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I’m returning from my two week California vacation. Upon leaving I left the apartment I’m renting at 52 degrees. I walked in the door today to hear waterfalls sounding like it’s coming from everywhere. The 1st floor bathroom was bursting water and flooding the entire bathroom and hallway. I go downstairs to the basement to discover the basement is even worse, there’s the same gushing water coming from somewhere else. I couldn’t tell exactly where the water was exactly coming from but it seems like walls and pipes. I called my uncle over to turn off the water to the house immediately afraid to call the landlord right away as I look at the extensive damage, his home and a lot of my belongings as well. I don’t understand how this could’ve happened with the thermostat set on 52 degrees even in negative degree temperatures. I would like to know tomorrow morning when I call my landlord, what am I facing. Who is responsible for the damages and charges.
Because your house has to be warm enough to keep the WALLS above freezing. The walls have negative temperatures on the outside, and only 52 degrees on the inside? That averages out to below freezing, meaning FROZEN pipes. You don't have heating vents inside your walls, so the inside of the walls will be much colder than the rooms in the house. Ever opened an unheated closet on an exterior wall and feel a cold draft? Like that, but MUCH MUCH worse because closets have some openings (door line, above floor) and such for some heat exchange. Leaving your thermostat on 52 in sub-zero temperatures was reckless. You might responsible because if it can be judged that was an irresponsible temperature. Next time, leave the water running in some pipes or drain them if you're just trying to save heating. Also, normally people use the water in their home through the day, and this movement through pipes prevents freezing. Everytime you flush the toilet, there is a water exchange. This doesn't happen when you're gone.
Most articles on google say anything below 55 is dangerous for freezing pipes, but if you're having really really low temps, higher might be safer.
Let's hope that the landlord has some uninsulated pipes in a crawl space or something that isn't heated, so you will be free of responsibility.
I wonder if a froze pipe outside your apartment could have caused the water to back-up and burst, but didn't freeze in your apartment? Just a possibility.
Last edited by dmarie123; 01-17-2018 at 11:37 PM..
Unless you were negligent in caring for the home that cause the pies to break, this is on the landlord. What is considered negligence would have ti be determined by the specific facts and how they mesh with case law. I don't think any Judge would hold you liable since you did have the heat on and it was set well above freezing. Now, you can be liable if your lease required you to keep the temperature at a minimum level. Additionally, your lease may have a requirement to notify the landlord if you will be away for a particular period of time.
I would keep the temperature of my Alaska house at 45 degrees from October to December and from January to April, and I never had a problem with frozen pipes.
Sorry, OP. You didn't keep the house warm enough to prevent the plumbing from freezing, so it is on you. Maybe your renter's insurance will cover it.. it's worth asking your insurance agent.
Advice for future, leave the heat on, leave under sink cabinets open AND TURN OFF THE MAIN WATER VALVE. That way, if the plumbing does break, or the heat goes off, there is very limited water in the pipes to cause damage,
No matter what climate you live in, if you are leaving town, you turn off the water at the meter.
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