Drain valve leaked on hot water pipe after combi boiler installation

[kelmory]

Hi all, I'm just looking for some advice on if a drain valve on my hot water tap pipe should have been changed when I had a combi boiler installed. I previously had an old boiler and water tank and it has been replaced with a Worcester green star 4000. Since it was fitted around four months ago I got a leak on a radiator, no problem it was very small and was fixed. Yesterday we were woken at 4am to our downstairs being flooded by a drain valve connected to our downstairs toilet hot water pipe. The flooding was bad and now I'm wondering if the valve should have been changed due to the extra pressure the pipes will have been under, and if this could have been prevented. I have added photos of the valve and what the plumber has now put on it temporarily. Many thanks

 

[Madrab]

Not necessarily, though it may have been prudent to have pressure tested both the system and the Hot/Cold supplies that were previously on a gravity feed.

I always caveat an installation that is going from gravity to mains as it is not always possible to catch or foresee everything that is being changed to mains pressure. There is always a risk that something can fail later down the line like that unless it is all replaced and/or tested.

 

[kelmory]

Thanks for your reply, all my other taps have a shut off valve already, but this particular sink/taps and pipes are about 60 years old. The job was done by my local council and they seem to never complete jobs correctly

 

[Madrab]

If it was a council property then surely it should be their responsibility to sort it all out for you?

 

[kelmory]

You would think so, but they won't even provide me with dehumidifiers to dry the place out, they have said a surveyor may visit next week but it's down to me to get all my electric items checked, washer, cooker etc, and claim on my insurance, which I will do. Doesn't help me right now though, and it's frustrating if it could have been prevented by a simple thing like changing a valve

 

[gas112]

Simple answer is NO they would not be expected to change that valve during a boiler change . And for it to suddenly start gushing months later is very strange . At best they occasionally drip. As for them telling you to claim on your insurance also strange as it will prob be classed as a building insurance claim not a contents. You need to get onto local Councillor and complain about their lack of action

 

[kelmory]

Hi thanks for your reply. The guy on the phone told me that until the plumber puts in his report there's nothing they can do and the plumber has likely gone back to bed after being called out at 4am, and as it's a Friday it's probably going to be next week before a surveyor would come out to look at the damage and decide if dehumidifiers are needed. The plumber was also baffled and said he had never seen a valve do that, my whole downstairs was flooded as my stop cock was jammed, the plumber had to use a tool to turn it off, seems ridiculous that I have a stop cock that can't be turned of without a tool. The valve was originally put in 50-60 years ago for a drainage of the water tank, but since radiators have been put in they have been used to drain the system and the leaking valve seemed to be untouched for years and was no longer needed. It was definitely no longer needed after the combi was fitted a few months ago as its now connected to the mains water.