New plumbing probs

[Muscle750]

We have just had some building work done inc a ensuite to our bedroom, the plumbing however i have no faith in whatsoever, In a earlier thread i put about how they had cut the sink waste into the stench pipe etc on a 8 ft plus run instead of out the wall, then after that i discovered they had put a right mess of plastic pipes straight off the combi boiler feeding it all above , I ripped the cr@p out of them and after telling me "It was only temporay" they put copper in best part of it when i asked what the regs were on plastic pipe i was told by him you cant have it within a metre of the boiler !!!! Even thou hed put it straight off it! Anyway the new shower a seperate thermo assy and head this morning decided for some reason to turn itself part on,even thou both knobs were fully off plus ive discovered the knobs which are round and have a stalk on hit each other so to me the idiots got one on upside down Ive also noticed the pressure is lower all over the house than it was before so im wondering if theyve turned it down to stop the shower playing up. Also hes fitted thermo valves on the rads do these go on the inlet or the outlet or doesnt it matter at the moment hes put them on the outlet side.
I am seriously thinking about getting the plumbing indepently inspected before hes paid anything

 

[newbie1]

did you get q few quotes and then go for the cheapest as thats what has led to this problem
people allways want the cheapest price and then wonder why they get crap work
trvs are mostly bi directional but not all/plastic pipe smacks of a bodge and was he gas safe registered??

 

[Phil]

Hi Muscle 750, it does sound like there are a few problems and these are only the ones you've picked up on, I remember your previous post regarding the dodgy basin waste, it was just siliconed into the soil stack and went uphill sightly. You also mentioned the builder was using ploish workers etc.

Imageshack - bathrooml

Did the plumber rectify the waste pipe? I hope those floor tiles aren't down yet if he hasn't.

Its easy to slate another plumbers work on a forum but I'm affraid pictures don't lie and I would recommend getting a reputable plumber in to point out a snagging list or something.

So is the 'plumber' subbing for the builer? Did the builder come recommended, was he the cheapest?


Where abouts are you? If you're near one of us then maybe we could call round.

 

[Bernie2]

Trv's at one time could only be used on the flow because the inner workings would only allow water to flow one way through them. Today however many makes are bi-directional and can be used on either the flow or return. As to whether that is a good idea or not is a matter of choice.

Part of the old reasoning for putting it on the flow was that hot water flowing into a rad was cut off quicker than if it was on the return and so the rad cooled quicker, which is basically what you would want it to do if you turned it off.

Also old type rads had the flow at the top of the rad and the return at the bottom, not opposite one another as they do now. The idea being that the water would fall through the rad as it cooled and go out the return.

But that was in the days of natural circulation. Today nearly all water is pumped so it just goes in and out of the rad usually. Some same side mini bore rad valves, inside the rad, do have an injector tube fitted though.

However even with bi directional valves they have to go on or be set the right way around. That basically means sorting out your flow from your return.

 

[stevetheplumber]

Trv's at one time could only be used on the flow because the inner workings would only allow water to flow one way through them. Today however many makes are bi-directional and can be used on either the flow or return. As to whether that is a good idea or not is a matter of choice.

Part of the old reasoning for putting it on the flow was that hot water flowing into a rad was cut off quicker than if it was on the return and so the rad cooled quicker, which is basically what you would want it to do if you turned it off.

Also old type rads had the flow at the top of the rad and the return at the bottom, not opposite one another as they do now. The idea being that the water would fall through the rad as it cooled and go out the return.

But that was in the days of natural circulation. Today nearly all water is pumped so it just goes in and out of the rad usually. Some same side mini bore rad valves, inside the rad, do have an injector tube fitted though.

However even with bi directional valves they have to go on or be set the right way around. That basically means sorting out your flow from your return.

Valves now are bi directional so there is no need to worry if its on flow or return there is no difference in shut down times as shut down is activated by airtemp around the head not water temp in rad ,possibly in lab conditions a difference could be found due to the proximity of the head but under normal cicumstances there is no differnce
it makes no difference if you shut flow or return to a rad flow is stopped whichever

 

[Muscle750]

No ones answered why the poxy shower decides to turn itself on yet thou !!

 

[Plouasne]

Ghosts, call in an Exorcist

 

[Bernie2]

Can't really say about the shower. Obviously it should not come on on its own. But with out an on site inspection one would never know.

The trv on the hot flow was also thought to stop the possibility of any convection current circulation within the rad or parasitic circulation after shut off.

I must admit I am not a fan of trv's they only detect the air temperature as far away from the rad as the head is and how many people sit that close to a rad?

What seems to to happen in practice, is that people may keep them low in the likes of bedrooms and spare rooms to take the chill off, but in living areas wack them right up to the stop and leave them there.

All of which you can do with an ordinary valve.

In theory they are a good idea though.

 

[HTB]

Have you noticed that no-one ever admits to having brought in the guy who submitted the cheapest estimate when it all starts to go to rats????

 

[stevetheplumber]

No ones answered why the poxy shower decides to turn itself on yet thou !!

have you noticed any other strange happenings?objects moving walls bleeding etc

 

[bobpape]

We dont like shower enclosures because they are difficult to keep clean,
So we use shower mixer tap on the bath, one of these taps has started turning
itself back on soon after turning it off, the tap is a quarter turn with ceramic insert,
rather than fix it (and in the hope that it may just fix itself) we have taken to hanging
the shower hose over it which prevents it opening,