Leaking newly installed aluminium sliding doors

persrp

We are having an extension built which is being covered by a contractor except for two aluminium sliding doors which we directly purchased. The doors are Origin, which I wanted because of reputation and because they come with an extended warranty.

- We purchased supply and fit from a ‘Origin premium partner’
- They were installed on 28th Feb
- It rained heavily on the 29th Feb and BOTH the doors leaked a lot under the frame and overflowing the track
- The company came to repair, but only applied a layer of sealant
- Following heavy rain yesterday 28 March, they have leaked again

Doors were paid for via bank transfer, as that was the only option. We have an installation guarantee with the company.

My guess is that the company will come out and ‘repair’ the doors again, my concern is that as it is at the end of winter, we may not get heavy rain until next winter, when I will be outside the 6 month consumer rights deadline.

In addition, the company have the following in their contract ‘In the event of water ingress the limit of any claim shall be the remedy of the defect if found to be a product installed by #. # will not be held liable for damage to any other product, this includes but is not limited to fixtures, fittings, furnishings and food stuffs.’

The above makes me reticent to get our floor installed if the company aren’t liable for damage caused by a fault. Some of the plasterboard around the door is already ruined.

- Any advice on a) my rights re the above statement b) whether I should try get a refund now, or let them fix it, meaning that I might not get a full refund when it next leaks and may have considerable costs to replace wooden floors and surround walls?

PHK

Did you have a survey to determine if sliding doors were suitable for your location? 

In order to slide there must be a very slight gap for the surfaces to slide over each other. This means that they aren't suitable for some locations. 

You'll need an expert to inspect the installation to confirm if there is a fault with the doors, the installation or whether they just aren't suitable. 

Aylesbury_Duck

There's no hard 6 month consumer rights deadline.  Let them fix it and if you have a problem next winter, you still have consumer rights you can exercise.  The clause about limitation of liability is not enforceable, they can't override your consumer rights.

Do you have legal cover on your home insurance?  It might be helpful if a problem arises down the line.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Hello OP

Was you quoted £x for the doors and £x for the fitting or just £x for supply and fit? 

cannugec5

After it is fixed can you not test it with a hose pipe to check for leaks? ( Rather than wait for winter). 

I would be looking to ‘throw water at it’ in the same direction that it rained last time, ie not necessarily straight downwards. 

persrp

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Hello OP

Was you quoted £x for the doors and £x for the fitting or just £x for supply and fit? 

It was for supply and fit. I made sure as my understanding was that the liability was with them something went wrong.

persrp

PHK said:

Did you have a survey to determine if sliding doors were suitable for your location? 

In order to slide there must be a very slight gap for the surfaces to slide over each other. This means that they aren't suitable for some locations. 

You'll need an expert to inspect the installation to confirm if there is a fault with the doors, the installation or whether they just aren't suitable. 

We didn’t have a survey, although the company we bought the doors from did come and survey the openings prior to installing and didn’t mention anything. The rear of the house (prior to the extension) had a UVPC sliding door fitted which didn’t leak for the ~12 months we lived here prior to the extension, so unless there are specific design differences between alu and upvc which would impact its water tightness I’d be surprised if our site wasn’t suitable, but yes we could get an expert to come out and survey.