Good morning
I know that the issue does not quite fit into the department - hence my apologies - but this is probably the only department related to the hot water circuit.
I am asking you for help with reporting problems with hot water to the Lodz housing cooperative. I've reported it many times myself, but apparently I'm using the wrong arguments, because the plumber they send does literally nothing in the subject each time. It does not solve or even diagnose the problem. So this time, instead of reporting, I will go to them with a letter, but I want to put everything together and educate myself on the subject first.
Facts:
- The problem is no hot water. More specifically, draining large amounts of cold water, after which hot water appears. Of course, filling the hot water meter at the same time. In the morning it is calmly 10 liters, during the day it is a little better. The temperature of the drained water is really not suitable for brushing teeth, much less for bathing;
- it is the 2nd floor in a 4-story block, a block of large slabs from the 1970s;
- the installation shaft in the bathroom has 3 pipes (warm, cold and one so thin (circulation, I think) - the third one is usually lukewarm or cold);
- the problem is only in the bathroom - in the kitchen hot water appears quite quickly around the clock;
- the problem concerns the cold (autumn-winter) months - during this time it occurs every day with varying intensity;
- the problem is annual - since I live here it will be the third or fourth time;
- the problem disappears in the spring when it gets warmer;
- the plumber of the cooperative suggested that maybe someone's water was backing up in the battery mixer and that they should install non-return valves on hot water. I decided to do it myself, paying him 80 zlotys, but as far as I know, not all neighbors went for it;
- unfortunately, almost nobody young lives in the block, hence when I walked around the premises in my department, only in one case the residents confirmed that they also have a problem. I suspect, unfortunately, that older people have lower water consumption, and besides, we drain this water for them in pipes because we use it often - both in the morning and in the evening;
- we have hot water in the bathroom quickly only if other neighbors use - or have recently used - enough for them to be warm (I can see it by the temperature of the pipe);
- I bought a simple thermometer with a probe and for a long time the probe showed me the temperature of the hot water pipe (slightly above the point of intake to my premises). When using water, the pipe temperatures are around 40 degrees to a max of 48 from what I remember. Interestingly, I once observed how the same pipe cools down rapidly (to 36 degrees) while using the shower. But it was a one-time observation and after that - just for the record - I decided on a non-return valve. But the valve solved nothing;
- when the water is not pouring, the temperature drops (also during the day) to 23-26 degrees, and once at night it was 19 degrees. When I told the plumber about it, he said that it is not possible and that such temperature measurement is false because the pipe has its own heat capacity;
- many times - especially last year, I invaded the technical and construction department of our cooperative. They sent the same can't-can't plumber every time.
My suspicions
- it seems to me that it started when they changed the water levels in the estate (but I don't know if I remember it correctly - it was 4 years ago, and I didn't live here before);
-I don't know if it can be directly related to the beginning of the heating period because this year the problem started a few days before the temperature in the radiators was increased - although not long before;
- once I noticed that before the plumber comes to me on the first floor after reporting, he goes to the basement first - after that the hot water pipe became warm. So I don't know what he was doing there, but then I go crazy because when he enters the premises, there is hot water.
Please advice what to do to deal with this. Especially:
- what to include in the application (I heard about some building law, saying that after 2 liters of water it should be 50 degrees - please correct me if I'm wrong).
- to whom should the letter be addressed?
- I am afraid of a situation that after writing the letter, they will come to me from the cooperative with a thermometer, and then, for example, one of the apartments above me will drain cold water from the pipes (during normal use) and I do not really know how to protect myself against it. Possibly the plumber will bury something in the basement again...
I am asking for help, because I cannot afford another increase in fees for wasted water
I know that the issue does not quite fit into the department - hence my apologies - but this is probably the only department related to the hot water circuit.
I am asking you for help with reporting problems with hot water to the Lodz housing cooperative. I've reported it many times myself, but apparently I'm using the wrong arguments, because the plumber they send does literally nothing in the subject each time. It does not solve or even diagnose the problem. So this time, instead of reporting, I will go to them with a letter, but I want to put everything together and educate myself on the subject first.
Facts:
- The problem is no hot water. More specifically, draining large amounts of cold water, after which hot water appears. Of course, filling the hot water meter at the same time. In the morning it is calmly 10 liters, during the day it is a little better. The temperature of the drained water is really not suitable for brushing teeth, much less for bathing;
- it is the 2nd floor in a 4-story block, a block of large slabs from the 1970s;
- the installation shaft in the bathroom has 3 pipes (warm, cold and one so thin (circulation, I think) - the third one is usually lukewarm or cold);
- the problem is only in the bathroom - in the kitchen hot water appears quite quickly around the clock;
- the problem concerns the cold (autumn-winter) months - during this time it occurs every day with varying intensity;
- the problem is annual - since I live here it will be the third or fourth time;
- the problem disappears in the spring when it gets warmer;
- the plumber of the cooperative suggested that maybe someone's water was backing up in the battery mixer and that they should install non-return valves on hot water. I decided to do it myself, paying him 80 zlotys, but as far as I know, not all neighbors went for it;
- unfortunately, almost nobody young lives in the block, hence when I walked around the premises in my department, only in one case the residents confirmed that they also have a problem. I suspect, unfortunately, that older people have lower water consumption, and besides, we drain this water for them in pipes because we use it often - both in the morning and in the evening;
- we have hot water in the bathroom quickly only if other neighbors use - or have recently used - enough for them to be warm (I can see it by the temperature of the pipe);
- I bought a simple thermometer with a probe and for a long time the probe showed me the temperature of the hot water pipe (slightly above the point of intake to my premises). When using water, the pipe temperatures are around 40 degrees to a max of 48 from what I remember. Interestingly, I once observed how the same pipe cools down rapidly (to 36 degrees) while using the shower. But it was a one-time observation and after that - just for the record - I decided on a non-return valve. But the valve solved nothing;
- when the water is not pouring, the temperature drops (also during the day) to 23-26 degrees, and once at night it was 19 degrees. When I told the plumber about it, he said that it is not possible and that such temperature measurement is false because the pipe has its own heat capacity;
- many times - especially last year, I invaded the technical and construction department of our cooperative. They sent the same can't-can't plumber every time.
My suspicions
- it seems to me that it started when they changed the water levels in the estate (but I don't know if I remember it correctly - it was 4 years ago, and I didn't live here before);
-I don't know if it can be directly related to the beginning of the heating period because this year the problem started a few days before the temperature in the radiators was increased - although not long before;
- once I noticed that before the plumber comes to me on the first floor after reporting, he goes to the basement first - after that the hot water pipe became warm. So I don't know what he was doing there, but then I go crazy because when he enters the premises, there is hot water.
Please advice what to do to deal with this. Especially:
- what to include in the application (I heard about some building law, saying that after 2 liters of water it should be 50 degrees - please correct me if I'm wrong).
- to whom should the letter be addressed?
- I am afraid of a situation that after writing the letter, they will come to me from the cooperative with a thermometer, and then, for example, one of the apartments above me will drain cold water from the pipes (during normal use) and I do not really know how to protect myself against it. Possibly the plumber will bury something in the basement again...
I am asking for help, because I cannot afford another increase in fees for wasted water
