Hi Guys, I am a plumber and I am currently having a problem with an install I did about a year ago. I wonder if any of you have had similar experiences or can offer any advice.
I was asked by a builder that I do a lot of work for to strip out all of the radiators in a bungalow and replace them and the pipework with 8 new stelrad concord plane radiators. I supplied the rads.
We stripped out all the heating pipework to within about 2 metres of an Ideal Mexico floor standing boiler (the customer did not want to change the boiler) All the new pipework was run accross the loft space and dropped down in the corners of rooms for 8 stelrad concord plane rads, 2 towel rails and 1 purmorad radiator (in the garage) all the rads were brand new. As usual we filled the system on completion and then drained it cold, we then filled it again, ran it for a few hours then drained it again, then filled it for the 3rd time and added an inhibitor. This is how we left it.
Then in January I got a phone call direct from the customer to say that they had a leak on one of the rads, I assumed it would be just on a compression nut on one of the valves so went round there and it was actually coming from somewhere in the middle of the rad between the front and the rear panel. I spoke to Plumb Center where I got the rads from, they gave me Stelrads number and the gut I spoke to at Stelrad told me to remove the defective rad and send back to them for testing via Plumb Center (Stelrad would not attend site to look at it). By the time I went back to the customer, another one had sarted leaking so I removed them both and took them straight to Plumb Center.
It then took Stelrad 4 weeks to collect them from Plumb Center then another 2 weeks to tell me they weren't going to take responsibility for it and that it was an installation fault. They said that there were flux deposits in the system and that these deposits had eaten through the radiators.
I find this very hard to swallow as I have done many similar installations in my time as a plumber and always use the same process regarding flushing/filling etc and have never come up against this problem before.
Since then 3 more of the Stelrad radiators have started leaking in the same way and understandably, the customer wants 8 new rads fully fitted free of charge. I am in no position to do this and even if I were, dont feel that I should have to as I feel that I have done nothing wrong. The customer has written to the builder saying that he has 7 days to rectify the situation or they will take him to court, he in turn has written the same letter to me.
Both the customer and the builder agree with me that Stelrad are at fault and we are all on good terms with one another. But obvoiously in order to get to the bottom of it we all need to take one another to court relating to who had a contract with whom.
The builder feels that I should get an independent survey done by a credible person in case it does go to court and I can use this report (should it be in my favour) as ammunition against Stelrad.
Sorry for the how long winded it all is, but I know there are some very experienced, learned guys on this forum and would massively appreciate any feedback anyone could give me.
Thanks
Dale
I was asked by a builder that I do a lot of work for to strip out all of the radiators in a bungalow and replace them and the pipework with 8 new stelrad concord plane radiators. I supplied the rads.
We stripped out all the heating pipework to within about 2 metres of an Ideal Mexico floor standing boiler (the customer did not want to change the boiler) All the new pipework was run accross the loft space and dropped down in the corners of rooms for 8 stelrad concord plane rads, 2 towel rails and 1 purmorad radiator (in the garage) all the rads were brand new. As usual we filled the system on completion and then drained it cold, we then filled it again, ran it for a few hours then drained it again, then filled it for the 3rd time and added an inhibitor. This is how we left it.
Then in January I got a phone call direct from the customer to say that they had a leak on one of the rads, I assumed it would be just on a compression nut on one of the valves so went round there and it was actually coming from somewhere in the middle of the rad between the front and the rear panel. I spoke to Plumb Center where I got the rads from, they gave me Stelrads number and the gut I spoke to at Stelrad told me to remove the defective rad and send back to them for testing via Plumb Center (Stelrad would not attend site to look at it). By the time I went back to the customer, another one had sarted leaking so I removed them both and took them straight to Plumb Center.
It then took Stelrad 4 weeks to collect them from Plumb Center then another 2 weeks to tell me they weren't going to take responsibility for it and that it was an installation fault. They said that there were flux deposits in the system and that these deposits had eaten through the radiators.
I find this very hard to swallow as I have done many similar installations in my time as a plumber and always use the same process regarding flushing/filling etc and have never come up against this problem before.
Since then 3 more of the Stelrad radiators have started leaking in the same way and understandably, the customer wants 8 new rads fully fitted free of charge. I am in no position to do this and even if I were, dont feel that I should have to as I feel that I have done nothing wrong. The customer has written to the builder saying that he has 7 days to rectify the situation or they will take him to court, he in turn has written the same letter to me.
Both the customer and the builder agree with me that Stelrad are at fault and we are all on good terms with one another. But obvoiously in order to get to the bottom of it we all need to take one another to court relating to who had a contract with whom.
The builder feels that I should get an independent survey done by a credible person in case it does go to court and I can use this report (should it be in my favour) as ammunition against Stelrad.
Sorry for the how long winded it all is, but I know there are some very experienced, learned guys on this forum and would massively appreciate any feedback anyone could give me.
Thanks
Dale