A pipe burst - what to do and which services to contact?

My parents were unlucky with their neighbors. They drown quite often. One of the most common reasons is a pipe break. They have low-quality plumbing installed in their house, so situations with pipe breaks are repeated quite regularly.

At first, my mother was lost and panicked; she didn’t know what to do or where to call. But over time, a certain algorithm of actions was developed.

It is clear that no one has come to terms with the problem, it is being solved, but the instructions my parents follow can be useful to many. This is what I am writing in this article and will give answers to certain related questions:

where to call if a pipe bursts;
how to act depending on the current situation;
How to determine who is at fault for an accident.

General information and useful tips

A standard water supply system provides water to every modern building, regardless of its purpose and design.

Thanks to modern communication systems, modern people no longer need to carry buckets to the well. Simply open the tap and get the required amount of clean water.

This is quite comfortable, but sometimes leads to certain problems. For example, such an unpleasant situation as a pipe burst often occurs.

The water that bursts out of the system at this moment with high pressure and in huge quantities can significantly damage property and damage expensive equipment.

Since burst pipe situations are quite common, it is worth knowing what to do when a pipe bursts.

First of all, you need to know that you don’t need to act on your own. You should not try to fix the breakdown or restore the functionality of the pipeline.

This can lead to even more serious problems, to complete deformation of the plumbing system. In addition, if you intervene and try to do something yourself, you can make the situation even worse. You will not be able to receive compensation.

The responsible services will blame the breakdown of the plumbing system on the person who tried to fix something and broke it.

Plumbing system

Actions in case of a water pipe break:

some container should be placed under the flowing stream so that the consequences of the flood are less noticeable;
shut off the riser in the apartment or basement;
inform emergency services about the incident;
the valves must be turned across the water flow;
in the remaining time until the emergency service arrives, you can fix the pipe with a clamp and a rubber plug;
After fixing the hole, you need to wrap it with thick cloth and put more layers of adhesive tape on top of it.

These measures will help you wait for the repair team to arrive with less damage.

Pipe leakage - general algorithm

Here is the optimal action algorithm to follow if a pipe bursts:

It is necessary to assess the extent of damage. If the owner lives in a private house, if the situation is quite serious, it is necessary to contact plumbers and use their efforts to fix the breakdown.
If there is a break during business hours, the resident should contact housing and communal services employees. The organization's telephone information can be found on the entrance doors or on the company's official website. The organization’s employees will send a plumber or provide his details so that the owner can invite him himself.
Things are somewhat worse if the described trouble occurred at night or on holidays. In this case, you will have to contact the emergency water utility service.

Calling a plumber is only necessary to shut off the pipes and make temporary or permanent repairs to the failed part of the pipeline.

This will stop the flow of water, thereby reducing the potential damage to your apartment and the homes of the people living below. In fact, the algorithm of actions is not at all limited to one call to the emergency service. A lot of additional steps are needed.

Where to call in Moscow if a pipe burst in an apartment

Moscow telephone code 8(495), 8(499)

Emergency services Moscow.

Unified hotline for Moscow emergency services ☎ 8(495)777-77-77 For all questions related to the life of the city. Help and answers to questions regarding the functioning of government services and institutions. All you have to do is call this number, and the dispatcher will figure out who to refer you to with your problem.

Dispatch room of the Housing and Communal Services Department of Moscow ☎ 8(495)681-73-67 ☎ Unified control room ☎ For emergency situations on in-house hot water supply (hot water supply), cold water supply (cold water supply), heating, sewerage and power supply systems)

Mosgaz ☎ 104. Central city gas network control room ☎

Division of the Moscow Housing and Communal Services Department for emergency repairs and cleaning of city roads ☎

JSC "Mosvodokanal" ☎ (24 hours a day) Single reception telephone number.

State Budgetary Institution “City Vehicle Movement Service” ☎ For questions about the location of your car For questions about any claims ☎

State Budgetary Institution "Gormost" ☎ Dispatch center for issues of disorder in underground passages, bridge structures, transport tunnels, interchanges, fountains, piers and embankment walls.

State Unitary Enterprise "Mosvodostok" central dispatch office ☎ +7(495) 657-87-03

PJSC "MOEK" hotline number ☎

State Unitary Enterprise "Moskollektor" single telephone ☎

PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT OF MOSCOWDOKANAL SEWER NETWORK

☎ 105005, Moscow, Pleteshkovsky lane, 2

MOSVODOKANAL

☎ 105005, Moscow, Pleteshkovsky lane, 2

SEWER NETWORK DISTRICT No. 9 ☎
+7(495) 427-56-56 117574, Moscow, Golubinskaya st., 8, building. 1
REVS No. 5 section No. 1 ☎
+7(495) 446-23-44 121353, Moscow, Vyazemskaya st., 11, bldg. 2
SEWER NETWORK DISTRICT No. 8 ☎
+7(495) 151-97-00 125315, Moscow, Golovanovsky lane, 17A

EMERGENCY SERVICE OF BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES ☎

+7(499) 611-25-13 115230, Moscow, Varshavskoe sh., 47, bldg. 1, built. 2

UNIFIED EMERGENCY SERVICE OF THE SOUTH AREA OF MOSCOW ☎

+7(495) 674-34-08 109044, Moscow, Simonovsky Val st., 9, bldg. 2

SAO MOSCOW EMERGENCY SERVICE ☎

125040, Moscow, Leningradsky prosp., 30, built. 3

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On September 13, 2021 at around 5:35 p.m. I called tel. 84997633434 at Mosvodokanal. I received a complete, professional answer to the question asked from the dispatcher! Thank you ! This is rare.

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How to act correctly?

So, if for some reason a water pipe breaks, you need to follow these step-by-step instructions:

While the emergency service worker or plumber is driving, it is worthwhile to record the fact of the accident in a photo or video. Thanks to this, it will be possible to subsequently avoid unnecessary problems, and perhaps prove the absence of one’s guilt.
If a pipe that runs directly into the room has burst, you can turn off the water without waiting for a specialist to arrive.
After the plumbers arrive and fix the problem, be sure to record the consequences of the flood on your phone.
It would be a good idea to go down to your neighbors and ask them if the water has reached them. If they are also flooded, it is necessary to take photos and videos.
Having returned to your apartment, you need to remove the water so that it does not further harm the property of the owner and the neighbors living below.
Having put things in order in the apartment, you can go to the housing office and write a statement with a request to draw up a report on the flooding that occurred.

An act is a special document that must be drawn up in such situations.

It describes the following data:

the essence of the problem;
the reasons that led to the pipe break;
the date, time, and location of the flood are recorded;
the damage caused to the owner and neighbors is described; The personal data of the people who examined the damage and drew up the report is included.

Based on this document, the owner will be able to receive financial compensation if it is proven that the emergency situation was caused by the utility service or the same neighbors.

The diagram presented to your attention is suitable for a situation where a conventional water pipe is broken.

But what to do if a heating pipe bursts? Here the situation is complicated by the fact that hot water comes out of the heating system, which can cause even greater damage.

Everyone is stalling for time, but you continue to drown? Instructions on how to stir up a management company

An important block for residents of the old building. Many management companies take on bad houses in order to receive money and invest minimally back. If this is your situation, get ready to deal with delays.

Here are your instructions:

Record all calls and requests
. Enable call recording on your phone. Collect as much evidence as possible that the management company is not doing its job well.
Leave a written appeal to the Criminal Code
. Write an application to fix the leak and create a commission. Indicate the standard deadlines there - 12 hours to prepare the report and up to 3 days to eliminate the leak. Inform the employee who will accept the application about the deadline.
Call the city's housing and communal services hotline
. Government control rooms operate in the regions. Briefly describe the problem and ask them to take control of the situation.
Call Rospotrebnadzor and the housing inspectorate
. Leave your request there. They often refuse to accept applications over the phone. Therefore, go to the website and leave an email with a brief description of the problem. Ideally, if the resource of the regulatory authority supports authorization through “State Services”. This makes the application more formal and allows for surprise inspections of the service organization.
Leave a request to GIS Housing and Communal Services
. You need an account on the State Services website. This application will be considered for 30 days. Consider it a backup option when the management company resists.

You can even write to the prosecutor's office. There is little direct benefit from them. They forward the request to the right authority, but take control of it and write to you about it. Be sure to indicate at the end of the application something like: “Please check for legality...” and list what the prosecutor’s office needs to look into.

If the manager cares about her reputation and account balance, then she will move on the 3rd point. The further you go, the larger the fines and the longer the checks.

Author's personal experience: A plastic ceiling is your protector from serious damage due to a leak. The water is distributed over the joints and drains slowly. Minimal risk of instant room flooding

I fought with a very stubborn management company. At first I tried to solve all the problems peacefully - gave extra time, did not put pressure. At a certain point, the management company finally let go of the situation. She stopped even trying to find out the source of the leak. I sent applications to this list. I started calling the regulatory authorities almost every day and checking on the development of the situation. The leak was repaired in about 2 working weeks. The housing inspectorate took control of the situation and began calling me back every few days. The management company changed the site foreman and worked out all possible sources of the problem. Conclusion: become an inconvenient customer. Call all regulatory authorities. Leave complaints. Write as many statements as possible. Call the hotlines and the control room of the management company every day. Be annoying, then your problem will become a priority. For particularly difficult cases, use the portal “RosZhKH” or “Angry Citizen”. This is a last chance weapon. Automated services for generating and sending applications to all authorities. This way you will involve everyone in the case: supervisory authorities, the regional government, the prosecutor’s office

Half of the statements will be transferred between authorities, but you will attract attention to the problem.

Broken heating pipe - what to do?

In this situation, you also cannot hesitate. Otherwise, the owner’s apartment and the premises below will be flooded with hot water. This is fraught with quite serious problems.

The damage could be more significant. Hot water deforms upholstered furniture, floor, ceiling and wall coverings. They become unusable and cannot be restored.

If this problem occurs, the first thing to do is try to turn off the hot water to stop its supply.

If modern batteries are installed in the room, blocking the pipe will be quite simple. You just need to turn the valve that shuts off the water supply. But if there are cast iron batteries, the problem will get worse.

In any case, if a heating pipe breaks, you need to act according to the following algorithm:

The fact of a pipe break is recorded. It is necessary to have evidence that a problem has arisen.
The emergency team is called. They usually arrive at any time of the day or night, regardless of whether it is weekdays or weekends.
Using a phone or camera, you need to record all the problems that appeared as a result of such a flood. We are talking about damaged decoration of the premises, failure of expensive equipment, damage to things. Based on these materials, it will then be possible to demand compensation.
You should also go down to your neighbors and find out the extent of the damage caused to them. If there is one, you should also take a few photos.
Only after this can you return to your apartment and clean up.

As soon as an emergency service employee arrives at the specified address, you must request that a report be drawn up. It must be drawn up directly in the apartment in the presence of the owner, neighbors and utility employees. This document records the breakdown, identifies the reasons that could have caused it, and also describes the amount of damage caused and damaged items.

If the accident occurred on the ground floor and flooded not the apartment, but the basement, the emergency service must still be called. Employees of such organizations also arrive without delay to eliminate the consequences of the flood and repair failed pipes.

If you follow the algorithm of actions presented above, the breakdown will be fixed quickly enough, which is more important, free of charge.

In a situation where a utility service is found guilty of a pipe break, you can count on compensation for damage that was caused by a broken water or heating pipe.

Limits of responsibility of the management company

Note! To establish the limits of liability of the management company, you should refer to Article No. 36 of the Housing Code and Government Decree No. 491 of August 13, 2006 (as amended on March 26, 2014). It follows from them that the management company’s responsibility for emergencies arising from a breakdown in communications of heating, water supply and sanitation systems extends to networks located up to the point of connection of intra-apartment pipelines with a common riser.

What to do if the well runs out of water

What should the owner or tenant repair at their own expense? Let's be clear on this point. According to the above law, the management company is not obliged to repair this equipment:

Electric stove, gas stove;
Plumbing equipment;
Gas, water, electricity consumption meters;
Intercom;
Heating radiators;
Electrical fittings, cables.

If we are talking about water supply, sewerage, and heating networks, then the boundary of responsibility of the management company passes through these areas:

Gas supply system - the area up to the shut-off element for connecting to the gas stove;
Drainage system - the section up to the point of insertion of the drainage pipelines into the common riser, leading to the sink or other drainage points;
Water supply system - up to the threaded connection with the metering meter outlet pipeline from the riser;
Heating system - up to the threaded connection of pipelines with heating radiators.

Thus, it can be emphasized that your management company is obliged to maintain free of charge the common risers of communications, as well as sections of the branch and discharge of pipelines from them to the above boundaries.

Note! Telephone numbers of specialists and services involved in emergency response are usually recorded in the house telephone book. If there is not one, you should go downstairs to the front door and find a notice board there. Usually there are telephone numbers of specialists involved in servicing your home.

Sewer pipe failure - what to do?

A burst sewer riser is considered the most dangerous and unpleasant factor that can happen in an apartment or private building.

The reason is that in such a situation the room will be flooded not only with water, but with what passes through the sewer pipes.

In this case, the usual wiping of water and drying things is not enough. It is for this reason that it is extremely important in such an emergency to do everything as competently as possible.

So, what to do if a sewer pipe bursts? You need to do the following:

First of all, you need to call a specialist to your home. If the accident occurred during the day, the call is made to the housing office; if on holidays, weekends or at night, you need to contact the emergency service staff.
Until professionals arrive, there is no need to pour any liquid down the drain. During the waiting period, it is better to go to your neighbors, explain the situation to them and ask them not to use the sewer system for a while.
If possible, you can stop the flow of waste water before the technician arrives. For this purpose, it is enough to simply temporarily clog the pipe by wrapping it with rags or using other available means. If the breakout site is small, you can get by with a piece of plasticine or ordinary polyethylene.
Next, you need to act according to the standard scheme, that is, it is mandatory to record the damage, the breakdown itself and its causes. This is done through drawing up an official act.

First measures to eliminate emergency situations

If a break in the sewer or water supply or heating pipes does occur in your apartment, you need to take a number of measures to temporarily eliminate the leak before the specialist arrives. Let's look at them.

Installing a rubber tie

Installation of rubber trim

Almost any rubber product is suitable as a tightening, including medical tourniquets, bicycle inner tubes, etc. First, you need to tightly wrap the leak area with this product, then place a metal self-tightening clamp on top of it and tighten it until it clicks.

Installation of self-tapping screw

Note! This method can only be used when repairing new pipes due to the fact that when cutting threads in old pipes, destruction of the metal is possible.

For this method you will need:

self-tapping screw with press washer,
drill,
metal drill,
nozzle for cutting threads in metal.

In the place where the pipe has burst, you need to drill a hole in the pipe with a drill to the diameter of the self-tapping screw, then, changing the nozzle, cut the thread. After that, screw in the self-tapping screw. This method is good for eliminating water pressure leaks.

Sealing with epoxy glue

Applying adhesive tape

Here you will need fiberglass and the glue itself. First, you need to clean the area to be repaired from traces of rust and paint, then degrease it with white spirit. After this, you need to cut a strip of fiberglass to fit the area and soak it with epoxy glue. Wrap the area of the break as tightly as possible, without creasing the fabric, and subsequently tighten it with clamps.

Note! The glue hardens within 24 hours.

Pipeline damage - who is to blame?

Anyone can be at fault for a pipe break. It all depends on each specific situation. Here are some examples:

sewerage and water pipes that run in the basement, at the entrance or approach the first tap are considered to be under the responsibility of the housing office;
All water supply systems located in the apartment are the responsibility of the owner. The owner of the premises must monitor the condition of his pipes;
heating - this system is located entirely in the department of public utilities. The exception is situations when the owner independently replaced the elements of the heating system.

If, when drawing up a report and studying the situation, it becomes clear that the breakthrough occurred with those pipes that are at the disposal of the utility service, you can demand compensation from them for damage.

If a pipe bursts, which is the responsibility of the apartment owner, he will have to independently restore his premises and compensate for the damage to the neighbors living below.

Who should I complain to about the inaction of utility companies?

It is no secret that employees of DUKs or DEZs do not always respond to residents’ complaints in a timely manner. Meanwhile, their main responsibility is to create a comfortable living environment for residents in the entrusted territory. It is their work that citizens pay for on a monthly basis using housing and communal services receipts. Since utility companies are service providers, Rospotrebnadzor is responsible for monitoring the quality of their provision. The owner of the property also monitors the work of the DUK. If the company does not fulfill its obligations, he has the right to refuse its services.

Briefly about the important

If a pipe burst occurs, you must immediately call specialists to fix the leak.
During the daytime, it is enough to contact the utility service; at night or on holidays, you need to call the emergency service.
Situations involving a pipe break occur quite often. You need to know how to act correctly depending on which water supply or sewerage system has broken.
In order to compensate for damage or any insurance compensation, the fact of a breakthrough must be documented through a special act.
If the accident occurred due to the fault of the owner, you should not count on financial compensation payments. All responsibility for damage caused to your premises and neighbors rests with the person through whose fault the accident occurred.

General recommendations

If there is a sewerage break, you must shut off the water supply, and you must also stop using the toilet and sinks in the damaged area; try to clear the blockage with a flexible metal cable;
If the DHW system leaks, shut off the water supply using the shut-off valve at the outlet from the common riser. Promptly collect water from the floor surface, trying to prevent leaks into the underlying rooms;
If heating pipelines break, the first thing you need to do is close the Mayevsky taps on the heating devices (stop taps). Take measures to prevent flooding of neighbors below in the event of a breakthrough of coolant on risers and pipelines.

Having familiarized yourself with this material, you will now be able, without getting confused if your sewer system breaks, or there is a leak in heating or water supply pipes, to take timely measures and prevent adverse consequences for yourself and others.