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On December 1st, our newspaper reported on the heating situation at Fu Yue Home where some residents' homes were very warm while others remained cold. On December 10th, reporters followed maintenance personnel to the neighborhood again and found that the "extreme disparity" situation had yet to be resolved, with a temperature difference of 6°C between neighbors. After ruling out issues with the main pipeline, it was discovered that the underfloor heating systems in the colder homes had fewer water distribution pipes compared to other households, leading to suspicions that improper installation of the underfloor heating could be the primary cause of insufficient heating. Captain Liu of the Maijie Maintenance Team informed reporters that the lack of sufficient water pipes directly affects heating quality, and that installers often intentionally reduce the number of pipes to save costs. He advised citizens to supervise installations on-site if possible.
"Neighbors wear t-shirts while we wear down jackets"
On December 1st, our paper reported that some residents at Fu Yue Home experienced icy-cold radiators, keeping their windows tightly shut every day to retain warmth, while others had to open their windows daily to release heat. The same neighborhood faced two extremes, and Captain Liu of the Maijie Thermal Company's maintenance team had previously stated that they would quickly investigate the causes.
On December 9th, residents called the hotline 83982811 again, stating that the heating issue had not been resolved. "The weather has been good recently so the lack of heat wasn't too bad, but now everywhere is covered in icicles and the house still hasn't warmed up. It's easy to catch a cold at home," Ms. Zhang said emotionally. "Since the start of the heating season until now, the room temperature has consistently been around 18°C, which meets the standard but feels very cold indoors, as if there’s no heating." One resident mentioned he had conducted an experiment by shutting off the heating valve for two days, during which time the indoor temperature remained at 18°C, indicating that the heating system had almost no effect. Residents told reporters that all floors of their unit’s west-side apartments were very warm, reaching over 20°C, while the east-side ones remained cold, requiring thick down jackets inside.
A nearly 6°C temperature difference between opposite doors
On the 10th, reporters followed Captain Liu of the Maijie Thermal Maintenance Team to Building 16 of the complex for temperature measurements. Indeed, the west-side apartments of the unit were much warmer, ranging from 22°C to 24°C. You could feel the obvious warmth upon entering, and residents wore only light clothing. In contrast, across the hall, the elderly residents were bundled in thick coats, sitting in the sun to watch TV without moving much, with the thermometer showing an indoor temperature of 18.3°C. Two similar readings were taken from other eastern apartments, but the fifth-floor eastern apartment reached 22°C.
"This shows there's no problem with the main pipeline; we need to look into individual households."
Captain Liu examined each household's underfloor heating manifold and found that the two colder homes had only four water pipes on their manifolds, while those with indoor temperatures above 20°C had 5 to 7 pipes. "The insufficient number of manifold water pipes directly impacts heating results, likely being the main cause of the coldness," Captain Liu explained. If there are fewer water pipes on the manifold, then fewer heat-dissipating pipes are laid inside, resulting in faster hot water circulation and thus lower temperatures. Typically, a 100 square meter house should have 5 to 6 manifold water pipes.
Captain Liu mentioned that some houses’ underfloor heating systems were installed uniformly by the developer, ensuring quality, but most were modified from radiator systems during renovations. Workers often save costs by installing as few pipes as possible, saving 50 yuan per water valve skipped, plus the cost of fewer pipes, making the savings quite significant. However, the losses suffered by homeowners are considerable. "Currently, there's a lack of formal companies, so you can only pay attention yourself during installation. Insulation materials and cement thickness are important considerations. It's best to have a knowledgeable friend supervise the process on-site to prevent having to tear up the floorboards later to reinstall everything." Additionally, Captain Liu suggested using more tiles than wooden floors since tiles dissipate heat better.
Our newspaper intern reporters Chen Yan and Sun Yongjian =ā?? Related theme articles: Related theme articles: Become the main force of winter heating products Related theme articles Please call 010-57036108