Rostov Residents Endure Cold, Moldy Apartments for Over a Month

In Rostov, residents of the building at Stachki Street, 215/2 have been living without proper heating since mid-December — when an accident occurred at TEC-2. Temperatures drop to 16–17°C (61–63°F). Due to dampness, mold forms in the rooms and windowsills crack, Rostov resident Yulia told 161.RU. The managing company says that the thermal power plant is not providing the necessary parameters for normal heat supply. But residents have to pay the full amount for heating. Last year, the building was supposed to start replacing the cold and hot water supply networks, but there was no money for it.

Windowsills Cracked, Mold Won«t Come Out

The fungus has penetrated the wallpaper and walls — and chemical treatment no longer helps. Moisture accumulates on the ceiling. And the windowsills have cracked from dampness.

«The windows sweat very heavily, causing all the windowsills to crack. The mold in the apartment is such that it won»t come out anymore. No one will pay for this for sure, and repairing and removing the mold costs a lot of money. … Now, a heater is on all day, and the apartment warms up to at most 19–20°C (66–68°F). We walk around the apartment dressed, like in spring outside.«

Even before the TEC accident, there were problems with heating. The temperature in the apartment was around 20°C (68°F) — that«s the lower limit of the norm. Sometimes it briefly dropped to 18–19°C (64–66°F), and sometimes it got warmer. But there was no cold like after the accident. Yulia»s apartment is corner — now it«s consistently below 20°C (68°F), often the temperature drops to 16–17°C (61–63°F).

«Last year, this wasn»t the case. There was, of course, dampness and mold, but we didn«t observe moisture on the ceiling. And otherwise, our heating has been bad for three years for sure, but this year it broke all records.»

«No matter how much we complain to the managing company, they can»t do anything. A plumber comes or just calls, says: either our risers are clogged, or the water pressure in the radiators is such that it doesn«t reach us, or our radiators are probably bad. In short, always excuses.»

But the problem is definitely not in the radiators, Yulia is sure. In summer, when water is circulated under high pressure and high temperature, they are hot.

«And in winter, they save, but it only affects us negatively, as we have to pay twice as much for electricity as usual. And for heating in full.»

In the radiators themselves, the temperature usually doesn«t reach 35°C (95°F). For example, on January 23, in the middle of the radiator it was 33°C (91°F), at the top — 30°C (86°F).

«And these aren»t even the last sections — they«re completely cold. So, the water temperature in the radiator isn»t even 40°C (104°F). A person wouldn«t even bathe in such water, so what can such water even heat?»

Heat Supplied with Reduced Pressure, But Full Payment Required

For two weeks after the TEC-2 accident, the temperature in Yulia«s apartment was 16°C (61°F). The managing company told residents that they couldn»t do anything, as heat comes to the building with reduced pressure. Meanwhile, the heating bills for December came with the full amount.

«I called the managing company, asked: »Why is this, and where is the recalculation?«, to which they answered me that reduced pressure is not grounds for recalculation. That is, if they have low pressure, so that it doesn»t reach me at all, I«ll still have to pay in full.»

Yulia suspects that the managing company didn«t record the temperature, which is why it can»t send the necessary documents for recalculation to Rostov Heating Networks (RTS). After the New Year holidays, it got cold again in the apartment to 18–19°C (64–66°F), and about a week ago — to 16°C (61°F). The reason, Yulia says, is again reduced pressure. The residents asked the managing company to draw up an act.

«We went down to the basement and checked the heating system. As it turned out, RTS isn»t providing enough heat. The managing company knows about this, but says it can«t do anything with them. I want to know: how did they report that »everything is fine, everything is working, we supply heat in full«, but in fact the temperature doesn»t meet standards. The pressure also doesn«t meet requirements, which is why there»s no normal water circulation in the radiators, and consequently, they«re half cold.»

Neighbors who live on the upper and first floors, as well as in corner apartments, also complain about the cold, Yulia says. On the second, third, and fourth floors, the radiators are barely warm, and mold appears on the walls. And in the building, mostly families with small children and elderly people live.

«Even a woman from the managing company walked around our apartment in socks, herself surprised that our floors are very cold. Even where there»s a carpet, it«s not much better. The ceilings feel damp, cold to the touch. Last year, the building was supposed to have a major overhaul of the heating and water supply systems, but for some unknown reasons it was postponed to this year. It»s unknown if it will happen at all and if it will get better after.«

What Does the Managing Company Say?

In the managing company «Pyataya» (The Fifth), which services the building, they told 161.RU correspondent that they received an official appeal from residents of one of the apartments and came there to measure the temperature to draw up an act.

«The thermal power plant isn»t providing the necessary parameters. There«s no circulation in the heating system,» a company representative said.

To the question of whether residents will ultimately get a recalculation after the TEC accident, due to which they haven«t had normal heating since mid-December, they couldn»t answer.

«On December 15, when the accident occurred in four districts, there was no heating. On December 16, by evening, TEC started filling the system. Also, until December 31 inclusive, the heat carrier parameters were non-standard. In the building where there is a meter, [heating] is calculated by certain gigacalories. How the recalculation will be, I don»t know. About recalculation, I can«t tell you.»

In 2025, the building was supposed to start replacing the cold and hot water supply networks. But the repair was ultimately postponed because there«s no money for it.

«According to information from the contractor, the capital repair fund has no money. Whether that»s true or not — we don«t know.»

In the press service of Rostov Heating Networks, they told 161.RU correspondent that specialists will inspect the building on January 27.

For the past week, Rostov residents have been complaining en masse about barely warm radiators. The problem is especially acute in the center and Western microdistrict. As the governor of Rostov Oblast, Yury Slyusar, said, due to a sharp drop in temperature, the heat carrier parameters have worsened. And the problem is in the equipment, which needs current and capital repairs.

According to the governor, in the near future, RTS will carry out reconstruction of the power unit and heating networks. Currently, at TEC-2, «a reliability improvement program is being implemented.» What exactly it includes is not specified.

The accident at Rostov TEC-2 occurred on December 15 due to a defect that was fixed on the same day, as authorities reported. Heat was supposed to be restored on December 16, but for over a month now, many buildings have had no normal heating.