contacted and offered a solution to the problem, then you have the right to sue the management organization and recover from it the amount of damage in court, as well as a fine of 50% of the amount that the court will award in your favor, as well as a penalty for all days of delay in fulfilling your demand.

You can draw up a statement of claim yourself, attach to it all copies of statements and claims that you sent to the management organization, attach all checks confirming the sending of telegrams and mail, attach notifications and inventory, attach all checks confirming the costs of preparing for the case, attach a copy of the examination , an act drawn up by the management organization and other evidence of the fact of damage, including photos and video materials.

Of course, your chances of winning are very good, but if you do not understand the legal intricacies of the issue, then it is best to seek help from a lawyer, of course this is not free, but the lawyer has experience in handling cases in court and will help you avoid mistakes that could affect for the total amount of damage, besides, you will not need to appear in court, a lawyer will do everything for you.

I hope the article was useful to you and you learned a lot of useful things for yourself, and I wish you good luck!

Source: https://yurist174.ru/zhilisnoe-pravo/prava-zhilcov/chto-delat-esli-kvartiru-zatopilo-kanalizaciey

What consequences may there be

The consequences of clogged sewer pipes can vary. If the problematic element turns out to be an indoor lounger, then there will be a slowdown or complete stop of the discharge of wastewater from sinks, bathtubs or toilets. Clearing such blockages is quite simple, you can even do it yourself.

Much more dangerous is a clogged sewer in the basement of an apartment building. He actually stops operating the sewer riser while they fix the problem. All this time, the maximum troubles will fall on the residents of the first floor, who will demand compensation for damage in court. The procedure is complex, requiring a search for the perpetrators and other actions.

Sewage leaks in the basement contribute to the destruction of the foundation, the appearance of rot and mold, mosquitoes, and the spread of infectious diseases. If leaks are detected, you should immediately call specialists.

How to remove a blockage

So, the sewer riser is clogged, what should you do? You can resolve the issue yourself, or contact the management company. There will most likely be a fee for contacting the management company, although different situations are possible. There are two types of self-cleaning:

mechanical;
chemical.

You need to break through the blockage with your own hands using special tools:

plunger;
plumbing cable.

A plunger is effective only when there is a blockage in the water seal of sinks, bathtubs or toilets. If the problem lies in horizontal pipes, a cable should be used. Mechanical cleaning methods are no less effective than chemical ones, but you have to work with a cable blindly and at random, and chemical agents fill the entire internal volume of the pipe right up to the blockage and dissolve it. Some people use various “folk” remedies - vinegar, etc. This should not be done as the harsh chemicals can destroy the cast iron riser or basement line pipes. You need to use certified products, which are abundant in stores. Typically, the cleaning composition is poured into the sink or toilet and left for a certain period of time to act on the clog.

You may also find it useful: How to clean a drain and clear a blockage with your own hands

If it turns out that the problem lies in the vertical riser, it is best to contact the management company to receive qualified assistance.

Who should do the cleaning?

Most residents are poorly versed in administrative and legislative regulations. Few people can confidently say whether the management company should clean out the sewerage system in a microdistrict or not. There are many reasons for such illiteracy; the vicious practice of negligent managers of trying to shift any work onto the shoulders or wallets of the residents of the house is often to blame.

Cleaning the sewer riser in an apartment building is the responsibility of the employees of the management company, since the riser is part of the common property of the building and is entirely under their control. A paid service may be flushing or breaking through blockages in the deck, but the vertical common pipeline must be serviced by qualified specialists. In any case, if the sewer is clogged, you need to know where to call and what to do first:

accidents in the sewer well are eliminated by the city water utility;
clogged internal sewer pipes are serviced by a UK plumber;
emergency situations are resolved by emergency service workers.

Usually all the necessary telephone numbers are included in receipts for utility bills.

The sewage system in the apartment is clogged, who should I call? Actions in case of blockage

When the sewage system in your apartment is clogged, you can’t hesitate. First of all, you need to take actions to prevent further flooding:

Shut off the water supply;
Inform residents about the blockage;
Call special services.

If the blockage occurs in more than one apartment, then it is necessary to shut off the water supply in other places. Use of the sewer must be discontinued until the problem is resolved.

If you lack the skills to deal with the blockage yourself, it is not recommended. There are special services for this.

Where to go?

The use of certain services depends on the nature of the blockage:

a local blockage, a broken drain pipe or an interfloor riser that did not cause a flood - call the management company to call a locksmith on duty;
sewage overflows from wells - contact Vodokanal;
There is a global flood of the entire floor - urgently call emergency services.

Contact information for special services is contained in receipts for payment of housing and communal services. If you don’t have a receipt at hand, it is recommended to dial the general number 112 and ask for the regional service number.

Who is guilty?

After taking measures to prevent flooding, the search begins for the cause and culprits of the problem. This may take a long time. Determining who is at fault directly depends on the cause. If the blockage occurs once, then two options are possible:

the person at fault will report the problem;
Representatives of management companies will determine the guilt after inspecting the sewer system.

Specialists visit apartments and draw up an inspection report for the sewer riser. Thus, the fact of an emergency is recorded in the document. In practice, there is no need to find the culprit - the person himself declares the problem. Damage to property due to a flood must also be documented.

If the sewer drains are constantly clogged, then the reason is the poor quality of services provided by the management company. The organization ignores periodic inspection of the system. In this case, the culprit will be the management company.

Prevention measures

To eliminate the possibility of blockages in pipes, you must follow the rules for operating the sewer system:

do not throw construction waste or paper (except toilet paper) into the toilet;
Do not pour food waste into the system;
Avoid throwing away cat litter, especially those based on clay and sawdust.

These simple rules will help maintain the functionality of the system and eliminate possible problems in relations with neighbors and employees of the management company.