UC Davis students say dorms haven't had hot water for weeks
DAVIS — UC Davis students claim they haven't had hot water for weeks at their student housing at Orchard Park.
Some students say they have been taking cold showers, while others have resorted to using wet rags to wash themselves.
"I have a bit of a cold, and I really wanted a hot shower last night but instead got a cold shower," said UC Davis student Jen Markewych.
Other students said they've had to go to other buildings to get a hot shower.
"My other two roommates didn't have hot water for a while, but we did, so it was like a whole situation. So it's like a little bit hit or miss," said UC Davis student Nile Desta. "It's kind of expensive to live here, too. So I was really like, 'Really? We're not getting hot water?'"
The problem has been happening since mid-December, according to students living at the residential building.
UC Davis identified the problem on Wednesday and is working on a solution. The university said they have experienced intermittent interruptions to hot water service at five of the 11 residential buildings at Orchard Park.
The issue is with the system controls and two compressors in the water heating system. The university is implementing a solution, but short-term interruptions may continue while the work is completed. They say they are scheduling that work so it has the least possible impact on residents.
However, the sporadic hot water problem is causing frustration for some students like Jen Markewych, who is considering ending her lease.
"I have a bit of a cold, and I really wanted a hot shower last night but instead got a cold shower, said Markewych. "I don't really know what I'm going to do, but I don't want to keep living here if there's no hot water."
The university has apologized to students for the inconvenience and offered temporary shower arrangements at another building for the time being.
UC Davis Student Housing notified student tenants Thursday, apologizing again for the hot water outage, and encouraged residents with concerns to contact members of their Orchard Park team. Residents will be notified as additional work is scheduled to fix the problem.
