Is hot water flowing from a cold tap? Reasons for what is happening

Why is this happening?

This problem may have the following reasons:

• heat exchanger contamination;
• heat exchanger failure;
• corrosion inside the pipeline;
• the appearance of rust inside the risers.

The reason may also lie in the shutdown of the heat exchanger in the house. This usually occurs in cases of equipment repair or in case of an accident in external pipeline sections.

Difference in causes for open and closed water supply systems

Both of these systems are different. In open cold water, in order to heat up, it must come into contact with the coolant itself. In a closed system, water is heated by heat exchange.

The difference in the reasons why cold water flows from a faucet instead of hot water is as follows:

• high accident rate of open systems compared to closed ones due to their location (in the event of an accident on the pipeline, the water supply is completely stopped in the entire water supply system);
• low accident rate of closed systems (in the event of an accident, water continues to flow into apartments, going around the damaged section of the pipeline);
• rapid cooling of hot water in open systems due to its unstable distribution;
• stable maintenance of hot water temperature in closed systems, due to which they are less likely to fail.

Open systems often have low pressure, which means hot water does not reach consumers living on the upper floors. This requires the installation of booster pumps. In closed ones there is a large loss of water. They often need inflating pumps.

In such systems, heat exchangers often break down, due to which not hot, but cold water flows into apartment taps.

How to find out the reason in a particular case?

To find out the exact cause, you need to check the pipes in the basement of the house.

It is necessary to look at the condition of the pipeline section that approaches the riser. To do this, you need to invite a specialist from the management company to inspect the pipes in the basement of the house.

It is important to check the condition of the risers themselves. You should invite a specialist from the management company to check the risers for the presence of rust inside them.

In any case, you will need to check the operation of the heat exchanger in the house. It is this device that often causes interruptions in hot water supply in homes. Only a representative of the management company, who should be invited to the house upon a pre-submitted application, can check the heat exchanger for blockages and damage.

If the above options do not reveal the cause, then you should contact the water utility and generating companies servicing the house. They are responsible for the condition of the external pipeline.

After filing an application, they are required to send a representative to check the condition of external pipeline sections throughout the area of ​​the possible accident.

Instructions for solving the problem

To cope with this problem, you need to follow an algorithm. It is important to know where to go and how to file and send a complaint. A separate point is the possible result of such treatment.

Where to contact?

In such situations, the first instance is the management company. She is responsible for ongoing maintenance work on the pipeline inside the house.

If the reason why cold water comes out of the tap instead of hot water in houses is due to damage to the pipeline in the area outside the houses, then you should contact the city water utility.

In case of accidents at pumping stations, it is recommended to contact the generating company that services the home to resolve the problem with hot water.

How to write an application?

The application is made in a free format. It should indicate the following points:

• 
  the name of the management company, water utility or generating company to which the complaint will be sent;

• address of these organizations, their head;
• Full name of the applicant and his address;
• the very name “complaint” is in the middle of the line;
• a detailed description of the situation when it was revealed that cold water flows from the tap instead of hot;
• a specific request to the organization to resolve the situation;
• date of writing the document;
• signature of the person applying.

If necessary, you can attach documentation to the complaint that will confirm the fact of improper supply of hot water to the house.

How to file a complaint?

A claim regarding this case must be submitted only in writing. Management companies will not respond to verbal complaints from consumers. The application is sent to the management company in two copies.

A mark is placed on one of them that it has been accepted for consideration. Similarly, the complaint is forwarded to the water utility and the generating company.

Result of the request

The management company must respond to the complaint. She sends an employee to the applicant's house within two days from the moment he filed a complaint.

It measures the water temperature at water intake points. Two such measurements are made.

The first is in the morning, the second is in the evening. Based on the results of the measurements taken, the management company’s employee draws up a report.

It confirms the fact that there is a disruption in the supply of hot water to the apartments. The document is made in two copies. One of them remains with the consumer.

The management company is obliged to make a recalculation based on the act of measuring the temperature at water collection points . For the next period, the consumer who submitted the application should have their DHW fees reduced.

Or he will pay for it at the same rate as for cold water, if the measurement shows the temperature of the hot water below the 40-degree mark.

If the reason lies in contamination of the heat exchanger, then the management company employee cleans it. If the problem is a device failure, the management company replaces it. It is also possible to replace only individual elements of the heat exchanger.

If the pipes become clogged, the management company worker cleans them or completely replaces a separate section of the pipeline. Also, the solution to the problem may be limited to cleaning the screens on the mixers.

What to do

We need to clarify right away - the city water utility is not responsible for the quality of hot water supply! This is the direct prerogative of the management company! Therefore, you should report the problem there first. Call an official representative of the management company to the apartment to measure the water. After which he must draw up a corresponding act.

• If the measurements indicate the temperature of the water from the hot tap is below the standard established by law, from that day the legal requirement to reduce the payment for this service comes into force. Those. According to the hot water meter, you must pay for cold water until the day the breakdown is repaired and a report is drawn up about it.
• If you wrote a statement directly at the office of the Criminal Code or an act was drawn up, but there was no reaction, you can safely contact the special housing inspectorate. First, the Criminal Code will issue an order, then a fine, then an application to the court with all the consequences.
• You also have every right to contact the prosecutor's office directly and then file a lawsuit. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the court considers them in favor of the tenants. In addition, utility companies are forced not only to revise tariffs, but also to pay compensation. However, you need to understand that the process will be delayed.

It is also worth noting the fact that the solution to this problem may directly depend not on the management company (or housing and communal services), but directly on the owner of the main heating hot water supply networks.

Thermometer

What to do if the problem is not resolved?

If an appeal to the management company or water utility does not produce results, then you should complain to the housing inspectorate.

She acts as a supervisory authority and monitors the work of the management company.

You should also complain to the housing inspectorate about the inaction of the water utility or the failure of the organization to fulfill its duties.

It controls all organizations involved in the housing and communal services sector.

An alternative option may be to contact the local administration. A written complaint can be submitted through the reception desk. You can also send it via mail.

It is allowed to complain about management companies, water utilities and generating companies to Rospotrebnadzor and the prosecutor's office. Their function is to supervise how housing and communal services organizations carry out their work.

If these authorities do not assist in solving the problem, then you should go to court. It is necessary to file a claim. It can be sent by mail or transmitted through the court office. A number of courts allow filing claims in electronic format.

Where to complain

Having a report on the malfunction, its causes and the period during which only boiling water comes from your tap, you can prepare a complaint to the relevant authorities and government agencies. Having found out why you cannot safely use the water supply system in your apartment, it is best to initially submit an application to the management company. It is this organization that is the link between users of utility services and their suppliers.

Complaint about inconsistency of hot water supply

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Managers are elected at a public meeting by residents of the apartment building. The management company and each apartment owner will have to enter into an agreement that clearly regulates the procedure for mutual cooperation, the rights and obligations of each party. The powers of the management company include:

• organization of current and major repairs;
• control over the supply of utilities;
• cleaning of entrances and local areas;
• garbage removal;
• organizational activities in the field of housing and communal services, etc.

Each contract is a document with individual characteristics, therefore, depending on the situation, additions and separate conditions may be made to it. In case of poor performance of their duties, the owner can re-elect the management company.

If you discover that only boiling water flows from your tap, you should complain to the managers. At the same time, it is better to avoid verbal appeals, because they are ineffective and only take up your time. It takes 7 to 14 days to consider a written complaint from residents whose homes only have hot water and no cold water at all. If the answer to why the failure occurred and when everything will get better has not come, it is necessary to take radical measures. The next structures where you can turn with your problem will be the City Housing Inspectorate, Rospotrebnadzor, law enforcement agencies, SES, the prosecutor's office and even the court. At the same time, you can complain to several authorities at the same time; this will only speed up the resolution of your issue and help bring those responsible to justice.

Read also: What is meant by general house needs

Prevention

One of the options to prevent such a situation is to regularly monitor the condition of the heat exchanger in the house. It is recommended to check the condition of the device monthly for blockages and corrosion.

For prevention, the condition of the pipeline in the basements of houses should be checked monthly. Particular attention should be paid to those areas that are connected to risers.

At the first signs of corrosion, the pipes must be cleaned immediately . The same goes for the risers themselves. Their condition must be monitored by designated employees of the management company. At the first sign of clogging, the riser needs to be thoroughly cleaned.

A way to solve the problem could be to install a separate water heater in the apartment.

This is especially true for old houses, in which the pipeline system often fails.

If there are frequent interruptions in the supply of hot water, a water heater will be able to smooth out the problem .

The resident will always have a certain supply of hot water if necessary. But this will inevitably lead to an increase in utility bills for electricity.

One option is also to install water meters with a temperature sensor in the apartment. This device will not solve the problem with the supply of hot water, but will help reduce payments for water if it is supplied to the apartment at insufficient temperature.

A water meter with a temperature sensor will help the consumer monitor the quality of hot water in his apartment.

Consequences

If the cause of this phenomenon is incorrect installation of plumbing, then the residents are to blame. Consequently, the management company is not responsible for breakdowns caused by this problem.

Boiling water from a cold tap is unpleasant, but there are other consequences. For example, some appliances are not designed to handle hot water. These include:

• Cold water meter.
• Toilet cistern.
• Cold water pipes.
• Toilet flush mechanism.

USEFUL INFORMATION: Mixer combined with drinking water filter

If these items become unusable due to your fault, then the responsibility lies only with you.