Many users are faced with a situation where rusty water begins to flow from their taps, unsuitable for use. If such a problem occurs extremely rarely, then it's okay, but if rusty tap water begins to flow with enviable constancy, various actions must be taken to fix the problem. And in this case, the most effective way to solve the problem is to file a complaint with the responsible organizations.
Why rusty water flows from the tap - the main reasons
Among the main causes of rusty tap water are:
- A high level of deterioration of communications responsible for the water supply of consumers.
- Water supply with precipitation, which accumulates and leads to the appearance of rust in the water.
- Poor water treatment. Since the water contains a significant amount of metal particles, it must be thoroughly purified before being supplied to end users.
- Planned outages. The public utilities check each house before the start and at the end of the heating season for deterioration of utilities, and perform the necessary repair actions. After that, rusty water may appear in the taps, but this problem disappears rather quickly.
Rusty water comes out after turning off the water - why
Many of our readers are concerned about the question, why does rusty water come out after turning off the water? It is worth noting that This phenomenon is recognized as a norm at the legislative level., however, on the condition that during this period the utilities perform a scheduled inspection of pipelines.
Since most of the pipes are made of metal, rust forms on the surface due to oxidative processes. When the pipe is completely filled with water, oxidation is much slower. As soon as the water supply is turned off, the process accelerates sharply, and within a short period of time, rust deposits form on the inner surface of the pipe. After turning on the pressure, it is washed off, and therefore, during the first minutes after turning on the water, we have the opportunity to observe rust.
Is it possible to wash in rusty water
Consumers are interested, can you wash in rusty water. As numerous data of analysts show, rust is always present in water. If the concentration is not more than 0.3 mg per 1 liter of liquid, it is impossible to see rust. Such water is quite suitable for consumption, and you can also wash with it. However, experts recommend that when drinking such water, boil it first.
If the concentration of rust is in the range of 0.4-0.8 mg, it is absolutely impossible to use water as drinking water, but it is still suitable for washing dishes.
If the rust in the water is pronounced, and the water itself has a yellow or orange color, then washing with it is categorically contraindicated.
At the same time, it is also worth remembering that rusty water can seriously damage household appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers and kettles. Therefore, it should be ensured that dirty water comes into contact with household appliances as little as possible.
How to clean
The only option for cleaning rusty water is to install special filter elements. The filter will retain rust particles, thereby allowing the consumer to enjoy clean water. However, do not forget that filters also need care, and they must be changed or cleaned at regular intervals. Otherwise, harmful microorganisms may occur that adversely affect human health.
Speaking about how to clean rusty water, do not forget about settling.
To do this, it must be poured into a container and left for a while. After a few hours, a layer of rust forms on the bottom of the container. The water can be carefully drained, being careful not to stir up the cloudy sediment, and it can later be used for washing dishes, but in no case for drinking.
When to Complain
Every consumer must know where to complain about rusty water. In accordance with the current legal framework, even the irregular appearance of rusty water is a violation of consumer rights. The fact is that each user pays monthly for the water used, and in the case of rust, he drains it, thereby losing his money.
The exception is situations when a scheduled inspection of water communications is performed. After repair and replacement of damaged areas, rust residues enter the water, and may reach the end consumer. According to the approved rules, this is the only reason when a small amount of rusty water in the taps is allowed. If the appearance of rust in the water is not associated with planned work, in this case, you should write a claim.
Where to complain?
If the appearance of rusty water is irregular, and has isolated cases, then it is worth going with a claim to the management company. The same action should be taken if the quality of the supplied water has noticeably deteriorated after changing the pipes or cleaning the boiler.
If the management company ignores the claims of citizens, or the problem continues for a long period of time, then filing a complaint with the resource supply structure (in this case, a water utility) will bring greater efficiency. In such a situation, the necessary analyzes of drinking water will be carried out, and the causes of pollution will be clarified.
If the water utility cannot help in any way, then it is worth writing complaints to Rospotrebnadzor and law enforcement agencies. However, as practice shows, most often the water utility and the management company try to prevent such a development of events, and therefore promptly respond to citizens' appeals.
Proof of
It is quite natural that in addition to the claim, the consumer must provide evidence of the violation. First of all, this is a photo and video material, which shows that dirty or rusty water flows from the tap, and evidence that there is a bad smell.
If, at the request of the user, any studies or analyzes on water quality were carried out, then their results should also be attached to the application.
In addition, as evidence, the user can attach to the complaint an agreement with the management company, and a utility bill for water.
How to file a complaint, what you need to specify, sample
- There is no single sample complaint, so you can write it in any form.
- It is necessary to indicate in the text of the complaint the reason why the user decided to file a complaint.
- You should also indicate the facts of the supply of low-quality water (with the exception of cases when planned work is carried out on water pipes). Additionally, you can specify other reasons. So, if the faucet remains cold, although hot water should flow, this is also a violation.
- The user has the right to demand compensation in the form of compensation for moral damage and the cost of damaged property (damaged filters, a broken dishwasher, washing machine, etc.), a refund of the money that was spent on the purchase of bottled water. In addition, since the service is of inadequate quality, the consumer may be exempted from paying for water.
What to do next if there is no adequate response to the claim
If no action is taken, and rusty water continues to flow from the tap, then written statements should be submitted to several higher authorities, including the prosecutor's office, the district court, Rospotrebnadzor and the State Housing Inspectorate.
However, it is worth noting that it is possible to file a complaint with these structures only if there is an appropriate evidence base. In particular, if any studies were carried out by independent experts, their results should be attached to the application.
Alas, due to the infrequent replacement of water pipes, people have to occasionally or systematically face the fact that rusty water flows from the tap.
If in the first case you can just drain it a little, then the regular “Coca-Cola” starts to annoy. Let's figure out where to complain if rusty tap water flows.
Why is this happening?
There may be several reasons for this phenomenon:
- if repairs were carried out. In such cases, hot or cold water is turned off and after turning it on for some time, the water pressure is weak and it 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 contact 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 probability of their occurrence is negligible. Within a couple of hours after all the consequences have been eliminated, the water acquires a normal color;
- why is rusty water flowing from the faucet systematically? It is impossible to explain the reason, it remains only to promptly inform the dispatcher about this 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 water supply 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 in no hurry to solve the problem, each person determines. There is always a small percentage of rust in the water, it's just not noticeable to the naked eye.
You can use it for washing your body and dishes, as drinking water it is better to use bottled water or put a powerful filter. Experts advise to boil such water.
Water with a high concentration of rust should not be drunk, for washing it can be used with caution and if the concentration becomes too high (color changes to orange and dark brown), stop using it. Eating it can lead to food poisoning.
High concentrations of rust in the range of 0.4-0.8 are a serious problem, because it is impossible to purify water at home. What should ordinary people do if rusty tap water flows?
Where to apply?
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.
If repairs are being carried out, the dispatcher will tell you how long you can wait for clean water. Otherwise, he is obliged to accept and register the application so that specialists can fix the problem in the near future.
If scheduled repairs are carried out, residents are usually notified a day or two in advance by posting an announcement in the entrance. It indicates the timing of the work, as well as a warning that at this time the water from the tap may be rusty.
The time that will have to be spent without normal water is indicated necessarily. 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, Government Decree No. 307 will tell you where to complain, according to which you have every right to demand that the housing office provide quality services.
It is best to send a complaint not verbally, but in writing, so there are more chances that it will be considered. You can give the document in person to the secretary in the management company, or you can send it by registered mail.
If it didn't help?
2 working days are allotted for consideration of the document, during which 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 employees 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 supply company must be recorded: for this, invite 2 tenants of your house and a representative of the management company. The document is signed by all those present, after which it receives legal force.
It is desirable to draw it up 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 a poor-quality service, as stated in Article 71 of Resolution No. 307. The recalculation should be carried out within 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 unusable and poses a threat to human health.
To do this, it is worth taking the water for 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 just so happened that only the finished results of the registered laboratory (which has all the licenses) are the catalyst for the response process.
Get ready for the fact that the 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 study, you can safely demand a recalculation of the payment for hot or cold water, and the housing office will not be able to get out in any way.
Moreover, you can even receive compensation if poor-quality water harms the health of the consumer. Then Rospotrebnadzor will oblige the management company or the resource supply organization to fix 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.
An 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 obligated to pay the losing party.