Residents in a Brickell condo building said repairs on the air conditioning system weren't being made fast enough after they went seven days without any working A/C.
As of Monday night, A/C is back on for several condo units in tower three of the Four Ambassadors. But before the air conditioning got repaired, some condos hit temperatures exceeding 90 degrees.
“They told us to go to the basement to sleep there,” resident Nahat Lugo Flores told NBC6 earlier Monday. “I’m upset … I have a dog! My dog is panting all the time. I have to pour cold water on him."
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The problem started on Monday, June 26, when two cooling pipes that feed water to the cooling system started to leak, according to Robert Alwine, the president of Bayview Condominium Management, which manages the Four Ambassadors building.
He said the problem was almost fixed last week, but two pipes blew apart, setting repairs back one day.
“We didn’t let it cure properly, the PVC glue. We had two sections that burst when we turned it on,” Alwine said. “We capped it off and went overhead. Otherwise, we would still be digging up the garage with a jackhammer.”
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Alwine said the goal was to attempt to turn the system back on Monday evening after pipe repairs were completed. However, he warned residents there could be other problems.
“There’s no guarantee a pipe won’t burst. There’s 7,000 pounds of pressure. And we’ve only had two days to cure. There’s no guarantee a pipe won’t burst, and we’ll be delayed again,” Alwine said. “I can understand [why] they’re frustrated. It’s hot. It’s been seven days today. I can’t give them a definite answer … I can’t tell them it’s going to be fine and it isn’t fine.”
Alwine said the age of the 56-year-old building also made it difficult for crews to find the structural plans to locate the pipes in the walls.
Meanwhile, one resident told NBC6 she went to the hospital after the extreme temperatures in her apartment started affecting a pre-existing health condition.
Resident Angel Colon claimed management wasn't keeping them well informed about repairs and wasn't addressing the emergency in a timely fashion.
“We have no update or any news about it,” Colon said. “Usually, after 6 p.m. or 7 p.m., you don’t see nobody.”
Editor's note: This story has been updated. Building management told NBC6 Monday night that engineers turned on the water pumps and were working to turn on the air conditioning to the individual units.
