No Gas In The Building Since December 2014...!!

[Rich One]

More than 500 buildings in BA have been disconnected for inspection reconecting may take up to 2 years . With expenses of millions of yes Doiiars according to Clarin,

We manage by switching to electric water heaters, Microwaves and hot plates, electric ovens.

If you smell GAS DO Not Call Metrogas !! you will be disconnected ASAP. Call Insteas a licensed Gasista..!

The plus side ...No rent increase or commisiions



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[RodalfoWalsh]

Do you know what 60years of deferred maintenance looks like.

This is what happens when the owners of cheap 1-2 ambientes that were consistently vote no to everything because there's no way to justify it when they're collecting 1500 in rent.

Some of the concorcio meetings are really incredible, problem with the electrical service. Call an electrican, no way. Let's have the encargado (illegaly) open the utility box and jump the fueses with a piece of cable.

 

[ElQueso]

On top of the ongoing lack of maintenance that is pretty normal in many buildings, this is a good example of what happens with a corrupt group of people who take advantage of other events to make themselves some money.

I know three different people, personally, who have been affected by this and know of a number of others by word of mouth.

I had a friend who had a visit from the gas company when he wasn't even home. The gas company shut off the gas to his house (it's a three floor, 500 sm house built around 1910) and left a note on the door telling him he couldn't have gas again until the house was inspected. He immediately called the gas company and made an appointment for them to come out. He was told it was going to cost him an arm and a leg to get the one gas appliance he had (a stove) to vent outside via a fan. Most of the cost was tied up in inspections and bribes - more than $10K pesos in bribes to two different people by the time he got done. It took him more than a year to get gas again because he didn't want to pay the bribes.

That was just one story.

I get the fact that building maintenance is terrible here. I live in an older building where the people who occupy the apartments have no reason to put off maintenance issues so long. We have problems with both our elevators all the time. Water leak problems all the time. Band-aids used always to "fix" the problem.

But the gas thing seems to me to be an excuse to go beyond the line for a number of inspectors and government officials to put a proverbial gun to the head of a large number of residents and literally make out like bandits. You know this is an issue when the majority of the problems that need to be resolved are not very big problems, but the inspectors make it out to be and accept more, or at least as much, in bribes as the cost of the repairs themselves...

 

[Rich One]

Do you know what 60years of deferred maintenance looks like.

This is what happens when the owners of cheap 1-2 ambientes that were consistently vote no to everything because there's no way to justify it when they're collecting 1500 in rent.

Some of the concorcio meetings are really incredible, problem with the electrical service. Call an electrican, no way. Let's have the encargado (illegaly) open the utility box and jump the fueses with a piece of cable.

The Rosario Gas Explosion was a terrible thing, however one tends to thinks its necessary and justified for buildings to be disconnected specially when its not your building. B)

 

[dennisr]

Just now got into the gas shutoff nightmare: Thursday. Building is 11 years old. So the story goes.... One of the occupants of the building had not paid their gas bill for two years and Metrogas showed up to shutoff their service. Delinquent occupant complained to Metrogas of smelling gas while they were shutting off the service to her apartment. You know the rest of the story: shutdown the whole building for the duration. Time to move on.

 

[ghost]

On top of the ongoing lack of maintenance that is pretty normal in many buildings, this is a good example of what happens with a corrupt group of people who take advantage of other events to make themselves some money.

I know three different people, personally, who have been affected by this and know of a number of others by word of mouth.

I had a friend who had a visit from the gas company when he wasn't even home. The gas company shut off the gas to his house (it's a three floor, 500 sm house built around 1910) and left a note on the door telling him he couldn't have gas again until the house was inspected. He immediately called the gas company and made an appointment for them to come out. He was told it was going to cost him an arm and a leg to get the one gas appliance he had (a stove) to vent outside via a fan. Most of the cost was tied up in inspections and bribes - more than $10K pesos in bribes to two different people by the time he got done. It took him more than a year to get gas again because he didn't want to pay the bribes.

That was just one story.

I get the fact that building maintenance is terrible here. I live in an older building where the people who occupy the apartments have no reason to put off maintenance issues so long. We have problems with both our elevators all the time. Water leak problems all the time. Band-aids used always to "fix" the problem.

But the gas thing seems to me to be an excuse to go beyond the line for a number of inspectors and government officials to put a proverbial gun to the head of a large number of residents and literally make out like bandits. You know this is an issue when the majority of the problems that need to be resolved are not very big problems, but the inspectors make it out to be and accept more, or at least as much, in bribes as the cost of the repairs themselves...

Some people here think that realestate is an investment in Argentina. Not when you are constantly at the mercy of the infrastructure. Be it the streets, the side walks, the gas delivery modal s, the electric company and the crook at the front door.

 

[RodalfoWalsh]

But the gas thing seems to me to be an excuse to go beyond the line for a number of inspectors and government officials to put a proverbial gun to the head of a large number of residents and literally make out like bandits. You know this is an issue when the majority of the problems that need to be resolved are not very big problems, but the inspectors make it out to be and accept more, or at least as much, in bribes as the cost of the repairs themselves...

Metrogas does go bribe hunting its true infact they're the worst and I posted about my awful experience last year. That said the reason most of these gas problems take so long is because there are actual problems.

This is how it happened in a friend's building. They got a call and so they came and shut off the gas right away, better safe than sorry right? Then told everyone to turn off all their appliances. A week or so later they'll come by unannounced, and hang a water column for either 30 or 45 min. If you pass, they'll turn the gas back on without even talking to the concorcio. If you fail, well then yes, its inspection time and the number one thing is that you don't have a gas leak.

 

[Rich One]

Metrogas does go bribe hunting its true infact they're the worst and I posted about my awful experience last year. That said the reason most of these gas problems take so long is because there are actual problems.

This is how it happened in a friend's building. They got a call and so they came and shut off the gas right away, better safe than sorry right? Then told everyone to turn off all their appliances. A week or so later they'll come by unannounced, and hang a water column for either 30 or 45 min. If you pass, they'll turn the gas back on without even talking to the concorcio. If you fail, well then yes, its inspection time and the number one thing is that you don't have a gas leak.

Please Explain the water column device?? Sorry for 30 min. Me no understand?

 

[RodalfoWalsh]

Its a type of manometer that consists of a clear plastic tube in the shape of a U open on onside and with a fitting on the other which is connected via the fitting to the gas network. Water is added and atmospheric pressure pushes the water down from the open side and the air pressure in the sealed gas pipes resists. The more water, the more weight that it must resist. If the water goes down, there is a leak. Pipes are tested to either 10 or 20 times the pressure of the gas.

 

[Rich One]

An Update

No Gas in my building......since Dec 2014.... no new date predicted for connection.

150 apartments without Gas...!! All kinds of situations have developed in the building from tenants not paying the rent to evictions , etc.legal battles fist fights . On the plus side landlords are very very cooperative bc if they evict or the tenant leaves May be VERY hard to get a new tenant without gas, hot water etc Also neighbors that have termotanques invite friends to shower..