VDGO maintenance (maintenance of indoor gas equipment)

Gas equipment maintenance goals

Installing gas equipment imposes certain responsibilities on the owners of a residential or commercial property. To eliminate abnormal and emergency situations, it is necessary to regularly carry out routine maintenance of installed systems and devices.

The main goals of such events are:

• Finding and eliminating gas leaks from channels and equipment, as such situations can result in dire consequences.
• Cleaning and checking the functionality of a set of equipment installed in an apartment, private house, office. Regular carrying out of such work guarantees the proper operation of the boiler, stoves and columns.
• Checking the condition of chimneys and ventilation ducts allows you to eliminate potentially dangerous situations when using gas equipment;
• testing and checking the performance of security systems makes it possible not to fear for the operation of the automation in emergency situations.
• The inlet and outlet pressures are also checked and the gas combustion parameters are adjusted.

After VDGO maintenance, the owner of the facility receives the necessary recommendations for further operation, repair, and maintenance of the equipment. A set of documents on maintenance is provided.

Features of servicing external gas pipelines (VDGO)

To maintain external systems, it is necessary to ensure the following work:

• inspections and detours of routes;
• maintenance of valves and gate valves on the main line;
• checking the fastening of elements and the condition of corrosive wear of pipelines;
• checking for gas leaks at connections using a special emulsion or measuring instruments.

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The listed range of services requires the involvement of a specialized organization that has received the appropriate license and has a staff of specialists with the necessary qualifications.

One-time repair of gas equipment

In addition to subscriber servicing of devices, the terms of which are specified in the contract for the provision of services to the subscriber, he will carry out one-time repairs of gas equipment. Qualified engineers will identify and eliminate gas or working fluid leaks in the heating circuit, and repair the boiler in case of complex and simple breakdowns. All work is covered by a guarantee.

Engineers will perform a comprehensive check of gas equipment installed at the site and will help the subscriber understand the intricacies of setting up and operating the equipment. The cost of one-time work depends on the range and complexity of the services provided. A specialist’s visit is carried out upon a call from the customer or upon receipt of an application on the organization’s website.

Maintenance work on internal systems (VKGO)

To maintain internal networks, it is necessary to check:

• visually to determine whether the equipment used complies with safety standards;
• tightness of connections;
• completeness of equipment and serviceability of units and elements of equipment;
• operational condition of shut-off valve mechanisms, periodic replacement of stuffing box seals if necessary;
• free draft in ventilation systems, sufficient air flow for normal operation of equipment.

A specialized organization is also involved in this work, given the high level of danger.

The contract with the contractor is concluded by the management company, payment is made from utility bills made by the residents.

Work order

offers to familiarize yourself with standard prices for servicing gas equipment. The cost of VDGO is presented on our website; it may vary depending on the composition of the equipment and the required set of works. The standard maintenance service is provided as follows:

• The customer can submit a request for maintenance of gas equipment from our website, by phone or during a personal visit to our office.
• The company manager provides a service agreement for a period of 12 months with further extension.
• Further, a technician can go out to service gas equipment at the customer’s request or as part of routine maintenance included in the plan, but no later than 6 months after the date of conclusion of the contract.

This work scheme is optimal for the company and the customer. A maintenance contract can be one-time or permanent, in which maintenance is carried out at certain intervals.

Mandatory rules for using gas appliances:

• Ventilate the premises when using gas stoves.
• It is not allowed to load gas pipelines or use them as supports.
• Do not use gas stoves to heat apartments, this can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Do not leave operating gas appliances unattended, do not allow young children and persons who do not control their actions and do not know the rules for using these appliances.
• It is not allowed to independently repair, replace, rearrange gas appliances, or turn on gas appliances that were turned off by gas workers.
• When leaving on vacation, turn off the gas supply to the apartment by turning the tap on the gas supply pipe. The tap on the common gas pipeline at the entrance to the apartment is larger in diameter - not 15, but 25 millimeters.
• During finishing work, it is impossible to bury a gas pipeline with a shut-off device tightly into the wall, blocking access for inspection and maintenance of the gas pipeline.
• It is prohibited to make changes to the design of gas appliances, change the design of smoke and ventilation systems, seal ventilation ducts, brick up or seal “pockets” and hatches intended for cleaning chimneys.

Timely maintenance of gas equipment by organizations authorized to carry out such work is a guarantee of the safe use of natural gas in everyday life!

REMEMBER! If the smell of gas appears in the apartment, immediately stop using gas appliances, turn off the taps to and on the appliances, open windows or vents to ventilate the room, call the gas emergency service by phone or 04 (outside the gas-polluted premises).

Do not light a fire, do not smoke, do not turn on or off electric lights and electrical appliances, and do not use electric bells.

Our contacts : 143006, Moscow region, Odintsovo, st. Transportnaya, 2 B. Phone Email

Do residents have to pay for routine gas appliance inspections?

We figure out in which cases gas workers justifiably demand money, and in which they do not.

– In our area, fake “gas workers” go door to door and offer diagnostics and meters. They have already been chased several times. On this basis, we argued with our neighbor: he claims that if the inspections are carried out by a “normal” organization, our organization, then we have to pay. How is it really?

Free maintenance of gas equipment was carried out only in Soviet times: until the 90s, in-house gas pipelines and equipment were on the balance sheet of gas distribution organizations, and the fee for their maintenance was included in the gas tariff. In the late 90s - early 2000s, a number of documents were adopted at the state level, which, as some experts note, practically destroyed the control system for in-house gas equipment (VDGO).

In 2008, the “Rules for the supply of gas for household needs of citizens” and Government Decree No. 549 were adopted, in 2009 - the order of the Ministry of Regional Development of the Russian Federation No. 239 on the “Procedure for the maintenance and repair of in-house gas equipment.” According to these documents, responsibility for the condition of gas equipment now lies with consumers: from now on, they must independently or through a management company enter into maintenance contracts with a specialized organization.

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As noted by Andrey Vorobyov, an expert at the Public Chamber of the Kirov Region and the head of the ANO Housing and Communal Services Expert, after all the reforms carried out, the “unified” gas service as such ceased to exist: gas workers were divided into sales, transmission, diagnostics and maintenance. Therefore, it is impossible to unequivocally answer the question of whether it is necessary to pay additionally for scheduled inspections of gas equipment - the situation in each home may be individual.

If we take the situation as a whole, there are two types of scheduled inspections of in-house gas equipment: annual maintenance under an agreement with the management company (the fee is included in the “Routine Housing Maintenance” tariff) and technical diagnostics. In the second case, the option - to pay or not to pay - will depend on whether this service is specified in the contract with the management company. If registered, you don’t have to pay anything extra - that means these works are included in the tariff. If not, then the owners will have to approve the cost of these additional works at a general meeting, determine the method and timing of payment (one-time or in installments, with a separate receipt or in a receipt from the management company). Since VDGO diagnostics are not included in the list of mandatory work at home, most often this service is not included in the tariff for routine housing maintenance.

Moreover, in addition to the internal equipment, which includes gas pipelines connected to the gas distribution network, including valves, there is also internal equipment - a hose and a gas stove. The owner of the apartment as the customer must also pay for their diagnostics himself, this follows from clause 7 of Rostechnadzor Order No. 613 dated December 17, 2013 “On approval of the “Rules for carrying out technical diagnostics of in-house and in-apartment gas equipment.”

– The fee for servicing indoor gas equipment (VKGO) is about 600 rubles per year. Such an agreement is separately concluded by each owner with an organization that has the appropriate license - Gazprom Mezhregiongaz and the like, which check the stove, hose, tap, etc., notes Andrey Vorobyov.

A list of organizations licensed to perform such work can be found here.

How often should scheduled inspections take place?

Different regulatory documents indicate different timing for inspections. Thus, paragraph 55 of Government Decree No. 549 states that the supplier must conduct inspections at least once every six months. In Order of the Ministry of Regional Development No. 239 (clause 10), the frequency of maintenance of the VDGO “is established taking into account the service life, technical condition and conditions of its operation.”

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As experts note, management companies now adhere to the deadlines established by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of September 9, 2021 N 1091 and the same Order of Rostekhnadzor N 613. These documents state that maintenance of VDGOs should be carried out at least once a year, and diagnostics in-house and intra-apartment gas equipment - every 5 years. In this case, the primary diagnostics of gas equipment, as follows again from Rostekhnadzor Order N 613 (clause 9), is carried out after its service life, established by the manufacturer or design documentation, has expired. However, since the methods for assessing the technical condition of VDGO have not yet been approved, therefore, when determining the service life of internal gas pipelines, courts are guided by 30 years. This period is specified in the “Regulations on diagnosing the technical condition of internal gas pipelines of public and residential buildings MDS 42-1.2000”.

As Andrey Vorobyov notes, if you do not agree with the fee presented and cannot independently understand the terms of the contract (or cannot find it at all), you can contact the State Housing Inspectorate:

– If you don’t agree to pay and don’t think it’s justified, then you don’t have to pay or give money voluntarily, much less let strangers into your apartment.

However, it is worth noting that if the gas equipment in the house is not fully checked, then resource specialists have the right to suspend the gas supply until the end of the audit: this condition is specified in paragraphs.
“b” clause 45 of Government Decree No. 549. This is due to the danger of household gas explosion. For example, in April 2021, two people died due to a gas explosion in a five-story residential building in Taganrog; in March 2017, a gas explosion in Moscow injured 13 people; in May 2011, in Novosibirsk, due to improper operation of a gas pipeline, an explosion also occurred in a 5-story building, which claimed the lives of two people, and in July of the same year in Chelyabinsk, due to a gas explosion, the structure of the house was damaged, and the owner of the apartment, in which the emergency occurred, was hospitalized in serious condition. Well, this is true, not to scare you, but to make you understand why all this maintenance and diagnostics are needed.

But in practice it turns out to be almost impossible to check 100% of the equipment, since it is difficult to find all apartment owners at home at the same time. Therefore, a certain “miss percentage” is allowed. In other words, the house will be disconnected from the gas supply only in the event of a massive refusal of residents to allow inspectors into the house - in this case, an operational certificate for the house will not be issued.

Briefly about the main thing:

1. Responsibility for the condition of gas equipment lies with consumers: they must independently or through the management company enter into maintenance agreements.

2. Scheduled inspections of VDGO are of two types: annual maintenance under an agreement with the management company and technical diagnostics (for houses over 30 years old).

3. Maintenance of VDGO should be carried out once a year, diagnostics - once every 5 years.

4. If you do not agree with the fee presented, contact the State Housing Inspectorate.

5. If a large percentage of the equipment in the house is not checked, the house may be cut off from the gas supply.

If you have questions that you can't find the answer to, ask us and we will try to answer them.

Photo: gro32.ru

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Conclusions and useful video on the topic

In a modern civilized society, where the use of natural gas as a supplier of heat and energy for cooking and performing various production processes in enterprises has become the norm, it is imperative to enter into an agreement with a gas service company to conduct mandatory regular and unscheduled inspections of the operation of gas equipment. At the same time, the owner will be required to pay for civil engineering maintenance services on time and provide access to the equipment being tested to representatives of the gas company employees.

To clarify and clarify all issues related to this problem, before starting work, an agreement is concluded between the two parties, which contains a description of all possible situations that may arise during the period of use of the GO. The agreement also regulates the frequency of inspection and other inspection formalities. The reason for the tightening of measures to organize and resolve civil defense issues was the increasing frequency of accidents that occurred due to the careless attitude of employees of the gas service organization and owners of houses or apartments to gas safety issues.

Read more: Presidential gasification program and Who is entitled to benefits for gasification of a private home

You can learn more about civil defense inspections from the following videos

Why has the VKGO/VDGO maintenance work not been carried out for so long?

The document in force during the Soviet era, which regulated the issues of carrying out maintenance on a planned basis, lost force in the nineties of the last century. However, maintenance work did not stop and before the release of the Rules for the Use of Gas, it was of an application nature: maintenance of gas equipment in the Smolensk region was carried out at the request of subscribers in accordance with the concluded contracts.

With the adoption of the Rules for the Use of Gas, maintenance is carried out on a planned basis according to a schedule at least once a year.

How to distinguish gas service representatives from scammers

To protect yourself from fraud and not let scammers into your house or apartment, you should first of all remember that such workers almost never come without warning. If the owner has not seen such a document, you can first (without opening the door to the incoming gas crew) call the gas service company and clarify the details of scheduled inspections. If you confirm this information and present your ID as a gas service employee, you can allow inspectors into your house/apartment.

Maintenance of VKGO is the responsibility of the owner

The homeowner has the right to demand that maintenance work be completed in full, to submit an application for repair work if necessary, and to check whether the services are provided at the proper level.

At the same time, the customer has a number of responsibilities, the main ones of which are the following:

• make payments on time for VKGO maintenance and repair work;
• notify the contractor about malfunctions and breakdowns;
• When operating the equipment, comply with technical rules and safety requirements;
• provide access to equipment for specialists when conducting inspections, cleaning burners, household appliances, and ventilation.

It is strictly prohibited to independently carry out repairs, rebuild the gas system, or supply gas to new equipment. The contract is valid for three years and is automatically renewed unless either party expresses a desire to terminate.

What could happen if you do not enter into a contract for technical maintenance of VKGO?

If the owner of a residential premises avoids concluding a contract, violates its terms, or refuses to allow craftsmen to perform the necessary work and conduct an inspection, he will face administrative punishment. The fine for ordinary citizens will be one to two thousand, officials will pay an amount of 5-20 thousand rubles, and legal entities will pay up to one hundred thousand.

If the above violations result in an emergency situation, a real threat to the health, and sometimes even the lives of people, fines increase significantly: individuals - up to 30 thousand rubles, responsible - up to 100 thousand, legal entities - up to 400 thousand rubles.

Maintenance contract

In order for a gas distribution company to carry out maintenance of in-house and intra-apartment equipment of the gas supply system, it is necessary to conclude an agreement with it.

Apartment equipment is serviced when signing a contract directly with the owner of the property, house equipment - when signing this document through the management company or HOA.

Such an agreement is a voluntary agreement to perform a number of works and pay for them. There is a standard document template that should be followed when preparing. The contract must contain the following information:

• Information about the owner of the apartment, house - full name, address.
• Next comes the name of the company agreeing to provide the service.
• The gas appliances used in the house are listed.
• Then you need to list the list of work that will be performed as part of the maintenance.
• An important point is the cost of service and payment obligations.
• And at the end there is the date of signing of this document and the signatures of the parties.

The cost of maintenance will depend on the type and type of equipment. But the company must have its own price list with prices, and it must be followed. The contract is drawn up for 3 years, then it must be renewed.

What applies to VDGO

Each apartment building is a complex structure, including not only apartments and common areas, but also engineering systems that ensure the supply of various resources to create proper living conditions.

Part of these systems is in-house gas equipment. This category includes a whole list of equipment:

• The pipeline runs from the place where it connects to the gas distribution network to the place where the shut-off valve is installed in the apartment.
• Household meter.
• Gas metering devices,
• Safety fittings.
• Control valves.
• Devices for measuring the amount of fuel.

This category also includes elements of gas equipment in private houses - the same pipes, the meter. It is supplemented by devices for using gas (this is a stove, a water heater, a boiler).
Along with the term VDGO, the term VKGO is used - indoor gas equipment. The group of indoor equipment includes gas stoves, boilers, and water heaters.
This is also an IPU, control system, fittings. The list of equipment that needs professional and responsible maintenance is quite large, and therefore requires a set. software and VKGO service. It is carried out on the basis of an agreement that must be concluded directly with the gas service or through the Management Company.

The maintenance agreement confirms the obligations of both parties to the cooperation, including the monthly payment for the service by the consumer.

ATTENTION! The management company must explain to the residents of the house being serviced how important the service is and where the VDGO maintenance column came from in the payment slip.

Necessity

Not only the supply of gas to a house or apartment, but also the safety of the people living in them depends on the condition of gas equipment. Therefore, you should not ignore maintenance and do not allow gas service representatives to check the gas pipeline system inside your home.

Service employees have the right to record facts of failure, and equipment that has not passed the scheduled check can be turned off, gas to the apartment or house can be shut off . What does the homeowner gain in this case? There are other arguments in favor of payment:

• The cost of the service is set not by the residents, but by the company or organization servicing such gas equipment. Prices are set taking into account the complexity of the work and its type. But the verification process itself is not carried out every month, so payment will be made either once a year or divided over several months.
• If payment for VDGO maintenance is not included in a separate column, it will be included in the payment for gas supplies. Residents will still need to pay for services that are essential and important to the safety of the home.
• Consumers can find out how much inspection and maintenance costs in apartments and how much in a house. Price list, price - this information must be publicly available, posted by the service company on its website and on other resources in the housing and communal services sector. Payment for VDGO maintenance may be included in the total rent payment.

The obligation to pay for such services as VDGO and VKGO maintenance is established by law. Therefore, reluctance to pay for completed maintenance work may be considered a violation of the law.