Burst pipe after Combi boiler installation

[Gareth James]

Hi,

Looking for a bit of advice. We have just last week had an old back boiler replaced with a new combi boiler (Alpha). Whilst the guys were replacing the system they told me that they had only just found that it was a single pipe system. They did however continue with the job and told me that although it wouldnt be as efficient it should still be OK. II

Just this evening I was in the kitchen and heard a loud bang coming from the upstairs only to find that one of the hot water pipes (that they did not install) had burst and the water was spewing everywhere. I managed to turn it off(after the water came through the bloody ceiling of the dining room and kitchen) and called the Plumber and immediately he came out and fixed the pipe and showed me how it had been fitted - it did look quite ragged. He explained that due to the extra pressure from the combi and it rising during the night it had burst the pipe.

Now my question is, is this his responsibility as he should have properly pressure tested the system?? He did say it was tested but clearly not for long enough!!!! I am really scared now that it is going to happen again from another dodgy pipe!!!

Help please!!!!

 

[Agile]

This will have been a hot water supply pipe.

This is at the supplied mains pressure!

You have not stated what the pipe was made from.

Copper pipes are rated up to 10 bar, lead varies according to its age and condition but would usually handle 5 bar at little risk.

Plastic pipe is another matter though. Much can only take about 2 bar at 80 C.

Possibly your area has a high mains supply pressure. Some places can get to 10 bar at night time.

If you have a water meter they usually have a non return valve and that can create problems and particularly with combi boilers with a preheat.

Its good practice to fit a mini expansion vessel to absorb expansion from heating the hot water. In fact Worcester say you MUST fit one of you ask them!

If the incoming pressure is excessive then you need to fit a pressure reducing valve to say 3 bar and ideally a pressure release valve at about 3.5 bar.

It is not my opinion that the boiler installers were specifically to blame although I think that a better installer would have recognised the risk and taken some precautions. But you are unlikely to get one of them with a £300 boiler install.

Tony

 

[Gareth James]

Hi Tony it's a plastic pipe and I believe it may have been the mains. Do you believe the installer was at fault?

 

[Agile]

You said it was a hot water pipe in your first post!

But it would have been at full mains supply pressure.

Many types have a very reduced pressure rating when hot.

Tony

 

[Gareth James]

Hi Tony,

See above pipe that burst (the one with the white joined valve is the one he has just repaired) it is marked hot on the pipe and it is upstairs, the combi is now in the kitchen...

Cheers

 

[Agile]

See my first posting.

Do you have a photo of the burst piece of pipe?

I fear you may still be at risk of another burst if the cause has not been investigated and suitable provision made.

Tony

 

[Agile]

To anyone who has a burst pipe, the IMMEDIATE action that should be taken is to turn on ALL the taps in the property.

Especially those in the bath.

Tony

 

[Gareth James]

Hi Tony,

It seemed to burst when I was running the dish washer, not sure if that would have not helped with the issue??

It burst between the two joined parts of the hot water pipe which the Plumber has now repaired, I don't have a picture of this sorry.

 

[Gareth James]

I am however fearful that this will happen again and plan on turning off the water when I leave the house until I get someone else to look at all of the pipes in the house.

 

[ScottishGasMan]

If it was a push fit connection that had popped off then the chances are very high that it was never properly fitted, and the higher pressure and shock from dishwasher solenoid valves closing could have popped it off.

So not likely to have been the boiler installers fault. Although the above mention of an expansion vessel on the hot water circuit is definetly worth considering if you have a metered supply

 

[Gareth James]

Thanks for your reply scottishgasman. What is the rough cost of getting this fitted? I am guessing that with the new combi boiler installed the dish washer is getting extra pressurised water passed through it??

 

[ScottishGasMan]

Only if its a hot feed dishwasher, if its cold feed then the dishwasher has probably always been on mains pressure (kitchen cold supply is normaly always mains) but the hot pipe wasn't, so the shock on the cold would now also apply to the hot.

mini expansion vessels come in varied shapes and sizes, I preffer slightly larger ones, http://www.clickonbathrooms.co.uk/potable-water-mini-expansion-vessel-2-litre-c2x13058662

a few fittings and half an hour would have it fitted.



as far as the exploding pipe fitting, I've seen a few dozen pushfit fittings blow off of pipes over the years, every one of them could be proven not to have been fully pushed on or had no inserts in the pipe or been under strain from poor fitting, and going by that picture it looks like it was a bit of a rushed job.

 

[muggles]

Hi Tony it's a plastic pipe and I believe it may have been the mains. Do you believe the installer was at fault?

The original installer of the plastic pipework may well be at fault, but the installer of your new combi certainly isn't

As for him not pressure testing for long enough, how long would you have liked him to test for? You say that the boiler was installed last week and the burst happened yesterday evening. At a minimum, that's 48 hours post-installation. Maybe you'd have liked him to have left you without any water or heating at all for an entire week while the system was on test? No? Thought not... These things happen, and can't be predicted. House insurance and time will sort the damage

 

[stardanny]

I've replaced all plastic pipes and push fittings with copper when I had my boiler replaced with combi

Daniel

 

[Dan Robinson]

This is the precise reason we have a part of our terms and conditions that cover us from customers trying to blame us for their crappy existing pipe work failing when only part of a system is upgraded and a bit of the old one gives up.

Thankfully the number of occurrences of a failure is pretty rare, but it does happen.