Problem with outside tap / boiler

[msec]

Hi everyone,

I'm a spark needing some plumbing advice. I work with a tiler/bathroom fitter doing the electrics on his bathrooms. Today I was doing a job for a customer, fitting some outside sockets when the guy asked me if I knew someone who could fit an outside tap. I rang my bathroom fitter friend who came out and did the job.

The boiler was directly behind where the tap was needed so he tee'd from the cold feed, about 6 inches from where it connects to the boiler, through an isolation valve, through the wall and to the tap. He turned the water back on, tested and everything seemed fine. We got paid and left.

Earlier this evening I received a text from the customer asking me to call round over the weekend as they had no hot water and the pressure had dropped. I've not been able to get hold of the bathroom fitter.

My question is, could there be something the bathroom fitter has done that would affect the boiler? I noticed he turned the boiler off before turning off the water and draining at the kitchen tap and filling loop ( the boiler is in the garage at the back of the house, the kitchen and water supply at the front. I'd estimate the pipe run from the water supply to the boiler to be 12 - 15 metres). Could it be simply that he forgot to turn the boiler back on at the spur? Would this affect pressure? ( he did comment that the pressure was high at around 2 bar before we did any thing, though I don't know if this has any relevance). I'm going to call out and see the customer and if I can't get hold of the bathroom fitter, I'd like to have some kind of info to relay to the customer, however futile, to show I've made an effort.

All advice gratefully recieved.

 

[JAP&H]

Can the customer not just re-pressurise the system via filling loop?

If the system holds pressure fine, ensure power to boiler and hot water should be available.

If pressure can't be maintained then further investigation will be needed to find where the system waters going.

 

[jase158]

the central heating, shouldn't of been touched,

he probably drained the cold water from the filling loop.

I would say it is a completely different thing that has happened.

try to arrange for the plumber to go and have a look with you and stick with the attitude that it is a completely different problem, makes it easier to go there and the plumber is more likely to come with you if he doesnt think you are blaming him.

Assuming he is a good plumber, he would of checked everything and made sure it all worked, so more likely something else has gone wrong at a very inconvenient time.

 

[kimbo]

If the pressure was 2 bar it is a little too high it might be the expansion vessel needs recharging and its dumped all the water out of the prv as there is no room for expansion.

 

[JCplumb]

You never know til you get there to be honest.
The customer may have bled the rads and took the pressure below the cut off point, the person who installed the outside tap may be at fault, it may be something totally unrelated. Maybe, just maybe - this boiler has always been dodgy and the customer wants to pin it on your mate?
You'll only find out when you get there. :toilet:

 

[gavinwilson]

best bet is just get the bathroom fitter/plumber to go round ,no offence but ur gonna look like a plumb where as he should know what is wrong

 

[PlumbersMate]

If pressure has dropped did he tee into the heating pipes?

 

[dave1]

If pressure has dropped did he tee into the heating pipes?

Ha ha I did wonder this.... Maybe it was just coincidence the pressure was low and he didn't notice or didn't want to touch it.

 

[SimonG]

Moral of the story is that you should have given the cust the plumbers number and then not get involved. You always tend to get shafted most when trying to help somebody out. Then when cust phones you, you can say 'sorry not my area of expertise'

 

[Barry98]

msec if your having troubles and canni get hold of your normal chap let me know i have a lad working over in wakefield today-tuesday

cheers

 

[msec]

I may well do that bod, off to see the customer tommorow and still can't get hold of my guy.

He definetly didn't drain anything from the central heating, as I watched. Closed valve (slotted screwdriver head, other side was a hexagon needing a spanner or pliers to open) on cold water side, disconnected filling loop (connected when we got there) opened valve and drained into a bucket. No water coming from central heating flow side and it wasn't touched at all.

My concern was putting a tap very close to the boiler, which I'm sure I read somewhere was a no no (though I couldn't understand why). However as none of you educated lads have mentioned this, I'm now confident that isn't the problem.

Would pressure fall simply from having the boiler switched off for a period of time?

 

[DTG plumbing]

Would pressure fall simply from having the boiler switched off for a period of time?

No mate

 

[msec]

Cheers DTG Plumbing, was thinking along the lines of central heating water cooling lower than it usually would may affect pressure but was just a guess, I've no idea of the science.

Give me wires, current, resistance and ohms law and I'm fine!

 

[peteheat]

Could it be a dodgy expansion "fixed" by leaving the filling loop open?

Now your man has closed off the loop it no longer has sufficient pressure?

 

[msec]

Cheers for everyones input. All sorted, the boiler was switched off at the spur when I got there, I'm not sure the customer had even tried it. We fired it up and everything was fine. Pressure had dropped to about 1 and half bar but water and heating working fine.