Hydro vault rooms are often the most neglected component in any facility for several reasons, primarily it is locked and only the authority has access, the responsibility of repair is misunderstood, most owners believe the hydro vault requires no maintenance or repairs.
A hydro vault has two distinctive components, the chamber, and the equipment. The chamber is solely the responsibility of the owner. The equipment is owned by the hydro authority. The upgrade and replacement of the equipment is the responsibility of the hydro authority but the maintenance and repairs due to damages is the responsibility of the facility owner.
The hydro authority will inspect the hydro vault located in your facility and any deficiencies of the vault structure or damages to the equipment and will generate a “order to comply”. The repair is mandatory or otherwise the owner would face non-compliance penalties and a contractor designated by hydro authority will be assigned to complete the repair on your behalf, at your cost, which usually is much higher.
It is imperative that the hydro vault rooms are maintained to codes to avoid higher repair costs and possible power outage.
Hydro room in buildings are generally located at the lower level or underground. Issues that can arise with hydro vaults are: flooding, water ingress, blocked drains, deterioration of the room components, deterioration of hydro equipment due to room condition, and other causes. There can also be construction errors, like missing pedestals and missing floor drains.
Hydro vault rooms are subject to code upgrades which are often not implemented.
RLV has been commissioned to undertake many hydro room rehabilitation projects up to date on behalf of building and facility owners.
RLV has responded to owners requests to resolve orders to comply from the authority, we have coordinated emergency response and represent the owners in insurance claims related to hydro failure.
Area of Expertise
- Obtain access authorization from the authority
- Assess the damages
- Oversee the repairs through interactive communication with hydro authority
- Provide repair cost estimate
- Report the completion of repairs to the authority
- Obtain discharge of order to comply