Plumber let me down

[dcrad87]

Hi can I ask for your thoughts on this setup please? I've attached a picture of what a plumber has left me with (3 leaks after return visit)... I'm by no means proficient or confident in plumbing but to me that looks like a complete dogs dinner.

Many thanks, Dougie

 

[terryplumb]

functional but unsightly !! what did you ask the plumber to do in the first place ,emergency repair ??

 

[AGAS]

Hi can I ask for your thoughts on this setup please? I've attached a picture of what a plumber has left me with (3 leaks after return visit)... I'm by no means proficient or confident in plumbing but to me that looks like a complete dogs dinner.

what did you say when he finished the job when he asked for his money ?

 

[dcrad87]

Sorry should have explained. It was install of a new toilet. The old setup was a straight copper pipe going up with an isolation valve. He hacked that off and put together the plastic to flexihose as shown, which to me looks too long and is all kinked - leaks from all 3 joins. He came back and said it was sorted but soon after leaving I discovered it was still leaking. I wondered if it was common practice to have this mixture of materials or if he was just using leftover scraps from the bottom of his van?

 

[dcrad87]

Hi AGAS, to be honest I didn't inspect the work carried out. He said he was all done and I wrongly assumed he'd have tested for leaks. Wasn't until I got home after work that evening I discovered the dreaded puddle. Then when he came back today I foolishly took his word for it that he'd fixed it, was juggling looking after an unwell 16 month old and cleaning up spilled breakfast at the time.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Personally, I think it looks rough... I don't have an issue with Flexi hoses on toilets, tend to make a complete loop of the hose if it too long to make a straight connection. Otherwise, just use copper completely. No excuse for it to look a mess when there is a service valve to make things easy.

No excuse for leaks after the second visit either.


However... I am saying this based solely on that picture and the assumed fact that it took two visits.

 

[AGAS]

if you can see it its basically rough as fook

 

[dcrad87]

Thanks folks, hate to slander someone's workmanship when I know sweet f.a about his profession but I'm just really disappointed that I chose a plumber based on (now questionable) reviews, and after 2 visits I'm still left with multiple leaks on what I'd imagine was a fairly straight forward bread and butter type job for a professional. Would you guys recommend an alternative pipe arrangement or just try mend and work with what I've got.

Cheers

 

[Madrab]

Lazy plumbing IMO. That could easily have been made tidier with a bit of copper bent to suit, or even a piece of chrome. It does do the job though. If not happy with the finish then you need to say something and come to an agreement.

Would certainly complain about the leaking after several visits though.

 

[dcrad87]

Cheers madrab, my thinking is if he can't fix the leaks after a second visit I'm better off finding someone who can... Don't mind how it looks too much as it's quite out of sight in tight space between cistern and wall, but in this case it looks so unsightly I suspected that's whats causing the leaks, kinked flexi hose pulling on the join and the random bit of plastic leaking at both ends. To be clear, if it was initially leak free I wouldn't have paid much attention to it and would be quite happy, but as it leaks, it's drawn my attention to the weird setup and I'm questioning if it needs redoing completely. Hope I've made sense

 

[Bosswhite]

That is a severe kink in the flexihose which the manufacturers do not recommend, the kink should be taken out which would only take a couple of minutes work as in time it the kink is a weak spot and liable to burst (or a shorter flexihose used.)

 

[dcrad87]

Thanks bosswhite that would hopefully solve 1 of 3 leaks, but the most severe one. More of a dribble than a drip! Would it be good idea to replace the current flexihose with one of same size that includes valve, take out the plastic pipe and isolation valve and tighten new flexi on to bottom nut? That way there's 1 join at the top and 1 at the bottom and less slack hose to kink... Or is there a technical reason the plumber didn't do it that way?

 

[Dan Robinson]

Hoses with integral valves tend to be crap.

 

[dcrad87]

Thanks real pin, will stick with the separate hose/valve setup then but maybe replace hose with one that has a different end (male?) to join straight onto the compression isolation valve, negating the need for the bridging bit of plastic pipe. My thinking is less joins = less chance of leaks but I guess when done correctly it shouldn't matter

 

[Dan Robinson]

A decent plumber will have that sorted in no time. But if you must do it yourself, a Flexi hose long enough to do a complete loop before entering the wc is the easiest option.

If it were me doing the job, 20 minutes max with soldered fittings - could do it with benders but, I'm slow as Hell with measured bends. Maybe 45 minutes.