homeowner begging HOA to fix hot water (condo, lawyer)

[LaurenKay]

I'm a new condo owner and for months now, I've been pleading with my HOA office to attend to the fact that I do not have hot water in my unit. The water gets warm, at best, during off peak hours (middle of the afternoon or the wee hours of the morning).

I've made countless calls and visits and all the HOA can seem to do is send in their on staff maintenance people, who just throw their hands up and can't figure out the problem.

Do I have any chance in forcing them to resolve it? Suggestions?!

Desperate... and cold.

lauren

[EscapeCalifornia]

Don't you have your own water heater? Call a plumber.

[Miss Pip]

Cant you sue them or something? Surely these cold showers are not good for your health especially when it gets cold and of course the mornings are much colder so you should be having nice warm showers. Maybe talk to a lawyer and see what your rights are.

[MMichelle]

I think you should read your govening documents. I would find it odd that a hot water heater that services your unit only would be the responsibility of the HOA. I would think it's a limited common element and therefore, your (the homeowner) responsibility.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by LaurenKay

I'm a new condo owner and for months now, I've been pleading with my HOA office to attend to the fact that I do not have hot water in my unit. The water gets warm, at best, during off peak hours (middle of the afternoon or the wee hours of the morning).

I've made countless calls and visits and all the HOA can seem to do is send in their on staff maintenance people, who just throw their hands up and can't figure out the problem.

Do I have any chance in forcing them to resolve it? Suggestions?!

Desperate... and cold.

lauren

I have been posting on this subject on the City-Data House forum. You could have a mixing problem which may be in the shower handle - if it is a one handle Delta, maybe Moen too. If there is mixing it may limit hot water to other faucets besides the shower. Make sure the hot water heater is working by verifying hot water from it - it may be working but hot water just isn't getting to your shower.

If you have your own hot water heater, shut of the water supply to the hot water heater (should be a valve on the pipe where it enters the heater). Go to a few faucets in your home and turn on the hot water. No water should come out (you may have to wait a minute for any water in the lines to drain out but after a minute or so, no water should flow). If water comes out, then you may have cold water mixing in the hot water lines. Also, while the hot water supply is still off, go to your shower and turn the faucet to all hot, then all cold. You may see a very weird thing, no hot water AND no cold water, even though only the hot water supply is cut. There is an anti-scald mechanism in one handle shower handle and cartridges with their own behaviors.

Another source of mixing: do you have a hot water circulator? If so, there may be a one way bypass located on the opposite side of your home from the water heater. It is supposed to let hot water flow to the cold water lines. If it is screwed up, it might be letting cold water flow to the hot line. Another thing to point out to maintenance or plumbers.

This is assuming you have done all the obvious checks: if a gas hot water heater, make sure the temp is set to a high enough level, make sure the burners are working. If an electric hot water heater, also check the temp setpoints and make sure the themostats are working (easy cheap replacement). Also, on a gas hot water heater, make sure the thermocouple is working, another very easy cheap replacement.

Finally, you could have sediment/blockage built up in the hot water line. Can you check to see if the hot water in the hot water heater is hot? Go to the closest faucet to the heater and see if the water is hot there, or run water from the drain on the heater. If the water is hot, then it sounds like it is working but hot water isn't getting to your shower. Could be mixing or sediment/blockage in the pipes.

[LaurenKay]

Thanks for the help Charles. I'm going to look into that. The complex has a communal boiler, and I'm the last one on the route. I'm hoping its something I can get fixed easily via my own plumber since the HOA and on staff maintenance crew is so horribly slow moving. Wish me luck!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by LaurenKay

Thanks for the help Charles. I'm going to look into that. The complex has a communal boiler, and I'm the last one on the route. I'm hoping its something I can get fixed easily via my own plumber since the HOA and on staff maintenance crew is so horribly slow moving. Wish me luck!

You can use my shower if you want.

[JTGJR]

Charles!!!!