Russia (bbabo.net), - Reports of flooding in new buildings are increasingly coming across in news feeds. Experts cite low-quality building materials and unprofessional repairs as the reasons for this.
In December, a pipe burst flooded 60 apartments in one of the new buildings in St. Petersburg. The deadline for the delivery of a new building in Vladimir was postponed to January - here, due to a pipe break, apartments on the upper floors were flooded. At the beginning of winter, photos of wet ceilings and walls were posted on the network due to leaks in heating systems in a business class complex in the west of the capital. And if accidents in old houses are often associated with worn pipes, then in new buildings, it would seem that there should not be such a problem.
“Previously, the problem of floods due to burst pipes of heating, water supply or sanitation systems was not typical for new buildings, but in recent years the number of emergencies has increased,” says Nikita Chulochnikov, president of the Association of Real Estate Service Companies (AKON). “This is due to a combination of several reasons : reduced quality of pipes, poor installation of risers and unregulated pressure in the water supply system.Added to this are the errors of residents in installation when connecting cold, and especially hot water supply and heating to the intra-apartment networks. Especially often, leaks and gusts of intra-apartment pipes occur before the start of the heating season, when systems are flushed using caustic chemical additives (for the sake of cleaning from deposits) and under strong pressure, he notes.
The share of low-quality polymer pipes in house systems reaches 70%
The Association of Pipeline Systems Manufacturers (bbabo.netTS) considers the high proportion of counterfeit products on the market to be the main cause of flooding. In house systems, the proportion of low-quality polymer pipes reaches 70%, according to the association.
Counterfeit manufacturers use non-pipe raw materials, which allows them to sell products much cheaper. Such goods are accompanied by fake certificates of conformity, have unpredictable performance and service life, and cause accidents, the bbabo.netTS notes. "Construction companies, like any person, want to save on building materials. Therefore, they choose products with a low price, they do not check the quality at the input control, as well as the legitimacy of the quality passport and the certificate of conformity," says Vladislav Tkachenko, general director of bbabo.netTS.
Mandatory certification of house pipes should be introduced from September 2023, now issuing certificates for them is a voluntary matter. At the same time, since the autumn of last year, not a single state body has the authority to control and supervise the turnover of products subject to certification, the bbabo.netTS notes.
“This means that a pipe manufacturer can be held liable only in the event of serious consequences of an accident, which are provided for by the Criminal Code - for example, when harm is caused to life or health of people. But even in such cases, pipe manufacturers most often evade responsibility, since such accidents the investigating authorities are not seriously investigating,” says Tkachenko.
The situation is aggravated by the rising cost of raw materials for the production of pipes. Pipe black polyethylene has risen in price from 100 rubles at the end of 2020 to 160-165 rubles per kilogram at the end of 2021. Pipe polypropylene - from 90-110 to 150-180 rubles, pipe resins - from 80-85 to 180-185 rubles per kg. Polymer producers cite the increase in world prices for these products as the reason for the rise in prices. However, bbabo.netTS believes that the main reason is the monopoly in the market for various types of primary raw materials.
Laboratory studies of pipes purchased by the association in the largest building materials stores in the capital last summer showed that almost all samples deviate from GOSTs. Sometimes so significant that the pipes could not withstand even the shortest pressure tests
The press service of the Ministry of Construction, however, reported that they did not notice mass appeals about cases of flooding and bays in new buildings. Construction supervision and control over the acceptance of housing is carried out by regional building control bodies, the department noted. Possible causes of leaks in house systems, as well as sewage failures, may be improper operation of the facility or violations during the repair of apartments: the work of unskilled workers, improper installation of house pipes and connecting plumbing, unauthorized redevelopment of the heating system wiring, draining cement-concrete, paint and varnish and other mixtures, garbage into domestic sewers. If problems with water supply, heating and sewerage are due to design flaws made during construction, the responsibility to eliminate them lies with the developer, the Ministry of Construction stressed. The warranty period for the building structure is at least 5 years, and for technological equipment - at least 3 years.
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