Alas, because of the infrequent replacement of water pipes, people occasionally or systematically have to deal with the fact that rusty water flows from the tap.
If in the first case you can just drain it a little, then regular "Coca-Cola" starts to annoy. Let's figure out where to complain if rusty water flows from the tap.
Why it happens?
There may be several reasons for this phenomenon:
- if repair work was carried out. In such cases, hot or cold water is turned off and after switching on for some time the water pressure is weak and has a specific color. Rusty water enters the pipeline from a well in which it was clean exactly until the ferrous compounds in it began to come into contact with oxygen and gave an oxidation reaction;
- an accident on the pipeline, as a result of which citizens receive water mixed with dirt or rust. As a rule, such incidents are eliminated very quickly, the likelihood of their occurrence is negligible. Within a couple of hours after elimination of all consequences, the water acquires a normal color;
- is that why rusty water flows out of the tap systematically? It is impossible to explain the reason, it remains only to promptly inform the dispatcher about it and, in case of inaction of the housing office, complain to Rospotrebnadzor or the housing inspectorate.
Remember that you pay your hard-earned money for the quality provision of this service, so you have every right to demand the supply of water without any impurities and rust.
Whether to use such water, if the phenomenon has been observed for several days in a row and they are not in a hurry to solve the problem, is determined by each person. There is always a small percentage of rust in the water, it just is not noticeable with the naked eye.
You can use it for washing the body and dishes; it is better to use bottled water as drinking water or put a powerful filter. Experts advise to necessarily boil such water.
Water with a high concentration of rust should not be drunk, it can be used with caution for washing and if the concentration becomes too high (the color changes to orange and dark brown), you should stop using it. Eating it in food can lead to food poisoning.
High concentrations of rust in the range of 0.4-0.8 are a serious problem, because there is no way to purify water at home. What should ordinary people do if rusty water flows from the tap?
Where to contact?
Have you noticed a problem? Immediately call the dispatch service or the housing office, the numbers of both instances are usually written directly on the utility bills receipt.
If repair work is being carried out, the dispatcher will tell you until what time you can wait for clean water. Otherwise, he is obliged to accept and register the application so that specialists will fix the problem in the near future.
If planned repairs are carried out, residents are usually notified a day or two in advance by posting a notice at the entrance. It indicates the timing of the work, and also prescribes a warning that at this time the water from the tap may be rusty.
The time that you have to spend without normal water is required. If, after the specified period, there is still no water or it has not acquired its normal color, you need to call the control room.
If rusty water flows from the tap, the Government Decree No. 307 will tell you where to complain, according to which you have every right to demand from the housing office to provide quality services.
It is best to send a complaint not orally, but in writing, so there is more chance that it will be considered. You can give the document personally to the secretary at the management company, or you can send it by registered mail.
If it doesn't help?
2 working days are given for the consideration of the document, during this time they must check and resolve the issue.
An employee of the company is obliged to visit your apartment, draw up an act and eliminate the causes of the appearance of water of an abnormal color. The inaction of the staff of the housing office or the management company is a reason to go to higher authorities, for example, the prosecutor's office or Rospotrebnadzor.
The absence of a representative of the resource supplying company must be recorded: for this, invite 2 residents of your house and a representative of the management company. The document is signed by all those present, after which it becomes legally binding.
It is desirable to draw up it in 2 copies, one of which remains in the hands of the owner, and the second must be transferred to the Criminal Code.
The Contractor now undertakes to recalculate for poorly rendered service as stated in Article 71 of Resolution No. 307. The recalculation should be carried out in a couple of working days.
Where else can you complain?
Before contacting the prosecutor's office and Rospotrebnadzor, take a little time and collect evidence that the water provided is completely unsuitable for use and poses a threat to human health.
To do this, it is worth attributing the water to the analysis and attaching the results of the examination to your claim. This will speed up the process of responding to the application several times, it so happened that only the finished results of a registered laboratory (which has all licenses) are the catalyst for the response process.
Get ready for the fact that water intake will be paid and you will have to pay for it. But having evidence in the form of an act drawn up on the basis of the research carried out, one can safely demand a recalculation of payments for hot or cold water and the housing office will not be able to get out of it.
Moreover, you can even get compensation if low-quality water is harmful to the health of the consumer. Then Rospotrebnadzor will oblige the management company or resource supplying organization to eliminate the problems.
The last instance where it is worth demanding justice is the court. Here, the algorithm of actions is the same as before: first a lawsuit, then a commission is appointed, which is obliged to check the water supply and find out the causes of the malfunction.
The examination is carried out without fail, on the basis of a claim it is possible to demand recalculation and repair of the water supply system. By the way, legal costs can be obliged to pay the losing party.
Almost every user living in a private house or apartment has faced a problem when, instead of pure water, some incomprehensible black substance flows from the taps. It is quite natural that it is not recommended to use it, since the use of bad, rust-polluted water can lead to a lot of problems. We will tell you how to protect your interests in a dispute with the management company (hereinafter - the Criminal Code), and how to solve the problem.
Why does rusty water flow from the tap: reasons
Almost everyone has encountered the problem of rusty or contaminated water. Unfortunately, this problem is very common, and many users have a question, for what reasons, this cloudy liquid starts to flow from the taps.
The reasons for the appearance of rusty water can be very diverse:
- poor cleaning. Water contains many particles of various metals, therefore, before supplying liquid to consumers, it is necessary to purify. Unfortunately, suppliers do not always fulfill their obligations, and continue to filter water in an inappropriate way;
- high level of wear and tear of communications (this problem is irrelevant if the consumer lives in a new building). The plumbing system consists of metal pipes. If the system is used for long enough, its constituent parts gradually wear out, leading to contamination of the water flowing through it, as a result of which it turns brown;
- planned outages. Every year, before the start of the heating season and at the end of it, utilities check the condition of utilities, including water supply, carrying out the necessary repair actions. After starting the water supply, water with traces of rust may appear for a while, but this problem quickly disappears.
Where to complain, call
Most often, users do not know where to complain when dirty and muddy water flows. The legislator determines that the management company acts as a subscriber for the supply of this liquid resource, which then distributes it among its consumers. Therefore, if a citizen is faced with a rusty water problem, first of all, he should receive comments from representatives of the Criminal Code or the emergency service. To do this, he can call the hotlines, or file a written claim.
Experts recommend submitting an official written complaint-application to the employees of the Criminal Code. The result of the appeal will be a visit by an authorized employee who will check the situation and create conditions for eliminating the problem. If the management company or emergency service does not respond to the complaint, the user will have to transfer the complaint to higher authorities. This can be done at Rospotrebnadzor and the prosecutor's office. If we take the capital as an example, then Moscow quickly gets rid of the problems with low-quality supplies of the most essential liquid for life.
If a citizen wants his problem to be resolved as quickly as possible, he has the right to conduct an independent examination of the quality of the water that flows in his house. The research results are attached to the complaint, and act as a reasoned evidence base, confirming the correctness of the consumer. It should also be noted that you still need to pay, otherwise the complaint will not be accepted for consideration.
Complaint about poor quality tap water: sample
A complaint about rusty water has a statutory form, and should contain not only a description of the problem, but also a reference to the current legislative norms. You can study the current sample of a complaint about poor-quality tap water. ⇐
How to check water quality officially
You can check at the official level with the help of departments and authorities licensed to carry out research work. Previously, the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station was engaged in the check. After its entry into the Rospotrebnadzor, this responsibility was transferred to the newly formed department.
Over time, the state decided to prohibit Rospotrebnadzor from providing paid services, and therefore now the FBUZ "Federal Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology" is engaged in checking the quality of water. This requirement is approved by the Housing Code.
In addition, various independent expert laboratories with licensed specialists and the resources to conduct large-scale research can test the tap water (both in the bathroom and in others) for contamination. This service is paid and paid by the customer. However, if the case is brought to court, the consumer has the right to demand from the Criminal Code to reimburse all costs incurred to check the quality of the supplied liquid.
When to go to court
If consumers are faced with a problem when their complaints are ignored, dirty water is still coming out of the taps, and there is no intelligible answer from the employees of management companies, homeowners' associations and emergency services, they have the right to initiate protection of their interests in court.
To complain about a problem to the courts, it is necessary to support the claim with a solid evidence base. In particular, in order to open legal proceedings, it will be necessary to prepare a number of documents:
- original service contract with a water utility;
- a copy of the agreements with the utility management company;
- available certificates of water survey, notarized;
- the conclusion of expert laboratories, if official research has been carried out to establish the quality of water supply;
- letters from the Criminal Code in which the employee responds to the citizen's claim.
In the complaint, the plaintiff must refer to the valid legal regulations, indicating which of them were violated. This is necessary in order for the judge to immediately have the opportunity to familiarize himself with all the claims, and also to be able to study the options for the development of events before passing the final verdict. By following these tips, it will be much easier to deal with violators.
Based on the court proceedings, if the fault of the public utilities is established, moral compensation will be awarded in favor of the plaintiff. It is also worth noting that payment for the services of a lawyer, compensation for expenses and other costs will be borne by the culprit of the problem situation.
Is it possible to swim in rusty water, is it dangerous
As research results show, there is almost always rust in tap water. Therefore, everything depends on its concentration. The permissible level of impurity content is not more than 0.3 mg per liter of liquid. Although this level is considered safe, experts recommend boiling the water before drinking it. You can wash in it without the slightest fear.
Hot water destroys most of the microbes, but if the concentration of impurities is exceeded, this rule will not work ...
If the content of rust in water is estimated at 0.4-0.8 mg per 1 liter (it becomes bright yellow, has cloudy impurities), it should be used with caution. It is quite possible to wash in such water (in this case, you need to wash your head with extreme caution), but you should not drink it in any case. You also need to be careful about the possibility of washing dishes in such water.
If the concentration of rust exceeds 0.8 mg, it is dangerous to use. It is strictly forbidden to swim in such water, as the presence of rust can cause dangerous diseases or allergic reactions. You can identify a hazardous liquid by its appearance. Water, in which the concentration of rust exceeds 0.8 mg, has a shade of orange, it can be bright red, and also an unpleasant musty odor emanates from it.
