Plumber has caused leaks throughout the house

[Reading1986]

Hello

I thought I'd post a post.

I am currently under going a full re dec of the whole house, new flooring, skirting, architrave window boards and nice new rads.

Plumber came to fit the new rads, drained down the system. To begin the work the next day.

I had a call from the kitchen floor tilers to say there was a leak coming into the lounge ceiling / window reveal. Ruined the reveal. Needs plastering or maybe replacing

I called the plumber and he came back round to check straight away. I wasn't in at time and made my way back home straight away. Water had come in from the above bedrooms and into the lounge reveal. I got home and checked the living room out. And around the whole house. Checked everywhere. Plumber had left by the time I got there.

The next day the kitchen tilers rang again to say there is water coming coming through the kitchen ceiling ( alot of it) all over the kitchen floor. Wrecked the new kitchen plinths. Potentially the kitchen floor grout. All the other rooms have had ply laid down ready for amitco flooring. The ply had had a fair amount of water over it. Ensuite flooded. Landing carpet completely soaked around the rad area. So I've had to open an insurance claim.

The plumber is saying that both valves. The heating filling loop were letting water by. So even thou he had drained the system it was letting water by and filling the system up.

Question should he have discovered that the "valves" for the heating filling loop were at "fault" when draining the system. Or is this completely avoidable.

Now left with a huge amount of unnecessary damage. Plumber is demanding a days wage when was only there from 9 to 2pm. He's replaced the 2 valves on the filling loop as he said they were at fault. Also bearing in mind I had a rad capped off month before and some work a month before that. So the system has been drained down twice fully successfully without any issues.....oh this was done by a different plumber. Who I would normally use. But was unfortunately to busy with his schedule to fit me on for this rad work.

So has the plumber been incompetent and not checking the system correctly and making sure it's draining down correctly, also should he have had detected these issues when draining down the system, therefore avoiding all of these issues I now have / or should he have detected the issues on his second visit when I called to say i had a leak in the lounge from the rad pipes above.


Should I pay or not.....would really like some advice. Never had this much damage done or any after a trades man has been in.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Did you notice the pressure rising before the works (plumber) came in ?

also why did he leave an open end while he wasn’t there ?

also if there were passing I’m sure he would of noticed this as when he cut the pipes water would start coming out / not stop on his hose / drain down

 

[Scott_D]

Is it a combi boiler?
Any pictures of the damage?
Just that one persons flood can be anothers pint of water on the floor

 

[Reading1986]

Did you notice the pressure rising before the works (plumber) came in ?

also why did he leave an open end while he wasn’t there ?

also if there were passing I’m sure he would of noticed this as when he cut the pipes water would start coming out / not stop on his hose / drain down

No the pressure no the pressure on the gauge was all good. It's one thing I know to check and keep and eye on. For just general reasons and making sure your home is in perfect working order.

He didn't leave open ends as such, just removed the rad, so the pipe work and valves / trvs were just there.

Exactly I agree I can't see how he didn't notice this at all. The hose would have been a massive clue that the system is filling back up.

I had no issues with the heating system at all, up until now - now being water through out the house. I feel it's complete negligence but I'm not a plumber so I thought I'd ask here
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Is it a combi boiler?
Any pictures of the damage?
Just that one persons flood can be anothers pint of water on the floor

No it's not a combi boiler, it's an invented system.

Pictures there's so many.

Trust me it's a lot of water. The only rads I'm keep are the towel rails, when I got there it was coming out of the bleed valve badly.

Pint wise, I actually used a pint glass and lots of towels to catch the water. The pint glass had to be emptied 10 times

 

[ShaunCorbs]

I would be asking for his insurance Information

as tbh if he’s going to do what you’ve said and leave the rad valves open / even if there shut the trv can still open due to frost setting

remove the filling loop flexi hose but always cap your valves when you remove a rad

 

[Scott_D]

So has the TRV opened and let water out?

 

[Reading1986]

I would be asking for his insurance Information

as tbh if he’s going to do what you’ve said and leave the rad valves open / even if there shut the trv can still open due to frost setting

remove the filling loop flexi hose but always cap your valves when you remove a rad

He's demanding £250, and saying that he will let slide the 2 new filling valves that he fitted. He fitted 2 new filling valve once the water was already thought the house. He fitted them while putting blame on them failing. I said while he was fitting them that I haven't had any issues with the system over pressurising. Also said the system has been drained twice within a few months

On the phone this evening he said that the valves have probably failed due to the fact that the system had been drain twice recently. Not sure if that's at all true. I believe he's blaming the system on his negligence. If only he did his due diligence o wouldn't be in this situation.

I knew a trv could open if the temperature gets to low. But as I told the system was fully drained and would not fill-up I was confidence in him.....that water would even be in the heating system.

Why would you remove the Flexi filling hose out of interest, just trying to understand that's all.
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So has the TRV opened and let water out?

When I got home after I called to say we have a leak coming into the living room. All the trvs where fully closed, but as I'm aware a closed trv can still let water through. But obviously I paid the guy to drain the system and start the new rads the next day. So as he told me the system was fully drained and safe. Coming back the next day was his idea. Not sure why as it was only 2pm. Water was also escaping from the towel rail bleed valve's

 

[ShaunCorbs]

He's demanding £250, and saying that he will let slide the 2 new filling valves that he fitted. He fitted 2 new filling valve once the water was already thought the house. He fitted them while putting blame on them failing. I said while he was fitting them that I haven't had any issues with the system over pressurising. Also said the system has been drained twice within a few months

On the phone this evening he said that the valves have probably failed due to the fact that the system had been drain twice recently. Not sure if that's at all true. I believe he's blaming the system on his negligence. If only he did his due diligence o wouldn't be in this situation.

I knew a trv could open if the temperature gets to low. But as I told the system was fully drained and would not fill-up I was confidence in him...that water would even be in the heating system.

Why would you remove the Flexi filling hose out of interest, just trying to understand that's all.

no sorry I mean it was his responsibility to make safe eg cap any open end just in case anything happens (most often people remove rads to decorate and forget about capping then they wake up in the morning and find the trv has opened on frost and waters everywhere etc)

They don’t just fail like that, could understand if the filling loop was dripping but doesn’t open by its self

as it's drained down and things are open personal security just in case anyone accidentally opens the valves or they get nocked by sparkies wiring stuff etc
The system won’t fill without the flexi cap both valve ends where the flexi goes and your safe