It’s only a matter of time before every apartment dweller experiences that dreaded Soviet phenomenon: You feel some liquid dripping on your head in the bathroom and see an ugly wet spot growing on the ceiling. It means your flat is flooded and itХs time to run up the stairs and fight with your neighbors, who undoubtedly left the water running in the bathtub.
The only thing you can do in that situation is to convince them to do something to stop it. They might try to avoid responsibility and blame the neighbors living above. Sometimes residents have to go up several floors and inspect a dozen bathrooms to find the origin of leak.
Yet sometimes the shoe is on the other foot. You are just about to take a bath but suddenly fall asleep. Within an hour, a bunch of furious neighbors are banging on your door, accusing you of flooding them. If your neighbors are New Ukrainians they might even try to charge you for damaging their Euro-remont.
If the problem is not you but the leaking pipes or something else, the first thing to do is to find and switch off the main water supply to your bathroom or kitchen.
The next step is to call your local ZhEK (House and Utility Service Office) and ask them to send a plumber (san-tekh-nik). If you donХt know your ZhEKХs number, ask your neighbors or dial 09 for information.
Plumbers are the traditional butt of local jokes and anecdotes. As soon as you meet them, youХll understand why. Though not all plumbers are alcoholics and idlers, many of them deserve that reputation.
Plumbers are employed by ZhEK and are not supposed to take money from clients. Still, most of them hope for tips, which have become an unwritten rule. The regular price is between Hr 5 and Hr 10 depending on the efficiency of the job. Overpaying a plumber might backfire. Instead of working for an hour, he might decide to work for three days, hoping for a bonus.
Beware of plumbers who claim that they need to buy parts. If itХs a small component costing less than Hr 5, go ahead and let him replace it. But if he recommends changing the entire faucet or even the sink, donХt allow it. Plumbers are notorious for exaggerating costs and buying second-hand parts, while charging you for a new component. ItХs better to ask the plumber for the specific dimensions and buy the part yourself.
ItХs useless to ask the plumber to bring back the receipt because most plumbers buy parts at the market where it is difficult to get a receipt.
Dealing with plumbers can be time consuming. Even if you make an appointment, there is no guarantee that he will be on time or show up at all. Always write down the plumberХs name. If you have problems, you can call ZhEK and complain.
Olga Kryzhanovska
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