Finally, there has been some progress on the saga that has been our heating system for the last week and a half - all year. For a brief recap, the heating system couldn't handle the extreme cold temperatures and the inside of the house got down to 9°C. It took days to get a proper diagnosis, which was that four years ago, the wrong machine was installed. They finally got the new machine, but as they were installing it, because the heating had been so low and then no water was running, some basement pipes froze and cracked. As a result, we have been staying in a hotel, and then an AirBnB for the last week.
Right now though, I am at my own home office desk.
And as of an hour or two ago, there is even running water, so I can wash the dishes that have been sitting there for almost two weeks. And go to the bathroom.
Luxury.
It is good to be home though and I kind of just feel like laying down and having a nap in my own bed for a bit of a proper sleep. However, the drama isn't completely over, as there is still the issues of who is paying for what, which has been stressing us out a little, as it isn't going to be cheap. But this morning, after the letter from our insurance company and the report from their surveyor with pictures, the heating company sent an email to say that it is clear that they are responsible for this.
That is a weight off our shoulders at least.
The plumber was saying how busy they have been with similar situations, and he has worked a lot of overtime. At one place, a couple turned their heating off to save money due the cost of electricity, and now will have to likely foot the bill for new piping, which he estimates will run near €20,000. As stupid as they were, I really do understand that people are looking to save money on electricity, because the day they made that poor decision, the price was €2.35 per kWh. For a small house, that is around €200 for the day.
We had to have the water shut off to the block, which is the council's responsibility, so we also had to have them come back and turn it on so the plumber could test. All of this costs of course, but they also installed a new meter, which means that rather than sending us a letter to fill out how much we have used, they know from the meter. Don't ask me how this gets its power, but I am going to work under the assumption that it draws it from the water movement - or do I have to change a battery occasionally? The top number is total, the bottom is current flow. Zero is good for current flow, otherwise it would indicate a leak, because we had nothing running at that time.
The plumber spoke English well (some tradespeople might not), and we chatted about about some ideas for future heating. He said that we were pretty lucky, as it seems that there was only two sections of pipe that required replacing, and one was more of a "just in case" thing. Rather than replacing the entire pipe, he cut and fit the sections. The angle above was where the crack was, and the pipe was old and the join welded, which is where the spit had started too. It was also bulging in areas. The one below was to create a stronger section near the water meter.
So here we are, the dishwasher running. The washing machine is in the basement and yet to test. If that doesn't work, the heating company will be footing the bill for that also, as if the water froze inside the machine, it will be useless. But after so many days away, running from place to place and worrying about a flooded basement, finding places to sleep and wondering if we will be the ones footing the bill, it is nice to be home, with warmth and running water.
Just in time for the temperature to drop again.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
I've never had to replace a battery in my water meter at all and I have never needed anyone to come in and do it, so I expect you might be right about the water flow. That or something else. I'm glad you got everything sorted. It's a rare occurrence for a company to accept responsibility like that. Despite your past experience with them, that honesty might merit keeping them around in the future. I remember when I was much younger my parents were out of town, I was heading down state to visit a friend for the weekend and I let my parents know I had shut off the heat so the house wouldn't burn down while we were all away. I didn't even think about the pipes. They let me know that I needed to drive the two hours back home to turn the heat back on! Everything was okay, but it sure did wreck my plans for the weekend! Learned my lesson!
We are kind of stuck with them for a bit at least. They guaranteed a working system, no matter how long it takes to ensure it. :)
I haven't thought too much about freezing pipes either - it isn't in my backbone either. I will remember now though!
I'm glad you're finally home! And that the fault was not yours.
$200 a DAY for electricity?! I knew it was high there, from your posts, but $200 a day? That's more than I pay for two months. To save the big bucks in heating costs, one might put in a wood burning stove, no?
It was a massive spike in the spot prices. People have been told that the supply was good, so not to take a contract. We took a contract. on that day, the spot prices were 25x more than what we paid. that is about a month in a day. Many detached homes have wood fireplaces, but not all. The older houses aren't as energy efficient either. They really need to sort out the electricity in Finland. It is stable, but now very expensive, and we are becoming more energy consumptive, especially as more electric and hybrid cars enter usage.
This will cause a slow death of many, with no one obvious to blame. Unlike your heating company, the true perps will not take responsibility, because for them, their efforts will have been a success. And they'll know more about how to destabilize other, less cooperative, populations. Another front in the new game of war. Reduce dependence on electricity and other government influenced utilities!
Woohoo..that's something to celebrate. It is easy to take for granted such things as heat, food or shelter. We sure know it when it is gone....I am happy your family is back at home and that the company will be held liable for the bill!
It's a great day!
I know that in some places it is normal life not to have this kind of luxury, but it is all relative to experience. It does feel good to be home :)
Friday up there -18C
Friday here +37
🤪
Seriously. I think it's time to start looking closer to the equator!
It seems the smart thing to do right? 😋
Aggravation most definitely annoyance when such instances happen, going from one problem onto the next.
Good to hear this is hopefully solved at long last, enjoy being snug as a bug in a rug from here out in!
I am sure there will be things that come up, but at least we are at home now to deal with them, so it isn't trying to manage from unfamiliar surroundings.
Hope you settle, insurance pays, able to simply get on with living in comfort of ones own home.
Not a lot to ask for, yet appear to be more a nightmare of late dealing with many things, especially when third parties involved.
Seems too complicated system. Mine just four pipes reach there boiler.
It has to deal with different conditions. What is the fuel for yours?
Natural gas
Wait you mean $200 for a day electricity or I didn’t read it well?
That’s crazily expensive!
Yes, it is crazy. one of my clients has accrued €440 in electricity bills in ten days so far this month.
I am so glad that I don't live in Finland. Last time for electricity I paid 24,02 €. there is no way I could pay 200 a day.
There are some crazy things here. It wasn't like this earlier.
What an experience!
Happy to read at least the heating company is taking responsibility for the problem and covering the cost.
Yupp that's too cool
I like how you understand what can be deemed as stupid, of the couple turning off the heating system and ending up paying more than they saved. The sad and hidden reality of real estate. A wonderful investment on paper and yet they are too many things that surround it, that have ways of milking one dry apart from the time it takes to clear a mortgage.
The Dark day’s are over lol. Amazing news. Finally light at the end of the tunnel and not having to foot the bill for the negligence of installers.
The Dark day’s are over lol. Amazing news finally light at the end of the tunnel and not having to foot the bill for the negligence of installers
At last, all roads lead home. Awe from home only makes sense of it was intentional and planned. Not when you are forced out of your space by nature. That can really disorient you for a long time before the mind fully stabilizes. We are habitual beings.our place of residence kick starts it all.
Hope you are enjoying your home more, now that the malfunctions have been fixed. Anything to make home feel really like home.
Is it common to heat with electric radiators in Finland? Here it's mostly Natural Gas/Forced Air. Minus 30 today and it will cost a couple of bucks extra.
Seeing a happy resolution to a problem is always nice. Apart from the very big inconvenience, it is good that they took ownership of the issue, and you didn't have to pay a lot. I feel so bad for that family that will have to pay 20k. Seeing that it is still going to get colder, I hope everything is ok moving forward.