Over 3 mins to get hot water in kitchen - is this normal?

[LCV]

Hi,

My family have just moved back in from a house renovation just before the Easter bank holiday. When I turned on the tap in the kitchen to wash up and it takes over 3 mins before the water was hot enough to wash up. I had a large kitchen sink put in and I managed to fill that up with cold water which I had to then drain away to replace it with the hot water. It would have been faster (and used less water) if I had boiled the kettle for the hot water. I now wash my hands with cold water after I have used the toilet because it takes so long and as a family so much water is wasted while we wait for it to be hot enough to bathe and shower.

I feel concerned. Is this normal? Before the renovation I did not have to wait long to get hot water to all my taps.

We had a Vaillant system boiler with a 250L indirect hot water cylinder put in. The previous combi boiler was moved from the kitchen to the Utility room. The kitchen is at the front of the house while the Utility room is at the back of the house on the same floor. The previous house was over 3 floors with 2 bathrooms and a loft conversion has taken it to 4 floors and 3 bathrooms. We were told that we would have to wait up to a minute to get hot water in the loft which we said we were fine with but it is actually a lot longer than that and we certainly did not expect the rest of the house to be affected in this way.

I will go back to the plumber to discuss but wanted to get your views and advice first. I am really hoping the problem is to do with a setting on the boiler.

Thanks!

 

[ShaunCorbs]

must be one bloody big house to have a sprinkler system fitted you sure you dont mean fire alarms?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

I'm sorry but that doesn't show us anything. A photo near the hot water cylinder might show it

post 23 mate

 

[LCV]

Are you pulling through just hot water or a mix of hot and cold

Just turned the hot handle.

 

[LCV]

must be one bloody big house to have a sprinkler system fitted you sure you dont mean fire alarms?

Unfortunately, for us, a recent change in building regs means that if a house is over 4+ floors they must fit a sprinkler system.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Unfortunately, for us, a recent change in building regs means that if a house is over 4+ floors they must fit a sprinkler system.

bet that cost you a bit

 

[LCV]

We have actually spent all our life savings renovating the house. That is why I feel so upset this has happened. I woke up feeling completely depressed today.

I don't even understand how this could have happened. I did my reference checks and visited two of their previous clients whose houses were much bigger than mine and their renovation more complicated and they couldn't praise the builder and team highly enough. Their other client I spoke with was an Architect and the renovation on his house won them a very prestigious award. They had new heating and hot water systems put in.

I actually feel cursed. Sorry just feel upset about the situation. I spoke with Mak yesterday and he said the only solution is to have a secondary return put in. I have no idea whether they would agree to it and I can't bear the thought of moving out again living out of boxes and seeing my house being smashed up when we have just moved back in. It was May 2015 when works started on the house.

 

[rpm]

must be one bloody big house to have a sprinkler system fitted you sure you dont mean fire alarms?

Please keep the thread on topic Shaun, we are now over 100 posts and nowhere further forward than post #1 for crying out loud.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Please keep the thread on topic Shaun, we are now over 100 posts and nowhere further forward than post #1 for crying out loud.

you wont get any further until she gets a g3 eng out to check the system mate sorry to say

 

[rpm]

you wont get any further until she gets a g3 eng out to check the system mate sorry to say

Wish somebody had told her that before, a long time before tbh.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Wish somebody had told her that before, a long time before tbh.

post 24 and 33 etc

 

[LCV]

What is a G3 engineer and how do you check if someone at that level?

 

[Riley]

post 23 mate

That's yonks ago mate :smile:

 

[rpm]

post 24 and 33 etc

And your still talking about it? !!!

 

[Riley]

G3 means that they are qualified in working in domestic hot water in your instance the ability to work on and install invented hot water cylinders. One would hope that your plumber was otherwise you could have a bomb waiting to go off in your utility room. Not wanting to put the frighteners on but it's true. Most will have a card, often if they are gas safe then they will have it on their gas safe account

 

[rpm]

That's yonks ago mate :smile:

Many, many yonks ago.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

they should have a card with the words unvented cylinders

 

[LCV]

He has never given or shown me a card but I think he is gas safe registered because he made the connection for my gas cooker. I will look him up on the gas safe register and find out.
Thanks!

 

[Howsie]

...Desn't speak great English so we don't really understand what he is saying.
View attachment 25921

I doubt very much that he's a qualified plumber, in fact I'd be willing to lay money on it. Total shambles.

 

[Gray0689]

What floor is your hot water cylinder on

 

[Riley]

So is he gas safe?

 

[LCV]

the hot water cylinder is on the ground floor in the utility room with the boiler.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

the hot water cylinder is on the ground floor in the utility room with the boiler.

any luck with finding out if hes qualified/ registered ? if you can find any info on him have a look in the boiler manufactures instructions (servicing/ commission) in the back hes details and gas safe no should be there if hes gas safe,

if not call gas safe out and ask them to have a look at the install

 

[LCV]

I only know the builder's team so electrician, plumber, carpenter, tiler etc on a first name basis. From the replies here I know he needs to provide me with paperwork for me to submit to building regs so he must have to put down his full details on that.

Also, does he need to provide me with a plan showing the layout of the pipework?

 

[LCV]

Hi Shaun - erm the back of the boiler manual is blank. Is this the paperwork that he is meant to provide me with? perhaps he forgot to do that or I need to ask him to complete it. Is it usually done as a matter of course after a completed install?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

I only know the builder's team so electrician, plumber, carpenter, tiler etc on a first name basis. From the replies here I know he needs to provide me with paperwork for me to submit to building regs so he must have to put down his full details on that.

Also, does he need to provide me with a plan showing the layout of the pipework?

no, but they may be marked on the builders plans (long shot),