Standards for air temperature in residential premises during the heating season
The standard indoor air temperature is specified in clause 15 of Section VI of Appendix No. 1 of the Rules for the Provision of Public Utilities of the Government of the Russian Federation Decree No. 354 dated 05/06/2011.
So, heating should provide the following indoor air temperature:
- +18 degrees (in all rooms except the corner);
- +20 degrees in a corner room.
In addition, if we are talking about an area characterized by a decrease in air temperature to –31 degrees and below, then in this case the following temperature conditions must be observed:
- +20 degrees (in all rooms except corners);
- +22 (in corner rooms).
Let's find out the reasons
If the thermal conditions in a residential area decrease, we have already found out where to turn. But you can try to figure this out on your own. If the temperature of the riser corresponds to the norm, but the battery does not, this indicates that hot water is not flowing into it.
In this case, you need to check the tap that allows access to the heating supply to the living space. Maybe they simply forgot to open the tap, or the riser was closed for technical reasons or as a result of an emergency.
Permissible interruptions in heat supply
According to the law, in some cases, temporary suspension of heating supply is allowed. However, these breaks should not exceed the officially established period, which is (clause 14 of Section VI of Appendix 1 of the above-mentioned Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation):
- no more than 24 hours (for 1 month),
- no more than 16 hours (at a time) provided that the air temperature in the room is +12 degrees or more;
- no more than 8 hours (at a time) at a temperature from +10 to +12 degrees;
- no more than 4 hours (at a time), if the room temperature is from +8 to +10 degrees.
Where can I complain if the batteries do not heat well?
Attention
The procedure for filing a complaint against the management company Before taking the last resort - going to court - the tenant must write a statement and send it to the local branch of Rospotrebnadzor. The paper must contain confirmation of facts of violation of the rights of a citizen as a consumer of services. It is necessary to write about the contradiction of violations on the part of the Criminal Code with the requirements of the Federal Law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights”.
It would be appropriate in the document to mention recalculation for poorly provided home heating services. It is necessary to end the official paper with the phrase that if measures are not taken on the stated requirements, the applicant will be forced to file a claim in court. Its essence lies in the demand for damages and compensation for moral damage.
The case may move forward when the application is also received by the local administration or the prosecutor's office.
Responsible for cold radiators in the apartment
As a general rule, responsibility for the provision of utility services of inadequate quality, including the supply of weak heating, lies with the body performing the functions of managing and maintaining the common property of an apartment building.
Depending on the method of managing a residential building chosen by the apartment owners, this may be:
- management company (MC),
- homeowners association (HOA),
- housing cooperative (LC), etc.
As a rule, premises owners enter into an agreement with the above-mentioned bodies for the supply of utilities.
The battery does not heat well
This may seem trivial, but first you should check whether there is hot water in the apartment, and whether the tap is locked to allow it to flow. Perhaps the riser is temporarily blocked due to an emergency or repair situation at one of the neighbors.
There are also frequent situations when the radiator in the apartment does not heat due to the fact that the residents on the top floor incorrectly installed the valve on the radiator. Thus, the temperature in their apartment will be very comfortable, but people living below will be left without heat.
Unfortunately, unprofessional plumbing work often causes cold radiators in neighboring apartments. Keep in mind that you have every civil right to contact the residents on the floor above with a simple question: how are things going with the heat in their home? If they make a mistake, housing and communal services will certainly restore justice.
Where to go if there are cold radiators in the apartment
The general procedure for identifying the fact of the supply of utilities ]low quality[/anchor], including poor heating, is described in detail in section X of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354.
To the dispatch or management company
First of all, you need to contact the organization that is directly responsible for the quality of supplied utility resources.
In accordance with paragraph 105 of the above-mentioned regulatory act, upon discovering cold batteries, the consumer must notify the emergency dispatch service, whose activities are organized by the management company. This can be done in writing or by telephone.
The employee receiving the call must register the complaint received in a special journal.
Upon receipt of a signal, an inspection must be carried out (no later than 2 hours from the moment the complaint is filed) and a corresponding report must be drawn up. In the future, on the basis of this document, the apartment owner will be able to demand from the management company a reduction in the heating fee (if, based on the results of the inspection, it is determined that the heating of the premises is carried out improperly).
To the housing inspection
If contacting the organization that manages the house does not bring the desired result, then the next step may be to write a complaint to the territorial housing inspectorate.
The main purpose of this government body is to provide supervision over the activities of companies operating in the housing and communal services sector.
The complaint should be prepared in writing, describing in detail the essence of the problem that has arisen. You can send the finished document to the addressee in several ways:
- via the feedback form on the GZHI website;
- send by email;
- bring it in personally;
- send via GIS Housing and Communal Services.
Upon receipt of a signal, employees of the State Housing Inspectorate will be required to conduct an inspection, bring the perpetrators to justice and oblige them to fulfill the requirements put forward by the utility consumer whose rights have been violated.
Possible causes of cold radiators
Guided by signs indicating the nature of the deviation from the norm, you can determine the malfunction of the heating system yourself or involve specialists. There are several such situations.
Incorrect radiator connection
The most common mistake in installing radiators is the incorrect position of the bypass valve. This is a piece of pipe to connect the forward and return lines. If the shut-off valve is open, the coolant flows through the bypass to the “return”, bypassing the heating battery, and it does not heat.
Incorrect placement of the bypass valve prevents hot water from flowing through all sections of the radiator.
Other reasons causing the lack of hot water in the system are:
- improper selection of pipes and fittings for the heating system of an apartment building,
- incorrect combination of the type of boiler and radiator,
- non-compliance with slopes.
A diagram of incorrect connection of the inlet and outlet pipes of a heating radiator, in which half of the radiator sections remain cold.
There may also be no heating in the apartment due to problems with the circulation pump or expansion tank. Very old pipelines, shut-off valves, heating devices and a non-working Mayevsky tap can also be the cause of circumstances when the radiators do not heat and the temperature in an apartment building is low.
Clogged radiator and heating system piping
The situation when cold batteries are observed with a hot riser indicates that the system is clogged and this prevents it from filling with hot water. But if the riser is cold, it means the fault is located outside the apartment.
A blockage formed a plug that prevented the free movement of hot water in the radiator compartments.
If there is uneven heating, when the radiator is cold at the bottom and hot at the top, the cause of the malfunction is insufficient hot water pressure due to clogging of the heating device.
Formation of an air lock in the radiator
The cause of cold radiators in the heating network can be air pockets in the devices. In such a situation, the upper part of the battery is cold, and the lower part is warmer. The same reason can cause a lack of heating in the last section of the battery.
Manual bleeding of air from the heating system using a valve installed in the radiator plug.
Shut-off valve devices for bleeding air from the network are Mayevsky valves, the standard name of which is needle radiator air valves, developed by engineer Mayevsky. Opening and closing the valve when removing the plug is carried out using a special key.
Poor heating in the apartment: what to do and where to complain
Info
Based on the results of the inspection, an act is drawn up in two copies, one of which is handed over to the owner of the apartment. If the temperature readings are below normal, the management company must immediately take measures to eliminate the problem, which is usually resolved within 7 days. 3 If utility services for some reason were unable to provide assistance, then you can complain about the unsatisfactory operation of the heating systems by calling the hotline. The operator on duty will definitely give the necessary clarifications on all questions of interest and even advise where to go in a given situation.
It should be noted that the operation of the equipment and the operators themselves is constantly monitored. In addition, incoming calls and responses from specialists are recorded on a special device.
Temperature standards in the apartment
First, let's figure out how warm the apartment should be according to established standards. According to state standards, the optimal temperature in a living room is 20-22 degrees, but 18 degrees is allowed.
If during the heating season the temperature drops below normal, you need to look for the reason. It can be different, but most often it is due to the fact that the batteries do not heat up enough.
Who should be responsible for replacing or repairing unusable batteries?
How to find someone responsible for battery maintenance and repair?
Now that all readers of our resource understand who owns the heating radiators in apartment buildings and under what circumstances, we can also consider the procedures relating to their repair or replacement.
In fact, the situation in this matter is outrageously simple - whose battery is responsible for it, or rather, undertakes:
- repair and replace in a timely manner;
- monitor its condition in order to prevent emergency situations;
- when the latter occur, eliminate the resulting consequences (for example, compensate for material damage to residents below who suffered from a break in the old radiator).
It is worth noting that if the actual owner does not want to repair or change the faulty battery, his opponent in legal relations has every right to go to court, which will resolve all controversial issues.
When resorting to judicial debate on the “battery” issue in the MKD, it is important to take into account that the judicial body, when rendering a verdict, will focus specifically on the previously mentioned radiator valve. Therefore, if you are in a disadvantageous position, suing is not only pointless, but truly stupid.
This is largely due to the fact that the court verdict obliges the losing party not only to repair the battery, but also to reimburse all expenses of his opponent in legal proceedings that were incurred during the legal debate. Are you interested in this prospect? Most likely no.
Who is responsible for heating the apartment and supplying heat?
We recommend: Why heating radiators make noise in an apartment: causes and solutions
In addition to the nuances presented above, the “radiator” issue in MKD has one more feature.
It consists of the procedure for replacing batteries. Many apartment building residents are interested in whether they have the right to spontaneously hold this event or not?
To better understand the essence of this procedure, let's look at the order of its implementation for two possible outcomes of events:
- The first option is the owner of the battery, the owner of the apartment. In this situation, the latter has every right to change radiators at his own discretion, but to carry out this procedure he must:
- Notify about future replacement of the Criminal Code;
- Coordinate with the expert the procedure, since making major changes to the configuration of the heating system of an apartment building, even in a separate apartment, requires obtaining a special permit from the government agency authorized in urban planning activities.
After carrying out the above measures, the owner of the apartment can carry out a replacement, naturally, at his own expense.
- The second option is that the battery is in common ownership and either the management company or the homeowners’ association is responsible for its operation. In this case, in addition to the previously presented measures, authorized persons must obtain written permission from the apartment owners to replace the radiator. The exception is situations when the battery is in poor condition and may burst at any time; in such circumstances, permission from the owners is not required.
As you can see, answering most of the questions that arise regarding “radiator” disputes in MKD is not so difficult if you know some of the legislative nuances of this topic. We hope the material presented above was useful to you. Good luck in defending your rights!
You can learn how to replace heating batteries by watching the video:
Watch this video on YouTube
What else can you do in the fight for warmth?
You can fight the cold in more economical ways. You can keep your apartment warm by observing the following conditions:
- When cold weather sets in, hang thick curtains. If you close them after dark and open them early in the morning, they will act as a heat insulator and block access to cold air flows.
- Partially cover the ventilation holes with thick paper.
- Buy electrical appliances: heater, blanket, cape, heating pad. Modern heating devices are ergonomic, safe and do not consume a lot of electricity.
- Open bathroom doors after bathing.
- Attach foil material between the wall and the radiator, which will reflect heat and direct it into the room.
- Leave the oven door open after cooking.
The warmth of your loved one can truly, with all your heart, warm you during the cold season. Hug more often, warm each other, and then you won’t be afraid of any cold.
The heating season is in full swing, but batteries can't save you? Let's figure out where to complain if it's cold in the apartment.
