Why is hot water turned off in Russia every summer?
City residents often have to go to friends in neighboring districts to wash themselves or heat water at home in pots and buckets. And all this to survive 10 days without hot water.
Almost all cities in the country carry out preventive maintenance on the hot water supply system every summer. Why is this necessary?
Soviet tradition
From May to August, the supply of hot water to apartment buildings is cut off in Russia. A few years ago, it was even switched off for 21 days; however, these days, it is most often turned off for 10 days. This is necessary for preventive checks before the start of the new cold season. You should agree that without hot water in summer is easier than in winter!
However, this was not always so. Authorities only began to turn off the water in the 1960s, when the Soviet Union began to massively build apartment buildings with centralized hot water supply. For trouble-free operation, the system needed preventive maintenance and inspections, which was done in the summer season and less painful for residents.
This system is still in place today in Russia and some former Soviet republics, as well as in several cities in Eastern Europe.
Why do they turn off the water for 10 days?
In fact, the timing of water shutdowns is different everywhere; they depend on the condition of houses and pipes in general. On average, verification takes from three to 14 days.
According to modern standards, water is not turned off for longer than two weeks, but is usually shut off for 10 days.
Nevertheless, in some Moscow neighborhoods, pipes are under maintenance for just a week or even less. Shutdown times can be different even in neighboring houses. There are some houses where hot water is not turned off at all; for example, where water is heated by gas heaters. In private houses, of course, no one turns off the water either, as there is no central heating.
Cold water pipes are not as susceptible to deformation, so they are usually not disconnected. In addition, many houses have a backup water supply system and cold water can be pumped through it, if necessary.
What do you do while there is no hot water?
Of course, it is difficult to wash in cold water for 10 days straight and everyone gets out of the situation in their own way. The most popular way is to heat water in a pot and wash in a basin. Other people go to visit relatives and friends, if they do not coincide with the schedules of water shut-off. Still others buy gym memberships where there are showers.
And those who are not at all ready for life without hot water install a boiler or a water heater in their apartment.
