Plumbing help!

[Dan]

No laminate flooring just vinyl, the holes are almost microscopic and no exterior damage, will look closer when we cut it out! I ike the push fit stuff too, just wasnt sure about burying it in screed!

No sign of the plumber yet!

Dan

[Dan]

Still no sign!

[Zigs]

i saw a plumber once, remember like it was yesterday, september the 9th 1973 it was, aahh, memories

 

[ 15. October 2005, 08:46 PM: Message edited by: ziggy searchfield ]

[Chris Goddard]

Ah!! I LOVE jobs like this NOT!!! Just a shame you fixed it Dan!! Coming down to Christchurch tomorrow and would have gone back via the M5 to help you out. But if you fixed it!!

I am of course a Plumber/Competent person!! So I may NOT get there anyway?!

 

[ 16. October 2005, 06:44 PM: Message edited by: Chris Goddard ]

[Dan]

Thanks for the offer Chris, but at the moment I have water in the pipes and not the kitchen (fingers crossed!) Needless to say the plumber never showed yesterday and after phone call after phone call to Direct Line (remember they promise a 2hr response!) I finally rang for the last time at 10pm and was promised a plumber in the morning, did he turn up? no! 10am came but the plumber didnt! so I rang again and was promised a call from a plumber in 15 mins, I did get a call back ........ it was from Direct Line demanding an extra £90 because the plumbing was below ground.....some thing I told them at least 6 times the day before :mad:

I refused and said they had quoted £70, taken it from my card and it was tough, further calls followed when they finally offered to do it for £90 all in, the demand for an extra £90 was a mistake apparently, yeah right! Leaving the argument for later I reluctantly agreed and was phoned at about 11.30am (remember I rang in at 4.30 on Saturday, long 2hrs that!) Mr Drain Right was the man, he was obviously not keen on the job, and said a burst kit would do the job and I could save myself the dosh and do it myself and call him if it went horribly wrong, which was fair enough, he also said the £90 was for one leak, if they find another it will start again, (Getting the message here? dont use

Direct line's emergency service) so I agreed to call him if I got into probs. I fitted the burst kit ok and that held, for a bit!

 

So out with the club hammer and chisel and off to BandQ for more plumbing stuff. I cut out all the pipe I could get at and used the push fit stuff, so far so good but the first time one joint failed so I took it all apart and refitted it, that masde no different in fact it was even worse! at which point my "smart ars* son" held up an O ring and asked if I'd forgotten it! bless him! So having reffited the O ring and turned it on it seems to be holding but gave me a few drips just to keep me on my guard!

 

The plan is to leave the hole open for a few days to make sure everything is ok, (and to make sure the heating pipe I gave a good clout doesnt leak!) tape up the pipes and bed in a week mortar (about 8:1)with a harder screed on top.

 

This is it all finished

 

http://www.go-fishing.org/upload/files/finalpipe.jpg' alt='finalpipe.jpg'>

 

Dan

 

[ 16. October 2005, 11:10 PM: Message edited by: Dan ]

[UK-Fishing-Tackle.co.uk]

It's good stuff isn't it Dan (the plastic piping) - As I've said, it will radically change a lot of plumbing in the next few years (in this case, it's an ideal solution).

 

Also the plastic doesn't suffer like copper from heating/cooling (i.e. cracks caused by freezing and/or expansion) - it has substantially more give in the material (without weakening) than metallic pipe.

[Tog]

Classic Frozen pipe damage Dan...

What did the Transco man think of the exposed T joint in the cement?

 

Nice repair job Dan.

I would tape up all the exposed pipe with 'self amalagamating tape', cover with sand and a cover plate made from 2/3mm galv steel marked up "WARNING GAS and WATER"

Then a thin screed over the top.

Then anyone who scans the floor would see somethings in it plus if they ever hit it with a nail or similar it's protected.

[Dan]

Cheers Tog, To be honest it wasnt quite as exposed as that but a chunk of tape came away with the concrete and I cut the rest away, You can see that the solder looks fairly clean. I asked the gas man what was best to cover it and he suggested tape like you. I also like the idea of the plate, I think Ive even got a piece in the garage (you know that bit you put to one side just incase you need it in the future, and you usually dont!!)

 

Dan

[hoppy]

I see you've done a good job there Dan, glad your getting sorted.

In the first place, the builders should have laid 4x2 timbers on the concrete base pror to screeding, then when the screed had set, lifted the timbers to leave a 4x2 duct throughout the ground floor so that pipes could been laid in them then covered with "Vermiculite" and then a duct cover of ply on top would have finished the job off, and left easy access and the pipes wouldnt have corroded either or burst through freezing.

Its a total mess, the way those pipes have originally been laid in concrete like that, and I cant understand why a gas pipe was laid in concrete, its not allowed, there's no access in emergencies.

Still, a fine job you've done there Dan..cheers.

To hell with the biccies, have a penguin

 

[ 17. October 2005, 06:38 PM: Message edited by: hoppy ]