burst pipes insurance quotes.

[REDSAW]

can you give any advice on this job i did on new years eve as there is a posible earner there but not sure where the loss adjuster is coming from, as i didnt realise he was a plumber too?.

owner had been away for 3-4 days came home to a total, and i mean total flood.

50 gallon tank in loft with 2'' of ice on it burst,
rising main to said tank split.
feed to h/w cylinder blown an end feed off,
heating feed blown a compression off.
h/w cylinder split, possibly as it seems empty...
the water content in the loft was actually running along the tops of the joists.eh!
water pouring from every sq foot of ceiling in the house.

well, i capped all the pipes, left it to drain down and did what i could which should do the trick as the mains stopcock had failed and the boundary cock chamber had collapsed so unable to turn water supply off in the street and left them to call severn trent to sort it out.

email from loss adjuster:

Hi Martin,

I understand that you carried out emergency repairs to stop the leak at the
above premises.

I note that you mention that a full replumb is required due to location of
pipes and overall condition of pipes. Have you provided Mr ..... with a
quotation for the repairs required? A full replumb is clearly not required
as a result of the freezing conditions, therefore can you please cost for
the damage caused by the freezing separately?

You mention that the stop taps under the kitchen sink unit were non
functional and replacement of these would need to be dealt with in Mr.........
quotation. You have also confirmed that the stopcock chamber in the street
has collapsed in the street, would this be Mr ....... responsibility or
Severn Trent?

I look forward to your response.

now normally i will tell them what wants doing, quote it and get paid.

what happens if you quote for works to frozen pipes and find that other runs and joints elsewhere have failed, hence a loft re-pipe. or charge for full pressure test of system and tank.?.
any advice welcome.

 

[oldplumber]

never volunteer info. lesson learned. I quoted a friends dropped ceiling when he was flooded over xmas. Almost £2k to reboard a large room, no skimming and the blighters accepted it as theres a shortage of workers to carry out water damage work, and assors in short supply as well so no visit. still got the job!!!!!!!!!!!! better rates than gas/plumbing work, so back to the old job for 4 days.

 

[Dannypipe]

Insurance jobs are either really great or crap...rarely in between. I did a call out on boxing day and still haven't been paid. Insurance job.

I would make your quote look professional and thorough and cover yourself for the possibility of additional work by mentioning it. They'll possibly get two other quotes from local tradesmen to don't spend too much time on it.

Sounds like it was a right mess.

 

[tipintim]

Dont be worried about loss adjusters. They dont make final desicions on approval of claims anyway. It is the insurer.

I would write back with what he wants to know, without really telling him. ( i.e dont blame anything other than freeze)

Prepare your qoute as per the damage.

As for doing temporary fixes, tell him that due the the severe freeze, you couldnt even cut out the damaged/split pipework, as the copper tube expanded that much you couldnt even get cuplins on, you had to use plastic push fittings as a temp'. Advise to repipe.
Stop tap washers split not being able to isolate. Advise to replace like for like.
Cylinder has visable damage and your not prepared to refill and put under pressure. You are prepared to put the plumbing back to its original state and advise this thro your qoute.
As for trent, its probably down to them if it is out side customers boundary

 

[REDSAW]

it naffed the whole house in, clothes furniture the lot and that was before i shut of the water.
i got wet through, no chance of dodging water especially climbing into loft.
god knows what it is like now?.

 

[tamz]

The loss adjusters job is to get the job done as cheaply as possible and deny liability where they can

Write back something like this in your own words with some of tipintims points too.

Due to the severity of the problem at this property and the nature of all remedial works to be carried out, it is my professional opinion that it would be more cost effective to replace the pipework rather repair numerous unseen bursts.
If it is the case you would rather repair than replace i have listed the estimated costs of works below which is as far as could be determined at the time of the visit.

Replace storage tank.
Replace cylinder
Fit new stopcock
Repair X number of bursts on 22mm copper
Repair X number of bursts on 15mm copper
Repair X number of bursts on heating system
Refill test and commision.
£BIG BUKZ + vat

Repairs to any further discovered problems will be charged at an hourly rate of £XX plus materials.

You will recognise my main priority at the time was to stop the water to prevent further damage to the property and there will undoubtedly be more repairs than was seen on my visit.
Furthermore i cannot confirm the integrity or operation of the boiler which there is every likelyhood has been either frost or water damaged.

The non functional stopcock under the sink was most likely due to the action of the frost on the valve (they are trying a get out here) and has been included in the estimate (don't use the word quotation).
The collapsed valve chamber in the street is the responsibility Trent Water which will be repaired by them.