Bathroom fitter problems

on00jh2

Had a recent bathroom installation in our house, it was quite costly and involved various other bits such as taking down a wall, replacing a soil pipe, installing new pipes for a towel rail and moving the water tank into the loft.

We still have a back boiler in our house and have had no problems in the few years we have lived here (bar a few noisy radiators especially the bedroom!).

Upon completion of the work i noticed a damp patch on the outside of our house below the overflow pipe, it was coming from our header tank. Got the guys to come back out, they replaced the ballcock on it and said it should be fixed.

Got home from work that night and the plumber forgot to reattach the overflow pipe and it had leaked into my loft and inside my airing cupboard. OK so at least i wasn't out long else my ceilings could have been ruined and its not where any visitors can see for now. Still annoyed.

Called again and a few days later they get me a different plumber who says the problem has been there all along as there are "moss" patches on the floor outside of my house where it will have been dripping. I strongly disagree with this as i had never noticed it before and i definitely would have. I get out of my car everyday and look at the side of the wall where this is.

Apparently the problem is a leak inside my cylinder and it needs replacing at an extra cost of £500.

Obviously im going to get a second opinion on this matter within a few days when another plumber (not related to or recommended by the bathroom fitters) comes out.

Is it just bad luck and it could have broken when this work was carried out? Do you think they could have caused this? I feel for the price i have paid and the poor customer service from them, they should have sorted it. But i am no plumber and just asking for some advice.

Thanks for anyone who replies.

Furts

I will limit my comments to technicalities. You say the soil stack was replaced. Did this go in a new location or was it a like for like replacement? If it was new works then the Buildings Regulations should have been invoked.

You say a wall was taken down - was this load bearing? What assurance do you have here?

Your water tank is now in the roof. This is a considerable weight imposed on the ceilings. What structural calculations were done for this? What did you do with regards the Buildings Regulations? For example, any trussed rafter roof,which has been the norm for the last 50 years, cannot cope with a water tank without additional timbers being utilised to spread the load.

Your tank will require insulation, and it is normal to utilise the room heating below to keep the temperature from freeezing. What have you done with regards this? Have you boarded the roof to give access to the tank? Will the ceiling joists take this load? Where are the overflows? Are they insulated and set to prevent wind chill/freeezing? Is the roof space heated? Is the tank sealed?

Your new bathroom requires an extract vent with controls - again a Buildings Regulation issue.

Enough for now - please come back and re-assure everyone that the work was done in a professional manner.

on00jh2

Soil pipe replacement was new plastic one in for old asbestos one. It was not moved.

The wall was not load bearing, i had a few fitters out before choosing the one i went with and they all said it was not. I am confident of this.

Yes i believe some extra timbers were put down to help spread the weight of the tank.

As for insulation there is none at all on it. Not even a cover over the tank itself. The roof is not boarded, i believe they just stood on the ceiling joists as parts of the loft insulation had moved and joists can now be seen.
The overflows is not a question i can answer apart from i know where the header tank one is. This is not insulated.
The roof itself is not insulated very well, our felting is almost none existing and we have had quotes to repair it of around £5.5-£6k

I was told an extractor was not needed as it was an extension to our old bathroom. Our house hasn't had an extension, just another room has lost some space. Sorry if i didn't make this clear as it sounds in my previous post like i meant a whole new room.

I myself have not told building regs about anything.

Furts

You say the work was costly. You also post on the forum because you have concerns with the work. You are wondering if items have been done correctly. It appears you did not seek professional advice before doing the work. Neither have you sought Buildings Regulations. This situation continues...

I do not know how you intend to address these issues, but bear in mind one day you will be selling the house - my observations may be flagged up and come back to bite you.