What to do if the batteries in the apartment are not heated: where to complain, how to recalculate

Often during the heating season, residents of apartment buildings are faced with the fact that the room temperature does not meet accepted standards or heat does not enter the apartments at all. Izvestia tells what to do if the batteries are not heating, where to complain about poor heating and how to recalculate for a poorly rendered service.

Sometimes in an apartment building, after turning on the heating, the batteries are slightly warm or completely cold. There are several reasons for this. If the radiator is warm, but the heat transfer from it is small, the problem may be in ordinary pollution. This can happen to radiators that have not been cleaned for many years.

The ball valve, which is located in the place where the pipe comes into contact with the radiator, can also be closed. If the faucet handle is perpendicular to the pipe, then the heat will not be able to enter the apartment. In addition to the faucet, many modern batteries are equipped with a thermostatic head, a device that controls the intensity of heat supply. You need to make sure that it works by turning it all the way in different directions. A failed device will have to be replaced.

Another common reason is the formation of an air plug. It's quite simple to find out that air has entered the battery: the pipes remain hot, and the radiator itself remains cold. The problem can be fixed using the Majewski valve. It is installed at the top of most modern batteries. To release the air, open the valve and drain the water. As soon as the water flows in a steady stream, the faucet can be closed. The heat will appear within 10-15 minutes.

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In addition, the batteries may be cold due to an accident, ongoing repairs, and seasonal heating shutdowns. Usually, heat stops flowing into apartments if the average daily air temperature stays above +8 degrees for five days. As explained by Svetlana Razvorotneva, Deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Construction and Housing and Communal Services, it is impossible to turn off the heating before this temperature mark.

As a rule, the shutdown occurs from the end of April to May. The beginning of the heating season begins in late September and the first half of October. The average heating period lasts eight months. At the same time, heating must be supplied constantly, the total break during the month cannot exceed 24 hours, and the room temperature must be at least +18 degrees, in corner rooms — at least +20.

Where to complain about poor heating

If the time to turn off the heating has not yet come, and the batteries in the apartment are poorly heated, you should contact the management company or directly to the service provider. The same should be done if the apartment is too hot during the heating season, or the service was provided with interruptions exceeding the time limits established by law.

The specialist should check the communications, record in writing the fact of the absence of heat, indicating specific indications (temperature), and, if necessary, fix the problem. If the problem is not with the batteries, but with a substandard service, then there are two weeks to eliminate the shortcomings.

An act is also drawn up in two copies during the visit. One copy remains with the apartment owner. The document is needed in order to apply for recalculation of heating fees and to apply to higher authorities. If the problem has not been resolved, the owner can file a complaint with the territorial department of the housing inspectorate or Rospotrebnadzor.

How to get a recalculation for heating

In case of constant heat outages in apartments, tenants have the right to request recalculation. To do this, you need to apply to the management company or the nearest MFC office. Of the basic documents, you will need a passport and an act of measuring the temperature in the apartment, which was carried out by the emergency team.

The cost of the service should be reduced by 0.15% for each hour of deviation when the temperature was below normal. The calculation is carried out separately for night and daytime hours, since during the day deviations to a lesser extent are unacceptable. At night, readings may deviate downwards, but not by more than three degrees Celsius.

The grounds and procedure for recalculation are prescribed in Government Decree No. 354 dated 05/06/2011 "On the provision of public utilities to owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings."

Is it possible to reduce heating bills

You can save on heating by using heat meters. Then the management company will calculate the tariffs based on the meter readings. But they should be installed in most apartment building residents. The decision is made at the general meeting of the owners. If the meters are installed without the consent of the neighbors, then it will not be possible to transmit the readings.

In apartments with a riser heating system, individual metering devices are installed on each radiator, and in case of apartment—by-apartment wiring, on the pipe entering the apartment. By adjusting the temperature, residents can reduce heating fees and save up to 15-20% of monthly payments.

Earlier, Izvestia wrote that Russia may introduce mandatory labeling of heating appliances.