Bathroom refurb

[Alison556]

I didn't know where to put this, so General DIY gets it!!

I recently got my bathroom refurbished - allegedly! I thought I'd gone to a really good company - been in the city a long time, got a good reputation for quality work, etc etc.

However, the installers were not actually employed by the company - although they do all their installations and I've had nothing but bother with the plumbing work.

It's over a month since the bathroom was done but I've still got leaks.

So far, the toilet has leaked - three times.
The sink was leaking
The towel rad was leaking
And the shower cubicle leaks like a sieve.

I admit that they are trying to sort things out but we're getting nowhere fast. They were up on Monday and installed a new shower cubicle - apart from the tray - it's the orginal. Could use the shower Tuesday or Wednesday to allow the sealant to dry. Used it this morning and lo and behold, it's still leaking.

I noticed that there's a very slight movement in the tray when you stand in it and wondered if that could be breaking the silicone seal between the tray and the frame? The Installation Manager told me no, not possible, all trays have a degree of flexing in them - but that seems to be a bit of a contradiction when he originally told me that the tray would be bedded into sand and cement (which I don't think it is) - if it was cemented, then surely it wouldn't flex?????

Suffice to say, I'm getting mightily peed off at the whole thing and I don't seem to be getting anywhere with them.

Anyone tell me if the shower tray situation is correct or not - is movement normal?

Also, just how many times and how long am I meant to give them to sort everything out? And what do I do if I'm not getting things sorted?

Every day, we seem to have another problem.

Help................................

 

[Burnerman]

If your shower tray is the cast stone resin type, there shouldn't be any movement at all....ABS trays are much weaker but even so they shouldn't flex to the extent that the silicone bead is compromised.
If the leaking is just as bad as it was before maybe they are looking in the wrong place.....it happens!
Personally I'd be contacting the company who you originally dealt with and tell them about your situation, and that you're not happy with the sub contractors. You have to give the installers a fair chance to put things right but they should pull out all of the stops now to keep you happy. Perhaps you could mention the state that your decorations are getting into due to the leaks, and who should pay to get that put right?
Hope things get sorted soon - if it goes on much longer you'll have to call out the heavy artillery! Cheers John

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Contact the company you ordered the work form, tell them you are not pleased with what you have, stating the problems.
Give them a set time to amend these problems then if you are still not satisfied contact trading standards.
take a note of all the problems and any conversations held with both the workmen and the company, state times, dates etc. Also keep a record of any transaction, any letters, emails, faxes.......
Just in case things do get nasty....

 

[jctilingservices]

where exactly on the tray is the leak, is it from around the sealed edge or could it possibly be from the waste? is there some kind of joint underneath the tray that could be leaking ? hope this helps

 

[Alison556]

Sorry, I didn't clarify - I've been in touch with the company that I employed to do the work - not their sub contractors.

The shower enclosure is a Kudos offset curved enclosure and the plumber that installed it got all the seals the wrong way round - that is if he actually put them on! It was leaking at both the sliding door edge next to the wall and the fixed panel side next to the wall. The sealant round the frame/tray join also failed and started to leak. He had missed out the seals that came with it to seal between the glass panel and the tray and had the other ones on the wrong sides.

On Monday, the company sent up their installation manager and their own joiner to replace the glass enclosure but not the tray. I was told not to use the shower till Tuesday night to allow the silicone to dry but we left it till Wednesday morning before using it. And lo and behold, it was leaking in all the same places. The silicone between the frame and the tray had failed again but this time, at the wall edges, I couldn't see where the water was coming from, but to me, the sealant between the wet wall and the tray looks to be failing - you can see the cut edge of the wet wall above the silicone - it's kind of like the silicone has collapsed into the gap. The water also looked like it was coming from behind the tray as opposed to from the framework of the enclosure. I immediately phoned the company again and the installation manager snapped at me that how on earth could it be leaking - what did I mean! He sent the joiner back up who removed all the silicone from between the frame and the tray and told me I wasn't to use the shower cos it had to dry out and he'd be back today to replace it.

I didn't use the shower but yesterday afternoon, I had the sudden thought that if there was movement in the tray, maybe that was what was causing the sealant to fail, so (fully clothed, no water running!) I stood in the tray and got my mum to watch it from the outside - she said it was dropping down maybe half a centremeter at most when I put weight in it. I had asked them if this could be the problem and was told no - but where it's dropping slightly is exactly where the sealant is failiing.

The joiner came back this morning (not a happy chappy at all) and put more silicone between the tray and the frame and has packed silicone into the metal patches that attach the panel to the frame (the instructions specifically say not to apply silicone to anywhere other than stated or it invalidates the warranty) which looks awful and he's also packed silicone in the gap between the bottom of the tray and the floor. This concerns me because if the water is indeed coming from the back of the wet wall panelling/shower tray, it's not going to escape now because he's sealed it and I won't know if the problem is in fact cured or just hidden.

Insult of insult, he then took a roll of masking tape and taped the door up, telling me that he was making damned sure that nobody got in the shower until he came back tomorrow (Friday) night to untape it. I'm furious at that because we have followed their instructions to the letter and I now think that they're trying to blame me for the seals breaking and leaks instead of just cr@p workmanship.

I went to trading standards as well and they've said that I'm in a position where the company are trying to rectify the problem - just not very successfully. I know that I've to give them an opportunity to rectify things but I'm getting so fed up. We're not getting the use of the shower because we're constantly having to wait on sealant drying and I just feel that they've covered up the problem and not fixed it - though I'm sure they'll tell me that it is sorted. I don't see that shoving silicone in every nook and cranny is the way to fix it - it looks awful. And I'm really peed off with the attitude - it's not my fault that their plumber was useless.

As soon as these faults all became apparently, I wrote to the director of the company listing all the problems that we'd had and what had been fixed and what hadn't. I got a two paragraph letter back telling me that the plumber was disputing what I was claiming and that as far as he knows, everything is resolved apart from a deep scratch on the shower profile. It was a really dismissive letter and no reassurance at all.

Took this from the manufacturers website - the tray is an Acrylic Capped ABS Stone filled tray.

 

[foxhole]

Small claims court.

 

[paulc7617]

Itching to know the outcome of this-any updates Alison556

 

[Alison556]

Sorry, computer's been down.

It's not fixed yet.

I told them that the replacement cubicle was still leaking and they sent the joiner back up who basically said that there was nothing wrong with it, he was sick to the back teeth of the whole thing and we were imagining things!

I went and demanded to see the director of the company who just bloody sat there humming and ha-ing but he and the installation manager came out. The both agreed that it was still leaking and said they didn't know why. I blooming know why - I read the instructions!!! The joiner's answer to leaking was to shove more and more silicone in every space he could but the instructions clearly state (in big black letters) not to silicone inside the enclosure as it will cause water leaks. I also think the tray has been installed incorrectly. Anyway, they don't understand why it's leaking so the Kudos engineer is coming out on Thursday to inspect it - though he reckons that it's incorrectly installed but the company won't listen so he's got to physically come and look.

I'll let you all know what he says and what the outcome is.

Meanwhile, anyone with a ship they'd like launched, my soaking, water filled bathroom floor is available!

 

[Stivino]

What about getting some pics up for us?

 

[Alison556]

With or without leaks??? I should be absolutely thrilled at my six and a half grand bathroom but frankly I'm ****ed off with it. I've still no flooring down - the last lot had to come up cos it was ruined and until the leaks are fixed, there's no point in putting the new stuff down.

I'll get some pics though.

 

[Alison556]

I've uploaded some pics - complete with leak!!!! And the coving round the ceiling starting to crack up and the gap down the back of the toilet that you could probably lose a small child down...............................

But I have absolutely no idea how to put them on here....................

 

[Alison556]

Dunno if this works

//www.diynot.com/network/Alison556/albums/

It's the one titled Bathroom believe it or not!

 

[seco services]

With or without leaks??? I should be absolutely thrilled at my six and a half grand bathroom

i wouldn't even pay that if it was finished.

 

[paulc7617]

Alison,you must be furious,especially at the price you have had to pay.Really hope they sort it out for you,could you insist new cubicle etc. now they have "likely" bodged it?

 

[seco services]

especially at the price you have had to pay.

she hasn't had to pay anything or shouldn't of to the jobs completed and signed for.

then i would take out your money for wasted time and days of work, phone calls, letters etc. and they can't argue.

or personally for the amount of times they have been round i would of ripped it out and tell them it on the door step.