Many users face the problem when the hot water that should come out of the tap does not meet expectations and it is barely warm. In such a situation, you need to protect your interests and write a complaint.
We will tell you further about what are the requirements for hot water, what temperature will be optimal, as well as how to write a claim for a poor-quality service.

Hot water temperature standards in an apartment building

The current standards establish that the temperature of the water in the room, which is supplied to the dwellings of Russians living in apartment buildings, must be at least 60 C.

In this case, the legislator establishes a restriction. So, the standard is valid for those citizens whose homes are connected to the centralized hot water supply (DHW) system. Also, the law determines the permissible deviations from the minimum norm. They depend on the time of day.

So, in the period from 00-00 to 05-00 it is allowed that the water temperature in the apartment may be 5 C lower, while in the remaining time the deviation should not exceed 3 C.

Therefore, based on the valid rules, during the daytime the temperature hot water can be 57 C, and at night - at least 55 degrees.

2019 SNIP and GOST standard

Speaking about hot water supply in a private house (apartment), the first thing to remember is the current regulations concerning this topic. The basic one is SNiP 2.04.01-85. In 2013, the Ministry of Regional Development determined adjustments to this standard, which were included in its composition under the name SP 30.13330.2012.

Note that the designated act is extended, has sanitary installations, and affects not only hot water supply issues, but also internal water supply and sewerage systems used for apartment buildings. Rusty and poor-quality water is also mentioned here.

This standard determines that regarding the permissible DHW temperature, it is necessary to be guided by the provisions of GOST 2874-82. The following rules are indicated here:

• in centralized hot water supply systems connected to open heat supply systems at the point of intake, the optimal water temperature does not fall below 60 C;
• for centralized hot water supply connected to closed heat supply systems, the minimum rate is 50 C;
• the maximum value of the water heating temperature for all heat supply systems is 75 C.

2019 SanPin standard

One of the key legislative acts that establish rules regarding hot water supply is the current SanPin 2.1.2496-09. The standard was approved by the Resolution of the Chief Sanitary Doctor of Russia No. 20 dated 04/07/2009. It has deep connections with other regulations.

The specified regulatory framework defines the maximum and minimum limits of the permissible water temperature in apartment building. So, the maximum value is 75 C, and the minimum is 60 C. At the same time, the legislator establishes some allowable norms deviations, which, depending on the time of day, are 3-5 degrees.

At the entrance to the house, the temperature of the supplied water, respectively, may be slightly higher. This is logical, because in the pipeline networks of the house, it can cool down!

Measuring the temperature of hot water in an apartment: rules

If the user intends to check the quality of the provided hot water supply service, he can measure the temperature of the water. Based on the data received, the citizen has the right to file a claim with the service provider if the temperature does not meet the current standards.

For measuring the temperature of hot water, certain rules apply. Consumers need to take action. The order will be as follows:

• the tap opens and left for 5 minutes. This is necessary in order for the water to glass, otherwise the indicator will be too high;
• you should take a container into which water is poured. The neck of the container must be wide to accommodate the measuring device;
• the temperature is measured, the container is placed under the stream of water in such a way that excess water constantly drains from the glass;
• a measuring device is installed in the center of the container, fixing temperature regime;
• the results obtained should be recorded and compared with the current regulatory recommendations.

Why is the temperature below normal

Hot water problems often affect consumers. Many users do not know how to protect their interests in such a situation, and continue to pay at the established rates of management companies.

If we talk about the causes of the problem, then they can be divided into several categories:

1. Circumstances that have a legislative explanation. The law allows lowering the temperature of hot water in taps if new heating systems are being tested, or suppliers are introducing new requirements for the technical equipment of the plumbing system. When introducing new equipment, the state will not impose sanctions against violators.
2. Repair operations. The hot water supply system periodically needs repair and reconstruction, which may cause water supply problems. If this happens, the temperature of the warm water may drop, or the water will disappear altogether. However, the management company must inform consumers about this in advance.
3. Consumer deception and fraud. The management or resource supplying company deliberately lowers the temperature of the water, providing a service of inadequate quality, in an effort to reduce the cost of heating it. Thus, they violate applicable laws and will be held accountable.

What if the temperature of hot water in the apartment is below normal, where to go?

If the water temperature does not meet the established standards, if it is not hot enough, the consumer can apply for a recalculation. In this situation, you need to pay attention to the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354 of 05/06/2011. Here the further actions of the dissatisfied consumer are prescribed.

So, according to the document, the user will have to act as follows:

1. If the consumer finds that the temperature of the water in his tap does not meet the requirements and has significant deviations, he needs to notify the representatives of the supplier company and the management company about the problem. The notification can be either verbal or written.
2. The dispatcher who accepts the appeal records the fact of dissatisfaction. Note that he is obliged to do several actions, in particular, introduce himself, name his position. The appeal is recorded, after which the user is informed of the number of his complaint.
3. The consumer must clearly state the essence of the complaint to the dispatcher (lack of water in the pipes, low temperature, etc.), indicate his personal data, and also indicate the contacts by which he can be contacted to clarify the situation.
4. If the dispatcher is aware of the existing problems, he will give preliminary justifications. If he does not have exact information, the employee will inform the applicant about the upcoming measurement procedure, which is agreed with the consumer.
5. Based on the results of verification operations (measurements take place in the presence of the consumer), an act is drawn up in 2 copies. One of them is transferred to the applicant, and the second remains with the company receiving the appeal. If the measurement results do not meet the requirements of the consumer, he has the right to insist on taking measurements by independent experts.

Who is responsible for the hot water in the apartment

Principles in force concerning the problem of mismatched water temperature in DHW in residential buildings, establish that the management companies and HOAs, which are the actual subscribers and recipients of the GVS service, will be responsible in this situation. Also, the area of ​​responsibility includes direct service providers - resource supplying organizations.

If there are any complaints about the quality of the hot water supplied in the water supply system, the dissatisfied consumer has the right to file a complaint with the representatives of the management company, or directly with the supplier.

How to write a complaint

The legislator establishes a number of mandatory requirements that must be taken into account when filing a complaint by a dissatisfied consumer in the housing sector. So, if a citizen is not satisfied with the quality of the hot water supply service, and believes that the water temperature is low and does not meet the standards, he will have to pay attention to the following points:

• the application can be written by hand, or typed on a computer;
• in the upper left corner, you must indicate the current information of the applicant, including name, address of residence and contact information for communication;
• you need to indicate the name of the organization to which the complaint is sent and which is convicted of non-compliance with the current requirements. If the user knows an official dealing with problems of this type, it will be necessary to indicate that the complaint is directed to the name of a specific specialist (for example, the city of Moscow, Ivanov I.I., the chief specialist for housing and communal services of the company "Your All");
• in the main part of the appeal, you need to indicate the reasons that prompted you to make a claim (not provided services for the supply of hot water), report the essence of the problem and attempts to solve it. The consumer must indicate when and where he applied with a request to pay attention to the problem, and what answer was given to him by the representatives of the Criminal Code or the resource supplying structure. It is advisable to make references to the valid standards;
• after writing the main part of the claim, you must indicate all the attached documents, including the results of measurements made by independent experts or employees of the Criminal Code, witness testimony, information that determines the epidemiological threshold of water safety, etc.;
• the date of writing the complaint is indicated, and the applicant leaves a personal signature with a transcript.

The application receives a personal code by which the user can track its further progress

Application for recalculation of payment for hot water of inadequate quality

The application for recalculation has the form established by law, you can study the current sample of the document and you can download it. ⇐

Recalculation for hot water deviation from the norm, degrees, formula

If the consumer has up-to-date information regarding the valid standards for water temperature, he has the right to file a claim with utilities in an effort to protect his interests.

Note that the legislator establishes a number of penalties for violators.
According to the provisions of Article 7.23 FZ-195, officials will be punished with a fine of 500-1000 rubles, legal entities - 5-10 thousand rubles. More serious penalties are planned in the future.

The recalculation is carried out according to a specific formula. Thus, the legislator established that during the period when hot water did not reach optimal temperature, the consumer will pay at the rate typical for cold water(recalculation methodology). In this case, the formula establishes the recalculation is carried out taking into account 0.1% for every 3 degrees of deviation from the norm.

Allocation example

To analyze the situation, we will give an example of the following type. The hot water temperature is 53 degrees (the hot water system is open) and this value was observed during the calendar month. Therefore, for this period, the payment should have been calculated at the tariff for cold water. The consumer consumed 3 cubic meters of hot water at the rate of 100 rubles per cubic meter. At the same time, the cold water tariff is 30 rubles per cubic meter. Therefore, instead of the required 30 * 3 = 90 rubles, the amount of the fee was 100 * 3 = 300 rubles. They are obliged to return 300-90 = 210 rubles.

According to sanitary standards, hot water from the tap must be from 60 to 75 * C. If the water temperature is less than 60 * C, then recalculation must be required.

17.03.2011 I call the control room with a requirement to measure the temperature of the water. According to the government decree of 06.05.2011 N354 "On the provision of commercial services to owners and users" the procedure should be as follows:

106. Notification of a violation of the quality of a utility service can be made by the consumer in writing or orally (including by phone) and is subject to mandatory registration by the emergency dispatch service. In this case, the consumer is obliged to provide his last name, first name and patronymic, the exact address of the premises where the violation of the quality of the utility service was detected and the type of such utility service. An employee of the emergency dispatch service is obliged to inform the consumer about the person who received the consumer's message (last name, first name and patronymic), the number for which the consumer's message is registered, and the time of its registration.

107. If the employee of the emergency dispatching service of the contractor knows the reasons for the violation of the quality of the utility service, he is obliged to immediately inform the customer who applied to it and make an appropriate note in the message log.

108. If the employee of the emergency dispatch service of the contractor is not aware of the reasons for the violation of the quality of the utility service, he is obliged to agree with the consumer the date and time for checking the fact of violation of the quality of the utility service.

109. Upon completion of the inspection, an inspection report is drawn up. [...] The act of verification is drawn up in the number of copies according to the number of interested persons participating in the verification, signed by such persons (their representatives), 1 copy of the act is transferred to the consumer (or his representative), the second copy remains with the performer, the remaining copies are transferred to interested parties participating in the verification.

In fact, it turns out that ZhEU-54 does not have such a practice. For example, a suitable form is not provided:

COMPLAINT about refusal to recalculate the payment for hot water.

On March 17, 2011, at my request due to the low temperature of the hot water supply, the chief engineer of ZhEU-54 LLC Khayretdinova Kh.Kh. the temperature of hot water in the bathroom and in the kitchen was measured.

After 5 minutes of draining hot water, the temperature of the pipes was measured. Since in the bathroom hot water in the tap comes from the heated towel rail pipe, the temperature in the act is designated as "return temperature (n / s): 40.5 * C". Measurements of hot water in the kitchen in the act are designated as "hot water supply temperature: 50 * C".

Provided for by clause 74 of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 23, 2006 N 307 "On the procedure for providing public services to citizens", the temperature was re-measured only on April 12. The hot water temperature in the bathroom was 44 * C.

To my request to recalculate the payment for hot water supply, a response was received from 11.04.2011 No. 766 with the following content: "according to the act, the hot water supply temperature is 50 * C, the temperature in the bathroom was not measured. DHW temperature corresponds to the normative values, no recalculation is made. "Thus, among other things, there is a discrepancy in the answer with the fact that the temperature of hot water in the bathroom was measured and was equal to 40.5 * С

I disagreed with this decision and on April 19 sent a repeated request, in which I demanded to recalculate in accordance with clause 6 of Appendix No. 1 of Rules 307. In reply No. 864 dated 25.04.2011, all my arguments were ignored and again there was only a reference to clause 5 of Appendix No. 1 of Regulation 307.

I insist that the recalculation should be carried out in accordance with paragraph 6 of Appendix No. 1 of Rules 307, since there is a violation of sanitary standards and the presence of paragraph 5 of Appendix No. 1 of Rules 307 does not mean that the management company has the right to violate sanitary standards.

So, according to SanPiN 2.1.4.2496-09:
1.2 These sanitary rules are binding on all legal entities, individual entrepreneurs whose activities are related to the organization and (or) provision of centralized hot water supply systems.
2.4. The temperature of hot water at the points of draw-off, regardless of the heat supply system used, must be at least 60 ° C and not higher than 75 ° C.

According to clause 6 of Appendix No. 1 of the Rules "On the procedure for providing utilities citizens ", approved by the RF Government Decree of May 23, 2006 N 307, one of the requirements for the quality of public services in terms of hot water supply is the constant compliance of the composition and properties of hot water with sanitary norms and rules.

The fact that such an indicator as water temperature refers to the properties of water follows from the interpretation in the aggregate of the provisions of SanPiN 2.1.4.2496-09 (in particular, paragraph 2.1.) And Regulation 307 (paragraph 6 of Appendix No. 1).

According to clause 6 of Appendix No. 1 of Rules 307, it is stipulated that a deviation of the composition and properties of hot water from sanitary norms and rules is not allowed, if the composition and properties of water do not comply with sanitary norms and rules, the fee is not paid for each day of the provision of public services of inadequate quality (regardless of the indications metering devices).

In addition, the requirement of SanPiN 2.1.4.2496-09 to comply with a hot water temperature of at least 60 * C does not contradict, but only toughens the requirement of paragraph 5 of Appendix No. 1 of Rules 307, according to which the hot water temperature must be at least 50 * C for closed systems district heating.

I BEG:
1) to bring JSC "UZHKH Kalininsky district of the urban district of Ufa RB" to administrative responsibility under Part 2 of Art. 14.4 Administrative Code and Art. 6.4 Administrative Code
2) issue an order to recalculate the payment for hot water supply for March in accordance with paragraph 6 of Appendix No. 1 of Rules 307, considering the period for the provision of public services of inadequate quality from March 17 at 10:00 to March 31 at 24:00
3) due to the fact that the answer to my request of April 19 was issued only on April 25, I ask you to warn OJSC "UZHKH Kalininsky district of the city district of Ufa RB" about the inadmissibility of violating the requirements of paragraph 49, subparagraph "I" of rules 307, according to to which a notice of acceptance of this requirement and subsequent satisfaction or refusal to satisfy it, indicating the reasons for refusal, must be sent to the applicant within two working days, otherwise it is possible to initiate an administrative case under Part 1 of Article 14.8 of the Administrative Code
4) due to the fact that SanPiN 2.1.4.2496-09 does not provide for standards according to which a deviation of the water temperature during the first minutes would be allowed, please explain to LLC "ZhEU-54" that the water temperature should be measured without first draining the water. *

* Later it turned out that for measuring the water temperature, a three-minute water drain is still provided

10.05.2011 a whole delegation comes to measure the temperature of the water: a representative of the Federal Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare, an employee of the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in the Republic of Bashkortostan, the chief engineer of ZhEU-54, two important representatives of the Kalinin UZHKh.

23.05.2011 the answer comes from Rospotrebnadzor:


1.06.2011 ULC informs:

Receipt comes:

16.06.2011 just in case, I am writing a statement asking you to explain exactly how the recalculation was calculated:

In accordance with clause 49 (subparagraph "p") of the RF government decree "on the procedure for providing public utilities to citizens" dated May 23, 2006 N 307, I PLEASE provide documents confirming the correctness of the recalculation of the payment for hot water supply in the receipt to payable for June 2011

21.06.2011 UZHH sends a letter to the ERCC:

21.06.2011 ERCC issues a certificate. The text is hard to read, but the bottom line is that the size of the return was calculated using the formula: (<Тариф горячей воды> - <Тариф холодной воды>) * <Объём горячей воды> * (<количество дней с температурой ниже 60 *С> / <количестве дней в месяце>)

1. SanPin: http://www.rg.ru/2009/05/22/sanpin-dok.html
2. Old regulation: http://base.consultant.ru/cons/cgi/online.cgi?req=doc;base=LAW;n=114260
3. New regulation:

According to the rules of SanPiN (2.1.4.2496-09) for an apartment, the temperature of hot water in an apartment building from a tap is within the range of 60 ° C-75 ° C, regardless of the heating system. Decree (No. 354-PP RF) allows deviation:

• at night - within 5 ° C (0.00-5.00),
• during the day - within 3 ° C (5.00-00.00).

The temperature of the water in the batteries determines the temperature standard for the premises, which is –18 ° С for the living room, kitchen and separate toilet, corner room- 20 ° С, bathroom - 25 ° С. In the daytime, a deviation towards a decrease in a residential building is not allowed, at night - within 3 ° C, and in the direction of an increase - it is limited to 4 ° C. At the same time, if the temperature regime is not observed, the consumer has the right to count on a reduction in the amount of payment. However, for this it is necessary to correctly measure and take into account a number of statutory requirements.
Legislative requirements

The lower temperature limit for hot water supply, according to SanPiN, is due to:

• prevention of infection by viruses and bacteria (in particular Legionella Pneumophila), which in an environment with
• minimizing chloroform content,
• prevention of skin diseases and pathological changes in the subcutaneous tissue.

If the temperature deviates by more than the permissible limit, for every 3 ° C the amount of payment during the violation period is reduced every hour by 0.1%. This time is calculated by the sum of time during the billing period. If the temperature measurements show a value below 40 ° C, payment for DHW is made according to cold water tariffs.

A possible break in the hot water supply, after which the amount of payment for each hour will be reduced by 0.15%, is:

• per month - 8 hours in total,
• at a time - 4 hours,
• on a dead-end highway in case of an accident - 24 hours.

For heating, for each hour of deviation from the norm and exceeding the permissible break, the payment is reduced by 0.15%, and the permissible break itself is:

• per month - 24 hours in total,
• at a time - depending on the temperature of the living quarters: 4 hours (8-10 ° C), 8 hours (10-12 ° C) and 16 hours (from + 12 ° C).

Detection of violation of the established temperature regime

To correctly determine compliance with the standard parameters at the point of draw-off (for example, from a tap), cooled water is drained from the pipeline within 3 minutes (no more). It is assumed that the control measurement is made into a glass, where a thermometer with a scale of at least 100 ° C is then lowered. The presence of water-saving devices, similar to the modernized aerators (http://water-save.com/), does not affect the measurement quality.

Heating quality control is carried out:

• in the largest living room,
• at a height of a meter and at a distance of half a meter from the battery,
• in the center of the planes half a meter away from the outer wall, and in the center of the room.

Owner's rights in case of deviation from the temperature range

For apartment buildings and residential buildings, the Rules governing the provision of utilities in clause 31 determine that the service company must carry out maintenance of engineering systems and recalculate for improper or untimely provision of services. That is, in the event of a violation of the temperature regime, the owners do not have to pay to eliminate the causes of this violation.

If the state of heating or hot water supply differs from that in apartments in residential buildings in excess of the agreed tolerances and presents a systemic problem, the consumer can:

1. Inform the service organization about the problem and find out about its causes. In this case, it is advisable to record the appeal and data of the executor receiving the information.
2. In the absence of measures taken, apply to government agencies in order to initiate an audit (in accordance with Article 33 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation). For violations of communal standards, a fine is provided (Art. 7.23 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).
3. Fix the deadlines for receiving a response and eliminating the violation. Within 30 days, the official must send a response to citizens' appeals. (In the case of sending an appeal by mail, you must add the postage time). The absence of an answer threatens the official with a fine (Article 5.59 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). The deadlines for correcting violations are not the same for different houses, however, on average, it is 45 days.
4. Increase the flow of similar calls to increase the likelihood of execution. Relatives or friends can write, even if they do not live in the house.
5. Contact the prosecutor's office in the absence of actions aimed at rectifying the situation on the part of authorized persons.

If the correction process is launched, then a commission (an employee of the REU and a representative of the heating network) must come to the consumer after the appeal to confirm the fact-reason for the appeal and draw up the corresponding act. After the problems are eliminated, another act is drawn up confirming this.

As you know, apartments in multi-storey city buildings are most often supplied with hot water coming from the central water supply system. This service is an integral part of ensuring the comfort of living in multi-apartment buildings. Perhaps many residents do not know, but the temperature of the water supplied to the end points of consumption is not a whim of the boiler house workers or clerks of the heat supply organization, but a standardized value established by the relevant legislative acts.

However, unfortunately, the temperature of hot water does not always correspond to the established standards, which leads not only to serious inconveniences, but even sometimes creates certain risks to human health. Therefore, you should not treat such violations passively, since they can lead to negative consequences, and the perpetrators will not bear any responsibility.

So, this publication has the goal of providing information on what the standard for the temperature of hot water is set - what to do in case of non-compliance with the standards, and where to contact on this issue.

Hot water in a house or apartment has long been not considered a "luxury" - it is a necessary "attribute" of the life of a modern person. However, it sometimes happens that a housing company, which has undertaken to monitor the hot water supply at home, does not always fulfill its duties in good faith (paid, by the way, by the tenants themselves). In this regard, the owners or tenants of apartments have a fair question about what is the reason for these violations of the established temperature standards.

All apartment owners in high-rise buildings are well aware that hot water is sold to consumers for a much higher price than cold water. If the hot water supply is maintained within the established SanPiN temperatures, then hot water is diluted with a large amount of cold water, resulting in a warm, most acceptable for the human body. That is, in this case, hot water is used much less, and you will not have to pay so much for it either. But when the water from the hot water supply pipes is initially warm, then there is no need to dilute it with cold water, and in this option the tenants pay for it as for a full-fledged hot one, respectively, and the amount in the payment will be much higher.

However, an unreasonably increased payment is not yet the biggest drawback of unheated water. There are also more serious risks that can negatively affect the health of people, especially those with weakened immunity.

In the Russian Federation, as in all civilized countries of the world, certain standards for the provision of public services have been developed, legally approved and applied in practice. This list includes, among other things, the quality of water supply, cold and hot.

In the Russian Federation, standardized standards for hot water supply to residential buildings are spelled out:

- in the "Sanitary and Epidemiological Rules and Regulations" (SanPiN 4723-88 "Sanitary Rules for the Construction and Operation of Centralized Hot Water Supply Systems");

- in the "Rules for the provision of communal services to owners and users of residential premises in multi-apartment and residential buildings", which are approved by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354 of 06.05.2011.

According to them:

• The norm of the indicator of the temperature of hot water at the outlet (on consumption devices) in apartments connected to the central water supply is in the range from 60 to 75 degrees.
• In addition, a small clarification exception has been made. So, for houses connected to a closed heating system (with wiring from galvanized pipes and heated water in boilers), the water temperature should be at least 50 degrees, with an upper limit of 60 degrees. This is usually stipulated in the contracts for the provision of the corresponding services.

Here it is necessary to clarify that the temperature of hot water should not depend on the time of year - it should always be within the specified standard range. The permissible deviations have been agreed, but even then they concern only the time of day. So, in the daytime, deviation from the specified range (up or down) within three degrees will not be considered a violation, at night (it is considered, by the way, from 0.00 to 5.00) - five degrees.

There are several other temporary exceptions stipulated by legislative documents, when the heating rate can be reduced, or the hot water supply can be suspended. Such situations include the following points:

• Carrying out preventive scheduled work, in which in various nodes of the communication network, problems that have arisen during the operation of the system are eliminated.
• Emergence of an emergency on one of the sections of the line or failure of equipment at pumping stations.

At the same time, such situations cannot last indefinitely - the rules also provide for temporary norms for interrupting the supply of hot water supply:

• No more than eight hours (in total) per month.
• No longer than four hours in a row.
• No longer than a day in the event of a serious accident.

In accordance with the above-mentioned guidance documents, the organization responsible for the provision of utilities to consumers is obliged, on its own or with the involvement of other persons or companies, to provide maintenance of engineering systems inside the house, with the help of which the services established by the concluded contracts are provided. In addition, this organization must recalculate tariffs for poorly provided utilities or their provision with interruptions that exceed the permissible duration.

For example, if the accident was not eliminated within 24 hours, the tenants of the house (in the absence of meters) have the right to recalculate the payment for hot water for certain days of a given month.

What is the significance of the temperature norms of hot water supply?

Controlling the temperature of hot water supply is important, as mentioned above, not only for economic reasons, but also from the standpoint of preserving the health of residents, which especially concerns children and people with disabilities or chronic diseases. Therefore, the water temperature indicators should not exceed the permissible threshold or be below the norm.

• The first thing to consider is that the temperature can often be not only low, but also exceed the established norms, and this creates a considerable risk of burns. To eliminate the likelihood of such damage, mixers are installed, with the help of which the desired water temperature is set. Each user should remember what temperatures and how they can affect the human skin:

- + 50 ° C - partial burns are possible with exposure duration of 90 seconds or more;

- + 55 ° C - the same situation, but a burn occurs in 15 seconds;

- + 60 ° C - probably thermal damage to the skin when exposed for 5 seconds;

- + 65 ° C - severe skin burn in 2 seconds;

- + 70 ° C - immediate severe and deep burns of the skin and adjacent tissues.

This information must be taken into account if there is a small child in the apartment - you should consider excluding the likelihood of his uncontrolled access to hot water taps.

• The lowered temperature of the incoming "hot" water is not only its excessive consumption and other household inconveniences, but also a prerequisite for the emergence of a whole series of unpleasant situations. In particular, in the closed space of pipes, when the temperature set by the standards is lowered, a favorable environment is created for the appearance and reproduction of various bacteria that can cause temporary intoxication in a person or even acute or chronic diseases.

A typical representative of such pathogenic microflora is the legionella bacterium, whose favorable habitat, development and reproduction of which is precisely warm fresh water. This microorganism is a gram-negative bacillus, no more than 3 microns in size.

These microorganisms feel great in warm water, and also willingly settle in air conditioners and low-temperature heating systems. Legionella is capable of causing a variety of diseases, flesh to lung infections and pneumonia with associated complications. This bacterium can enter the human body while taking a bath, shower, washing or brushing teeth, as well as when eating from dishes that were washed with insufficiently heated water.

If the water meets the standards, then it is heated to higher temperatures, which minimizes the risk of contamination of consumers. So, heated to 80 ÷ 90 degrees in central water supply boilers, water practically goes through the process of complete thermal disinfection.

The effect of temperature on the pathogenic microorganism discussed above is approximately as follows:

- Water below + 20˚С: the bacterium is inactive - it does not multiply, but it does not die either.

- + 25 ÷ 45˚С: the most favorable temperature for the development and reproduction of Legionella.

- + 55˚С: if this temperature is continuously maintained, then these microorganisms die in 5 ÷ 6 hours.

- + 60˚С: the death of the entire colony of bacteria occurs within 30 ÷ 35 minutes.

- + 65˚C - Legionella dies within 2 minutes.

How to achieve quality hot water services?

Monitoring compliance with temperature standards for hot water

So, in order to be able to achieve the restoration of the quality of the provision of such utilities, so that there is an opportunity to save in payment by making claims to the hot water supplier, it is necessary to periodically measure temperature. Moreover, this check should be performed correctly, since a deviation from the established algorithm for its implementation will lead to a possible non-recognition of the result obtained.

The measurement procedure consists of four stages and is carried out in the following order:

• The first step is to prepare a glass or other container and a thermometer for measuring the temperature of the water, which has a scale of up to 100 degrees. Attention - mercury thermometers for such measurements in residential premises are unacceptable.
• After that, the hot water tap opens completely.
• Further, it is required to wait 3 ÷ 4 minutes until the cooled stagnant liquid flows out of the pipeline (although, in theory, with a properly adjusted circulation of the central hot water supply, there should be practically no stagnant sections).
• After water with a uniform temperature comes out of the tap, it must be drawn into a glass, which is installed directly under the stream.
• Next, a thermometer is installed in a glass filled with hot water. When the indicators are fixed on it, that is, the bar (arrow) stops rising, the value must be recorded.

Requirement to recalculate or change the tariffication of the service

If measurements regularly carried out throughout the day show that the temperature differs from the standard by more than 3 degrees, then the management company can be required to eliminate the violations, and if such elimination is not possible at the moment, then the hot water tariff (provision discounts on payment).

This rate reduction is 0.1% per hour for every three "missing" degrees. Well, if the temperature of the incoming so-called "hot" water is below +40 degrees, then payment for the service should be made in general at the rate of cold water supply.

However, such a reduction in payment is possible only if the temperature indicators were not only recorded by the consumer, but also documented. Unfortunately, employees of organizations responsible for hot water supply practically do not engage in constant monitoring of the temperature state of water, and even when contacting them with relevant claims, they are obviously reluctant to carry out such monitoring.

Therefore, before contacting the management company, very often tenants independently calculate the required discount. Similar calculations are performed after taking temperature readings for several days:

• For this, the number of days in which there was a decrease in the temperature of hot water is taken - this number must be divided by the number of days in a month.
• The resulting result is multiplied by the established tariff for hot water supply. This value will become the discount that will have to be deducted from the total monthly rate.

Thanks to independent calculations, it would seem that it is possible to control the recalculation that the management company will do. But in reality, everything turns out to be much more complicated. Therefore, in order to achieve a reduction in invoices for payment, after self-measuring the indicators, the following actions must be taken:

• The first step is to call the emergency service to inform the dispatcher that water is entering the house that has a temperature that does not meet the standards. The dispatcher who accepts the appeal must register it under a certain number, which must be remembered, or better written down. In addition, it would be reasonable to record the name of the employee who accepted the application and the time of its submission.

It is possible that the responsible employee is already aware of the reasons that caused temporary deviations from the norms of hot water supply and can inform when everything will be restored. If not, then we seek the truth further.

• Upon the received appeal, within a few days, the management company must send an inspector or another of its representatives, who, after making sure of the accuracy of the information, draws up an act on the inadequate quality of water.
• In the event that the employees of the managing organization are "in no hurry" to visit the house to figure out the reasons, the act can be drawn up independently, inviting several neighbors, who must sign the document, thereby certifying the data received.

Such a document is recognized as legally significant, therefore, on its basis, it is quite possible to draw up an application addressed to the head of the State Housing Inspectorate or the utilities, indicating in it all the data received, as well as regulatory documents governing service standards, and the time for consideration of the application.

In the application, you must also indicate the reason for the appeal - "poor quality water". On the document submitted to the housing inspectorate, the inspector must receive a response on the acceptance of the application for work, after which it remains to wait for the solution of the problem that has arisen.

It should be noted that the best option would be to draw up a collective application from the whole house or from most of its residents. This can speed up the procedure for resolving the complaint and restoring the hot water temperature standards.

Installation of modern devices for quantitative and qualitative metering of water consumption

Recently, more and more often apartment residents, faced with similar problems and desperate in the fight against housing bureaucrats, are trying to install individual metering devices for water consumption, both cold and hot. And if there is a financial opportunity, then the best choice would be to install a "smart meter" - it will justify itself pretty quickly.

A temperature sensor is installed in front of the entrance to the water meter. As a result, such a device records water consumption in real time, taking into account both volume and temperature. If the value of the hot water temperature does not correspond to the normative ones, then the tariffication is automatically carried out at a reduced tariff, or even in general - as for the consumption of cold water.

By the way, there are cases when employees of management companies flatly refuse to register such multi-tariff meters for water consumption and accept payment according to their indications (despite the existing certificates of conformity of water meters), motivating this with a bunch of all sorts of obscure excuses. This is understandable - often such a technique becomes a "bone in the throat" for them, since there is no escape from the impassively recorded timing of violations.

If you are faced with such opposition, you should seek recognition of your innocence, referring to the already mentioned Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354 of 05/06/2011.

Below is a quote from Article 31 of this Resolution (an extract of two points, "t" and "y"), which, after careful reading, should, in theory, remove all questions on this issue:

The contractor (that is, a legal entity, regardless of its organizational and legal form, or an individual entrepreneur providing utilities to the consumer) is obliged: ...

T) not create obstacles for the consumer in the exercise of his right to install an individual, general (apartment) or room metering device that meets the requirements of the legislation of the Russian Federation on ensuring the uniformity of measurements, including a metering device, the functionality of which makes it possible to determine the volumes (amount) of consumed communal resources differentiated by time of day (established time periods) or by other criteria reflecting the degree of utilization of communal resources, even if such an individual or common (apartment) metering device is functionality differs from the collective (common house) metering device, which is equipped with an apartment building;

at ) carry out, at the request of the consumer, the commissioning of an installed individual, general (apartment) or room metering device, corresponding to the legislation of the Russian Federation on ensuring the uniformity of measurements, even if such an individual or common (apartment) metering device in terms of functionality differs from the collective (common house) metering device with which an apartment building is equipped, no later than the month following the date of its installation, and also proceed to carry out calculations of the amount of payment for utilities based on the readings of the meter put into operation, starting from the 1st day of the month following the month when the meter was put into operation; ...

Water consumption meters - how to choose and install yourself?

The installation of water meters often solves many problems at once regarding the quantity and quality of utilities consumed. Read more about it in a special publication of our portal.

How to draw up an application for elimination of violations correctly?

If the desire to restore the normal temperature regime in the hot water supply system has not passed, then it is necessary, after fixing the violations, to proceed to the "documentary part" of the process. So, the consumer (or a group of consumers) expresses his claims by filing an application.

The application is drawn up according to the established template, in legible and accurate handwriting.

• In the right corner of the document being drawn up, you should indicate the official and the organization to which the application is sent, as well as the last name, first name and patronymic of the person from whom it was written, and his contact information - residence address and phone numbers. If a collective complaint is filed, this fact should be clarified.
• Further, stepping back 50 ÷ 60 mm down, the word "Application" is written and it is indicated on what reason it was drawn up. In this case, it is best to indicate Article 7.22 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which provides for liability for violation of the rules for the maintenance and repair of residential buildings.

• Further, the text of the complaint itself is written, which is also drawn up in a certain form. First, the address of the house is indicated, where the standards for hot water supply established by SanPiN are not met, and then the essence of the problem is described.
• At the end of the prepared text, there is an appeal to the manager of the Housing Inspectorate with a requirement to check on the fact of the violation, and issue an order to eliminate the problem, as well as recalculate the tariffs for hot water for a certain period. In addition, you can safely demand, in accordance with Article 7.23 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, to apply administrative penalties against employees guilty of regular violations of hot water supply standards.
• At the bottom of the document is the date of the application and the signature of the applicant or applicants, when submitting a collective complaint.

Filing an application can be called the first part of the justice process. Further, after filing a complaint, you should wait for a response from the officials, who are obliged to respond within (maximum) 30 working days from the date of receipt. This should be followed by the elimination of the problem. If this did not happen, and the normal temperature regime of the water was not restored, and the recalculation was not made within a month and a half, then the residents of the house have the right to go to court. In the same way, a complaint is filed if the water has an unpleasant smell, taste, dirty or cloudy appearance.

In order for the consumer to have a chance to defend their rights in case of violation of water quality standards, it must be remembered that when drawing up a contract between him and the supplier, all the norms of the provided utilities, which are determined by law, must be spelled out. Therefore, before you put your signature on the contract, it should be carefully studied, including all footnotes, including "written in small print."

Proposed changes to the regulations for the provision of DHW services

Recently, Rospotrebnadzor has been actively discussing the issue of reducing the temperature standard for hot water supply from 60 to 50 degrees.

At the same time, two options for solving the problem are proposed in order to save energy:

• The first option is to use special disinfectants for high-quality water purification, instead of heating. At the same time, experts assure that there will be no contamination of consumers, since this is a more effective way to improve the quality of water supplied to apartments.
• The second option under consideration is to reduce the water temperature to 50 degrees constantly and heat it up to +70 degrees only once a day. According to experts, proposing such a measure of thermal disinfection, it is more effective, and this is proved by world experience, since in many countries of the world it is precisely a similar option for purifying water from bacteria living in it that is used. To avoid accidental thermal injuries among consumers, it is suggested to heat up to high temperatures at night.

There are, of course, ardent opponents of such changes, who operate on the following quite fair considerations:

• Firstly, they believe, it is nevertheless necessary to take into account the opinion of the consumers themselves on this issue, since the changes will primarily affect their comfort and the amount of payment for the services provided (it seems that although the lower heating limit will be omitted, the service will not become cheaper. will follow).
• Secondly, given, alas, the existing approach in the Russian utilities sector to various changes, it is necessary to be ready to receive output parameters that will be lower than the established standards, since even today they are far from always being met. For example, if we are talking about reducing the heating level of hot water to 50 degrees, then in practice it is quite realistic to get no more than 40 ÷ 45 degrees at the outlet, which "does not fit into any gate." And discounts for such temperatures, taking into account the permissible deviation of 3 degrees, will turn out to be generally ridiculous. In short, the consumer is again the loser.
• Thirdly, the practice of the functioning of the Russian housing and communal services in no way allows us to be sure that in all municipalities, without exception, high-quality purification of cold water will be carried out before it is heated. Well, this may well lead to an increase in the likelihood of the appearance of various infectious diseases. Therefore, opponents of the discussed initiatives believe that in the conditions of the Russian communal system, only thermal treatment of water supplied to apartments is, in modern realities, a really effective method of disinfection.

To date, the previously developed standards are still in force, while the new ones were planned to be introduced from March 2017, but so far there are no official confirmations or refutations in this matter. It is known, however, that such an idea has not yet received approval from the Government of the Russian Federation. But who knows, maybe this will happen someday if alternative proposals, which have long been adapted in our utilities, are not heard.

Video: Insufficient hot water temperature is a problem in most regions of Russia

The temperature of hot water in the tap according to the standard in 2019 is regulated by SNiP (building codes and regulations) N II – 34–76 and SanPiN 2.1.4.2496-09. These documents determine the quality of water supplied to residential buildings for household and drinking needs.

Inadequate tap water quality

In addition to the temperature, the hot water must comply with parameters such as cleanliness and pressure. What's the use of hot water if it runs in a thin trickle or is dirty? Increased pressure is also not a reason for joy: it leads to breakage of couplings, valves and other elements of the water supply system.

For hot water, pressure limits are set from 0.3 to 4.5 atmospheres. Going beyond these boundaries is a direct reason for applying to the Criminal Code for recalculation.

Impurities in the aquatic environment can be both organic and inorganic origin: rust, entering the earth system, decaying wood, etc. If such cases are frequent and long-term, it is necessary to file a complaint with the water utility with a request to check the cleaning systems, which should be carried out in conjunction with the ZhEK.

How do I file a complaint?