no gas, no hot water for 71 yr. old woman in BA, I would like to help..

[realto]

I've been without heating and cooking gas three times already in past years. Twice in differnt buildings in Caballito and once in Recoleta.
Live and learn.

For the bathroom, there are small 5+ liter heaters that hang under the shower pipe and heat the water. Installing and wiring is simple and can be properly done in a few hours.

For cooking, you can buy an electric anafe at any hardware store.

Heating water is also simple with the right appliance. Better buy two units.
A bucket or two are good investments also.

It takes a little planning and the right handyman. It's also quite cheap, all things considered.

For the permanent fix it can and will take months. The gas company is liable and responsible for the service up to the front door of the building but will not reestablish the service until ALL units are compliant and have been certified by a third party and inspected by the company.
It takes a lot of time to get the ducks in a row and it's better to get the certification from a single guy who then presents the building and units compliancy in a single document.
Usually they charge an arm and a leg.

Iz

Hi, thanks.. Yes, that's what I've come to understand..it can take may months and you have to pay. No way she will afford that, and they would have to tear up the kitchen she paid to have renovated when she bought apt..at her expense. So it looks like electric... or I was thinking maybe a conversion of her current NatGas wall water heater to propane (LNG). It's a simple sold by all mfgrs. just three nozzles and a diaphram spring. The inst. does have to be inspected because it burns hotter..I don't know if that is allowed though. I also thought of the over shower heated bucket..not to good a permanent fix though. Yes there were plenty of pails and buckets from the tub I saw pics of when they first turned gas off. Hard to imagine someone having to go without hot water for months or even years...

 

[realto]

Perhaps the price quoted is to re-do the gas lines in the whole building.

No, it's just for the electric water tank. I have no idea what the gas lines would cost..

 

[on the brink]

In that case, it sounds like a definite ripoff.

 

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I would say installation would be around fifty dollars for the heater - maybe a hundred if water pipes need to be extended. The stove is just plugged in, and all it takes is a tip for the delivery guys. No inspection, as far as I know. Any licensed plumber can install it.

Recently I had a split AC installed - almost a full day's work, due to the unit's hard to reach location. The charge was sixty dollars, including all pipes, wiring, and a shelf for the condenser.

Most apartments in BA need a complete new electricity wiring for running these. I paid 1.5 k usd for that when I moved to my apartment including a a 10 mm wire straight from the basement to the box at home.
It is expensive or not depending on what does it includes.

 

[realto]

Ok, so this is a complete different scenario now.

Legal details cannot be overlooked. First of all, the owner cannot miss the monthly payment of building maintenance expenses. According the bylaws, generally after 3 months, the debt goes to legal department which is a painful.

I think she has the regular monthly maint amounts paid for OK. The gas problems I don't think the repair cost is mandated..she just has no gas until she does. If that's what you were asking...

 

[jblaze5779]

Seems like you could place the electric unit next to the gas unit and plumb them together with tees if you want to switch back to gas without interruption when the time comes. If not, skip the tees and tie it to the electric unit. Plug it into the receptacle the gas heater is currently plugged into. As for the stove get an electric unit and replace the gas unit.

Shouldn't be any wiring required for these changes.

 

[realto]

Seems like you could place the electric unit next to the gas unit and plumb them together with tees if you want to switch back to gas without interruption when the time comes. If not, skip the tees and tie it to the electric unit. Plug it into the receptacle the gas heater is currently plugged into. As for the stove get an electric unit and replace the gas unit.

Shouldn't be any wiring required for these changes.

That's what I was thinking, couple the water inlet/outlet from elec. WH, into the fittings going into the existing gas wall heater. With flexible metal hose from elec WH. No pipes or going into walls to plumb pipes. As far as plug in to gas unit, that's just small amperage for the control board, display, etc. The load from an elec. water heater would be too much for it. But that would just mean outside the wall wiring an an added circuit breaker. That cant be cost at all.

 

[realto]

Carmen, thanks for reply. That seems to be pretty much what she was saying to me,(translated through Google). She would have to pay a share of the cost... she showed me pictures of the torn up gas lines outside apt. when she was there last November. Then they cut the gas to her apt. and she would have to pay to have the lines in her apt. fixed. She bought the apt., so not a rental. I'm not sure if all the units have gas disconnected still. She said when she was there back in Nov. the apartment manager did talk to her and showed her the options. I don't know if there was organized asemblias with other owners..

That is, torn up gas mains going into the whole apt. building from the street. That happened first. The ones going into her apartment might be a problem, but they have to tear into that to find out. That's my understanding anyway,

 

[on the brink]

Gas is more trouble than it's worth. When it is really cold the gas company mixes it with air, so heaters don't work properly and water takes forever to boil. Plus, gas is often dirty, the stoves get clogged and stop working, and only the plumber can get them going again. So, a few months ago I disconnected two gas heaters and got a dual AC-heat unit, and an electric heater. Have them on 24/7 - the electric bill went from $1500 a month to $2100, about five dollars. Best money ever spent.

 

[realto]

Most apartments in BA need a complete new electricity wiring for running these. I paid 1.5 k usd for that when I moved to my apartment including a a 10 mm wire straight from the basement to the box at home.
It is expensive or not depending on what does it includes.

Hi, thanks for reply. Do you happen to have the prices and labor for that? It would be great to see where the expenses are. Of course in her case it is a small, one bedroom apt. The run of wire would be short and also connection to pipes/fittings. That just seems so expensive, more than I would pay in US for even a bigger WH.. and I know parts prices are about the same or less, and labor is much cheaper..