Hi,
OK, so the long and short of it is that the contractor who has been working on our drains has managed to cut through our oil supply pipe with their disc cutter. Accidents happen, and I don't want to berate their mistake too much since they have done a great job on the drains. I'm surprised they managed to do this, since the oil supply pipe was chased into the tarmac drive and then concreted around - so it's visible where it runs.
However, I am very disappointed that they weren't upfront about their error. Basically, I noticed last night when removing the covers they had left over their new concrete whilst curing - that there was a smell of oil. I ran some water over the area and it beaded, confirming there had been a 'leak'.
I phoned the contractor straight away and asked if they had a problem with the oil pipe - he admitted they had, that one of the workers had cut through it with his disc cutter, isolated the supply at the tank, went to buy a fitting to join the pipe, and then concreted it all over. He says it should be fine now.
However, I'm a bit concerned going forward that this could be an issue. I said they should have admitted their error, had it repaired and then at least left the repair visible for some days or weeks to check it was sound, before concreting over. He's sending someone out today to have a look as I think I've worried him enough that he wants to get it checked.
SO - my question - what would be the correct procedure for repairing a pipe in this scenario?
The repair needs to stand the test of time. We'll be getting a new boiler within the next two years, I think - and we'll be relocating it to the other side of the house, at which point a new pipe will be run anyway. But I don't want any leaks in the meantime!
Thanks for any advice,
OK, so the long and short of it is that the contractor who has been working on our drains has managed to cut through our oil supply pipe with their disc cutter. Accidents happen, and I don't want to berate their mistake too much since they have done a great job on the drains. I'm surprised they managed to do this, since the oil supply pipe was chased into the tarmac drive and then concreted around - so it's visible where it runs.
However, I am very disappointed that they weren't upfront about their error. Basically, I noticed last night when removing the covers they had left over their new concrete whilst curing - that there was a smell of oil. I ran some water over the area and it beaded, confirming there had been a 'leak'.
I phoned the contractor straight away and asked if they had a problem with the oil pipe - he admitted they had, that one of the workers had cut through it with his disc cutter, isolated the supply at the tank, went to buy a fitting to join the pipe, and then concreted it all over. He says it should be fine now.
However, I'm a bit concerned going forward that this could be an issue. I said they should have admitted their error, had it repaired and then at least left the repair visible for some days or weeks to check it was sound, before concreting over. He's sending someone out today to have a look as I think I've worried him enough that he wants to get it checked.
SO - my question - what would be the correct procedure for repairing a pipe in this scenario?
The repair needs to stand the test of time. We'll be getting a new boiler within the next two years, I think - and we'll be relocating it to the other side of the house, at which point a new pipe will be run anyway. But I don't want any leaks in the meantime!
Thanks for any advice,