HALL of SHAME PHOTo`s

[erpkid]

Currently working on a kitchen in the run up to Christmas, 80's house and original kitchen. Came across this when removing the units





CU had been replaced before units were removed so this pipe was hidden. Just in case i isolated before cutting. Turned out it was live. Fortunately the plastic bag shoved in the end was augmented by a load of silicone.

 

[tamz]

That was the case with the job I looked at & the owners admit it, to be fair. But, if it had been regularly & properly serviced, it would perhaps have been discovered sooner, but can't help thinking that Perlite could have poured down like salt at anytime.
New condensing boiler with balanced flue going through wall is the outcome.

All too common lazyness by whoever fitted it. Mica should be mixed into a lightweight concrete but most times you will find it is poured in dry.
When i was doing solid fuel swaps i loved these guys. They made my bonus target so much easier to hit :smile:

 

[Best]

All too common lazyness by whoever fitted it. Mica should be mixed into a lightweight concrete but most times you will find it is poured in dry.
When i was doing solid fuel swaps i loved these guys. They made my bonus target so much easier to hit :smile:

Yea, - always great when removing a fire to find the mica fill just pours out & you can bag it & reuse it straight away with no need to hammer & chisel the "rice crispy" proper way it should have been done using a small amount of cement!
To be honest, stainless steel flue liners I am always told to just pour dry mica fill or perlite in, (sealed obviously at top & bottom of chimney with sand & cement). That's a good job until the liner ever gets a hole in it!

 

[tamz]

I always found the easiest way was to make a cement slurry and mix that through the mica. That way it bound together but wasn't too solid so could still pour in.

 

[Best]

I always found the easiest way was to make a cement slurry and mix that through the mica. That way it bound together but wasn't too solid so could still pour in.

That's a good idea, if you are thorough enough mixing the mica with it, otherwise you would have very strong bits. I always mixed a shovel cement to a full bag mica dry, which to be fair, doesn't glue together until I start with water. Then just mixed very well & adding water until it still looked dry but was damp to touch. I compressed it when it's in place a little. It hardens not too strong & full off air. Gives the next poor guy a chance to remove it! :smile:
Tip - Never use Mica fill for insulating roofspaces! - if there ever is a leak, the mica will keep absorbing all the water until it weighs a huge amount & then will bring the entire ceiling down apparently!

 

[lame plumber]

How do I know it hasn't been serviced for a while?
Just a hunch!!
Is it safe?
Er no. LOL.
View attachment 9439View attachment 9437View attachment 9440View attachment 9438View attachment 9441View attachment 9442

And they said it was serviced 18 months ago, but you can charge the cost of thre services to get it working again and maybe they will call you annually fm now on. Do you charge them to launder your nice clean overalls as well?

 

[Dannypipe]

Sorry for the delay in replying Best, I was off to sleep just before I posted that.

Yes the vent was supposed to be permanent.

The boiler is to be decommisioned as of July. I know this as I installed a new one which is over sized and is supplying half the house. This part of the house is on a seperate system. However this half of the house is being pulled down in July to make way for a large extension.

So I fitted the new boiler with 28mm F&R feeding a manifold with its own zone for the extension off in 22mm. Then turned my attention to the old boiler, and said to the customer, this needs to be serviced and made safe or switched off. To which they replied:

"Really? Come on, it's not dangerous is it? It's not put a foot wrong since we moved in three years ago."

Anyway, I've put it right until July comes and then it can get scrapped.

If you think this is bad, I also serviced the pool boiler for the same customer, and it was something else. Just terrible. Leaking fuel, nozzle like a lump of coal...filter full of crud, and baffled full of soot. She still fired up every time!!

 

[Best]

Good the boilers getting scrapped Danny.
One of the worst I came across was actually a yearly serviced oil boiler in a garage that was part of a bungalow. It was a Thorn Panda which had a sight glass just above the burner, - except this one had no glass or even any sign of bits of glass anywhere. Appears the previous service guy didn't bother. Scary bit was the braided oil hose was fitted above the burner, inches from the hole & was burned black!

 

[Dannypipe]

Yeah, the hose on this one and the one pictured where not pretty. The pool boiler hose (not braided) was leaking. Little tuppaware container had been placed beneath it though, so it's all good. :mad2:

 

[DirksPlumbing]

Yeah, the hose on this one and the one pictured where not pretty. The pool boiler hose (not braided) was leaking. Little tuppaware container had been placed beneath it though, so it's all good. :mad2:

That just shows you how simple and cost effective solutions can be. Unlike some plumbers that want to change nozzles and hoses, filters and what not left, right and centre.:cowboy:

 

[R1CKY]

Got asked by a builder to move a cylinder for him, this is what I was greeted with!! I installed the PRV pipework before re-commissioning!

 

[Whn1]

At least he fitted a magnaclean

 

[PlumbBobBob]

i've put this up in the arms but i thought it should go here as well

it the worst sealant application i have ever seen lol

 

[dave1]

At least he fitted a magnaclean

How weird I was just going to write that!

 

[chris watkins]

View attachment 10197View attachment 10199View attachment 10200
Got asked by a builder to move a cylinder for him, this is what I was greeted with!! I installed the PRV pipework before re-commissioning!
View attachment 10201

I do hope you changed the bucket as part of the commissioning LOL
I bet the builder never told you who installed it in the first place, what do you recon, good way to save on plumbing labour costs ?

 

[Barry98]

It was like that when the builder got there of course

 

[villa_tom]

I found this today. Boiler only fitted last year.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

no need for solvent glue then:builder:

 

[villa_tom]

Here's another one from the same job. They'd even burnt it for good measure.

 

[Barry98]

Plumbers tape for everything ?

 

[R1CKY]

I do hope you changed the bucket as part of the commissioning LOL
I bet the builder never told you who installed it in the first place, what do you recon, good way to save on plumbing labour costs ?

It was like that when the builder got there of course

It was nothing to do with the builder (for once!) The work was carried out by a relative of the customer apparently! The whole house is riddle with Hep2o thrown all over the place!!

Yes, boiler PRV and Condensate are correctly terminated too!

 

[villa_tom]

no need for solvent glue then:builder:

Not in this case no.

it was some weird pipe and fittings thought. The pipe would have fallen out if it where not for the ptfe. I don't know weather the pipe or the fittings where odd. They must have been foreign or something.

Its all been repiped properly now though so it doesn't matter.

 

[villa_tom]

This is not so much a hall of shame photo, but it made me smile when I was having a nightmare of a job

 

[sgph]

guy wanted a boiler quote. i discovered a alcathene pipe used for supply down to a 15mm copper direct from concrete floor in garage floor feedding an old vokera linea 28 and........AND a 6 burner range with elec ovens.
suddenly he did not speak very good english other to say, been like that for YEARS and all its services and brittish gas did it when instaled and it is ok!!

 

[Subby]

Plumbers tape for everything ?

Pack up tools and fork off early