Hot water

[purgatori84.livejournal.com]

I currently lived in a shared (rented) house in Somerville. I had issues at the beginning of the month with pipes freezing, which has since been fixed. However, today Nstar came to read the meter, and found that out water heaters had not been inspected. They were shut off, leaving us with no hot water. This has apparently happened before, and the landlord switched them back on (illegal, but I wasn't there so nothing I can do about it).

So, who do I speak to to get on my landlord to make my home livable? My course of action now seems to be going to the board of health on monday for an inspection, but what do I do in the meantime?

Comments

[ron_newman]

Get your landlord to (illegally) switch them back on again for now, then talk to the Board of Health on Monday?

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

Speaking as a landlord, we're required to carry insurance to cover emergency housing for our tenants if the unit becomes uninhabitable. So you could plausibly move to a hotel until the water heater gets fixed and eventually expect the landlord to reimburse you. But the legalities and lawyer fees would be a royal pain and you'd lose money in the process. Let's try to avoid that.

But water heaters don't need to be inspected. They typically break without warning and a plumber rushes in to install a new one within a day ... or hours. I've had three or four replaced and the city has never asked for an inspection. Sounds like the water heater itself isn't the problem, but some other part of the unit's plumbing system. Maybe there were major renovations done without city approval?

I'd say, coordinate plans with your housemates and call your landlord. Best to try to keep things on an amicable level.

[purgatori84.livejournal.com]

In that, case, wouldn't the landlord have been responsible for taking that action when the renovations were done?

I just moved in at the beginning of the month, so my knowledge of any renovations is limited - what I know right now is that our hot water has been turned off, and it will be at least until monday before that is rectified. In the meantime, I want to shower.

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

You can read about landlord responsibilities and tenant rights at consumer.org - the MA office of consumer affairs. If I remember correctly, the state law doesn't require a landlord to furnish hot water, it requires them to furnish equipment capable of heating the water if you provide fuel. Your lease, however, may state that hot water is included, in which case it becomes their responsibility by contract.

Definitely call the health department and have them do an inspection, and just talk to them about it.

I would call the landlord and explain what the situation is, and insist that they do something legal about it; if they insist on doing something illegal about it, I would state plainly that if they do so, I would reluctantly feel forced to call the fire department and report it. If the boiler is powered by gas, well, doing illegal things with gas is highly dangerous.

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

Just flipping switches and turning valves isn't likely to fix things, and may make them worse. NStar probably turned off the gas for a reason. At a minimum, there's a pilot light light that needs to be relit. Worse case, some leaky plumbing may fill the basement with gas. Potentially very bad (http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/01/gloucester_patr.html).

[leko.livejournal.com]

Do you have access to the basement? If I were you I'd go turn them back on. Do you know how they were turned off? Probably 2 valves, or a valve and a switch.

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

Yes, the landlord should have had all inspections done. All i's dotted, all t's crossed. But maybe he didn't, maybe he just got caught, and the excrement has impacted the rotating ventilation device. Of course, on a Friday afternoon. At least it's not a three-day weekend.

Inspected?

[vonelftinhaus.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure what you mean by water heaters needing to be inspected- they either work or don't work and they are either installed correctly or there was something"legally" wrong with the exhaust or gas hookup

Re: Inspected?

[purgatori84.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing it's the "legally wrong" hookup.

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

You need to have a new gas meter every seven years. Maybe that's what NStar was concerned about. Maybe your landlord didn't have the meters exchanged when they were supposed to be exchanged?

[m00n.livejournal.com]

NStar definitely will not turn your gas off if you don't replace your gas meter right on schedule. In fact except in cases of gas leaks it's all but impossible for NStar to just turn off the gas, especially in winter.

[masswich.livejournal.com]

Mark me as another one that doesn't know what "inspected" means for a hot water heater. Even if it were installed "illegally" (which most are, since pulling a gas permit doesn't really mean much anyway) it would have to be pretty half-assed installation to have NStar shut it down.

I would be cautious about calling the Board of Health until trying to work things out with the landlord. Not that there is anything wrong with calling the Board of Health or having them inspect, just that it creates a real antagonism that may be avoidable. I'd just tell the landlord that (1) you want everything fixed, legally, ASAP and (2) you intend to credit the days the hot water is off out of your next month's rent. That will motivate the landlord and also save you some cash. Then you just need to find a place to shower! How the landlord reacts depends on what kind of landlord he/she is, but I think most would understand you can't be expected to pay rent for days you don't have a hot water heater...

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

I paid the permit fee when most recently replacing my water heater a couple of years ago, and I've never heard bumpkus about it from the city inspectors.

[progressnerd.livejournal.com]

I don't have an answer for you, but I do have a question. What did you do to get your pipes fixed? I'm in a continual battle with frozen pipes and nothing seems to work.

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure how to unfreeze pipes, but growing up in Alaska, everyone always ran a trickle of water from their faucet overnight to prevent pipe freeze ups. As long as the water is moving, even very slowly, it will not freeze. I still run a trickle of water on cold nights (old habits die hard), and I've never had frozen pipes--in Massachusetts or in Alaska.

So, if you aren't already doing this, perhaps it will prevent the pipes from freezing in the first place.

That's what we do...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Trickle of water overnight. Before I started doing that, we'd just warm up a small accessible section of the pipe.

I would NOT touch those gas valves!

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/cnn-news/18559024/detail.html

[davelew.livejournal.com]

This is a stretch, but hot water heaters around here are commonly installed violating the Massachusetts building code. I believe the Massachusetts building code requires the vent from a gas-heated hot water heater to only go upwards or sideways, and not have any downard or sagging sections where carbon monoxide could collect.

That's the only common issue I can think of, but I don't understand the gas company shutting off the gas just for a bend in the exhaust ductwork.

[coeceo.livejournal.com]

Try page 33 on this:
http://www.somervillema.gov/CoS_Content/documents/Tenant%20Helper%20-%206th%20Edition.pdf

Landlords are required to provide certain things, including access to hot water. Some leases include free hot water. So if you haven't had it for a few days I would contact your landlord and explain and ask if you could get your rent for the next month credited for those days you have gone without hot water. Document your request in a letter to them (keep a copy and reference your phone call). If they agree, get it in writing and deduct the agreed amount from your next rent payment. If the landlord doesnt want to credit you. Call the state sanitation department and the housing authority and the BBB and write them all letters, then review the landlords company negatively on Yelp. Never short pay your rent though, they will get you for that.