Soviet-era apartment blocks are at high risk of power cuts, fire and failure of electrical household appliances

Soviet-era apartment blocks are at high risk of power cuts, fire and failure of electrical household appliances

Electricity cables used in Soviet-era apartment blocks are no longer up to modern standards: the cables are no longer able to cope with the increased demand for electricity from the residents due to inadequate cross-sections, and the insulating material covering them has crumbled. This not only leads to power outages, but also to a high risk of damage to household appliances and fire. Deividas Karalius, Regional Manager at Civinity Namai, explains how residents can avoid these risks.

Failing to meet the high electricity demand of residents

Many people still remember that in the Soviet era, few people had a washing machine at home, let alone other electrical appliances that have become commonplace today, such as a dishwasher, tumble dryer or microwave oven.

The electrical engineering networks of the blocks of flats built at that time were designed to meet the electricity needs of the population at that time. As a result, the busbars installed in such blocks of flats are of the wrong cross-section.

“Nowadays, the electricity consumption of the population has increased, with many homes having many more electrical household appliances that use more electricity to operate. Soviet-era electrical wiring cannot cope with the increased electrical load and is affected by power cuts. There are also cases where electrical equipment in people’s homes fails because it is exposed to voltages much higher than the permitted voltage,” says a Civinity Namai specialist.

Common electrical accidents

Because the electrical wiring used in apartment blocks was covered with a fabric insulation material, it is often frayed from the hot aluminium wires of the wrong cross-section. As a result, the old houses periodically suffer from electrical breakdowns and various faults.

It is recommended to take them very seriously, as such accidents not only cause inconvenience in terms of loss of electricity, but also a high probability of fire outbreaks.

“When a fault occurs in the electricity grid, the most common cause is loss of electricity. However, this causes much more inconvenience than it may seem at first sight. When the power goes out, the heating systems stop working, so by the time the problem is solved, the flats will not only be dark, but also cold,” comments Mr Karalius.

Power grid failures are one of the biggest causes of fires in Lithuania, due to poor maintenance of indoor electricity networks. To maintain electrical networks properly, it is recommended to periodically tighten the contacts of appliances and take electrical measurements.

One solution is to repair the electrical network

When we use electricity in our homes every day, we don’t really think about what the journey to the switch actually looks like. Electricity reaches the apartment building from the city transformer via an underground trunk cable or overhead transmission line, and travels to the distribution box in the apartment building’s electrical panel. From there, the electricity travels via trunk wires and cables to the group metering panels in the stairwells, which provide electricity to each apartment.

If the electricity travels through the engineering networks, which are not in good condition, the risk of accidents and the resulting disasters increases.

To avoid these risks, it is recommended to renovate the electrical network in apartment buildings: replace the main wires with modern wires of the right cross-section, and replace fuses with automatic switches that ensure automatic disconnection of the electricity in the event of an overload or short circuit in the electrical network. It is also recommended to install LED lighting with motion detectors in the common areas of the apartment building to save electricity.

Apartment owners are also responsible for the technical condition of the electricity network

The administrator of the apartment building maintains the common electrical engineering networks using thermal imaging and other modern technologies: periodic electrophysical measurements and maintenance of insulation and other parameters and devices of the electrical network.

Meanwhile, the owners of the flats themselves are responsible for the maintenance of the electrical wiring from the meter to the premises, as well as the switching devices and terminals. Residents are advised to regularly inspect these elements of the electricity network to check for wear and tear, mechanical damage to the wires or devices. If you are not sure how to do this, it is recommended that you seek professional help.

“To avoid electrical accidents, we also recommend that residents check that light switches and sockets used in their homes are properly tightened, stable and correctly installed. Although such defects may seem insignificant, the technical condition of switches and sockets is an equally important part of the electrical engineering network of a multi-family building,” says Civinity Namai.

Fire safety precautions should not be overlooked

Fires caused by electrical problems pose a serious risk to the occupants of apartment buildings. It is therefore advisable to keep fire safety in mind and to take safety precautions.

“Installing smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and fire-resistant materials in the common areas of a block of flats makes it possible to manage the risk of a fire and react to it immediately. It is also crucial not to clutter the passageways in the basement and the exits in stairwells. We also recommend installing and regularly checking smoke detectors in every apartment, having a fire extinguisher and checking its expiry date,” says Mr Karalius.