Everyone knows the famous saying that sledges should be prepared in the summer. The same can be attributed to the hot water system. And most of us are concerned about why hot water is turned off in the summer. This is mainly associated with technical work. And in order to keep warm in the houses on the coldest day, in the summer, hot water is switched off for a certain period. Is there really such a need? After all, we, as consumers, experience inconvenience, even for a relatively short period of time. Is it possible to carry out preventive work in such a way that there is no damage?
What to do without hot water?
Usually, if there is no urgent need, hot water is turned off for a strictly defined period of up to 2-3 weeks. This is not so much compared to the period when we use it, however, this period needs to be lived through somehow. Therefore, the question of why hot water is turned off in the summer is especially relevant.
In order to wash the dishes or floors, you can warm the water in several pots on the stove. Of course, it’s not very convenient to fiddle with a basin, periodically water for rinsing me cups, plates and cutlery. But this is the least of the evils that await each of us. Taking care of your personal hygiene in the absence of hot water is much more difficult. If there is heat on the street, then a cold shower will allow you to freshen up well, but hardly anyone will be able to fully wash.
Water supply system
Water supply is a complex and multi-kilometer interweaving of pipelines. Before you get to our apartment, the water passes all the bends and metal joints. In addition, in the system it is under great pressure. As a rule, the coolant is supplied from a thermal power plant or a boiler room. Normally, the water temperature should correspond to 60 ° C, but in order to eliminate heat loss, before leaving the CHP, the water is heated to 75 ° C.
As a result, the pipes are subjected to an enormous load, which at times intensifies in the winter. Significant temperature changes adversely affect the material of the pipe, which usually leads to their rupture. Therefore, regular maintenance work is required.
So why do they turn off hot water in the summer? Central heating was built at a time when the USSR existed. It allowed to quickly and efficiently solve the issue of hot water supply for residents of houses, and in each apartment. Only everything is organized in such a way that it is necessary to check the condition of the pipelines before each heating season. This to some extent explains why they turn off hot water in the summer. If there are relevant signs of system malfunctions, scheduled or major repairs are carried out.
Obvious answers to obvious questions
Many residents of apartment buildings with the arrival of warm summers begin to look around cautiously in search of an ad that warns residents about the imminent shutdown of hot water supply. At the same time, some do not hide their indignation, although this practice has been around for several years.
Any responsible motorist always carries out maintenance of his vehicle and without proper maintenance, under no circumstances will he drive. The same applies to the question of why hot water is turned off in the summer. For a neat housewife, there is nothing more important than the lack of scale on the heating elements of the washing machine. We all regularly lubricate the hinges in order to rid ourselves of a nasty squeak. If you do not tighten the screws in a timely manner, then the stool will completely fall apart. There are quite a few such examples.
However, when it comes to technological equipment that provides each person with a comfort zone, few people think about caution. In order to dispel all doubts, it is worthwhile to find out what specialists do in the period when the hot water is turned off.
Test of endurance
Typically, a planned shutdown lasts up to two weeks, during which the necessary hydraulic tests are carried out. This is a necessary measure, because otherwise emergency situations would have to be eliminated in the winter. And this causes inconvenience to both residents and the repair team itself. Summer is just the perfect time to identify the weaknesses of the system and timely eliminate all existing malfunctions. Probably, each of us was at least to some extent interested in what exactly people do during preventive work.
The rules for the technical operation of heating networks imply the annual testing of a hot water supply system. For this purpose, an increased pressure is created in the pipeline network, which exceeds the performance by 58% (usually 16-20 atmospheres) in 10 minutes. In this way, possible defects are identified, which then can be eliminated in a timely manner.
On the first day of the planned shutdown, the boilers stop so that the water temperature in the main line drops to 40-45 ° . This is done for safety reasons in the event of a pipe break. At the same time, random passers-by are at risk of severe thermal burns. However, pumps that pressurize the system continue to function.
To begin with, the quarterly network (reaches for houses) is subjected to tests and then only the backbone. Due to the increased pressure, weak spots in the network will reveal themselves. After that, specialists will have to make a list of existing defects, drain the water and deal with troubleshooting.
Repair work of heating systems
The heating main running underground, sooner or later, but inevitably wears out, which leads to an emergency. Its elimination is carried out by a special team that repairs pipelines, usually including:
- repair of individual elements of the heating system;
- replacement of components;
- installation of an additional insulating layer of the pipeline or other protective structures.
As a rule, such updating of communication lines is temporary, and the whole procedure is repeated with a certain frequency. In cases where it is not possible to repair the heating system, one cannot do without a complete reconstruction.
Equipment check
While some experts are busy checking the integrity of the hot water supply system and repairing pipelines, others are carrying out preventive maintenance of the equipment of boiler stations. Periodically it is necessary to flush the boiler heat exchangers and replace the fittings. In addition, heat meters are being checked, which, according to the rules, must be serviced every two years.
You can’t do without such prevention. In theory, you can organize everything unnoticed by consumers. But in this case, it is necessary to build a backup source next to each boiler house with a network of pipelines to each house, as in the case of the main CHP. However, this is only theoretically, and in order to put it into practice, too much cost will be required.
Logical norm
According to experts, the preventive work associated with turning off hot water for 14 days is already an established norm, which has been carried out far from the first year. All regions of the country adhere to this deadline. Moreover, the time period may increase by several days due to exceptional circumstances. For example, if necessary, carry out large-scale work. The new terms are mandatory agreed with local executive and administrative authorities, after which residents are informed about the new dates.
Can the dates be changed?
This is not entirely possible due to the use of a centralized water supply system in Russia and a number of CIS countries. It has a dead end, that is, water is supplied from the source to the end consumers. Theoretically, with a large budget, the timeframes for preventive maintenance can be minimized (about three days), but this cannot be technologically done without a large-scale replacement of heating systems.
According to experts, the period can be shortened by replacing worn-out pipelines with insulated analogues. But, as practice shows, most of the heating systems have been in operation for about 25 years or more. And the pipeline resource is designed for a quarter of a century. It is impossible to completely replace the entire heating system in a single moment of time due to increased costs. In addition, a complete reconstruction will take many years.
Expensive alternative
Now it’s clear how much hot water is turned off in the summer. It can be seen that the two-week discomfort is fully justified by the technological necessity in order to check the operability of the heating system. Of course, you can build a backup point and lay pipes. However, if you take a large city such as Moscow, you will need to dig the entire metropolis, and then rebuild roads, sidewalks, plant flower beds, etc. Is it not better to endure these 14 days?
However, for consumers there is one way out of the situation, but you need to invest your money. You can purchase one of the instantaneous water heaters, and then the problem of cold pipes for hot water supply will no longer affect.
Only there is one small “but”: the cost of such equipment is 1.5-5 million rubles, or even more. Are there many who want to part with such a bag so that they do not know discomfort for two weeks? The answer is obvious, and therefore it is worth understanding the forced prevention of heating networks with understanding.
How about in other countries?
Abroad, another water supply system is used. For example, in the UK, almost every house is heated individually. In Finland, two types of heating are used: gas central heating and electric individual. At the same time, the centralized one costs about 150 euros (half the cost of utilities), while the electric costs a little less - already 100 euros. But perhaps the main reason why they turn off hot water in the summer for two weeks, and in other European countries fit in two to three days, is the lack of necessary technical and material means.