Bathroom Flood!

[poonum]

We got home tonight a few hours after plumber had left for the day - having new bathroom fitted - only to find he had left a pipe running and our floor was flooded! Gutted. The water was dripping down into the kitchen below through the wall tiles, pools of water on worktops and on the floor, down over electric sockets for oven and fridge. We couldn't see any coming though ceiling but are so worried about what damage could have been done.

Phoned plumber and he is coming to look at damage in the morning but we are worried he will say everything will be ok when it isn't. We don't know the first thing about plumbing and electrics so how do we know what damage might have been done?? Electrics are working fine - but what if they're not safe - how would we know?! Also what damage could have been done to the floor and plaster / tiles in kitchen?

Sorry for rambling we are just so worried!

 

[Richard C]

Electrics should be fine once it’s all dried but I certainly wouldn’t use them until it has;
Other possible damage could be;
• The bathroom flooring depending on what it’s made of; chipboard doesn’t like water.
• Tilled floor could lift if water has got into it but, again, depends on the quality of the floor & the tile adhesive/grout that was originally used.
• The plasterboard on the ceiling could warp if it gets really wet but in all probability it would have done that already if it was going to.
• The ceiling board joints may crack & you may get brown staining as it dries out; only real way of repairing the cracks is to re-tape them & re-skim but you don’t have to do the whole ceiling but if it’s Artex it’s going to be very difficult to hide without redoing the lot; brown staining will need to be primed & then re-painted or it will continue to show.
• If the walls are plasterboard studs they may suffer in a similar way to the ceiling but proper plaster is unlikely to suffer any permanent damage as long as it’s not sitting in water for any length of time.
• The tiling should be OK but if the water has got behind the tiles & the adhesive isn’t waterproof, they may become loose & eventually fall off.
• Worktops should be OK but composite can expand if water gets into the core but this will quickly become visible; much the same with cupboard doors.
• Ground floor much the same as the 1st if it’s wood but solid should be OK; floor coverings should be obvious to check.
• Water getting in & behind studwork & tiles etc. doesn’t dry out that easily & this can lead to mould growth & musty smells after a week or so but it should eventually disappear.

You’re unlikely to see the full extent of any possible damage for a week or so; I hope your plumber has 3rd party liability insurance.

 

[poonum]

ok thanks, an electrician has checked the electrics this morning and given the all clear. as to any other damage that might develop over time in the walls / ceiling (nothing obvious at the moment fingers crossed), plumber is insured and work guaranteed for a year, so if it does happen we will be calling him up straight away!

 

[leakydave]

Take some photos to record the 'accident'. If I was the plumber I'd be back immediately to check things out!

We all have accidents... though I don't think I've had a flood any where near this one. I did have to call fire brigade once for smoking skirting board!

 

[SUPERPLUMBER]

whilst the plumber may be insured, the insurers dont cover incompetance or negligence...something similar happened to me on a job.
I had a compression joint that was weeping a tiny drip drip over a period of 3 weeks whilst i was refurbing an ensuite which resulted in a wet ceiling below. I had to pay for the repainting of the ceiling as the rad water caused staining to the ceiling.

 

[Goldspoon]

It must be very difficult to draw a line between incompetence and accident. Most car crashes are down to the driver in some way yet insurance still generally pays the other driver does it not? If I drive into the back of somebody at an island due a lapse in concentration then that driver claims off my insurance.

If what you say is correct then no leak could ever be claimed for as all leaks are down to negligence unless a part is faulty or damaged.