Replacing hot and cold water supply risers: features of the device, replacement process in the apartment

• When is it necessary to replace the water supply riser in an apartment?
• Who should replace risers?
• Which is better: replacing the water supply riser in an apartment with your own hands or with the help of a team
• What to do if the neighbors are not in the mood for repairs
• How to choose suitable pipes
• What are the stages of independently replacing a water supply riser in an apartment?
• What is the cost of replacing the water supply riser in an apartment?

In old buildings, sewerage and water supply systems break down every now and then. At the same time, installing new pipes in the apartment (even using advanced materials) or purchasing new plumbing equipment is not able to solve the problem. In such a situation, the only thing that can save you is a complete change of all the risers that supply the home with water. What requirements should be followed when replacing the water supply riser in an apartment, how to connect a new riser step by step - you will learn about all this from our article.

When is it necessary to replace the water supply riser in an apartment?

Water supply pipes, located vertically in the house, need to be changed when 2 situations arise: when their service life ends, and also during a complete reconstruction of the bathroom.

Replacement of such equipment depends on certain conditions and is divided into:

1. planned (high wear of the metal structures from which the risers are made is observed);
2. emergency (pipes are leaking or contain other defects).

In old houses there are water supply risers, which are made of cast iron or galvanized metal. The metal corrodes in any case, so after some time the pipes still need to be replaced.

The maximum wear of water supply pipes occurs in the floors between floors. For this reason, connections between old pipes and new ones must be made outside the ceilings: mainly in neighboring bathrooms located above or below the floor where the replacement is being made. Metal pipes, as a rule, should last about 25 years; in fact, this period is significantly less. And after 40 years of operation, such products turn into truly emergency equipment.

If, at the end of their intended service life, the water supply pipes look perfect on the outside, they still need to be replaced, since most of the wear occurs from the inside. As a result, such a product may simply burst, which will lead to a strong leak and, as a result, significant damage to those living in the apartment (and, most likely, to the neighbors below too). It happens that the replacement of water supply risers in an apartment and major repairs are carried out in parallel. Currently, pipes are laid in the wall; for this reason, in the event of an emergency, access to the pipes will be very difficult.

Who changes risers in an apartment building, procedure

Link: Article 161 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation There have been situations when housing companies told residents that “there is no money” and offered the option of “chips in” for repairs - under no circumstances start collecting money, but go complain to the housing inspectorate! In some cases, you can seek help from the Housing and Communal Services Reform Assistance Fund.

One of the effective methods to force the management company to fulfill its obligations is to file a claim in court, in which to set out your demands. The fact that there are debtors cannot be a basis for the management company to refuse to perform its direct duties! To perform plumbing work, special knowledge and skills are required. If you live in a private house, then all responsibility for its maintenance and timely repairs lies entirely with you.

Who should replace risers?

Apartment owners are often puzzled by this question. However, getting a definite answer to it is not so easy.

Replacing water supply structures falls on the shoulders of the housing office. After all, the water supply, sewerage system, and electrical network are all public facilities.

What does the law say about replacing the water supply riser in an apartment? It confirms the above provisions by the relevant acts of the Land and Housing Codes. Moreover, apartment owners pay for such a replacement as follows: the housing office includes the required amount in the payment for the apartment, which takes into account the use of risers and pipes.

When emergency situations occur, risers often break through. The natural question is: in this case, the replacement of the water supply riser in the apartment is carried out at whose expense?

In such circumstances, the housing office is obliged to take all measures to eliminate the leak as quickly as possible, and it has no right to charge additional fees from residents. If apartment owners refuse to carry out repair work, their decision must be confirmed with a written statement, which may serve as a reason for legal proceedings. In this case, the court will most likely side with the service organization.

So, if a water supply pipe needs to be replaced, you need to write an application to the appropriate management company. It is issued in the name of its director.

Before this, it would be useful to call a plumber to the apartment, who will draw up an inspection report of the equipment, indicate information about its damage and confirm that replacement is really necessary.

The application itself is drawn up in free form. It is important not to forget to justify your demand that the riser should be replaced.

The application must be completed with a specific requirement to repair or replace the riser in the apartment. Please indicate the date and sign below. The paper is drawn up in 2 copies. One remains with the applicant, the other is transferred to the management company.

The owner of the apartment who draws up the application must pay all utility bills in good faith - this is necessary so that his request can be read more quickly.

If the letter is reviewed, the management company agrees with the owner on the date and time of repair work or replacement of the riser in the apartment. This work involves the participation of specialists from the management company or its contractor.

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The owner of the apartment will be required to have unobstructed passage from the place where the riser is located. But how much will it cost to replace an indoor riser?

Everything is very simple - when changing water supply equipment or its branches before the first connection, the apartment owner does not have to pay a penny.

But this is in theory. In practice, everything may look a little different: the owner of the apartment will read the application, take it into consideration and decide to wait in line for his fate, where he can spend years.

There are several possible ways for the situation to develop here.

1. Expect an emergency with water supply, which may result in complete flooding of the entrance. Only in this case will the housing office carry out repairs (in practice, the water supply riser in an apartment is often replaced only during major repairs). Sometimes it happened that even in such a situation, restoration was done partially, and the so-called new equipment worked for a year at most.
2. Gather the apartment owners and discuss with them the issue of replacing the riser at your own expense (the cost of such a procedure is approximately 3-5 thousand rubles).

So, let’s summarize how you can replace risers in an apartment through the housing office.

You need to send an application to the management company (it was discussed above). The tenant must describe a compelling reason why the replacement should be made. In addition, you must attach proof (photo evidence or examination results).

If the application is completed without errors, and the facts described in it do not contradict the law, the Housing Office must make the specified replacement or repair as soon as possible. Otherwise, the owner has the right to demand a written refusal from him, where the Housing Office will explain on what basis these works will not be performed.

If a citizen does not agree with such a refusal, it is necessary to draw up an application to the prosecutor's office; a full package of documents that the applicant has is attached to it. In addition, the law provides for the possibility of replacing a riser without the necessary permission. In this case, the initiator of such work may be the owner of the apartment.

Who changes risers in an apartment building, procedure

Link: Article 161 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation There have been situations when housing companies told residents that “there is no money” and offered the option of “chips in” for repairs - under no circumstances start collecting money, but go complain to the housing inspectorate! In some cases, you can seek help from the Housing and Communal Services Reform Assistance Fund.

One of the effective methods to force the management company to fulfill its obligations is to file a claim in court, in which to set out your demands. The fact that there are debtors cannot be a basis for the management company to refuse to perform its direct duties! To perform plumbing work, special knowledge and skills are required. If you live in a private house, then all responsibility for its maintenance and timely repairs lies entirely with you.

Replacing the water supply riser in an apartment: with your own hands or with the help of a team

Hiring professionals to replace the water supply riser in an apartment means:

• saving effort, nerves and time;
• almost always a guarantee of excellent results;
• a considerable price for this type of service.

Attempting to replace the water supply riser yourself:

• significantly cheaper than contractor work;
• will require more time and labor;
• there is no guarantee of quality results.

In other words, when replacing the water supply risers in an apartment, the price can play a significant role in the choice of repair method.

To carry out such a replacement, you will need to take into account the cost of not only materials, but also tools. For example, cutting polypropylene pipes will require the use of a special device. But even if we take into account such expenses, replacing the riser yourself can be more profitable than involving a team of workers; the savings will be especially great if there is a significant amount of work to be done.

What to do if the neighbors are not in the mood for repairs

Before starting work, you will need to enlist the support of neighbors from the apartments located above and below. It is best when the replacement of water supply risers in a building is carried out throughout the entire entrance. In this case, the reliability of the equipment over the entire height will be greatest.

In reality, not all owners of neighboring apartments are ready to meet halfway and agree to the need to repair something from nowhere. In such a situation, you simply have to connect some segment of your own riser to the existing one. Right before carrying out the work, you need to turn off the water, which you will also need to notify your neighbors about. To ensure that the residents of other apartments in the entrance experience minimal inconvenience from your replacement, it is better to carry out the planned operation in the middle of a weekday - this way you will certainly not spoil relations with the residents.

When the replacement is carried out by the management company, the following types of difficulties often arise: a number of neighbors simply do not allow the repair team into the apartments. In such a situation, you can go to court to obtain the necessary order. Or connect the pipes to an existing riser segment. The first option, of course, will require a rather long wait (often more than one month), the second is somewhat worse in terms of reliability. But the pipe segment in the ceiling will still need to be replaced.

How to choose suitable pipes

Products made of polypropylene

Rusty metal pipes are usually replaced with polypropylene ones. This choice is quite smart, since polypropylene products have a number of advantages.

Among them is cost. When replacing pipes with polypropylene ones, you will immediately notice that the price-quality ratio for polymers is very favorable; This is currently the best option. In addition, such pipes have outstanding performance properties. In general, this is a very practical material with high functionality.

Polypropylene should not be confused with polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene - the latter are much more dependent on temperature changes, and they especially do not like cold weather. Polypropylene handles hot water calmly, as long as temperature standards are not exceeded.

Polypropylene is smooth in appearance and very resistant to physical impact. The thickness of such pipes reaches 0.8 cm; the inner part often contains fiberglass or aluminum reinforcement.

By replacing old water supply pipes with polypropylene products, you will get a pipeline with a very long service life - such pipes are not afraid of moisture and function calmly in adverse conditions.

So, the advantages of polypropylene products:

• great strength;
• lack of special skills for installation;
• the greatest tightness of the joints;
• poor susceptibility to mechanical stress;
• low price.

Metal-plastic pipes

Such products are a 4-layer construction. It contains cross-linked polyethylene, aluminum (by the way, its thickness is 0.4 mm and serves only for reinforcement), an adhesive layer and durable plastic (the outer layer).

This is a truly universal type of communication. The name itself suggests that the product is both plastic and durable. In other words, it is externally impervious to rust and has a long service life. And the layer from the inside gives reliability without sacrificing strength. The creators of such structures have successfully overcome the disadvantages inherent in conventional plastic pipes - poor ability to withstand severe pressure during water supply and excessive dependence on temperature changes.

Advantages of metal-plastic pipes:

• rust resistance;
• ease of connection;
• absence of an external conductive layer;
• a large number of fittings produced for these products.

Among the disadvantages is the need to regularly tighten these pipes.

So, to create a pipeline in an apartment through which cold water will flow, you can use traditional products of the appropriate diameter made of polypropylene or metal-plastic. Hot water is supplied through communications that are responsible for heating. Such pipes have increased strength and are immune to deformation loads. Manufacturers of polypropylene products say that their pipes can easily withstand 50 years of operation, and if they are used for cold water, this period doubles.

Stages of self-replacement of a water supply riser in an apartment

1. Organizational preparation

If your apartment is located in a multi-storey building, then you:

• use the building's water supply system. She is responsible for providing water to all residents;
• must be aware that replacing the riser will certainly affect the residents closest to you;
• Without the participation of the housing office or management organization, you are not able to create the conditions required to replace the water supply riser.

Therefore, you need to fill out an application in advance with the HOA or Housing Office, where you need to ask to turn off the water at the entrance. This is possible, but this procedure is paid. Neighbors will be notified that the water supply system will be turned off.

In addition, when replacing you must:

• coordinate your actions with the owners of apartments on the floors below and above, since when dismantling old water supply structures you will definitely break the ceilings;
• try to identify the problem of collective change of all entrance risers, which will require the participation of all residents in the entrance.

2. Materials and equipment used to replace the water supply riser in the bathroom

After all issues with the housing office, management company and neighboring apartments have been resolved, it is necessary to begin creating a scheme for replacing water supply elements. This will help plan the pipe layout in the room and calculate the exact costs of materials.

To perform the operation you need to stock up on the following:

• pipes with a diameter of 32 mm (polypropylene);
• similar size fittings;
• sealing material (silicone is better);
• metal clamps.

Water supply pipes for vertical installation are selected to the width that corresponds to the diameter of the structures being dismantled.

To connect the riser segments, couplings with a diameter of 25 or 32 mm are used (depending on the selected pipe size), as well as compensators of the same width. Polymer pipes are connected to the steel part of the vertical water supply using cuffs.

At the same time, you will need to determine how the final finishing of the water supply riser will be carried out, consider issues of heat and sound insulation, options for the structural part of the duct and its appearance.

Required tools:

• Bulgarian;
• cutting discs with a diameter of 125 mm (from 3 to 4 pcs.);
• thread cutting equipment;
• keys (adjustable and gas);
• level;
• crowbar (used as a lever);
• pencil;
• chisel;
• roulette;
• different screwdrivers;
• hammer.

You also need to take care of protective equipment in advance - a respirator; special glasses that do not allow dust to enter the eyes; gloves that protect against exposure to different temperatures; cap - from dust.

3. Dismantling old water supply structures

The work carried out to dismantle the old steel vertical pipe that served for water supply is a plumbing project of a high level of complexity. To do this, you need to have the necessary qualifications and be able to handle power tools, as well as strictly adhere to safety standards.

The first thing that is necessary is to shut off the entire water supply system and drain the remaining water from it. This operation is performed by a responsible person from the Housing Office. Otherwise, there is a chance of running into an administrative fine.

Using a grinder or a special device (pipe cutter), old rusty pipes are cut. To do this, you need to make 2 cuts horizontally (the gap between them should be 10 to 15 cm). The cuts should meet at the edge of the pipe (the one closest to the wall). To prevent subsidence of the top of the pipe, such cuts are not initially made completely.

The upper pipe segment is cut in accordance with the design height, which should be the same as the length of the part to be pressed. The purpose of this operation is to ensure that the immediate axis of the pipe is perpendicular to the plane of the cut.

The manipulation can be simplified if you use masking tape as a guide. Its strip is glued around the circumference - the end of the tape must exactly match the beginning.

To get rid of the lower segment of the water supply riser, the pipe is carefully shaken - it is important not to deform the socket itself. The joint mortar is hammered around the perimeter, and the pipe cuttings are removed with a crowbar or wedge.

Previously, cast iron pipes were connected using 2 methods:

1. suture embossing using a solution of sand and cement;
2. sulfur filling of joints.

Hardened cement is removed with a screwdriver. The simplest way to burn off sulfur is to heat the communications with a blowtorch.

The cut pieces are hooked with a screwdriver and carefully removed from the ceilings. Stuck elements will need to be knocked out with a hammer. Then the required area is cleaned, points are marked on it for fixing the clips - they are the ones that fasten the pipes in the walls at the distribution points.

4. Connecting a new water supply

Using a hacksaw, the pipes are cut into segments of the required length. The connected areas are marked with marks that will tell you where the limiting connection point is located.

If there are old metal water supply risers in nearby apartments, you will need to assess their condition. Thanks to this, you can find out whether it is necessary to cut a thread on the end of a metal structure. To make this easier, machine oil is applied to the end of such a pipe.

If the metal structure is very dilapidated and there is a danger that it may not withstand the threading process, it is better to simply weld a pre-supplied thread to it (from 5 to 7 turns). Alternatively, the connection can be made using a collet coupling.

Next, an adapter coupling with a ready-made thread for installing a plastic pipeline is attached to it.

The connection between metal and plastic is also carried out through a thread using a coupling, and the screwing should not be excessively strong. For this purpose, the pipe connection points are filled with tow and a special paste is applied. Before attaching the connecting adapter to the cast iron pipe, you will need to treat this area with sealant.

Plastic parts are much easier to fit together. The joints are cleaned and then wiped with alcohol. Next, both the end of the pipe and the fitting element are put on the preheated apparatus at once, then both of them are screwed to the full depth of the nozzles. The fitting and the end of the pipe must warm up well, then the workpieces are removed and interlocked.

5. Nuances of connecting to the wiring

At the point of attachment of the apartment wiring and the vertical pipeline, a tee is installed, the dimensions of which should be 32 * 20 * 32 mm. To facilitate its installation, liquid soap is applied to the end of the tee. All elements are sealed.

Attention: it is advisable to install tees not using couplings, but by soldering.

After installing the shut-off valve, you will need to find out if there are any leaks. If it is missing, the structure is attached to the wall; a level is used to position it correctly. Before fastening, mark the locations for the holes into which the clips will then be inserted. The distance between fasteners should be from 100 to 150 cm.

After all fastening work is completed, water supply can be carried out after approximately 60 minutes. To ensure a sufficient degree of waterproofness and sound insulation where pipes pass through the ceilings, these places are covered with concrete to the full thickness. Finishing and other work is carried out only when the entire structure has been thoroughly tested.

Who is responsible for repairing a balcony in a privatized apartment?

To understand whose responsibilities include repairing a balcony in privatized housing, you need to refer to the legislation of the Russian Federation, namely to the RF PP dated 08/13/2006 N 491. It follows from it that ownership of the various components of the balcony is distributed as follows:

• The owner of the home owns the parapet, roof and canopy;
• The housing office owns the protruding balcony slab, as well as load-bearing walls.

Based on this, everyone must pay for the repair and maintenance of those balcony elements that belong to him. If the balcony requires immediate repair and its structure threatens the life and safety of the property of other residents of the house, then the management company is obliged to carry out its repair. If she refuses this, then the owner of the property to which the balcony belongs can do the following:

1. Force the management company to carry out repair work by going to court;
2. Repair the balcony yourself, and then, through the court, recover the cost of repair work from the management company.

Advice! Many homeowners in our country independently control the condition of their balcony and carry out all repair work at their own expense, without even thinking about going to court.

This happens either because of the incompetence of our citizens, or because of their conviction in the impunity of the employees of the Criminal Code and that no material compensation will be achieved anyway.

Cost of replacing a water supply riser in an apartment

Prices for replacing a riser in an apartment include the cost of materials and specialist services. If you intend to do everything on your own without some experience, the losses can amount to a much larger amount. For example, these could be fines for damage to property, both for neighbors living below and for the common property. Water supply risers are not so easy to replace, and the cost of even a small mistake for your (and not only) apartment in Moscow can turn out to be very expensive.

Approximate cost of work to replace the water supply riser in the apartment:

Frequency

As mentioned earlier, each engineering system of an apartment building has its own service life. This information is clearly displayed in the technical regulations, which read as follows:

1. Central heating system - 25 years.
2. Replacement of hot water supply risers during major repairs - 30 years (if the risers are not galvanized, then 15 years).
3. Cold water supply risers - 30 years (if the pipes are not galvanized, then 15 years).
4. Overhaul of the power supply system - 20 years.
5. Sewerage - 60 years (if the pipes are ceramic or plastic) and 40 years (if the pipes are cast iron).
6. Roofing - depending on the material. Accordingly, a roof made of slate lasts 30 years, one made of galvanized steel - 15 years, and one made of rolled materials - about 10 years.

The above figures are the wear and tear of the main engineering systems of the building. Accordingly, capital work must be carried out after this period, including a complete replacement of the structural components of each system.

Tips for those who want to replace the sewer riser along with the water supply riser

Changing the sewer system pipes in an apartment requires calculations that are somewhat more complicated. Note that dismantling in this case is not easy. However, the assembly of new structures is still faster than pipes with cold/hot water. After all, the drain pipes are connected through a socket using a sealing ring, so there are no particular difficulties in this operation - except that the work itself will be somewhat dirtier than when replacing water pipes or heating systems.

Replacing sewer pipes in an apartment consists of three steps:

1. Initially, you will need to update the siphon elements that are located under the sinks. Next, calculations are performed to determine the slope of the pipes that connect the riser and siphon. Slope refers to the difference in height above the floor between the entrance of the pipe and its exit. The entrance is located under the siphon itself, the outlet part is on the tee of the fan riser. This height difference is directly determined by the length of the pipe.

As a rule, a pipe with a diameter of 5 cm is laid with a slope of 2.5–3.5 cm per linear meter. After determining this value, it will be necessary to project the dimensions onto the surface, which will serve as a support for the planned sewer pipe. To do this, draw the position of the branch directly on the wall. Next, you can begin dismantling the old drain pipes.

2. You will need to remove the fan riser, having first blocked it. When removing, a pneumatic plug is inserted into the collapsible end of the riser revision; it will act as a plug from the neighboring drains. After this, you need to extremely carefully caulk the central tee - it is responsible for connecting all the drain pipes in the apartment. After this, they get rid of the old pipes; this operation does not require any special actions. If these are cast iron products, they are simply hit with a hammer and the broken parts are thrown away.
3. Then you need to assemble it. First, a polyvinyl chloride pipe is installed. It is responsible for connecting the toilet flush and a tee with a diameter of 10 cm (cast iron). Next, drain pipes leading from the sinks and bathtub are connected to the tee. Their diameter is 5 cm. The operation is simple - the smooth end of the pipe is connected to the socket.

After this, the revision is freed from the plug, and the riser itself is hermetically sealed by simply screwing on the caps. At this point, the replacement of sewer pipes is considered complete, and the new drainage system is ready for use.

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Why do you need to repair communications?

Partial replacement of sewage communications - removal of worn-out drainage systems in a single room. This action is required in the following cases:

• the appearance of a leak in the riser;
• major repairs of the sewage system by the owner and tenant themselves;
• planned replacement of communications due to their complete deterioration.

Leaks and blockages in pipes

In apartment buildings built more than 10-20 years ago, communications were created from cast iron products. The material itself is considered very reliable, but over time it becomes very dirty, rust settles on the walls, and therefore needs repair.