Baseboard heater burst

ekappa

Today this happened to me. 
Manager told me that her plumber said it was because I had my window open all night. Which I did not! Come on I'd have to be a moron to do this here in IOWA!
 Anyways  I think it's bs I'm on a fixed income and this bill is gonna be huge! For my apt and the one under me too.
I couldn't even defend myself when she said her good news then the bad. 
Any help about this would be great.

Jamie Hall

Well... it's uncommonly rare for a hot water baseboard to burst unless it has frozen... so I don't quite know what to say.

The only other real possibility is that somehow the system pressure got extremely high (I'm talking over 100 psi) and the safety valve on the boiler didn't operate, and your particular baseboard happened to be the weak point. I'd expect a lot of other damage to the system if that happened, though.

STEVEusaPA

Why do you have to pay for a frozen pipe if you’re the tennant?

ScottSecor

I agree, hot water baseboard pipes typically burst after they freeze.

In almost all cases the pipes freeze when there is no flow, especially when there is inadequate insulation in the walls or a window is left open. Sometimes thermostats are setback for many hours at a time and there is no flow thorugh the heating pipes.

Theoretically, if the heating water temperature was too low for the demand, the thermostat would never get satisfied and flow would never stop (virtually eliminating the chance of a frozen pipe).

ratio

I can't see how your window open will effect the apt below yours. More likely in my eyes is missing/damaged insulation in the walls behind and no flow for some reason.

If it's cold enough to freeze pipes, shouldn't the heat be running often enough to prevent freezeups even if the window is cracked?

HVACNUT

Tell the manager you'll contact the local news and see how they feel about it. 
Ask if he or she can actually prove what they accuse. 

Zman

If the heat is working correctly, it is almost impossible to freeze a pipe. 180 degree moving water does not freeze. I suspect the issue is improperly insulated pipes or a malfunctioning system.
They need actual proof if they are going to attempt to charge you.
Ask them if they are familiar with this one https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/2022/562A.15.pdf
In most areas, there is a government agency that will assist with issues like this.

The key to this is documentation. Take accurate notes and pictures, write down who said what and when. What was their tone? When the plumber is out to fix it ask them what they think happened, ask them why the water was not circulating, and write it all down. Don't let the plumber know about the dispute with the landlord, just ask like you are curious and would like to know more about the system.

Ironman

Did you sleep with the window open?

Apparently, it’s not that uncommon. My wife did this in the dead of winter before we got married and her father was paying the gas bill. I put a stop to when we got married, but after almost 40 years, she still wants to try to do it in milder weather. 

If the burst was actually in the baseboard radiator, and not in the piping feeding it, then the air temperature around it would have had to have been 32* or less. That’s just plain physics. How the air temperature got that low is conjecture. It could have been an open window, but it could also be from air infiltration through a poorly installed wall.

There’s also the matter of the “burst”. When a copper pipe ruptures from freezing, it is very evident from the way it swells and splits. If it’s from internal corrosion or an improperly done joint, it would not show swelling and splitting.

Again, you cannot be held liable based on conjecture.

EBEBRATT-Ed

I am assuming the apartment below was damaged from the leaking water?

vibert_c

@ratio I think you have a excellent point here. I agree!
Lets suppose that Jack Frost turned down the outdoor ambient sufficient to freeze the pipes in both the units, upper and lower, whilst the thermostat in each unit was receiving direct sunlight. Both units require that their thermostats need relocating. It might be wise to place a note on each one to indicate why they were relocated. Otherwise when the next superintendent arrives he will put the thermostats back to where the drawings show on the plan.
Location of the thermostats has never been a concern of most installers.
I have been through a similar experience here in Ottawa Canada.
You can't fix stupid eh!
@ekappa You said: " Anyways I think it's bs I'm on a fixed income and this bill is gonna be huge! For my apt and the one under me too." Should I take this statement to mean the pipes in the lower unit froze also? Or the water damage from above drained down to cause flooding below.
Don't let the manager give you a hard time. Stick to your guns

ratio

Ya know, if the heating flow was low enough to allow pipes to freeze, I'd think that evidence that sufficient heat wasn't being supplied…

Really, though, we don't have enough information to do anything but speculate. IIRC we have a number of landlords here who have told stories of shady tenants, it's not always a matter of the landlord being at fault.

rick in Alaska

I think too many people are giving "legal" advice without enough information.
We need to see pictures of the broken baseboard, especially the broken part,and what ever is around it. I have seen lots of installations where the baseboard is almost completely covered up with furniture, clothes, etc. Then the thermostat is either turned down because the tenant wants a cold room, ( my wife with no thyroid or hormones), or the zone valve quits, or the window is left open. Sounds like the window was not open in this case though.
A gap in the insulation behind the baseboard, followed by a driving wind, combined with a zone valve that quits, could very easily cause a baseboard to split. I would bet the break is right at floor level where the plate meets the floor. Also assuming the pipe comes up through the floor instead of out the wall.
I have experienced this more than once.
We need more information on this.
Rick