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Sleep deprivation/noisy heating/water in bodged house
toasterman
Posts: 758 Forumite
Hi all,
I've recently signed a (6 month) tenancy agreement to rent a room in a shared house. The neighbours are nice, and the street seems OK, the house is tired and very bodged together by poor workmen (maybe diy-ers) but - and this was crucially why I signed - it is actually affordable in my current dire financial circumstances.
I've a major problem though. I'm not sleeping properly thanks to the heating/water system.
There's a water storage cylinder type thing in a cupboard in my bedroom, along with the timer for heating/hot water.
I've never known one of these to be in a bedroom before, and when I looked around I asked if it made any noise. A definite no, I was told by the agent. They have other properties with the same setup, and have no complaints.
Well this is absolute rubbish. Running the hot tap anywhere in the house produces a horrendous whistling/boiling noise in my room.
Someone flushing the toilet is audible but probably just about acceptable.
I've been in almost a week:
Sunday night - Kept awake all night by the heating/water (was set to permanently on).
Monday night - I switched it all off, I slept fine, but my housemates didn't as they were all cold.
Tuesday night - There was some reconfiguration during the day. A handyman that the landlords employ came out, switched some things, changed it so that a (gas) back boiler (which is somewhere downstairs in another bedroom) ran the heating/water instead of it coming from the (electric) configuration in my room. He switched off something in my bedroom. All seemed to work fine, actually, although I was woken up at 5.30am by my housemate running the hot tap.
Wednesday night - I was out on Wednesday night til quite late (after the heating/water would switch off). The next morning my housemates told me they had no heating/hot water the previous night. We called the handyman back, he switched some things around, but was unsure of what the issue was. Suggested if we had problems, to try it with this other immersion heater switch back on in my room set to on.
Thursday night - Seems ok.
Last night - Last night I heard what I can only describe as a constantly building pressure. Like a pan or kettle boiling, where all releases have been blocked. It sounded like it was shaking, and it was making so much noise, my housemates heard it too from their rooms.
I called the "in case of emergencies" number - answerphone. I switched off everything I could find and the noise stopped.
I texted the handyman, and asked if he knew any heating engineers (no offence meant to him - he isn't a heating engineer, and told us if we had more problems with it after the last time he came out, we'd need a dedicated heating engineer - as it was an odd/old/cr4p system).
I texted the landlord to tell them I'd contacted the handyman, and why ("because I think it's going to explode").
The handyman phoned my next door neighbour, who phoned the previous owner of the property. Apparently I had something on that shouldn't have been on (this unlabeled switch that might/might-not-be the immersion heater, and where nobody was sure if it should be on or off), and also that the temperature on the water heater thing was turned up too high. Over 70 is apparently dangerous and the previous owner said I was lucky it hadn't blown up, as it was on 90. I didn't know this temperature dial was even there, so it's certainly nothing the tenants have changed.
The landlords texted me back several hours later to say "I don't think it was going to explode" (they weren't here to hear it), and the handyman told me there should be release valves. But I'm tempted to take both of these with a pinch of salt. Should have release valves? The house *should* have heating/water that doesn't keep all the occupants awake. It probably should have a gas cooker that doesn't have the ignition wired into a standard mains plug (yes it does). It presumably should have a bathroom without visible electrical cables near the shower, not running down the wall with the water pipes.
I know my landlords are reluctant to spend any money, but I'm not convinced some aspects of the house are safe.
This morning when the heating/water kicked in, there was a lot of creaking noises that weren't there before. I'm absolutely exhausted from lack of sleep and worrying about this bl00dy house now.
So is there anything I can do about the noise?
I'm sure these noises/unlabeled switches are perfectly OK in your own house (the previous owner knew the setup), but in a house you're renting to separate individuals living separate lives, it seems completely unacceptable. Nobody can wash their hands without waking me up.
Failing that, is it possible to get out of a tenancy agreement due to unexpected noise? I'd sleep better in the garden than I would in here.
P.S. I've recorded the noises on my phone.
Here's the noise in my bedroom when someone runs a hot tap, anywhere in the house: http://snd.sc/I1eZlX
...and here's the uncomfortable creaking noises it made this morning the entire time the heating/water was on:
http://snd.sc/I1f358
I've recently signed a (6 month) tenancy agreement to rent a room in a shared house. The neighbours are nice, and the street seems OK, the house is tired and very bodged together by poor workmen (maybe diy-ers) but - and this was crucially why I signed - it is actually affordable in my current dire financial circumstances.
I've a major problem though. I'm not sleeping properly thanks to the heating/water system.
There's a water storage cylinder type thing in a cupboard in my bedroom, along with the timer for heating/hot water.
I've never known one of these to be in a bedroom before, and when I looked around I asked if it made any noise. A definite no, I was told by the agent. They have other properties with the same setup, and have no complaints.
Well this is absolute rubbish. Running the hot tap anywhere in the house produces a horrendous whistling/boiling noise in my room.
Someone flushing the toilet is audible but probably just about acceptable.
I've been in almost a week:
Sunday night - Kept awake all night by the heating/water (was set to permanently on).
Monday night - I switched it all off, I slept fine, but my housemates didn't as they were all cold.
Tuesday night - There was some reconfiguration during the day. A handyman that the landlords employ came out, switched some things, changed it so that a (gas) back boiler (which is somewhere downstairs in another bedroom) ran the heating/water instead of it coming from the (electric) configuration in my room. He switched off something in my bedroom. All seemed to work fine, actually, although I was woken up at 5.30am by my housemate running the hot tap.
Wednesday night - I was out on Wednesday night til quite late (after the heating/water would switch off). The next morning my housemates told me they had no heating/hot water the previous night. We called the handyman back, he switched some things around, but was unsure of what the issue was. Suggested if we had problems, to try it with this other immersion heater switch back on in my room set to on.
Thursday night - Seems ok.
Last night - Last night I heard what I can only describe as a constantly building pressure. Like a pan or kettle boiling, where all releases have been blocked. It sounded like it was shaking, and it was making so much noise, my housemates heard it too from their rooms.
I called the "in case of emergencies" number - answerphone. I switched off everything I could find and the noise stopped.
I texted the handyman, and asked if he knew any heating engineers (no offence meant to him - he isn't a heating engineer, and told us if we had more problems with it after the last time he came out, we'd need a dedicated heating engineer - as it was an odd/old/cr4p system).
I texted the landlord to tell them I'd contacted the handyman, and why ("because I think it's going to explode").
The handyman phoned my next door neighbour, who phoned the previous owner of the property. Apparently I had something on that shouldn't have been on (this unlabeled switch that might/might-not-be the immersion heater, and where nobody was sure if it should be on or off), and also that the temperature on the water heater thing was turned up too high. Over 70 is apparently dangerous and the previous owner said I was lucky it hadn't blown up, as it was on 90. I didn't know this temperature dial was even there, so it's certainly nothing the tenants have changed.
The landlords texted me back several hours later to say "I don't think it was going to explode" (they weren't here to hear it), and the handyman told me there should be release valves. But I'm tempted to take both of these with a pinch of salt. Should have release valves? The house *should* have heating/water that doesn't keep all the occupants awake. It probably should have a gas cooker that doesn't have the ignition wired into a standard mains plug (yes it does). It presumably should have a bathroom without visible electrical cables near the shower, not running down the wall with the water pipes.
I know my landlords are reluctant to spend any money, but I'm not convinced some aspects of the house are safe.
This morning when the heating/water kicked in, there was a lot of creaking noises that weren't there before. I'm absolutely exhausted from lack of sleep and worrying about this bl00dy house now.
So is there anything I can do about the noise?
I'm sure these noises/unlabeled switches are perfectly OK in your own house (the previous owner knew the setup), but in a house you're renting to separate individuals living separate lives, it seems completely unacceptable. Nobody can wash their hands without waking me up.
Failing that, is it possible to get out of a tenancy agreement due to unexpected noise? I'd sleep better in the garden than I would in here.
P.S. I've recorded the noises on my phone.
Here's the noise in my bedroom when someone runs a hot tap, anywhere in the house: http://snd.sc/I1eZlX
...and here's the uncomfortable creaking noises it made this morning the entire time the heating/water was on:
http://snd.sc/I1f358
0
Comments
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have no idea what the noises are but i wouldnt want it in my room, it would wake me up as well.0
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Last night while extremely tired, angry at the noise, distraught at the possibility of it exploding, etc. I started going through:
http://www.landlords-uk.net/guide_Landlord_Safety.asp
and noting down areas where I felt they may be breaking regulations.
Not sure if all are advisory or legal requirements, but just on a quick glance through them, I found issues with:
- Fire safety (no windows open far enough to escape from, some don't open at all);
- Potential gas safety (didn't know I should have been given/shown gas safe certificates - and their reluctance to call a heating engineer makes me wonder if they've had the yearly checks done);
- Bathroom ventilation (there's a kind-of air vent thing (which might be blocked.. there's a room the other side of it), but no mechanical extractor in a bathroom with no external windows); and
- Electrical safety (cookers on mains plugs, damaged plug sockets, exposed wires in light fittings).
If I am forced to stay here 6 months, then these will be getting fixed. However, I fear that as my landlord has already told me that they are renting the property as-is (they refused my request for them to fix the broken shower screen, so that the bathroom floor isn't constantly wet/slippery), I'm not sure how much they'll care about these things.
A friend of mine suggested the council had a department that investigated rental properties to ensure safety. Is this the case? I'm struggling to find the right section on their website. Anyone know what it's called?0 -
Glad it's not just me. I was starting to wonder if I was moaning unnecessarily.have no idea what the noises are but i wouldnt want it in my room, it would wake me up as well.
The woman who owned the house before the current landlords was living as a family, which makes it more bearable. Her bedroom was my current room (complete with noisy tank/boiler), but once your children have gone to bed, nobody is around to run hot water except you/your partner.0 -
It sounds like you have an (maybe uninsulated? depends on how far your phone was from the cylinder) hot water cylinder without cylinderstat. The other noise could be the central heating pump that sounds like it could do with being replaced.
Putting all that in a bedroom that you rent out is completely wrong in my opinion. I don't know about legally, but I'd kicking up a stink with the letting agent if it was me, after the first night. Things like that should be in its own cupboard away from all the bedrooms (possibly bathroom? don't know if it would fit in there).0 -
A few things to consider here. It sounds like the hot water system isn't working as it should be and the 'engineer' may be by-passing the problem by turning on the immersion heater located next to the hot water cylinder in your room. If the immersion heater is (relatively) new, it should have a saftety cut-out, which is factory set to about 60-70degrees. However, if it's old it could continue to heat, which could explain some of the noise!I'm no plumber, but guessing from what you have said it sounds like a really old system if there is a 'back boiler' located downstairs.Landlords are required to have an annual 'gas safety check' - ask to see the certificate. If it was a full house let, they also are required to provide a copy of the EPC (energy performance certificate) - this may show you just how bad things are; although I'm not sure of the legislation for a room-let (but if every room is let, common sense would be that each tenant receives the EPC).What does your tenancy agreement say? There should be sections clearly setting out what the tenant should/should not do and equally what the landlord agrees to do or provide. If there is a breach by the landlord which is not resolved then you should be able to leave without financial penalty.If all else fails consult a solicitor who specialises is this area, and get a free half hour of advice. Good luck0
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friend of mine suggested the council had a department that investigated rental properties to ensure safety. Is this the case? I'm struggling to find the right section on their website. Anyone know what it's called?
Not sure what they are called (Private Tenancies officer????) but if you ring your local council offices and ask for Housing someone there will doubtless know who to put you through to. Doubt whether there is a special number for them for the public. It all seems to go through the main switchboard and then you press............................... !!! Pain I know.
I am sure they will be able to answer all your queries regarding fire safety etc.0 -
toasterman wrote: »I've a major problem though. I'm not sleeping properly thanks to the heating/water system.
There's a water storage cylinder type thing in a cupboard in my bedroom, along with the timer for heating/hot water.
I've never known one of these to be in a bedroom before, and when I looked around I asked if it made any noise. A definite no, I was told by the agent. They have other properties with the same setup, and have no complaints.
They were always in a bedroom. There is still one at the house I lived in since 1996 and there is the cupboard in one of the bedrooms where there used to be one in my current house.
They don't make a noise and if they do, something is wrong somewhere.0 -
Can you explain the heating in more detail?
* is it gas powered?
* is there a boiler somewhere? Where?
* is the boiler conventional or combi? ( conventional heats water and stores it in a tank [in your room], combi only heats water when it is required ie when a hot tap is turned on)
* Does the tank in your room also have an (electric) immersion heater (as a 2nd method to heat the water)?
* is there a theromostat on the top of the tank in your room?
* is there a theromostat on the side near the bottom of the tank in your room?
* is there a thermostat on the boiler?
* is there a time control somewhere for the heating and/or hot water? Where? If turned on, does it fire up the boiler?
* what temperature does water come out of the taps? Very hot?
Have you or any other other tenat ever been given instructions for the heating system, verbally or written?
My guess is you have a conventional boiler somewhere heating water stored in the tank in your room which has an immersion heater too.
The switch (immersion heater) should only be on if the boiler is not on, not being used, out of order. Switch it off to rely only on the boiler to heat water. The immersion heater (if on) should also have a thermostat control on the top of the tank. Turn it down lower (60?). Sometimes you needa screwdriver for this.
If there is a thermostat near the bottom of the tank, this is to switch the boiler on/off. Again, check the setting. It should be around 60.
There is (legal) no reason a water cylinder cannot be in a bedroom.
A gas boiler can only be repaired by a GasSafe registered heating engineer. If the boiler is gas (or any gas is used in the property eg cooker) then the landlord MUST have an annual inspection, and MUST give the tenants a copy of the safety certificate.
Exposed wiring in a bathroom sounds illegal.
The way to deal with your concerns is to write (no email, text of phonecalls) WRITE to the landlord at the address provided for the serving of notices. This is usually on your tenancy agreemnt but may be seperate. If you were NOT given such an address, you do not have to pay rent till it is provided - see Landlord and Tenant Act 1987
Keep you letter polite, friendly and short, and list your concerns seperately ie bullet points or numbererd. Ask for a reply within 5 working days informing you what action the LL intends to take and when.
If you get nowhere, the the local council't Environmental Health Dept, or Private Tenancy Officer, is the next step.0 -
are you a lodger or a tenant? sounds like the latter
how many housemates?0 -
It sounds like you have an (maybe uninsulated? depends on how far your phone was from the cylinder) hot water cylinder without cylinderstat. The other noise could be the central heating pump that sounds like it could do with being replaced.
Putting all that in a bedroom that you rent out is completely wrong in my opinion. I don't know about legally, but I'd kicking up a stink with the letting agent if it was me, after the first night. Things like that should be in its own cupboard away from all the bedrooms (possibly bathroom? don't know if it would fit in there).
This is what it is: http://twitter.com/#!/BenPark/status/188322782067695617/photo/1/large
Top switch on the right powers the timer (although it all stops if I turn it off). I think the bottom switch is the immersion heater (I've now been advised to turn off if the back boiler is being used).
Model info on it says: 1270x450, Seagull, Comb tank, Indirect P, Flexilag. Nominal working capacity 114.
Surface area of primary heater .50m2m maximum working pressure of primary heater 3.5 bar. All rest is left blank.
It says it was manufactured in 2005, but there's no installer details on it, nor a sticker of last date checked.
The phone was held quite near because it's got a poor microphone and doesn't pick up much otherwise.
My concerns regarding the creaking that it only started doing today, have been met with a general "sometimes they make noise" remark from the handyman.0
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