leaks made me look like a wright dickhead

[Groovejet]

Has anyone come across the same problem?

We fitted a 4 grand bathroom, very nice, fitted units ,porcelain tiles and one of my not so favorite things to do...a tiled bath panel.

Months have went by and the customer rang us to say they noticed the ceiling below in the hall, where there had previously been a leak from the old bath wasn't drying out in fact they'd painted over some stains with gloss to seal it and it just blebed ..........so heres where i get called in!!!

I come and know straight away i've got a leak and it must be on the bath/shower.
I think to myself the leak musnt be constant, as the damage didn't warrant a full blown leak on a pipe. So i narrowed it down to waste or bath leaking around silicone!

So i smash the first tile, because the customer didn't want a acess panel, and notice the flexy weeping on the hot tap, removed rubber washer and fitted new.
Sat and checked to make sure i'd sorted it....no leak....made a access panel with some plaster board so i could simply pull tile off in any future problem, fixed it with a small amount of silicone and grouted it back in.

RING RING... RING RING...

yep ...back around weeks later water through ceiling again.

Tried to pull tile up and out like i'd designed it to and......crap, id stuck it in too good........hammer...bang, another tile needed!

Again water weeping down flexy, but they said it leaked when they used the shower? So there must be another leak also??
I drenched the tap end of the bath in water and there it was ****ing through the tap hole and finding its way down the thread of tap.

After removing back nut and replacing with more substantial washer and backnut i siliconed it and that was sorted.
Changed the flexy for one i had with a new rubber washer and job done.

Month later...........RING RING ............crap
Still leaking
Tile cut out nice as id siliconed the grout line this time.
Next the 3/4' x 15mm flexy. I examined it and found that the washer was only making contact on 3/4 of the tap end, not making proper seal.
You could see the indentation of the tap on the washer.
New flexy 3/4'x 22 with a reducer so that it was more of a sturdy fit on the tap end, it didn't flex like the 15mm one did.
I also changed the rubber washer for fibre washer, watched it for 1/2hr, tap on..... tap off....pulled .....pushed... thats gotta be it???

Cut ceiling out 3'x3' as it was for the knackers yard and i left the tile off till it all drys out.

WOW???!!
It just feels like im in a ****ing war zone....please let that be it!

The washer thing? Has anyone come accross this, im sure its these bloody designer taps look nice but badly made and cost a fortune.
The customer who were very nice all throughout said the taps were the most expensive part in the bathroom out of all the fittings etc.

God help me

 

[DP]

Why are you using flexi crap. I am sure copper would have been lot better especially when you have an area that is sealed up

 

[stardanny]

Don't like tiled bath panel, no access. Can't you fix tiles onto plywood the size of bath panel and fit it with screws and dome cover? Better and look good.

I never use flexible tap connector in my installations work. Nor any speedcarp.

You best be using copper pipe and brass tap connector for leak free joint.

Daniel.

 

[Terry lambert]

what ever fittings or method you used, that was a pig of a job and I feel for you.

pick yourself up and on to the next one.

Oh, and keep your plublic liability up to date

 

[SandyLyon]

While BS covers the 1/2" or 3/4" threads on the tap tails it doesn't cover the way the tails are finished.
Some taps are finished with a Flat / Square end that a flat fibre or rubber washer will seat with fine, however more and more taps are now being manufactured with tapered ends which leaves a thin and sometimes sharp edge.
If the nut is nipped up too tightly this can nick or slice the washer causing it to leak, some plastic tap connectors come with two washers, a flat one and a tapered rubber one but merchants very rarely gave you both.
My guess would be that your tap tails are of the tapered type and the flat washer is either not seating correctly or is getting damaged when the nut is tightened.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Plus 1 with all the above. Feel for you bud.

A good example of why I hate bathrooms. Doing my own this summer whilst the family are away. Soul destroying on many levels



Mission for today is to set the bath in ready for the tiler tomorrow. No taps and leaks are NOT AN OPTION!

 

[jeff the gasman]

A lot of modern taps will accept a nut and olive as a finished joint. Have done for years. pipe pushes into tap stem. Better than any washer.
Jeff

 

[longdogs]

Nearly all the problems I encounter whilst installing bathrooms for a living are caused by sub-standard rubbish bought off the internet. And, whoever invented the back-to-wall toilet should have his head wedged in the sh*t pipe.

 

[muggles]

We fitted a 4 grand bathroom......

But used flexi pipes to connect it up? Oh dear... OK, in this instance it wasn't entirely your fault, but seriously, flexi's are for DIY numpties and the terminally lazy

 

[newbuildinstaller]

is £4k much for a bathroom???

Id say that was entry level price so flexis are par for course?

 

[muggles]

Depends on whether it was including or excluding labour... including would certainly make it cheap