New Walk in Shower failure

Bobbysoxx29

Hi everyone,

In May 2026 we had a new walk-in shower fitted by Mobility Plus Bathing Group (Premier Care in Bathing) which cost us just over £16,000. We had been looking for a walk in shower for some time due to hubby being a little unsteady and he had fallen once trying to get out of the bath we had. We live in a first floor flat, which we own so it was as we thought a brilliant idea, no big sided bath to negotiate to have a shower.

They came out and did a survey to see what was needed and then a Project Manager came out to check that the details he had been given were correct and everything was good to go.

The installation was a little rushed at times as the fitter they sent (the best they had in the area !!) would not arrive until after he had taken his child to school, approximately 9.30 - 10.00am and would often be gone by 2.30pm with some explanation of picking his child up from school or having to go and sort out his suit for his upcoming wedding. We didn't moan because the bathroom was slowly being completed and we had every faith in him as 'he was the best'. The bathroom was finally finished 7 days after starting and we were delighted.

The final payment was made and everything was fine until 15th October 2026 when the flat underneath complained that they had got water pouring through their bathroom and kitchen ceiling. A plumber was called out through the Housing Association that owns the building and the fault was traced back to our new bathroom pipes that had been fitted during the install. It turned out that our Immersion tank connections had not been locked and had become disconnected, hence hot water pouring through the ceiling in the flat below. The plumber tightened the connections he could see through the end of the sealed shower bed and hoovered up what water he could see and we thanked him enormously and thought that was it. We also made a call to the bathroom installers CS only to be told that we would have to submit photos from the plumber, that the occupiers should claim on their Insurance and they would assess everything to see if it was their fault. The flat below was being emptied by family of the occupier who had gone into care and luckily they had still got the key, otherwise we would not have known anything and would quite cheerfully carried on using the bathroom with the flat downstairs being flooded, which we now wonder if we will be charged for the damage caused.

On the night of 17th October 2026, as we were preparing for bed, I realised I could hearing water running again and so I switched off the stop !!!!!! for the mains water and thought that was it. On the 18th October 2026, we rang the CS again at 8.00am and was told that they would get someone to ring us to discuss the situation. Then nothing. I rang CS again at 1.30pm and was told nobody was available to contact us. I then asked if we could be assigned as an emergency as we had no running cold water so couldn't shower, wash our clothes or anything that needed cold water. We still had hot water so I thought.

At 7.30 this morning we went to the bathroom and when we tried the hot water tap, nothing. It was then we realised that the Immersion tank had drained away during the night, and therefore probably into the now unoccupied flat underneath. So we rang CS at 8.00am again and was told that we were listed as an emergency and someone would ring us to discuss our problem.

So I sit writing this at 11.00am today without any cold or hot water in the property only via opening the stop !!!!!! and turning on the hot water taps to make sure the Immersion tank does not fill.

Happy Days (NOT)

Vitor

I wouldn’t wait any longer for a callback while there may still be water escaping. Contact the housing association’s emergency service again, explain that the leak has recurred and ask them to check the flat below.

WIAWSNB

As Vitor says - inform the HA instantly. It's important that you cover yourself from any suggestion of negligence by not doing so.

Then let the HA and MPBG fight it out.

MPBG will likely be found liable if they can be shown to have been 'negligent', such as leaving fittings untightened. But that's for these parties to sort out.

Do you have Legal Protection included in your home contents insurance? If so, you may wish to contact them for guidance and ensure you are on safe ground - you have paid for this service. (If you don't have it, I personally think it's worth it - around £25.)

Well done for the concise chronological account of what took place - that could be very useful. Keep adding to it.

Please update us with what happens 😊

Albermarle

It does not help the current situation but for £16,000, I would have expected a full bathroom refit, not just converting a bath to a walk in shower. Maybe with some gold taps as well !

twopenny

Because I can't give advice perhaps some instances I've had that may make you feel less alone in this.

A plumber, a builder and a gas engineer who's wife had walked out on them so it was a scrappy job.

A house painter who after the estimate said he was afraid of heights so needed a pal to help. That crops up regularly and you're paying for 2.

But my favourite was the house painter who said he wouldn't be working in fine weather because he would be out on his boat.

Good luck. Looks like a lot of phone calls and persistence on your part.

Bobbysoxx29

Thanks for the replies. We hadn't thought about informing the HA again but that will be done today.

MBGL did do a full bathroom refit, toilet washbasin etc and the rest of the refit is great.

The HA plumber said that the connections should really have been in copper not just the push fit ones because as we have found out to our cost, they have to be pushed onto the pipe and then screwed to tighten them. This is what the MBGL fitter failed to do.

As of 7.10am on Monday 19th October we are still managing with having to switch the stopcock back on to fill as many containers as possible, whilst having the hot taps open, so the hot water tank does not fill up for it all to go downstairs into the flat below.

And we thought we were making life easier for ourselves. I am having to take time off work because my husband is 82 and I wouldn't want him to be left alone in this situation.

We had a new bathroom fitted 24 years ago by B&Q and even they managed to make sure everything was connected properly, we had no issues at all. But this is just 5 months after installation.

Perhaps we should have gone back to B&Q. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.😠

WIAWSNB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82173011#Comment_82173011

The issue has nothing to do with you. Your only responsibility is to limit and contain the damage being caused as much as is reasonably possible. Hence you informing all other parties asap.

Put it this way - if the fitter didn't come out for a week, and you kept turning the stopcock back on for water which doubled the damage as a direct result, would you be liable? Very likely yes.

So please inform both parties without delay. It is astonishing the fitter did not come out yesterday, just incredible. I'd contact them again, and give them to, say, midday to do so, or else you'll call another emergency plumber and bill them for the cost, "as we have no water...". Mind you, if the HA is sending someone out right away, then don't bother - but do tell them when you called the other plumber.

Picture of hot cylinder, please? There may be a way to isolate it.

Are you sure that when you turn on the mains stopcock, the only water appearing is to fill your containers? Strictly speaking, if doing this is adding to the probable carnage in the flat below, then you are adding 'some' liability, so be careful about saying what you are doing (hence my suggested comment above).

I am astonished the fitters haven't come straight out to ensure no further damage, and to restore a supply for you - that is staggering, and they are doing themselves no favours.

Have you checked your insurance? Also see if there is 'Home Emergency' included.

If you haven't called the HA yet, then tsk tsk...

WIAWSNB

There is nothing inherently wrong with 'pushfit' fittings, provided they are installed properly, so the HA plumber was not completely correct in saying it 'should' be copper. But if the cause of the leaks is that the other plumber did not correctly complete the fixings, as it sounds, then tsk tsk, and they have been 'negligent'.

You can also incorrectly make copper connections 🙂

This is almost certainly just one 'incompetent-on-the-day' plumber in an otherwise decent company, so going with anyone else would likely have carried a similar lottery.

No excuse for their lax response, tho' - that is more their true measure.

Albermarle

There is nothing inherently wrong with 'pushfit' fittings, provided they are installed properly, so the HA plumber was not completely correct in saying it 'should' be copper.

OP - As above, you will find all plumbers have their own opinions about what is best, for many different items.

danrv

Copper is a good idea for inaccessible areas but push fit is often used to save time. Ok if it's all done properly. The bathroom company should be onto this straight away.

Alderbank

…and some fittings are both copper and push-fit.

The thing about traditional copper connections, whether solder or compression, is that their security is very dependent on skill. Push-fit joints are claimed by their makers to be more forgiving.

For belt-and-braces security buried in walls you can't beat swaged connections. They never come apart!