What to do if a pipe burst in the apartment

Accidents of heating systems during the heating season

So, what malfunctions of the heating system can cause an accident.

In fact, there are not so many of them, and from a legal point of view, they are divided into:

• intra-house;
• intra-apartment.

Depressurization of threaded connections

Such a division allows us to specify the search for the guilty party. After all, the responsibility for the heating system of each house is assigned personally to consumers of services and companies providing them.

The internal heating system consists of:

• Thermal node scheme

  supply and return pipelines;

• introductory valves in the heat point (in the basement of the house);
• stop valves;
• filters for hard and soft cleaning of the coolant;
• pressure gauges;
• thermal energy metering devices;
• circulation pump;
• boiler for heating hot water (not everywhere).

The management company is entirely responsible for the in-house heating system, and in the event of an accident on these elements, the blame for the consequences falls entirely on their shoulders and "wallet".

And if there is a breakthrough and water begins to flood the entrance or basement, then in such a situation there is only one way out - to call the city emergency service.

Emergency service

Specialists will arrive and shut off the supply of coolant to the in-house heating system, and your call will be recorded and will serve as further evidence of the accident.

A slightly different algorithm of actions is to be performed if the heating pipe inside the apartment bursts.

Here are a few immediate steps to take:

1. determine the place of the accident (own apartment or apartment of neighbors);
2. notify the management office of the incident;
3. help stop the leak (give access to the locker of the housing office or the HOA to enter your apartment to put a clamp on the pipe);
4. fix the consequences of flooding by video and photography, as well as drawing up a flood report, which must be drawn up (and signed) by representatives of the management office.

Clamp on the inlet tube

Warning: regarding the installation of those responsible for the accident of the heating system in your own apartment, it should be understood that the in-house heating system consists of:

• risers;
• supply pipes;
• threaded connections (couplings and fittings);
• heating appliances (batteries).

If the apartment has "native" batteries, and the owner himself did not change anything during his stay, then the responsibility for the technical condition of the in-house heating system lies entirely with the management company (HOA or housing office - the former housing office).

It must at its own expense check the condition of the heating system, for which at least once a year it is obliged to carry out a technical inspection, replace faulty radiators, eliminate leaks, fistulas, etc.

Rotting supply pipe to the radiator

And it’s a completely different matter if the owners of the apartment arbitrarily changed the batteries, replacing the pipes in the apartment, then in the event of a breakthrough, they will have to prove their non-involvement in the emergency in court. Or shift the responsibility to the repair organization, which they involved in the repair of heating pipes.

If you choose to complain

Of course, if the sewer pipeline burst in the basement, then the whole house needs to write a complaint. But in the case of an emergency in the apartment, the situation is completely different, because the neighbors below suffered through your fault. Before complaining, you need to understand the following:

• The housing office or the management company is responsible for the pipeline from the riser to the shut-off valves on the pipe going to the apartment. The same applies to sewerage, the Criminal Code and ZhEK are only responsible for those parts of the pipes that are not included in your apartment.
• All plumbing and sewerage inside the apartment is your responsibility. Therefore, its condition must be monitored and repaired and replaced in a timely manner.
• With the heating system, the situation looks different. If you did not change the elements of this system inside the apartment, then the management company or the housing office is responsible for everything.

If you decide to file a complaint, then you need to do the following:

1. After the cause of the flood has been eliminated, photographs or videos must be taken to record the consequences of the accident.
2. Based on these photos or videos, you can claim damages from the management company. If they refuse to do this, then you can safely go to court. However, for this you need to collect all the necessary documents.

To collect all the necessary papers, you can do this:

After writing an application or an oral request, employees of the service organization must send a commission to your home. It should include the chief engineer of the housing office, the foreman of the site, a representative of the management company and a plumber. They will inspect the apartment and draw up an act of flooding. This document should contain the following information:

1. The essence of the problem is described and its causes are indicated.
2. The date of preparation of the document must be indicated, the address of the apartment must be indicated.
3. The act is signed by all members of the commission. The document must list their positions and names.
4. A defective statement is filled out, which lists all the damaged items.
5. Possible hidden damage should also be listed, since water seeping into the structure of the house may not immediately be felt.

After drawing up the act, it is necessary to assess the damage caused. To do this, you need to contact a specialized company. This service is paid. Employees of the company will assess the cost of damage, draw up an act on the amount of damage. Price lists and receipts must be attached to these documents.

When applying to the court, you must have the following documents on hand:

• A photocopy of the certificate stating that the ownership of this housing belongs to you. Instead, you can attach a copy of the contract of employment.
• Statement of claim.
• The act of flooding, which was drawn up by the commission of the Housing Office.
• Appraiser's opinion on the amount of damage.
• Accurate estimates for restoration work.
• Receipt for payment of the court fee.

Broken pipe where to go and how to fix the leak

Where to go

Where should you urgently call if a water pipe breaks in the house?

When a water supply breakthrough is really large and it is impossible to make repairs on your own due to lack of time, skills and / or special materials, you can call representatives of the plumbing services. Moreover, the choice of organization depends on the day of the week and time of day.

Working hours on a weekday? Then you should call the ZhES (housing maintenance service). Its number should be in the information table at the entrance or on the website of the managing organization.

Did the water break occur at night or on one of the weekends/holidays? It is necessary to call emergency workers (emergency service of the water utility unit assigned to the district).

What to do if a pipe burst in the house

1. The first step is to substitute any container under the jet so that water does not pour onto the floor. It can be a bucket, a basin, a saucepan - anything that will hold a sufficiently large amount of liquid for the duration of the troubleshooting. Periodically, containers must be emptied;
2. Next, close the water supply valve to the stop. It is located either in an apartment near the water meters, or in the basement of the house (in this case, you will need the keys to the basement). It should be taken into account that if you turn off the tap in the basement, everyone who lives in the entrance will lose access to water;
3. After making sure that the water has stopped flowing, you need to start collecting it from the floor as soon as possible.For this, any convenient means is used: a floor cloth, a sponge, etc.

Now you need to seal the leak. To do this, you will need the following tools:

• a piece of rubber (a piece of a tube from a bicycle, a cleaning glove) or other similar material that does not allow moisture to pass through and is capable of stretching;
• two screw (worm) clamps or wire;
• a strip of thick fabric or a sheet of tin (for example, cut from a beer can);
• wrench or screwdriver for clamp.

The action plan is:

1. Wrap rubber or similar material around the leak as tightly as possible. With tension and, preferably, in several layers;
2. Fasten the winding to the stop with clamps or wire;
3. Wrap the structure with a piece of fabric prepared in advance or a strip of tin and fix it. In the case of tinplate, the edges of the strip should be connected with a pair of screws or screws and nuts of suitable size;
4. For additional moisture insulation, it is recommended to use a wide adhesive tape or cling film.

Epoxy resin and an ordinary medical bandage (or other fabric) can serve as a replacement for these materials. You just need to stir the resin, as indicated on the package, and soak the bandage with the mixture. After that, with a wide overlap, wrap the bandage around the leak with as many turns as possible and apply resin from above. Repeat several times.

Also, a special material called "cold welding" can be applied directly to the leak site. It can even be used in water - but you need to be extremely careful if it is hot water: getting burned in this case is a matter of a couple of seconds.

Such an "ambulance" will help the pipe hold out until the arrival of professional plumbers. Although it happens that such temporary measures help not for a day or two, but for several months.

Expert opinion

Nikolai, public utility worker:

“Not everyone at home has a supply of clamps. In principle, any tightening material is suitable for a temporary patch: you can use a clothesline, wire, and even an ordinary medical tourniquet. Some use rags and tape. But in order for the adhesive tape to hold firmly, you need to thoroughly degrease the surface - for example, with gasoline or acetone. Did you stop the leak? It remains to call and wait for the arrival of the plumber.

Prevention of water pipe breaks

If you want to avoid wasting money, time and effort to eliminate the consequences of a water accident, the most effective thing is to prevent its occurrence. To do this, you need to timely check the condition of the water supply pipes in the house.

What should you definitely pay close attention to?

1. Rust. This is perhaps the most important cause of cracks in water supply systems. If brown streaks are found on the pipe, peeling of paint - it should be understood that corrosion has taken over and will cause trouble sooner or later. And simple painting is unlikely to help here - the process has already begun;
2. Gradual depressurization. Sometimes the joints between parts of the pipeline do not fit snugly together. If it is noticed that moisture accumulates in these places, smudges are visible, then depressurization occurs;
3. Water hammer is a surge in water pressure in pipes. This can happen both through the fault of public utilities, due to improper maintenance of the pipeline, and through the fault of the consumer of services - due to illegal changes in the water supply system that have not been coordinated with public utilities.

An example of fixing a leak in a pipe:

If a sewer pipe broke through in an apartment or the basement of an apartment building, then a certain amount of time and money will have to be spent on eliminating the consequences. In this case, this can happen both in a private house and in an apartment building.However, when a sewer breaks in a private house, the situation is not so complicated, since you will not flood your neighbors from below, and you are solely responsible for the condition of the sewer system. Therefore, the monetary costs of eliminating the consequences will not be as significant as in the case of a multi-storey building in the city. In any situation, it is necessary to find the perpetrators and determine the cause of the breakthrough.

If a sewer pipe broke in a private house, then there is no point in looking for who is to blame, because only you are responsible for the installation and operation of your sewer system. The same can be said about the pipes running through the territory of your site.

A completely different thing is a sewer break in an apartment building. If an accident happened with a pipeline running in an apartment, then only the owner of the home is to blame. If the sewerage broke through in the basement or in the common riser, then the housing office is responsible for these networks.

• In order to break through the sewer pipe in the basement or apartment, cracks and holes must form in the pipe, which at first will be small, but gradually this process will capture neighboring sections, causing the walls of the pipeline to weaken. Thus, it becomes clear that this is not a momentary process. Usually cracks and holes are formed due to deformation of the pipeline or rust. As a result, the contents of the pipes begin to flow through the holes and cause flooding of the apartment or basement. Moreover, this process will be accompanied by an unpleasant odor.
• Often, a breakthrough can be caused by the use of poor quality pipes or violations during their installation. Therefore, the sewerage in the apartment should be done by professionals, so that in the future you will not have big problems.
• If cast-iron pipes were used to carry out sewage in the basement or apartment, then over time the sealing gaskets may wear out. In principle, this happens with old sewer systems that have not been changed or repaired for a long time.

Actions for a small leak

If it broke through slightly and the leak is small, you can deal with this problem yourself in several ways. If it drips from the pipe due to its damage, you can close the leak with a homemade device in the form of a clamp. You just need to have a suitable piece of rubber on hand from which you can cut the gasket. For this, a camera from a bicycle wheel, a rubber-based glove, or some other product that, when stretched, can seal the problem area, is suitable. In addition, a fabric strip, a piece of wire, a screwdriver and a tin sheet will come in handy.

• The rubber must be wrapped with wire and fixed on the gasket with pliers.
• This design must be supplemented with a fabric strip wrapped in several turns. The ends of the strip must be connected with a knot.
• A screwdriver, a large nail, or a similar improvised object must be inserted under the knot and started to rotate until the matter is tightly tightened around the makeshift bandage.
• You can also fix the problem area with a tin sheet. A clamp is cut out of it, on the edges of which 2 holes are made. A bolt is inserted through the holes, onto which a nut is screwed. There should be two homemade clamps. They should be on a rubber gasket on opposite sides of the breakthrough site.

To eliminate a small accident, you can use the cold welding method. The substance used has such characteristics that it is possible to work with it even in the aquatic environment. Therefore, they can safely close up cracks or holes in a broken pipe.

There is another way to seal a break in a pipeline. When applying this method, you need to use a medical bandage and epoxy.

• Epoxy resin is mixed according to the instructions.
• A bandage of the required thickness is wound on the place of the breakthrough.
• Then the prepared epoxy mixture is smeared on the bandage winding.
• After that, the turn of the bandage comes again. You need to make several such layers.

General instructions in the event of a pipe burst

If a pipe burst in an apartment, then this is an emergency of local importance. The best thing to do, of course, is to be prepared in advance and act quickly. Depending on the number of family members, you need to act in several directions at once.

• The first step to correct the situation is to call the appropriate service and call a plumber. At the same time, it is necessary to substitute a container under the place of leakage and, as water accumulates, drain it into the toilet. In this case, you may also need a rag to collect water from the floor. In addition, you need to take independent measures to prevent leakage. If this cannot be done, it is necessary to try to minimize the negative consequences of the accident.
• If the breakthrough occurred during the days and hours of the ZHES, you need to call this organization. If you have a plumber who serves the area, you can call him directly and arrange for him to arrive at the scene of the accident.
• In the event of a pipe break during non-working hours (at night, on weekends or holidays), it is necessary to call the emergency service of the water utility.

How to lay pipes correctly

Here, the recommendations will be the simplest: installers must strictly follow the rules for laying pipes of one type or another and be careful when working. Do not allow the use of excessive force, and when working, use only serviceable tools. Some types of fittings require a special tool, which can be expensive. But you shouldn't give it up. In extreme cases, the tool can be rented.

Among the fairly common mistakes can be called the installation of pipes without taking into account their temperature coefficients of linear expansion. For polymeric materials, it is quite high. If, for example, the connection from the collector to the heater runs in a straight line, and its length exceeds 5 m, then the temperature deformations will be fully transmitted to the connection unit to the heater. This can be avoided with some simple tricks.

1. Lay the pipes from the collector to the heater in ledges with a turn of 90°, leaving a straight section in front of the radiator no more than 1.5 m.

2. Fix the node of attachment to the ceiling.

3. Flare the end of the connecting pipes to the radiator.

With open laying of polymer pipelines, temperature elongations should be calculated and compensated using L- and U-shaped compensators, fixing gutters and fixed supports, or metal-polymer pipelines should be used.

Sergey Bulkin

Head of the technical support group of the "Engineering systems" direction of the REHAU company

Plumbing in every apartment is no longer a luxury, and we take it for granted that this system must be in good working order. Yes, minor breakdowns happen from time to time - for example, the faucet will start to drip or the flush in the toilet will leak. But what if the problem takes on a larger scale - a pipe has seriously burst?

A water pipe break can happen not only on the street (where accidents, by the way, mostly occur underground, so only employees of service organizations can quickly detect it), but also directly in the house. In this case, the main thing is not to panic and take all necessary measures in a timely manner.

Pipe break

Who is to blame if the neighbors were injured during a pipe leak

In a non-privatized, municipal apartment

Government Decree No. 491, which defines the rules for maintaining common house property, states that the maintenance and repair of the water supply system is carried out at the expense of residents. As for the replacement of pipes, it is carried out in the process of repairing the entire building. Funds for this are allocated from voluntary contributions made by residents.Article 67 of the LC RF also speaks of this.

Responsibility for the proper operation of water supply and sewerage lies with the HOA. Utility workers are required to regularly inspect equipment and, if necessary, repair or replace it. However, it should be borne in mind that if a leak occurs on the territory of the apartment, its residents will have to pay for the damage, even if they are not the owners.

In a private apartment

Homeowners, as well as citizens living under a social contract of employment, are required to pay utility bills. The technical serviceability of sewerage, plumbing and heating systems is monitored either by special organizations with which the HOA has concluded a contract, or by a management company. Scheduled replacement of equipment is carried out during the overhaul, at the expense of paid contributions. If the owner of the apartment wishes to replace the pipes ahead of time, this will have to be done at his own expense.

Both in the case of municipal housing and in privatized apartments, employees of housing maintenance offices are required to regularly check the equipment. Residents are notified in advance of such events. After the inspection, the owner or tenant signs the inspection report. Residents who prevent the inspection of technical systems are found guilty if a riser bursts in their apartment or a pipe bursts
.

If the common riser fails, residents need to record this fact, draw up an individual (or collective) statement, accompanying it with photo or video materials. The latter is optional, but desirable. The application is handed over to the employees of the housing office, leaving a copy for themselves. It may come in handy when going to court.

Where to go if the apartment is in the department of a housing cooperative

ZhSK is a collective of private owners who are owners of property on the basis of equity participation. To put it simply, the residents of cooperative houses, as well as residents of municipal high-rise buildings, have to pay for the maintenance and repair of the adjacent territory and common property.

Until the full payment of the cost of the cooperative apartment, its owner is the housing cooperative. After paying off all contributions, the living space passes into the possession of the shareholder. The organization of maintenance of such residential facilities is no different from municipal buildings. Maintenance is carried out by a partnership of owners of cooperative housing (HOA) through the conclusion of an agreement with the Management Company, or independently. In some cooperatives, management is carried out by housing cooperatives. But they most often do not carry out any work on their own, but only conclude an agreement with the Criminal Code.

Hired specialists are obliged to carry out current and scheduled repairs of equipment in cooperative houses. But the residents of the cooperative house will have to pay for it out of their own pocket.

Your actions in case of a breakthrough in the basement

If you find a broken sewer pipe in the basement of an apartment building, then the first thing you need to do is to block the risers and warn all residents not to use the sewer. Since the housing office or the management company is responsible for the condition and serviceability of all intra-house water supply and sewer systems for general use, you need to call there first of all. They are obliged to send a brigade of emergency workers as soon as possible and eliminate the breakthrough of the sewer pipeline.

To minimize the consequences of the flood before the brigade arrives, you can do the same as in the event of an accident inside the apartment. That is, you need to try to eliminate the leak in the basement with a clamp, cold welding, plugs.

To whom to complain about the inaction of public utilities

It's no secret that employees of DUKs or DEZs do not always respond in a timely manner to complaints from residents.
Meanwhile, their main duty is to create a comfortable environment for residents to live in the entrusted territory. It is their work that citizens pay monthly according to utility bills. Since utility companies are service providers, Rospotrebnadzor is obliged to oversee the quality of their provision. The owner of the housing also controls the work of the DUK. If the company does not fulfill its obligations, he has the right to refuse its services.

Pipes made of polymeric materials and metal-plastic are not afraid of, say, rust, and are quite capable of lasting for decades with proper handling. However, they also have their weaknesses, and if they are neglected, then later troubles may occur with the pipeline.

Who is responsible for the accident

It is this question - who is to blame, who should repair communications thoroughly and compensate for possible damage from a leak - that arises sharply immediately after stopping the accident.

In private cottages, all internal communications are clearly the sphere of interests and responsibility of the owner of the house. As for pipes on and off the site, those responsible for their repair and maintenance are usually prescribed in an agreement with the owner of the networks (for example, a city water utility or a specialized private company).

But what if a pipe burst in a city apartment?

There are two options:

1. If a pipe break occurred on the riser or in the interval from it to the first tap in the apartment, then you need to contact the management company of the house. Common house property is the zone of their responsibility, and their duty will be to eliminate the breakthrough and its consequences;
2. In other cases, the owner of the apartment is fully responsible. Therefore, preventive maintenance of pipes must be taken seriously.

If it happened that a water pipe burst and flooded the neighbors, it will be necessary to establish the cost of the damage caused. There are several ways to do this:

1. Together with the victims, calculate the market value of the damaged items and, by mutual agreement of the parties, pay this amount. It is imperative to draw up an act that indicates the amount of damage caused or a method for establishing its value. After agreeing on the figure, an annex is made to the act, which indicates that both parties agree on this amount. If at the time of drawing up the annex to the act the entire amount has been paid, you can also indicate there that the money was transferred to the victim and the parties no longer have claims against each other. Or you will have to demand a receipt from the neighbor that he received money in compensation;
2. Together with the party affected by the flood, you can determine the necessary materials and their quantity for independent purchase, repair, restoration and replacement of things lost and damaged during the flooding of the apartment.

If it is not possible to find a common language with neighbors, the amount of damage can be determined in one of the following ways:

• Hire an independent expert. Payment for his services will need to be negotiated with the victims: either both parties “throw off”, or only one of them pays. If someone does not agree with the expert's assessment, another can be hired; Otherwise, you will need to apply to the court;
• Go to court. If the neighbors cannot agree on the amount of damage, an opinion from an independent party is required. All kinds of evidence should be prepared: it can be photographs of the apartment, testimonies, a written act, other available documentation - everything that will help the court to assess the losses from flooding as fully as possible.

Expert advice

Vitaly, lawyer:

“It is imperative to call representatives of the operating organization to draw up the act. They must show up.If they don’t go, you need to write a telegram in which, in the form of a request, it is indicated where and when you need to come to draw up an act on the fact of a break in a water supply pipe (hot or cold). By the time the act is drawn up, you need to bring a couple of witnesses (representatives of the injured party can also act as such). The act should indicate the time and place of the accident, a description of the pipe and damage (ceiling paint peeled off, wallpaper damaged on an area of ​​so many square meters, etc.). After replacing the pipe, the dismantled damaged section must be saved. If the neighbors are flooded and you have to go to court, then this pipe fragment may be needed to establish the cause of the accident.

You need to make sure that the photo / video, if possible, contains the following data:

1. Correct time and date. If these are snapshots, then this data should be displayed on each of them;
2. Location information would be helpful. Modern devices have the function of determining geolocation - you can use it;
3. If this is a video, then you need to turn on the microphone and comment on everything that happens in the frame;
4. Be sure to rent a room as a whole;
5. Specific damage is taken in close-up: wet wallpaper, swollen floor, equipment flooded with water;
6. Be sure to capture the pipe break itself close-up and along with the rest of the room.

Where to call if a pipe burst in the apartment

Having found a leaking pipe, hurry up to puzzle the plumber, who is obliged to send a house management organization (DUK). You should also contact there if the pipe has already burst.

You can find information about which company serves a particular address via the Internet, you can also look at ads in the entrance or see its name on the rent receipt.
It is better to keep such numbers at hand, specifying them in advance. You can contact the specialists of the Criminal Code on weekdays during business hours. Most often, they also have some kind of emergency number that works around the clock.

If a leak occurs when the DUK is not working, you need to call either its emergency dispatcher or the emergency repair service in the city.

The dispatcher will contact the specialists and send them to the scene. It must be understood that such actions can only be resorted to if the pipe is flowing so strongly that it will not be possible to cope with the problem on your own.

What to do if a hot or cold water pipe breaks

If a leak occurs in pipes with cold or hot water, you should contact the employees of the UK or DEZ
. They will send plumbers, and if the damage is serious, they will contact the emergency services themselves. If the time is non-working, immediately dial the number of the Vodokanal repair service. The dispatcher will send specialists to you. After eliminating the accident, ask to draw up an act, which will indicate the location of the leak and the cause of the problem.

Often tenants get lost, do not know what to do so that the water does not flood all the lower floors
. When the pipe has burst and the water arrives quickly, the actions fit into the following scheme:

1. Turn off the power supply to the room.
2. Shut off the common riser or outlet pipes in the apartment.
3. Report the leak to the emergency dispatcher or AC staff.

Dealing with a flood is easier with helpers. While one person calls the specialists, the rest scoop out the collected water, preventing it from flowing to the lower floors.