The riser of the water supply in the apartment is a vertically located pipe passing through all floors of the apartment building. From it, a pipe enters the apartment, at the end of which a locking device is installed: a valve, tap or valve. After this device, loungers are laid - pipes located horizontally that are connected to plumbing fixtures.
Who is responsible for what?
The riser refers to the area of responsibility of the organization that serves the house. All measures taken with it - repairs, replacement, etc. - are made at the expense of the rent, which is paid monthly by the owners of the apartments. Loungers are the property of the owners of the apartments, so all the costs of repair and replacement are borne by them. This also applies to the locking device.
If the water riser needs to be repaired, and the managing organization tightens it, the tenants themselves can carry it out. This event must be agreed with the managing organization. The contract indicates the timing of the work, because for this period the water supply to several apartments located one above the other will be cut off.
To replace the riser, it is necessary to agree on the type of pipe so that unforeseen situations do not happen later. Pipe material is usually indicated in the passport of the building.
Types of materials for the riser
There are requirements that relate to the service life of tubular products made of different materials. They are indicated in the joint venture 30.13330.2012. This document clearly indicates that pipes installed in a hot water supply system should last at least 25 years. In the cold water supply system - at least 50 years.
Previously used steel products served much less. Departmental building codes provide data on each type of pipe in terms of their long-term operation.
| Type of pipe | Service life in the cold water supply system, years | Service life in the hot water supply system, years |
| Steel gas pipeline | 15 | 10 |
| Galvanized | 30 | 20 |
Practice shows that in the cold water supply, steel pipes serve much less than the declared period. The reason is condensation, which forms on the outer surface. It is a catalyst for the corrosion of metals.
Today, risers are increasingly being erected from plastic pipes. But when choosing the latter, it is necessary to take into account their strength characteristics. For cold water supply, polypropylene pipes of the PN10 brand can be used, for hot water at least PN20. Metal-plastic models can be used without restrictions.
In apartment buildings, whose hot water supply is formed from the elevator unit, there is a high probability of deviation of the water parameters from the standard ones. It is recommended to use steel products here.
Rules for installing risers
First of all, the water supply is shut off. To do this, in the basement close the locking device. If the latter is not, you will have to call the housing and communal services, which will block the water supply to the whole house or porch.
Replacing the riser of a water pipe is the dismantling of the old and the installation of a new one with the obligatory connection of it to the sunbeds in each apartment. Depending on the type of pipe used, the connections will be made in different ways:
- steel and galvanized by gas or electric welding;
- polypropylene by welding (soldering);
- metal-plastic by welding or press fittings.
There are standards for the location of water pipes:
- from the wall - 5 cm;
- between hot water and cold water - 8 cm.
If the ceiling height in the apartment does not exceed 3 m, water pipes are not attached to the walls. Cement mortar in the floor - excellent fixation. If the height exceeds 3 m, one fastener is installed in the middle of the pipe length. This applies to steel products. If the water supply is assembled from plastic pipes, regardless of its brand, the fastening is carried out in steps of 80-100 cm.
Do not connect pipe wiring in ceilings. Installation should start from the basement. At the junction of the plastic riser with a plank bed, a tee is mounted. In steel water pipelines, the branch pipe for the plank bed is cut using gas or electric welding. The connection is carried out by the same technologies.
In the apartment on the top floor, it is better to install a branch that connects the sunbed and riser.
According to SNiP, the hot water supply system should always be located to the right of the cold water supply.
After assembling the piping, it is necessary to test it to determine the leak at the joints. To do this, open the locking device and check the connection.
