Is everything according to the law, or can cold water be turned off for non-payment?

Legal side of the issue

Russian government decree No. 354 of May 6, 2011 states that utility companies can limit access to resources only if payments are overdue for at least 3 months. According to clause 119 (section 21), utility companies have the right to suspend the supply of hot water, gas, electricity in the general manner, but are required to adhere to the rules described in the Resolution. At the same time, they do not have the right to make housing unsuitable for human habitation, i.e. turn off sewerage, cold water, heating. It is also considered a violation of the Legislation if water is turned off by management company employees without written notice 30 calendar days in advance.

To suspend the supply of utilities, the resource supplying organization must have compelling reasons regulated by the Housing Code of the Russian Federation. An agreement must be drawn up between the management company and consumers. All clauses are subject to execution and must not contradict the norms of legislation and legal acts.

On their basis, temporary suspension of hot water in the entire house is allowed without prior informing the residents if the following legal factors arise:

• the occurrence of an emergency situation that threatens the life and health of residents;
• carrying out repair and preventative work;
• Emergency situations, natural disasters.

There are other cases for stopping the supply of hot water to an individual consumer without warning if the client:

• creates an emergency situation for other property owners;
• illegally changes utility systems, installs heated floors in the apartment from the hot water supply network;
• unauthorized connection to the water supply pipe.

Can neighbors turn off the water?

According to Art. 12 of the Water Code of the Russian Federation, a water use agreement provides that one party (the executive body or local government) undertakes to provide the other party (the water user) with a water body or part of it for use for a fixed fee.

Therefore, the answer to the question whether neighbors have the right to arbitrarily turn off the water is negative. This service is provided by the state and can be terminated only in cases specified by law.

Private sector

In the private sector, the Water Code applies, so if other residents turn off the water, this is a violation of current legislation.

Apartment house

The water in the apartment also cannot be shut off by neighbors; such actions on the part of other residents violate the civil rights of the owners of the living space of the house.

What can mitigate the defaulter’s guilt?

Cases in life are different. The debtor can avoid turning off the hot water tap and receive a deferment on payments if there are the following valid reasons:

1. Delay of wages upon provision of official confirmation from the place of work.
2. Low family income, not exceeding the subsistence level. In this case, you can contact the social protection authorities and obtain the status of “poor” by providing official confirmation.
3. Presence of disabled children or minors in the family. Money is needed for training, treatment, maintenance.
4. Temporary loss of employment.

In the cases described above, the defaulter has the right to contact the housing office at the place of residence and ask for an installment plan or deferment in payment of the debt. Low-income citizens are entitled to subsidies for 6 months, a one-time payment from the state to pay off utility debts.

Selecting a water heater

Which boiler to choose depends on many reasons. First of all, they consider the economic one, and in this regard there is no equal to a gas water heater or water heater. Therefore, if the project provides for such an opportunity, and you want to save a lot of money, choose this type.

Gas water heater Oasis

The only disadvantage of this solution is that you cannot install it yourself, since the instructions require technical conditions for connection, and a certified specialist must install the speaker.

Connecting a geyser

But gas equipment itself costs less than electric equipment, so it will pay for itself faster. If the house is not gasified or you are against the presence of gas equipment in the apartment, buy an electric water heater.

It comes in two types:

• Flow-through - water is heated by passing through the heating element. It should have a good stable pressure. The advantages of such devices include small dimensions and ease of installation with your own hands. The disadvantages are high power consumption (5-27 kW), which sometimes completely cancels out the benefits of disconnecting the city network. In addition, wiring in older homes is often not designed to handle this kind of power and may not be able to handle the load.

Instantaneous water heater Termex

• Accumulative - heats up a large volume of water in the tank at once. Makes it possible to regulate the temperature and maintain it at a given level. Compared to flow-through, it consumes very little electricity (1.5-3 kW), but has impressive dimensions.

Storage water heater Electrolux horizontal type

Another factor influencing the choice of a boiler is its placement in the apartment.

The easiest way is to find a place for a flow-through electric heater. It is usually installed in the kitchen at the water connection point of the kitchen sink. It is also possible to embed it into the pipeline at the entrance to the apartment to provide hot water to all water taps.

Storage and gas boilers cannot be placed in the bathroom. Therefore, the former are most often hung in the toilet, and the latter in the kitchen, at the gas pipe supply point. And from this point they make a connection into the existing hot water pipeline, or lay wiring to all devices that consume hot water.

Geyser in the kitchen

Instantaneous water heater in the cabinet under the sink

Large storage boiler in the bathroom

Disconnection procedure

The sanction against the debtor in the form of shutting off the hot water riser is applied 30 days after notification by letter. A warning is issued reflecting the details of the defaulter:

• FULL NAME;
• residential address;
• account number;
• debt period;
• amount of debt;
• maturity date.

A warning letter is handed to the addressee against signature or delivered by registered mail. The debtor is given time to pay the debt. Then the notification is sent a second time, 3 days before the shutdown. If the defaulter is inactive during this period of time, then the utility services will suspend water supply for a period of 1 month. If payment is not forthcoming, then the managers shut off the water riser in the apartment. If the debt is not repaid, you have the right to go to court in the future.

How do they turn it off in a private and apartment building?

In apartment buildings, the law prohibits turning off cold water supply. This is possible in private homes. Suspension in such cases is carried out in the following order:

1. 
   If the consumer does not pay for more than 2 months, then he is recognized as a debtor, who may be limited in the supply of cold water.
   The management company first sends a warning to the tenant. It states that the debtor is given 20 days to pay for the service.

   This time period begins to count from the moment the consumer receives the warning. It can be sent by mail, by telephone or via the Internet.

2. If the tenant does not pay for the service within the established 20-day period, the management company limits the water supply to his home.
3. The restriction is valid for 10 days. During this period, the debtor can pay for the service, and the water supply in his house will be restored to normal.
4. If, after the 10-day restrictive period, the tenant does not pay for the service, then the management company completely stops cold water supply to his house.

The full procedure for limiting and subsequent termination of water supply in the debtor’s house is recorded in paragraph 119 of the government decree number 354.

How to disconnect

The hot water pipe in the apartment is closed or the riser is welded. If this method becomes unavailable for housing office representatives, because not every owner is ready to let you into the apartment, then another option is to install a plug on the pipe in the basement. But you will need special equipment and devices to carry out the actions. Utilities themselves risk suffering damage. Although it has the right to recover in the future in court as an addition to the principal amount of the debt.

Actions to limit or restrict services must not cause harm or inconvenience to other owners.

If the water is turned off in the basement, the owner pays both the debt for services and for the installation used by the utilities. Additionally, fines and penalties for delays are imposed.

Sample complaint about lack of hot water supply:

Head of the Housing and Communal Services Department of Samara

From Nikolai Pavlovich Petrushov, 1972

the year of birth,

residence Samara, Baltiyskaya street, building 5, kV.143,

phone XXXXXXXXXXX

COMPLAINT

As the owner of apartment No. 143 on Baltiyskaya Street in the city of Samara, I entered into an agreement with the manager regarding the maintenance of the apartment building and the provision of communal services. I make all payments under the contract on time, however, Management Company “Our House”, in violation of the provisions of Article 4 of the federal law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights,” does not fulfill the terms of the contract, namely, since July 3, 2021, I have no hot water.

There were no announcements about maintenance work. After contacting a representative of the management company, I learned that the water was turned off due to a broken pipe. They promised to complete the restoration work in two days. However, water did not appear on time as promised. When contacting again, the engineer of the management company Fedorchuk V.M. explained that a complete replacement of the pipe was required.

Based on the provisions of the Rules for the provision of utility services to citizens No. 307, the Rules for the maintenance of common property of the MKD No. 491, Articles 2 and 162 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, such restoration work must be carried out by the management company within a month.

However, as of August 5, 2021, there is still no hot water. In response to questions from residents, representatives of the management company “Our House” answer that they are temporarily unable to purchase a pipe, since the supplier is raising prices.

Based on the stated facts and current legislation, I ask for your assistance in carrying out restoration work, recalculating payments for hot water, as well as compensation for moral damage in the amount of 5,000 (five thousand) rubles from the Management Company “Our House”.

Is it legal to disconnect?

Housing departments can legally turn off hot water, but only if there is no full payment for 3 months. If during the specified period of time the homeowner paid for the water supply partially or contributed at least 1 ruble, then the actions of the public utilities to stop the water supply already become illegal. In this case, the amount of debt does not affect the disconnection. Another reason for illegal shutdown is lack of notifications. And twice, 30 days and 3 days before taking action.

According to Resolution No. 354, paragraph 122, utility services can disconnect or limit the supply of services, but do not have the right to violate the interests of other subscribers who pay regularly. In particular, damage their property, create any inconvenience or conditions unsuitable for the intended use of the home.

Life after a shutdown in numbers: will the boiler pay for itself?

For calculations, let’s take an ordinary family of four people, which requires approximately 500 liters of boiling water per day. When choosing a heater, there are two options: storage or flow. The flow-through can heat 500 liters with a power of 6.5 kilowatts. A storage tank with a capacity of up to 120 liters will cope with its task with a power of 3 kilowatts.

Attention!

A storage boiler costs less - from 10 to 20 thousand rubles, and is much easier to install.

A flow-through heater costs from 15 to 30 thousand, plus additional installation costs of about 4 thousand rubles.

A storage device with an average power of 2 kilowatts will heat 120 liters for two hours

Why is a flow-through installation more difficult? Because its power is higher than 3 kilowatts, and it requires a separate cable, protective grounding, disconnection. The drive only needs its own differential circuit breaker plus a socket installed on the personal protective group. And this is an expense of no more than 1,400 rubles. Both types of devices are tied approximately the same way. They crash into the cold water supply system. To do this, you need shut-off valves and pipes (6-8 meters), which will cost 3,000 rubles. Total: storage boiler (purchase + installation) - 30,400 rubles, instantaneous heater - 35,500. Now, knowing how to refuse hot water, and the starting cost of refusal, let's move on to the payback.

A storage device with an average power of 2 kilowatts will heat 120 liters for two hours. Through simple calculations, it becomes clear that for one cubic meter he will need a little more than 33 kilowatts per hour. Therefore, to break even, electricity needs to cost about 2 rubles. 70 kopecks Here, many will also remember turning it on to heat the water. But energy consumption at these moments is more than insignificant, so it’s not worth counting them.

A flow-through boiler heats 180 liters per hour, spending 8 kilowatts on it

The throughput capacity of the flow device is 3 liters of boiling water per minute. It heats 180 liters per hour, spending 8 kilowatts on it. That is, he will need 30% more electrical energy. Having analyzed the above, many understand: a heating device that runs on gas will be cheaper here. Let's start with the fact that such units are several times cheaper than electric ones, having a power of 24 kilowatts. They heat (using the flow method) 14 liters per minute to a temperature of 80 degrees, spending 3 cubic meters on this. m of gas, which is cheaper than electricity. Therefore, those who have gas in their homes are luckier.

How to file a complaint

The complaint is made to an official of the management company. There is no particular unified form. You can write by hand. The header contains the name of the organization, surname, first name, patronymic, address, contacts of the applicant, the essence of the claim + a link to the law (Resolution No. 354). It is important to reflect the reason for the unauthorized disconnection of the service. It happens that payment was made partially or there was no notification about the disconnection. The date and signature of the applicant are placed at the bottom of the business paper.

It happens that after filing a claim, the management company still admits its mistake and decides to supply water to the apartment again. If he ignores the consumer’s demands or gives a negative answer, then the next authorities for filing a complaint are the Prosecutor’s Office, the Housing Inspectorate.

The application is written to the manager. The details of the applicant, the name of the organization, the circumstances of the case, the fact of illegal water shutoff, the date, and the signature at the bottom of the document are written down. You should definitely attach the answer received from the Criminal Code. If the regulatory authorities also issue a negative answer, and the problem remains unresolved, and the applicant has suffered particular harm, then it is worth contacting the district court. The claim is made as follows:

1. The header contains the full name, telephone number, address of the applicant, name of the judicial organization, details of the defendant, legal address, telephone number.
2. The body of the document sets out the claims. The circumstances under which the water was turned off and the date when the management company, after filing a claim, issued its verdict are stated.
3. The date and signature are placed at the bottom.

It is important to attach to the statement of claim copies of claims with responses received from regulatory organizations.

It is important to draft your claim correctly. It might make sense to contact a lawyer.

The court will establish justice. Perhaps the plaintiff will be able to win, obtain water connection, and compensation for moral damages. Although it will be necessary to prove that utility services acted negligently, deliberately violated the rights of residents, and created a threat to life and health. Measures to cut off the water resulted in damage to their property.

Unjustified acceleration

When installing hot water supply and heating systems, different technologies are used. But breakthroughs happen mainly due to poorly made pipe joints, plumber Gennady Yurkov told 360. He explained that if the soldering area is overheated, the channel will become clogged. Boiling water under pressure will flow through the riser, and not into the radiator, if we are talking about heating.

“But we are talking about apartments. In the external part there are special piping schemes. There must be a compensator, this is an extension of the pipes so that there is no strong load, a bag where the pipe is compressed and decompressed so that it does not stretch. You need to follow these rules to make the correct connection,” the expert explained.

Gennady Yurkov noted that everything here depends on the work of specialists, how they solder and weld the pipes together. The quality of the network depends only on this.

Most developers today resort to hiring citizens from neighboring countries who are not qualified specialists and cannot perform work that requires certain skills. This opinion was shared with 360 by the chairman of the Public Urban Planning Council, Maxim Kozlovsky.

“They can’t weld or join pipes properly. Besides, for the money they are paid, they do exactly as much as they were paid for,” he said.

He cited heating and hot water systems in older buildings as an example of high-quality work. The mounting units installed there were manufactured in factories where the liners were welded into the cold and hot water supply risers and were tested by the quality control department. Today the situation is different.

Now all this is done by hand, at a construction site. How many of these joints the welder made, how many were of high quality, how many were of poor quality, how many the foreman was able to track - these are all interconnected things. That is, our construction is proceeding according to the method of acceleration, but not always justified acceleration

Maxim Kozlovsky, Chairman of the Public Urban Planning Council.

He noted that control over the quality of house construction takes place in several stages. The first begins at the design stage, when the developer prescribes what materials he will use. At the construction stage itself, control is carried out by the developer’s head office and Gosstroynadzor. At the third stage, the house is inspected by a management company that will take care of its maintenance. In the case of PIK, this is its subsidiary PIK-Comfort.

“There is control, but the question is its quality. Everyone understands the relationship between large construction companies and government agencies. The main problem is the loss of qualified personnel in design, the loss of qualified personnel in the construction process itself. All this gives such results,” explained Maxim Kozlovsky.

Future apartment owners cannot choose materials at the design stage or control construction. The law does not provide for this. According to Maxim Kozlovsky, public control over housing construction would allow such accidents to be avoided. In the meantime, shareholders can only study the project declaration on the website or look at the booklet in the office.

Where to submit

Filing a claim is carried out by redirecting a registered letter with notification to the management company or directly to the person responsible. The paper is drawn up in 2 copies. One remains with the employee, the other with the applicant with signature.

10 days are allotted for consideration of the application and issuance of a written response.

The following organizations to solve the problem of inaction of the management company are Housing Inspectorate, Rospotrebnadzor. Employees are required to respond to the complaint within 30 days of receipt of the complaint. The last resort is the court if previous organizations do not take action or ignore the deadlines for issuing a response.

What to do if cutting off water supply was illegal?

If the water supply is illegally interrupted, the tenant must complain to the state housing inspectorate. You can also file a complaint with Rospotrebnadzor or the prosecutor's office.

The document should display the following information:

• 
  the name of the authority to which the complaint is sent, its address;

• personal data of the person filing the complaint (full name, place of residence, contact details);
• the essence of the violation;
• evidence confirming the fact of illegal shutdown of water;
• a specific request to restore water supply to the house;
• date along with signature.

If there is no proper response from the housing inspectorate, Rospotrebnadzor or the prosecutor's office, you should file a lawsuit against the Criminal Code.

Everything a consumer needs to know about turning off cold water can be found in this section.

Some technical points

Wired sensors usually come with 2 meter cables. Electric ball valves are also sold with the same cable length. This is not always enough. You can increase the length using a cable recommended by the manufacturer. Brands are usually indicated in the instruction manual. Just check the cross-section of the cores when purchasing. Unfortunately, very often the actual diameter is much smaller than the declared one.

Generally speaking, we can recommend the following cables for extension:

• for wired sensors, a shielded twisted pair with a core cross-section of at least 0.35 mm² is suitable;
• for cranes - power cable in two-layer insulation with a core cross-section of at least 0.75 mm².

The correct arrangement of elements is not always obvious

It is advisable to make the connection serviceable. That is, if you are laying wires in a wall or floor, the connection must be made in a junction box. Connection method - any, reliable (soldering, contactors of any type since the equipment is low-current). It is better to lay wires in walls or floors in cable ducts or pipes. In this case, it will be possible to replace the damaged cable without opening the gate.

How to shut off a heating riser

The heating riser belongs to common property. It must be blocked by employees of the service organization who have the right to do so.

If you follow the letter of the law, you must come to the DEZ, Housing Office, DEU, etc., write an application, pay for the service at the cash desk. At a certain time (indicate in the application) a representative of the service organization must come and turn off the valve in the basement.

How much does it cost to turn off the heating riser? This is not an easy question. The fact is that there are no fixed prices. There is a price list for services, but it is only a recommendation. In reality, each organization sets its own prices. On average, you will have to pay from $15 to $20 for this operation.

The valve that shuts off the heating supply is located in the basement of the house

There is a workaround. Agree with neighbors and shut off the riser yourself without the campaign’s knowledge. But you know that this is not always possible: neighbors are different. If in the summer, when the heating is turned off, such actions may meet with understanding, then during the season - it is unlikely. There is another difficulty: the heating valve is not always easy to find. You either need to have a communication scheme, or just know where it is. They usually know a locksmith. But they won’t block the riser for free, and will require at least $10-15. There seem to be savings, but they are small. And if this fact becomes known to the management or operational company, you will face substantial fines.

How to find the cause of overflow?

So, as mentioned above, first you need to correctly identify the cause of the plumbing failure. Of course, for this you need to know the location of the parts and their names. This is perhaps the most important rule. Ignorance of this can lead to problems with troubleshooting. You simply won’t know which part needs to be replaced, what to screw in and where, how to install it correctly, etc. It is important to pay special attention to the gaskets; they ensure the safety of water flow. The better this gasket is made, the better the result itself will be.

Operating principle of the cistern

What should you do if the water in the toilet tank overflows? In order to find out the reason, you should press on a special bell. Let's say the water no longer flows. This means that the nut in the tank simply unscrewed. In this case, it needs to be returned to its previous position, that is, tightened. To do this, you need to remove the shelf. But there is also a situation in which the nut is located at the very surface of the tank, that is, sticks to it. Then the overflow should be carried out clockwise, so it will take the desired position.

Related article: Remove urinary stones from the toilet

And it also happens that everything is fine with the nut, that is, it does not stick to the surface of the tank, but the water still flows. Then you need to follow these steps:

1. This is done when the nut is completely unscrewed. You should turn off the water supply and allow the toilet tank to dry. Afterwards, dismantle the overflow itself. Next, carefully wrap some kind of seal onto its threads. Please note that it should fit very tightly into the hole through which the water drains. Then you can put everything back in its original place. You need to coat the repair area with paint and let it dry, this is necessary so that the repair’s tightness is better. Everything is ready, enjoy.
2. This technique is performed if this part is not completely unscrewed, but there is still a gap. Carefully turn off the water, after which the tank should dry thoroughly. You need to wrap tow in the resulting gap, after which you need to paint this area well. It is important to use quick-drying paint so that it dries well. Everything, repairs have been made, the toilet is in working order.

Please note that the overflow hole itself must be open; it must not be blocked under any circumstances. If the hole is clogged, water can overflow from the tank directly onto the floor and ruin not only your renovation, but also harm the neighbors below.

This unpleasant situation can also happen when the overflow is free through. This means that the installation of the toilet tank is faulty. This violation was committed specifically in the fastening of the toilet and shelf, namely, the bolts were loosely screwed on. As a result, the overflow occupies a position above the walls. It happens that the bolts cannot be tightened securely due to their corrosion, then the overflow level should be shortened somewhat. All you need to do is a special recess, which will be located from the edge of the overflow to the desired level. It is quite easy to do it yourself, since there is nothing complicated here. So-called wire cutters are well suited for this; if you don’t have them in your toolbox, you can use a knife, but it will need to be heated well. It is not advisable to use other objects, since only wire cutters and a knife can do this work without damaging the part at all.

Where to place the sensors

Since protection against water leaks is designed to protect against flooding, sensors must be placed in all places where water is most likely to appear. It often happens that the system operates with a delay precisely because of incorrectly selected sensor locations. By the time the water reached the sensor, a lot of it spilled out. Based on the experience of the owners, we can recommend the following places for installing water leakage sensors:

• Under each flexible hose. This is where emergencies most often occur.
• Under household appliances that use water during operation: dishwasher, washing machine. Please note: you need to slide the sensor under the device. Those. install not next to it, but under it.
• Catchment points are the lowest points where water will flow first.

Wired and wireless sensors are the basis of the anti-flood system

• Under the boiler, heating boiler, next to the pumping station, in the pit where the pump is installed.
• Under the radiator, heated towel rail.
• Next to (under) the bath, shower, sink, toilet.

When installing water leakage sensors, try to position them so that water hits them first. For example, to control a faucet in the kitchen, you need to place the sensor not under the cabinet, but in the cabinet - under the siphon or somewhere in that area. If something happens to the supply to the faucet, the water will first be in the cabinet and only then flow under it.

If you need to monitor leaks in household appliances—a washing machine, a dishwasher—place sensors under the appliances. Not next to, but directly next to the connection point of the drain hose.

Protection against water leaks: parameters and selection criteria

Deciding on the number of sensors and shut-off valves is not so difficult, especially since many systems easily allow you to expand the control area. It is only important not to exceed the maximum allowable amount of equipment. But choosing a manufacturer is much more difficult - you can’t change it. Below we will present the most popular systems on the Russian market: “Aquastorozh”, “Neptune” and “Gidrolok”.

Nutrition

First, let's look at how power is supplied to different parts of the flood protection system:

• The voltage on the control unit must be constant.
• Electrically driven faucets are powered only for the period of operation - maximum - 2 minutes (Hydrolock).
• For wired type sensors - only for the period of status polling (a very short period of time).
• Wireless sensors operate on batteries.

Water leakage protection can operate on 220V, 12V and 4.5V. Generally speaking, the safest supply is 12V or lower.

Power types

Some systems are designed in such a way that the control unit is powered by 220 V, and a safe voltage of 12 V or less is supplied to the electric taps and sensors. In other options, 220 V can be supplied to the taps (some of the Neptune options). Voltage is supplied briefly - only at the moment when it is necessary to turn off the water. This occurs after an accident is detected and periodically to check and maintain the functionality of the system. The rest of the time the taps are de-energized. Which option suits you best is up to you to decide.

Also pay attention to the presence of a backup power source. If you have your own redundant power supply system (batteries, generator), this parameter can be omitted. Otherwise, having a backup power source is highly desirable. Moreover, we need to look at how long the equipment can operate in autonomous mode. In this sense, systems operating from 12 V are much more practical: if you wish, you can install a battery with suitable parameters and thereby extend the system’s operation in offline mode. Although, some systems (Hydrolock, for example) on backup power (rechargeable batteries) can operate for up to a year. During this time the electricity will definitely be turned on...

Electric cranes: which ones are better?

Let’s say right away that there is protection against water leaks based on valves and ball valves. Ball valves are more reliable. They are more expensive, but they work many times more reliably. When choosing, take the one with ball valves that shut off the water, not valves. There are no options.

But ball valves are also different. Here are the requirements they must meet:

• Made from brass or stainless steel. These metals should be used for housings, rods and locking balls. Only in this case will they serve for a long time.
• Full bore valves. This means that when open, the cross-section of the valve is no less than the cross-section of the pipe on which it is installed. In this case, they do not interfere with the flow.

Neptune ball valves can be recognized by the presence of a lever that makes it easy to shut off the water manually

All market leaders - Akvastorozh, Gidrolok and Neptune - use only such cranes. They can be produced by different companies, but are made of high-quality metal. If the cheaper kits don't specify the material or type of faucet (full bore or not), look elsewhere.

Durability and closing time

We also need to talk about the parameters of electric drives. How reliable and durable they are determines how reliable the protection against water leaks is and how efficient the system is. Therefore, the gearbox and drive gears must be made of durable and reliable material. The most durable material that can be used here is metal. If we talk about the most well-known systems, the following situation is observed on this point:

• In the Hydrolock system, gearboxes and gears are made of metal.
• In Aquawatch, the gears are made of metal in the latest versions of the system, the gearbox remains plastic.
• Neptune does not cover drive materials.

Another important characteristic is the closing time of ball valves. In theory, the sooner the water supply is shut off in an emergency, the better. Here the undisputed leader is Aquaguard - the ball valves close in 2.5-3 seconds. But this speed is achieved:

• installing additional gaskets, which reduces ball friction but increases the risk of leaks;
• a small torque, and a small force applied when closing the tap can result in the fact that if a foreign object (sand, scale, etc.) gets in or is overgrown with salts, the tap simply will not close.

Electric ball crane "Aquastorozh Expert-20". Input voltage 4.5 to 5.5 V

Closing force and manual mode

If we talk about the magnitude of torque, the leader here is protection against water leaks Hydrolock. Its electric drives can develop a force of up to 450 kg/m. This is a very large indicator, but these parameters are for large-section cranes, which are not used in apartments and houses. Nevertheless, half-inch and inch ones are also very powerful - they can develop a force of up to 100 kg/m. Moreover, the applied force increases in steps - if necessary, it increases from nominal to maximum.

And this is Gidrolok’s signature trick - the crane breaks a pencil... Impressive!

There is one more point: the ability to turn off the electric tap manually. Aquawatch and Hydrolock have parity in this regard: you need to remove the drive by unscrewing several bolts (for Hydrolock - 2, for Aquawatch - 4), then manually turn the tap. Neptune is ahead in this regard: its drives have a lever, by turning which you manually open or close the water. But these faucets are included with the most expensive of the kits.

Neptun Bugatti Pro 12 B 1/2″ faucet with lever on the body. If the drive housing is green, then the power supply is 12 Volts. Taps designed for 220 Volts have a blue drive housing

Electric crane Neptun Bugatti Pro 220V 3/4 N-30

Features of the operating algorithm

The principle of operation of any protection against water leakage is the same: when an emergency signal appears, it shuts off the water supply and turns on the alarm. In this all systems are similar, but there are certain features that some like and others don’t.

The first feature is related to the processing of signals from sensors and taps. Some systems monitor the integrity of the wires that go to faucets and wired sensors. In addition, if wireless sensors are present, they are polled regularly. This is all great and such systems are more reliable, but the reaction to a “missing” sensor or faulty wire can be different:

• on the Hydrolock control panel, the alarm for loss of sensors or faulty taps lights up, but the water does not turn off;
• If any of the sensors or taps are lost, the water watchman shuts off the water;
• at Neptune, only the response of the sensors is monitored and, based on the results, an alarm lights up without specifying the location.

Here everyone chooses for themselves which option suits them best. Both ways of reacting are imperfect, so there is no single answer.

There are subtleties in the operating principles

The second parameter for choosing a leakage protection system is the frequency of checking the functionality of the taps. Since our water is far from being of the best quality, if it is not used for a long time, the shut-off ball can become “overgrown” with salts or, as they say, “stick.” To prevent this from happening, the controllers periodically “move” the taps. The frequency varies:

• protection against water leaks Gidrolock (Gidrolock) tests once a week;
• any Aquaguard controller turns the ball valves once every two weeks;
• Some Neptune options do not have this function; there are those that open/close taps once every two weeks.

Some fear that testing the functionality of the faucets will catch them in the shower. Of course, it’s not pleasant to be soaped without water, but none of the owners have ever complained about such cases. So it's not nearly as dangerous as it seems.