Water damage caused by frost is exceptional in apartment buildings. Instead of pipes, the danger lies in ventilation.
Frostbite are now punishing buildings in the capital region as well. It already happened in Hotel Mestari in Helsinki water damage on Wednesday due to sprinkler system freezing.
In the middle of the cold in any residential building, the thought can creep into your mind: What if the pipes freeze and there is a water damage?
Kiinteistöliitto Uusimaa HVAC expert Janne Laksola however, there is reassuring news for many residents of the capital region.
“In multi-storey buildings, it's really unusual for water damage due to frost to happen,” says Laksola.
Typically, pipes freezing and the problems that arise from them affect old front-line houses.
Kiinteistöliitto Uusimaa executive director Mika Heikkilä advise that those who live in terraced or semi-detached houses should check any hatches that ventilate the subfloor. They should be closed in severe frosts so that cold air does not get stuck near the pipes.
Basically, houses should be able to withstand severe frosts, at least 25 degrees. In small houses, problems can sometimes start to appear when the thermometer shows minus ten degrees.
“Something is wrong if the pipes freeze,” says Laksola.
He says that the freezing of water pipes and the resulting water damage are “extreme exceptions” in the housing association world.
Typically water damage caused by a broken pipe only happens when the frost thaws.
Laksola advises to skip hair dryers and other home defrosting methods if the pipes freeze. He urges you to ask for help from professionals.
If the pipe breaks, it is essential to cut off the water to limit the damage. Laksola urges those living in condominiums to contact the maintenance company.
The rescue service of the city of Helsinki reminds in the message service X that damage can be prevented in small houses by leaving the faucet running or by piling snow as insulation on top of the underground water pipe.
In apartment buildings the risk of damage may be related to ventilation instead of water pipes. If the residential building has centralized mechanical ventilation and the machine malfunctions, the end result may be a cracking of the heating radiator.
The ventilation system in question applies even to apartment buildings built in the 21st century.
According to Laksola's estimate, every year in the capital region, some machine breaks down. However, it is not a general problem.
Also You should be careful with the air heat pump in severe frosts, Laksola reminds. He states that newer devices can withstand frost, but older machines may travel.
If the air heat pump is used, for example, to support electric heating, the pump can be left on even in these freezing temperatures. In Helsinki, the readings have hovered around -15 degrees on both sides.
On the other hand, if the pump is not already running, it should not be turned on in severe frosts, so that the device does not break. This especially applies to old air source heat pumps.
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