Is this acceptable???

[James007a]

Hi,

Just had a new boiler fitted and the night after the engineer had finished the pipe work sprang a leak and dripped during the night through the house structure and developed into some very wet patches in the lounge.

My initial questions concerns the quality of the work that was undertaken.

Is it acceptable to scorch the material to which the boiler is mounted to when connecting the new pipe work to the old pipe work?

From the attached picture it's almost possible to see the wet woodwork from behind the pipe, it seems that the leak came from the side of the pipe that is between the front and the woodwork, I guess the hardest place to get to, is it common for a leak to occur at points like this?

The bad joint is the one that is the top join on the pipe with the white clip.

Thanks for your replies.

Untitled

• James007a
• 8 Sep 2013
• 1

 

[Dan Robinson]

The quality of the photo is crap.

Post a better one and we can then judge.

 

[Jackrae]

Irrespective of photo quality, any leak from a new installation installed by a craftsman is unacceptable; soldering of joints on clean dry tubing is a basic skill that should be foolproof if done with proper care and attention to detail.

If the leak is from the compression fitting (your description of location is unclear)then there is even less excuse for a leak.

If leaks were tolerable, why would we pay for "certified" plumbers/gas fitters.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Anyone can have a leak.

Unfortunate if it should occur after the tools have been packed away.

Until the context can be seen it is silly to pass judgement.

 

[Aquaheat]

Is the boiler mounted to wood?

More pictures are needed for a decent answer. Better quality and from a few angles.

As Dan has pointed out, without context then opinion/advice cant be given.

Jackrae: Never had a leak, at all? Ever? Not even a weep? Do more than 10 joints a year?

 

[Jackrae]

Yep, had a few leaks over the years, mostly due to cocking up on the job, but I'm not a "skilled" plumber so accept that DIY can be a bit of a risk.

If I paid a professional plumber to do a professional job that's exactly what I'd expect to get.

The question was "Is this acceptable" Clearly the answer is "No" even though such a leak might be considered unfortunate.

 

[DP]

Jackrae do post your detail. Will make sure your household is one to avoid should you need a heating guy to do work for you

 

[doitall]

The question was "Is this acceptable" Clearly the answer is "No" even though such a leak might be considered unfortunate.

Problems is unavoidable in some cases, no excuss for burning the wood etc though.

What would be unacceptable is if the fitter didn't rush out and fix any problem as quickly as possible.

I smell free money.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Indeed. Crap pipework and poor response to problems is one thing.

Criticism on the basis of a rubbish out of focus picture is another.

Jack, how many soldered joints have you ever done?

A couple of dozen DIY fumblings is hardly representative especially against the tens of thousands a professional will have to make; often in confined spaces with water still in the pipe.


Your comments are almost as daft as JohnD's piffle about Ptfe on compression fittings. He never answered the question of how many joints he made over his DIY career either.