Big problem!!!!

[Muscle750]

After my recent threads on the horrondous plumbing ive have carried out in theprocess of having an extension done with the plumber who i hasten to add stll hasnt shown me how he arrives at nearly double the original price given.
Anyway the big prob ive got now is the newly installed toilet which is straight onto the stench pipe upstairs will not empty when flushed it fills to the top and stays there for 12 hours !!!!
Now the toilet in the three weeks weve been back in upstairs properly has been used 20 times at the most. Anyway i informed the builder who then got the original plumber back who pulled out the toilet and it was as thought the stench pipe was blocked with the water sat about 8 ft from ground level. This was as i thought i can only summise that as the builder left the stench pipe uncovered at floor level (upstairs) debris has gone down it and at the bottom on the right angle is now blocked. The downstairs toilet thankfully is emptying fine. Now yesterday the opinion was of the plumber "Its blocked" errrrrr really he went outside and said with 30 secs ive had the manhole up and its not running thats after he ripped my fireplace out and left it in the lounge and wrecked the newly installed enclosure of the cistern etc upstairs to "gain access" So he says "wants rodding" then disappears saying back in a hour which then went to tomorrow which has now gone to tomorrow again. Personally i dont think the blokes got a clue He is now telling me hes bringing some longer rods tomorrow thing is i dont think hes got a hope in hells chance of unblocking it and at the end of the day its a result of complete neglect by the builder and his employees /subbies. Thing is it could be just general dirt plaster etc or for all i know could be a piece of 2x2 2 ft long. I really am at my wits end with this lot. Thing is it is getting by the blockage slowly but is nowhere enough to work normally. End of the day this shower of rubbish has cost us best part of £25k. I think its gonna need a camera down there or up there at the very least. Best part of it when he went outside yesterday for all of 30 secs and returned saying it aint running ive lifted ur manhole we havent got a manhole its under next doors car on his drive!!!!

 

[tackleburger]

Well, have you paid them? If not you're in charge if not just get it sorted out and move on, report them to any professional bodies they may be members of or if you feel you've been had get trading standards on their case. In fact I'd be tempted to do that anyway. I am sure if you give a location someone on here may be prepared to get you sorted out.

 

[Smcart5]

Good lord..call dyno-rod?
Maybe some legal advice?, 25K and its still screwed up

 

[tackleburger]

Yes dyno will clear a blockage for a fixed price usually around £130

 

[Phil]

Could be the old classic of 32mm/40mm pipe (strap on boss) as been pushed too far in or just plain cowboy pipeing.

Does the toilet only block when solids are involved?

Was it the same plumber that came to 'unblock' it that fitted it?

Don't pay a penny untill this lot is sorted, if you pay up they wont come back to sort it.

 

[Muscle750]

Whatevers doin it i aint paying to get it sorted and thats the be all and end all. And no the plumber still hasnt been paid as he nearly doubled the price and said he was going to provide me with all the invoices for materials etc...................which surprisingly he hasnt!!!

 

[tackleburger]

Get it cleared and back charge him half of his quote for the clearing of it. Tell him the company that cleared it ripped you off and you are very sorry. Or just give him the original quote and get it sorted sod the cowboy.

 

[Phil]

How many plumbers are involved in this extension?

Is it your plumber and the builders subby?

Was it the same plumber that fitted the toilet who did all that untidy pipework in the picture you posted a while back?

Its a shame because there are a lot of really good plumbers out of work at the moment who would do the job properly.

 

[Muscle750]

No solids been down there the pipe is a straight drop of about 12 ft to what i can only imagine is a 90 degree bend. the water at the moment is backed up about 8ft up the pipe, and as stated the downstairs toilet which is on the same pipe runs away fine He even tried to say it was on a different pipe even thou the property is a bungelow and has been extended, basically he aint got a clue

 

[Puddle]

Get it cleared and back charge him half of his quote for the clearing of it. Tell him the company that cleared it ripped you off and you are very sorry. Or just give him the original quote and get it sorted sod the cowboy.

Just as I do not see many members, in fact none of this site advising plumbers to rip off customers, I would have thought it works both ways i.e. not recommending customers rip plumbers off!!
If the drain is blocked up by the builder (we do not know this) but if it is, then the plumber has probably gone back to the builder to sort out, as it will be down to him
You say it was the builder’s plumber and you got a quote direct from him and the increased invoice was also from the plumber, which has not been paid due to extras not agreed
If not paid maybe plumber does not want to do any more work that is not covered due to works he carried out, until responsibility sorted
You do not know if the builder said to the plumber as he went along that the extras were ok to do, he could have just wanted the works finished so he could get his works finished and paid for
Yes things have gone wrong and things need sorting out and that is not going to happen if everyone is trying to get one over on everyone
£25,000 has been spent on the complete extention, most of which seems ok
Call a site meeting and get builder and plumber together, so all know what is happening and move forward
The problems you have had, although should not have happened, seem to been sorted out, most probably this one will be two, but if plaster or cement is down the drain, it will take time to correct and you can not expect the plumber to remove it free, the builder will have to pay and it should not reflect on any decision on the plumbers final payment
This is all very annoying but you must keep your head and get through it the best way possible, so life can take normal resumption
Getting in other contractors in a this stage could create even more problems at this stage and you may be going from the frying pan into the fire, then you could move into litigation, this may happen but for now concentrate on getting things sorted with existing contractors
One thing I would be doing now is recording all actions and taking pictures as maybe required in future, a picture can speak a thousand words and save hours of dispute
Good luck

 

[radswilldo]

Follow puddles advice, if you went legal they would be asking for the above to be carried out. Arrange a meeting with the builder, plumber etc, takes notes, find out what is going on between the tradesmen. I have seen molehills turn into very nasty mountains on refurbs, all because communication was non-existant.

 

[Phil]

Hi Muscle 750, in a previous post a month ago you said that the builder was coming round for his final payment, did you pay him??

I find in almost unbeleivable that you've had so many problems, so much so that I was starting to think this may be a wind up!!

"Flexis under boiler"


"In my previous posts ive said ive had no confidence in the plumbing over the last 3 months of having the house extended now tonight is the first night we are back in the bedroom after 3 months of dossing in the kitchen, tonight i discover that the heated towel rail is heated at all tried to bleed it without success there is water there but not much pressure (combi fed) tried valves again nothing plus when you flush the new en suite toilet which is connected to the original stench pipe and with a valve fitted when its flushed it very nearly comes over the top of the toilet !! The one thing that said it for me was when he bolted a load of flexis straight off the bottom of the boiler and then turned round when i told him he was to collect his stuff and i was getting the work inspected that these where only "Temporary" basically to me he didnt have a clue and as he was a subby for the builder i told him i didnt want him back and yet was informed hes ok. Now if he has plumbed it wrong its gonna cost him big time as weve just put down a new tiled floor in the bathroom and a new ceiling 16ft x 11 ft under it !!!
Builders coming tomorrow for his last payment thinks hes going to a be abit disapointed. "

[DLMURL="http://www.ukplumbersforums.co.uk/report.php?p=27977"]

[/DLMURL]​

 

[Muscle750]

Plumber came again today stood and looked and the resulting diagnosis. "Bob hope and no hope" Tomorrow i have a meeting on site with the plumber and the builder who have both said they will recitfy it They wont be able to jet it as it may well let go and redecorate the newly decorated bathroom. So the general opinion is its going to be down with the bathroom wall downstairs to gain access to the pipe which is asbestos! and manually clear it and replace the pipe. I just hope you can still get the tiles for the downstairs bathroom.

 

[Phil]

Nightmare......