Tenants living in a 250-unit apartment building in Centretown continue to experience a hot water shortage that began on Nov. 30.
The social housing building at 415 MacLaren is operated by the Ottawa Community Housing Corporation (OCHC), and houses many elderly, disabled and low-income residents in Centretown.
“People have limited hot water supply. Some days it’s fine, some days it’s lukewarm,” said Jo-Anne Poirier, Chief Executive Officer of the OCHC.
OCHC engineers have already tried isolating the problem by replacing certain parts according to Poirier, but the aging boiler doesn’t seem fixable.
“[The repairs] won’t last,” she said. “In order to ensure stability, we’re likely going to replace the boiler system.”
The OCHC will be meeting with engineers over the next few days to discuss designs and quotes for the new boiler.
“We certainly have enough money in our budget,” she said, but there has been no deadline set for when the replacement will arrive.
In the meantime, temporary fixes have allowed tenants to access hot water, Poirier said.