Advice from plumbers most welcome

[katmac]

Hi,

I had a new combi boiler installed on Friday which replaced an old fashioned gas boiler with copper tank.

What I'd like to know is, is it standard practice to leave the cold water storage tank in the loft. I was under the impression that with a combi boiler, we could do away with the tank in the loft.

Thanks.

 

[popeye2755]

Is the tank made of plastic???

 

[crashndie]

chances are its dead and they left it in because it wont fit tho the loft hatch, or its feeding the bath/shower/toilet. easyest way to see what the tank feeds is to turn the mains off coming in to the house and run the taps flush the bog and see what runs if the tank is feeding anythink then leave it alone. if its not feeding anythink and is full or has mains going to it (push the ball valve down an see if it lets water though) then get them back to drain and disconnect it.

 

[katmac]

Is the tank made of plastic???

Yes, I think it is. Does this make a difference?

 

[katmac]

chances are its dead and they left it in because it wont fit tho the loft hatch, or its feeding the bath/shower/toilet. easyest way to see what the tank feeds is to turn the mains off coming in to the house and run the taps flush the bog and see what runs if the tank is feeding anythink then leave it alone. if its not feeding anythink and is full or has mains going to it (push the ball valve down an see if it lets water though) then get them back to drain and disconnect it.

The cold water tank IS feeding the cold taps in the bathroom and the toilet. I was under the impression though that with a new boiler installed, this would be disconnected and run straight from mains supplies. What I'm trying to establish is whether or not the installation team have done the job correctly.

 

[45yearsagasman]

What I'm trying to establish is whether or not the installation team have done the job correctly.

Did they quote to make all your supplies Mains pressure? There is nothing wrong as such, but it would have been better to have a "dry" loft.
Check your quote and question your installer.

 

[popeye2755]

Is the tank made of plastic???

Yes, I think it is. Does this make a difference?

Sometimes they're left behind (capped) because there not worth anything for scrap!

 

[katmac]

What I'm trying to establish is whether or not the installation team have done the job correctly.

Did they quote to make all your supplies Mains pressure? There is nothing wrong as such, but it would have been better to have a "dry" loft.
Check your quote and question your installer.

The installation was carried out by a sub-contractor of Scottish Gas. We received the installation as part of the Energy Saving Trust award so we didn't receive a quote and this wasn't discussed with the surveyor who visited from Scottish Gas. There have been several problems with the system since Friday so I've not got much faith in the contractors who carried out the work and I'm just wondering if this is yet another element of the job they have failed to carry out correctly.

 

[Maxsys]

And you paid how much for this exactly?

 

[linkyplumb]

Is the tank made of plastic???

Yes, I think it is. Does this make a difference?

Sometimes they're left behind (capped) because there not worth anything for scrap!

Or because they could be asbestos

 

[popeye2755]

Is the tank made of plastic???

Yes, I think it is. Does this make a difference?

Sometimes they're left behind (capped) because there not worth anything for scrap!

Or because they could asbestos

Good point...

 

[Nige F]

And you paid how much for this exactly?

Probably the same as they pay for prescriptions and Uni fees up there

 

[oph]

If you read BG terms of business it prob mentions the non removal of tanks from roofs. Dont blame then either, I have that in my own terms.

Regarding it still being in use for cold water services, it would only be a problem if you have a shower valve because of un-equal pressures

 

[FiremanT]

Unless c0onverting your loft to "dry" was in the spec., then they have done nothng wrong. It MAY be better to do this, but why would they do "extras" for free?

Ypu would probably have to fit or change the restrictor in the WC sujpply and you MAY have issues with taps etc. which would suddenly become the installers problem.

With regard to abandoning disconnected tanks in the loft, I do that all the time. The risk of marks trying to squeeze an old tank through a loft hatch, or minor dirty spillages, outweighs any benefit of moving them (unless you have plans or the loft space). You also have to completely empty by baling, the sludge and muck out of the tank first. I always add afew quid as an extra on the quote, to dissuade the client from requiring it.

Communication is the key.

 

[katmac]

And you paid how much for this exactly?

Hi Maxsys,

I can see where you're going with this! The installation was carried out via the Energy Saving Trust so we weren't liable to pay for the installation. However, on Monday, when I returned with the children at around 4pm, I heard a strange noise that got louder and louder. It sounded as though the house was on fire! I ran to a neighbours with the children because I wasn't sure what was going on. When I returned to the house 5 minutes later, the scene I was met with can only be described as a nightmare. There was water everywhere - about 2 inhes of water covering the entire downstairs of the house, the ceiling in a state of partial collapse, water pouring down the walls. The sub-contractor who carried out the work is not accepting responsibility for this. Apparently what happened was since we went from a low pressure system to a high pressure system, it's blown a fixing underneath the bath, hence the ground floor of the house destroyed. I only ask about the Cold Water Storage tank because I want to establish from professionals what SHOULD have happened and what ACTUALLY happened so that I have all the information I require before tackling Scottish Gas/Sub-Contractor. Forewarned is Forearmed. The bottom line is, regardless of who paid for the work to be carried out, either myself or the Scottish Government, I feel that the sub-contractor or Scottish Gas have to take some responsibility for the quality of their workmanship.