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No hot water during the night

NYC Rent Regulation: Rent Control/Rent Stabilized, DHCR Practice/Procedures

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Re: No hot water during the night

Postby TenantNet » Wed Feb 07, 2018 8:33 pm

The situation is so blatant I don't know why actual water temperatures would be important. Is it?


Because you might need to prove it. Get yourself a thermometer.

Yes, LLs will often imply it's in your head. Fight back with that BS.
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Re: No hot water during the night

Postby BubbaJoe123 » Thu Feb 08, 2018 1:35 pm

sr77 wrote:
BubbaJoe123 wrote:Have you started a log of the problem, using a thermometer? It'll be a lot more compelling to both your landlord and (if necessary) HPD if you can quantify the problem, such as:

2/5/18, 5:17AM, 68 degree water temp
2/4/18, 4:46AM, 57 degree water temp
and so on.

Thanks. I've already done that. I've given them the logs, though just noting levels of 'cold' 'warm' 'hot' coming from the faucet at the times checked, not actual temperatures, which I haven't measured.

The situation is so blatant I don't know why actual water temperatures would be important. Is it?

What concerns me is if the landlord asserts that I'm making it up, that it's 'in my head' or that I have some expectation of super hot instead of normal hot, since no HPD inspector is going to come at those hours, how will I be able to establish a credible 'case'?


Since there's such a wide discrepancy about what people view as "hot," being able to cite specific temperatures makes the issue much clearer. The NYC criterion is 120 degrees at the tap, so if you can say "it was 73 degrees," that's more actionable than "it was cold."
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Re: No hot water during the night

Postby sr77 » Sun Feb 11, 2018 5:38 pm

Because you might need to prove it. Get yourself a thermometer.


Since there's such a wide discrepancy about what people view as "hot," being able to cite specific temperatures makes the issue much clearer. The NYC criterion is 120 degrees at the tap, so if you can say "it was 73 degrees," that's more actionable than "it was cold."

OK, I was thinking of it more in relation to the landlord's expressed dubiousness about my claim, rather than as a means of providing evidence to, e.g., HPD.

In other words, if LL's office won't trust my report that there really is no hot water, why will they trust temperature readings that I provide?

But anyway, they've since specifically requested the temperatures for several consecutive days, so I'll just go ahead and do that & see what happens.

BTW, they also asked me to provide photos and video ("if possible"). I kid you not.
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Re: No hot water during the night

Postby TenantNet » Sun Feb 11, 2018 6:33 pm

It's typical for LLs to doubt your word. They do that to annoy you. Typical for them to say things like, "well, no one else complained." That is a willful denial of service and in my opinion, harassment.

You get the actual readings to get them on record if you go to DHCR or the courts.

You can't provide photos of cold water. Ignore that.

Best if you can get other tenants to corroborate.
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Re: No hot water during the night

Postby sr77 » Sun Feb 11, 2018 7:50 pm

In a previous post you mentioned "circulation pumps." Do you know whether these are an actual component of the boiler or physically separate from it?

I ask because I don't think LL has done anything more to date than send one or more superintendents to check the boiler during the day, when the hot water issue is never active, and they never find anything wrong.

If the pumps are separate from the boiler I'll raise that in my next communication with the LL, to ask that those also be checked.

Thanks.
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Re: No hot water during the night

Postby sr77 » Mon Feb 12, 2018 10:08 pm

TenantNet wrote:You get the actual readings to get them on record if you go to DHCR or the courts.

I have a thermometer now. It's a wand type with digital readout. Anpro DT-10.

It doesn't have any 'usage' instructions beyond "Press ON/OFF to turn unit on/off," how to switch between Celsius & Fahrenheit, etc.

Never having used a thermometer before except for air temperature, is there a best technique to use?

Fill a glass & then take the temperature of the water in the glass -or- stick the thermometer under running water? Or either?

My guess would be that the first option would be close enough & prevent possibly dropping/breaking the thermometer while holding it under running water.

But what do the tenant.net rocket scientists say?

Thanks.
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Re: No hot water during the night

Postby TenantNet » Mon Feb 12, 2018 10:21 pm

I have no idea.
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