So I bought my first flat recently (am in UK) and in a bit of a pickle as the bathroom has turned up lots of problems that weren't picked up by the survey. I have had loads of plumbers over, and have always carefully checked their reviews/tried to vet them as much as possible. However, I've had a real nightmare - have had people who've done shoddy work, people who's subjected me to sexist comments in my own home, and people who've totally ripped me off. I feel disheartened and totally lost about what to do re. the plumbing situation in my flat, as I feel I can't entirely trust any of the plumbers I've approached and have no idea how to find decent people who will do a good job and not try to take advantage of my lack of knowledge.
The flat is an all-electric mid-floor flat with Economy 7 - there is no gas and no possibility of gas. The bathroom is in the middle of the flat with no external walls.
I'm going to go through the problems as briefly as possible:
1. Water tank is a very old vented system, with a cold water tank immediately on top of a copper hot water tank. It's in a small, self-contained cupboard next to the bath. Water pressure is non-existent and relies on a (noisy!) pump for the whole flat. The water heating system (done with two immersions) does work but there's a leak from the bottom of the immersion, and the bottom of the tank is badly corroded. It obviously needs to be replaced, but I can't get a straight answer on what replacement system I need. A few plumbers have recommended an unvented cylinder, but there are problems running the discharge pipe (it's impossible to run one outside) and the plumbers I've asked have been dishonest about whether it needs to be reported to building regs (I had one plumber tell me no notification was necessary as it's an all electric flat, which I've since been told is wrong and would result in me having an illegal install).
2. The flush of the toilet broke and there was some flooding, which I did my best to mop up/use a dehumidifier on asap. I got a plumber over to install a new cistern as a fix, but when he lifted the toilet up it became apparent that the wooden floor immediately below the bowl (so below the vinyl/underlay) was rotted/damaged - there's clearly been historic flooding, as well as the recent problem with the flush. Plumber put some new ply over the existing floor as a temporary fix so I can at least have a working toilet, but I obviously know I need to get the floor properly repaired/replaced when I can. The area has been thoroughly dried out with a dehumidifier and the toilet/floor now feel stable.
3. Rest of the bathroom is very dated and old and I want to replace the whole thing with a new bathroom suite.
So obviously I plan on getting 2 and 3 done together (so will replace/repair the floor as needed when getting the new bathroom suite), but it's obviously going to be expensive to get the whole bathroom and floor replaced and it's not something I can really afford right now, especially if I need to prioritise a new water tank.
I'm very concerned about the water tank leaking, as the last thing I want is for the leak to worsen and more water damage to occur. If at all possible I would like to prioritise replacing the water tank and hold off on the rest of the bathroom renovation until next year when I can save up the money, but my main worry is whether the floor beneath the water tank can be left untouched when the rest of the floor is subsequently replaced. The floor beneath the tank itself seems dry and undamaged, so I don't think there's been any water damage in that part of the bathroom.
I just don't want to be in a situation where I pay thousands to get a new water tank only to have to pay a bunch more money for it to be drained/moved when the rest of the floor is being worked on. Two plumbers have told me the water tank can be left undisturbed while the rest of the floor is being worked on, but I feel so distrustful of the people I've worked with that I don't know whether to take their word.
So to boil things down, I think I have these questions:
1. Could a thermal store work in my situation? That has been one suggestion and I honestly feel more comfortable with that, as it seems like it would offer the same advantages as an unvented system (mains pressure hot water, gets rid of the pump) with few of the disadvantages (no need to notify building regs, no need for yearly inspections, no need to run a discharge pipe outside the flat). I've seen lots of dismissal of thermal stores but can't figure out why they're so poorly regarded. Would I be making a huge mistake to get one/if yes what even are my options if an unvented cylinder would be unsuitable? The plumber who recommended a thermal store said I'd need a 200 litre one, which seemed excessive to me (I live alone in a two-bedroom flat) - do thermal stores need to be larger than other cylinders for some reason?
2. Can I confidently get a water tank installed and then worry about the rest of the bathroom/replacing the floor later? What are my options?
3. Perhaps most importantly, how do you find decent plumbers!? I feel like I've tried everything you're meant to try - asked for recommendations, checked reviews on Google/Checkatrade, asked about qualifications - and nothing has got me any closer to finding someone who I feel I can trust. I feel really vulnerable and confused and a bit hopeless about the whole thing tbh. It's frightening to be faced with big problems with no idea of how to find someone I can trust to fix them properly...
Thanks in advance for any help. Just looking for opinions from people with no skin in the game/no financial incentive to try and sell me on one path over another.
The flat is an all-electric mid-floor flat with Economy 7 - there is no gas and no possibility of gas. The bathroom is in the middle of the flat with no external walls.
I'm going to go through the problems as briefly as possible:
1. Water tank is a very old vented system, with a cold water tank immediately on top of a copper hot water tank. It's in a small, self-contained cupboard next to the bath. Water pressure is non-existent and relies on a (noisy!) pump for the whole flat. The water heating system (done with two immersions) does work but there's a leak from the bottom of the immersion, and the bottom of the tank is badly corroded. It obviously needs to be replaced, but I can't get a straight answer on what replacement system I need. A few plumbers have recommended an unvented cylinder, but there are problems running the discharge pipe (it's impossible to run one outside) and the plumbers I've asked have been dishonest about whether it needs to be reported to building regs (I had one plumber tell me no notification was necessary as it's an all electric flat, which I've since been told is wrong and would result in me having an illegal install).
2. The flush of the toilet broke and there was some flooding, which I did my best to mop up/use a dehumidifier on asap. I got a plumber over to install a new cistern as a fix, but when he lifted the toilet up it became apparent that the wooden floor immediately below the bowl (so below the vinyl/underlay) was rotted/damaged - there's clearly been historic flooding, as well as the recent problem with the flush. Plumber put some new ply over the existing floor as a temporary fix so I can at least have a working toilet, but I obviously know I need to get the floor properly repaired/replaced when I can. The area has been thoroughly dried out with a dehumidifier and the toilet/floor now feel stable.
3. Rest of the bathroom is very dated and old and I want to replace the whole thing with a new bathroom suite.
So obviously I plan on getting 2 and 3 done together (so will replace/repair the floor as needed when getting the new bathroom suite), but it's obviously going to be expensive to get the whole bathroom and floor replaced and it's not something I can really afford right now, especially if I need to prioritise a new water tank.
I'm very concerned about the water tank leaking, as the last thing I want is for the leak to worsen and more water damage to occur. If at all possible I would like to prioritise replacing the water tank and hold off on the rest of the bathroom renovation until next year when I can save up the money, but my main worry is whether the floor beneath the water tank can be left untouched when the rest of the floor is subsequently replaced. The floor beneath the tank itself seems dry and undamaged, so I don't think there's been any water damage in that part of the bathroom.
I just don't want to be in a situation where I pay thousands to get a new water tank only to have to pay a bunch more money for it to be drained/moved when the rest of the floor is being worked on. Two plumbers have told me the water tank can be left undisturbed while the rest of the floor is being worked on, but I feel so distrustful of the people I've worked with that I don't know whether to take their word.
So to boil things down, I think I have these questions:
1. Could a thermal store work in my situation? That has been one suggestion and I honestly feel more comfortable with that, as it seems like it would offer the same advantages as an unvented system (mains pressure hot water, gets rid of the pump) with few of the disadvantages (no need to notify building regs, no need for yearly inspections, no need to run a discharge pipe outside the flat). I've seen lots of dismissal of thermal stores but can't figure out why they're so poorly regarded. Would I be making a huge mistake to get one/if yes what even are my options if an unvented cylinder would be unsuitable? The plumber who recommended a thermal store said I'd need a 200 litre one, which seemed excessive to me (I live alone in a two-bedroom flat) - do thermal stores need to be larger than other cylinders for some reason?
2. Can I confidently get a water tank installed and then worry about the rest of the bathroom/replacing the floor later? What are my options?
3. Perhaps most importantly, how do you find decent plumbers!? I feel like I've tried everything you're meant to try - asked for recommendations, checked reviews on Google/Checkatrade, asked about qualifications - and nothing has got me any closer to finding someone who I feel I can trust. I feel really vulnerable and confused and a bit hopeless about the whole thing tbh. It's frightening to be faced with big problems with no idea of how to find someone I can trust to fix them properly...
Thanks in advance for any help. Just looking for opinions from people with no skin in the game/no financial incentive to try and sell me on one path over another.
