Dilemma!

[Alz0r]

Hi all,

I recently took down a cast iron stack for a customer and replaced with PVC. All fine, but theyve just phoned back saying the people who built their conservatory (and who had to come out and remove 2 of the glass roof panels to allow access for the stack to be changed) are saying that they are billing the customer and therefore me, for cleaning iron dust particles from the remaining 3 glass roof panels.

Admittedly I made the boob of not covering the remaining panels and I hold my hands up to that, I niavely thought a quick power wash would do the trick to clean it off but the conservatory company are saying the dust has "penetrated" the glass and therefore they've had to take each panel down and clean them using "special techniques".

I'm a bit miffed I wasn't given the opportunity to rectify the problem myself and am worried I'm now going to get landed a hefty "repair bill". My liability insurance will cover this but can anyone offer any insight into cast iron particles "penetrating" glass ?

Cheers!

 

[Rico99]

Hi there,

Its the heat of the fillings as they fly off, there are just hot enough to melt the glass and stick in the surface.

Unlucky fella

Rico

 

[D_Hailsham]

Sounds like a try-on.

However many types of conservatory glass are coated with to reduce heat transmuission or UV rays etc, so this may ahve been damaged.

The first thing to do is phone your insurer and get their advice.

You also need to get details of the "special techniques" used and the products they use.

Find out the name of the glass manufacturer and give their technical department a call.

 

[Alz0r]

OK good advice thank you

 

[heatingman]

it would have been nice if they had contacted you first to discuss the problem with the glass, if they should have done is bit of a technicality which would probely be a legal/court decision. if it went to court your stuffed as you have already admitted not taking adequate precautions to protect working area. Sorry fella I think you'll have to put this one on the learning curve of monumental cockups. We've all been there at some time.

 

[D_Hailsham]

Its the heat of the fillings as they fly off, there are just hot enough to melt the glass and stick in the surface.

Why would the stack be hot when it was being removed?

In any case the melting temperature of glass is well over 1000°C

 

[kevplumb]

if you cut the stack with an angle grinder your in the smelly stuff

 

[bathstyle]

Good old customers eh, I quite often get the blame when the customers Wife gets a headache.

Some people will hold you resposible for everything

 

[Rico99]

Its the heat of the fillings as they fly off, there are just hot enough to melt the glass and stick in the surface.

Why would the stack be hot when it was being removed?

In any case the melting temperature of glass is well over 1000°C

I rightly or wrongly assumed he used an angle grinder and I have persoanly seen evidence of this happening.

Rico

 

[Agile]

If using an angle grinder then unless the filings were "directed" fast by the cutting wheel at the glass then if they are falling free they will have cooled down to a very low temperature by the time they had fallen a metre or two.

As you will know a powered stream of iron filings not only are hot but hit any surface very fast.

I think that you are going to have to pay out and I dont recommend claiming on your insurance if you want affordable insurance next year.

Its industry wide to over charge for remedial works which are the responsibility of an errant worker to pay. Plumbers are some of the worst!

Any experienced person would not take on work close to a conservatory unless the owner arranged for it to be boarded, not only for filings but particularly for falling bits of cast iron.

Tony

 

[TicklyT]

If using an angle grinder then unless the filings were "directed" fast by the cutting wheel at the glass then if they are falling free they will have cooled down to a very low temperature by the time they had fallen a metre or two. ..........

If the dust is coming off as sparks, it may get hotter as it falls.

if it gets hot enough to spark, the iron dust may be hot enough to burn, oxidising rapidly in an exothermic reaction.

 

[kevplumb]

yeah

one of them

 

[bathstyle]

All of this could have been avoided if the OP remembered to turn on the flux capacitor on his angle grinder

 

[Agile]

I can usually bear a stream of filings on my leg from about 300-400 mm away.

It does tend to burn the hairs off though!

Tony

 

[kevplumb]

I can usually bear a stream of filings on my leg from about 300-400 mm away.

It does tend to burn the hairs off though!

Tony

whatever lights your candle tony