dormouse1953

So I'm having trouble with a dripping tap. It's a mixer tap and it's not only dripping but where the stem goes into the top of the sink it is spurting water when I use the tap.

A plumber arrived yesterday and said he'd have to get the part. Incidentally, he called the stem the swan.

This was about three p.m. That evening when I went to make a pot of tea, the cold water was barely a trickle. My first thought was that the plumber must have done something, but I'd been with him all the time so unless he'd switched me off in the street it couldn't have been him.

Then the doorbell rang. The next-door neighbour asking me if my water was OK. She was just getting a trickle. We decided it was probably a general problem in our street, but she went off to ask other neighbours.

Last night I had a bath. The bath taps are fed from the cold water tank in the loft (via the water heater for the hot tap) and I had no trouble filling the bath. But when I went to bed I could hear the cold water tank refilling, gurgling away. It must have taken about half an hour.

This morning the cold water was back to normal. And I got a text from the plumbers' saying they'll fix the tap on Monday.

Current Mood: amused
Current Location: Guildford

So finally, someone has come and replaced my water heater.

The first guy who looked at it back in October could only plumb in a new heater, not do the carpentry and electrics. So I tried kitchen fitters on Checkatrade and one came out and reckoned he could do it. But first he had to source a new water cylinder. That seems to have taken the time. He got back to me the beginning of last week to say he'd found a company that made them to order and he came round to take some measurements. He then ordered the cylinder and had it delivered to my house. It arrived Monday.

Meanwhile, the leak was getting worse. This week when working upstairs on my computer I could hear the cold water tank in the loft gurgling as it constantly refilled to top up the hot water tank. I hadn't heard that before.

This morning he and his son come out to do the work. This involved removing the cupboard doors and a false drawer. Then they had to empty the tank which they managed without too much mess. I think they siphoned it out, at the same time sucking up as much of the water on the floor as they could so as not to be working in a puddle.

Then, out with the old, in with the new. Connect the pipes and electrics, and replace the cupboard. It looks as good as new. And the water is heating up and not pooling on the floor. It must have taken between four and five hours all told.

Current Mood: relieved
Current Location: Guildford
Current Music: Handel's Messiah
Crossposts: https://pauldormer.livejournal.com/112997.html

Well, a plumber finally came out to look at the old water heater. It looks like he's going to replace it, but there are options.

It's likely the sink unit will have to be dissembled to get to the old heater. It's a fitted kitchen, which means getting a carpenter to cut it off from the worktop and then putting it back.

Getting a water heater that produces enough water for a bath might also be a problem. (I hate showers.)

He's going to get back to me with some options. Might be able to start work next week.

Meanwhile, it's mops and old towels on the kitchen floor.

Current Mood: anxious
Current Location: Guildford
Crossposts: https://pauldormer.livejournal.com/112464.html

So, by lunchtime today, no call back about the leak in my kitchen so I phoned the company who had come out to look at it. They said that the job had been referred back to my plumbing insurance service, Home Serve. Home Serve has a very long wait time on their phone line and when I finally got through I found my policy does not cover water heater replacement.

Going back to the first company, I find that they are contractually obliged not to do repair work privately having just been given it by Home Serve. So I've been phoning around plumbers on Checkatrade to find one who is not booked up for a fortnight. One guy even said he was about to leave the country for a week. The lengths some people will go to avoid coming here.

One guy, when I sent him pictures of the old heater, said he'd never seen something so antique and refused to touch it.

Two others are still got get back to me.

Here are pictures of the old heater:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/kG79uVjNavaFd1pGA

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QGgUDTEUDvDJGRPF7

Current Mood: annoyed
Current Location: Guildford
Crossposts: https://pauldormer.livejournal.com/112328.html

So last week I noticed a water seepage coming out from under my kitchen sink. At first I though it might be that the outlet from my washing machine had become blocked - I've had that happen before - but it has got worse this week, long after I last ran the washing machine.

So I called out the plumber and he's just been here.

There's a water heater under the sink and he took one look and said, "Your element's leaking".

That water heater was in the house when I moved in 25 years ago and the bottom has got very corroded. Looks like the whole unit will have to be replaced. He passed it back to head office and marked it an emergency.

Until then, its mops and towels to contain the leak. The alternative is switching off all the water to the house.

Current Mood: annoyed
Current Location: Guildford
Crossposts: https://pauldormer.livejournal.com/111967.html

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31

Entries tagged with plumbing

Plumbing

Water heat saga concluded?

The water heater saga continued

Water, water, everywhere (cont.)

Water, water, everywhere

Profile

January 2025

Syndicate

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags