Well we will make sure to do that next time, and people arent 'continuing' to complain. Some of us just moved here and its not easy to know immediately which places are involved with that. I stressed before I agreed to rent that I needed 24 hour hot water, and they assured me that was the case. I read through the contract but not sure who I'd talk to if I really wanted to make a case that the contract was false.

If you would normally have 24 hour hot water, and there are temporary stoppages, that have btw affected many areas of the city, it is circumstances beyond the control of your landlord.

I am not making excuses for the gross inefficiency of any service providers. TIC (This is China), if you expect nothing then every day you can find a little surprise. If you expect people to do what you could expect them to do back home, your 'angry phase' of culture shock will be prolonged.
Yunnan is also about 10 years behind Shanghai when it comes to development, both infrastructure and attitudes towards responsibility.

Oh great! Three weeks of broken pipes now no water for other reasons..
What is the penalty for breaking a rental contract? We signed for a year, we've been here six months. The water problems are really depressing and we are thinking of moving...

So far, I lived in 3 different apartments. One on Beimenjie and two on Wenlinjie/Cuihubeilu. Although I never had any temporary water stoppages at all, water pressure was never as high as back home. In the last two apartments I had a water pump installed that raised the water pressure in order to make the gas water heater work. Otherwise the heater wouldn't even turn on. After the gas water heater in my current apartment broke down, I encouraged the landlord to install an electric one. Much better choice, because from 11.30am-12.30pm and 5.30pm-6.30pm the gas pressure wasnt high enough so that the heater couldnt work properly (too many Chinese people in my Xiaoqu are using gas to cook). So now, when taking a shower I have a descent water pressure because of the hot water storage tank.

@mPRin Concerning breaking a rent contract, you have to be persistent when talking to the landlord/ estate agent. My landlord first didnt want to give any money back and said I shouldnt be so picky about the problems in my apartment, but in the end after numerous phone calls we agreed that I get all my money back except for 1 month rent.

As mentioned on another thread, some of our recent problems were due to the neighbourhood having its water cut off overnight so that it didn't freeze and burst pipes. Is it maybe worth checking that out?

tigertiger and hfcampo, there is no angry phase. I understand that this is china. I in no way expect the same from China as I would from home, that would be simply ridiculous. Wanting running water is not an exceptional thing to ask. I have been in china for 6 months and lived in several different areas of the city and simply havent experienced this before so was asking questions, that is all. It's not a matter of anger or accusations or complaining. Who doesnt want to be able to wash their clothes or shower for work? Who doesnt want to brush their teeth and wash their dishes? We are finding ways around it, but I would still like to know the cause of the problem and how long it might persist which is why I was asking questions. Simple. I am assuming this is an infrastructure problem the city needs to deal with as other people in our apartment building dont seem to have water either. We are right along wenlinjie and yunnan university so I've got to think or at least hope that this is an area that will be addressed at some point if an issue like this takes place.

If we dont get some sort of water within a couple days, the landlord can help us find the answer. He is a good friend of ours and wouldnt want us in this predicament either.

Since it's common in China for people not to shower and change clothes daily, there might not be enough people pressuring those in charge of water supply to speed things up. But there should normally be a notice at the entrance of you building or next to the lift mentioning the reason of the cut and a time frame. Or at least there should be one at the management office. They might also be providing one working source where people would go to fill their buckets.

A careful reading of all the posts in this forum will show that those without water are not alone. The water shortages and reduction of pressure happens is several parts of the city every day. A few weeks ago, the valve in my toilet just popped out and I had water gushing until I could run downstairs and turn off the main water valve. Apparantly the valve was faulty and the high water pressure just blew the valve. In other words, there are places with pressure problems and there are areas without these problems. My comment is Not directed to one person. I am simply baffled why so many people remark about the same problem yet are still confused about the pressure problem.

I also wonder about this problem. I live not far from Ocean, and at the top of the hill on JiangShe Lu but have no problems with water service or pressure. In fact, I'd say I have the best water pressure now than in any other location in China over the last 12 years.

The building management is resident aware which is nice. When water is turned off, it starts at 9am and usually back on by 6pm. Actually, it has been off only twice since the end of August.

Hard to figure how Ocean's and my experiences are so different as, I think, we are less than 1 KM apart.

If your water has a hint of bleach taste or smell when you first go to brush your teeth in the morning, you might be part of the "lucky" ones. Some communities management might pour bleach in the water to deal with the icing.