Pump hoses can be bent?

[Jurgenjay]

Hi,

I just had a shower pump installed, but the manufactory Salamander Pumps Technical Advisor said :"The silver anti vibration hoses are bent 90 degrees. These are to be straight as per manufactory installation guide. For this reason, as how it has been installed it will not validate the warranty."

I checked with the installer who said: the hoses are flexible, it can be bent, it's no problem.

I don't know which one is correct, please would you check the photos of the pump and confirm if it is OK?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ric2013]

You've probably already thought of this but just in case...

When you want to restart your plumbing activity again, I'd suggest writing to some or all of your former customers saying that you're up and running again and are hoping that they'll consider you when they next need a plumber. It can be a boilerplate letter but personalise it by handwriting their name and your signature, and enclose your flyer / card / fridge magnet. Or send a Christmas card if it's that time of year.

Don't send hundreds of letters out at the same time or you might be swamped due to pent-up demand. Send out a small batch every couple of weeks until you have the measure of the impact. Start slow and ramp up to find the sweet spot.

I had considered that. It probably contravenes GDPR, but the right customers will probably overlook that and be pleased to know I'm available. Hearing it from you makes me realise it isn't one of my bonkers ideas.

 

[SJB060685]

I had considered that. It probably contravenes GDPR, but the right customers will probably overlook that and be pleased to know I'm available. Hearing it from you makes me realise it isn't one of my bonkers ideas.

It’s not a bonkers idea buddy. Your situation is different to most and you adapt to it. At the end of the day most of us on here know what they’re on about. I know my worth, I can see it in others and I’ve seen it in you. You clearly know what you’re on about, you don’t know everything but none of us do and if a little bit of advertising or communication helps you get rolling again then fair enough.
Please don’t think my above comments were a direct shot at you because they’re not. It’s just I here too many horror stories of websites like that which leaves me with no faith in them.

 

[king of pipes]

How did you start out, out of interest then? Did you have a day job and ran the plumbing up as a sideline? I did this myself a few years ago, but then I had a crisis in the family that dragged me abroad for two years. Lost it all again. You have to laugh!

Back to the OP, what recommendation should he seek then? Because the gas fitter I used to use for my own house, recommended by a friend, is honest, knowledgeable, fairly skilled, expensive for the time he bothers to put in, but inexpensive because he doesn't put in much time, and in the end, does some really terrible rushed work to the point that I don't really want him in my house or trust him not to break my boiler (the work he did on a boiler install for a friend of mine was probably safe, but below the level required for college assessments at NVQ2 level). Unfortunately, most people who don't know enough about plumbing to recognise good or bad work from one another cannot really give recommendations.

I was indeed employed, my last job for 27 years as a commercial plumbing and heating engineer I have always done my own work aswell so over the years built up a customer base took the plunge 9 years ago now and haven't looked back my work comes from recommendations and past customers , I work with two kitchen fitting teams and a few small builders but I keep sensible I don't want to spend months and months on projects lots of small jobs are better than one big project. Kop

 

[Chuck]

It probably contravenes GDPR, but the right customers will probably overlook that and be pleased to know I'm available.

My understanding (based on a two-hour GDPR training session so YMMV) is that unless they have opted-out, marketing/information of the type I suggested to previous customers comes under the 'legitimate interests' basis for processing personal data. To be on the safe side, just include a sentence that says 'Let me know if you do not want me to contact you again in future.' Also, don't send to customers who weren't reasonably happy with your work!

Here's the ICO's guidance:

Legitimate interests

ico.org.uk

 

[Ric2013]

My understanding (based on a two-hour GDPR training session so YMMV) is that unless they have opted-out, marketing/information of the type I suggested to previous customers comes under the 'legitimate interests' basis for processing personal data. To be on the safe side, just include a sentence that says 'Let me know if you do not want me to contact you again in future.' Also, don't send to customers who weren't reasonably happy with your work!

Here's the ICO's guidance:

Legitimate interests

ico.org.uk

Good to know. Thank you pal!

 

[Jurgenjay]

I actually know of a plumber in Essex who did some work for the mother of a personal friend of mine (now my customer!). Fitted new boiler without a system filter (he did give her a discount, in fairness), claiming inadequate space to fit one (I later fitted one retrospectively). This was after the lady called Baxi out who replaced the boiler heat exchanger under warranty when it blocked with system debris. The installer also fitted her programmer in an idiotic way such that the cables pulled out and then refused to rectify at a weekend (customer is a vulnerable person). The Benchmark certificate did not specify which brand of corrosion inhibitor was used, which hardly fills one with confidence.

Saw some online reviews (can't remember the platform) in which this installer is praised for providing a cheaper price and letting the customer know a powerflush wasn't needed, advice that differed from what some others had previously told this reviewer. Wonder if that reviewer will feel the same when the new boiler fails due to poor system water quality (powerflushes aren't always vital as there are other methods to clean a system, but simply omitting the powerflush to save time is not a valid method)? His customer (now my customer [manic laugh]) tried to leave a negative review and the installer managed to bully her into removing it.

The Benchmark certificate did not specify which brand of corrosion inhibitor was used, which hardly fills one with confidence.
====Is the same brand of inhibitor a must for next adding? My installer said he added inhibitor when first installed my boiler, after a few months he drained the system but without adding the inhibitor, when I found out this & he did not want to come back to add the inhibitor. So I had to buy my own inhibitor then he came back to add it, so probably the inhibitor is not same as he first used!
Is this a problem?

 

[Ric2013]

The Benchmark certificate did not specify which brand of corrosion inhibitor was used, which hardly fills one with confidence.
====Is the same brand of inhibitor a must for next adding? My installer said he added inhibitor when first installed my boiler, after a few months he drained the system but without adding the inhibitor, when I found out this & he did not want to come back to add the inhibitor. So I had to buy my own inhibitor then he came back to add it, so probably the inhibitor is not same as he first used!
Is this a problem?

No manufacturer will admit that their inhibitor is compatible with other brands, but they probably are all compatible, so not something I would worry about. There is Sentinel X100 in my van, so if I'm working on a system with an unknown inhibitor in it, that is what I would top up with. Any inhibitor is probably better than none, so I'm happy I've added something reasonably decent. To get top results from inhibitor, it has to be added to a clean system, so adding it to a previously neglected system is always a compromise anyway.

My criticism is that if the installer cannot be bothered to specify the brand, then he's probably just buying whatever is cheap on the day with no interest in the quality or effectiveness of the product used. And slapdash paperwork gives me the idea that he will be equally slapdash when doing the manual work.

 

[Jurgenjay]

No manufacturer will admit that their inhibitor is compatible with other brands, but they probably are all compatible, so not something I would worry about. There is Sentinel X100 in my van, so if I'm working on a system with an unknown inhibitor in it, that is what I would top up with. Any inhibitor is probably better than none, so I'm happy I've added something reasonably decent. To get top results from inhibitor, it has to be added to a clean system, so adding it to a previously neglected system is always a compromise anyway.

My criticism is that if the installer cannot be bothered to specify the brand, then he's probably just buying whatever is cheap on the day with no interest in the quality or effectiveness of the product used. And slapdash paperwork gives me the idea that he will be equally slapdash when doing the manual work.

You are very right on the points of inhibitor and my installer!

My installer is exactly as your assumption! After he installed the radiators, one of them leaked, called him many times, finally he came, and within 5 mins putting some glue like thing and left! Then next few days the leaks developed more serious and then heavily! ----how could he apply some glue material for a radiator/pipe leak?!

After he removed the old boiler, the boiler pipe leaked water!
After he installed new boiler, the radiators all leaked water!
All the radiators now only top half hot, second half warm or cold, I got told in this forum that it is because not balanced properly---yes, every time he just rushed to leave never stay to balance the radiators properly.

When we found tap water flow became smaller, and no hot water, he came without checking just said it was because no return valve installed....Only after I paid another engineer who checked and concluded it was because pipe leaked!

So many examples I am not going to continue...

 

[SimonG]

Where did you find this installer?

 

[Jurgenjay]

Where did you find this installer?

On Checktrade.
I did check his review, looks good. And he is on the Worcester Bosch website as accredited installer for Worcester Bosch!
But later I found he is not knowledgable and experienced at all, I can easily give 10 solid examples! He used a guy did the installation, he did not do anything. But that guy left him.
For the boiler and unvented cylinder he installed, the Gas Safety Register came and checked, they found 7 big defects and produced a report requesting him to rectify them!

So having checked his review on Checktrade, and found his name on Worcester Bosch, BUT, all these actually mean nothing, as the review can be fake, Worcester Bosch did not take people strictly as long as you register and showed them some course certificate? But they do not physically check their ability or knowledge.

I thought how could I have avoided him but seems not possible at the time, as he is not expensive as well---maybe this is a reason he knows his ability is not good?

 

[king of pipes]

You have just been unlucky checkatrade may well have trustworthy skilled installers but your in particular case the guy is far from competent , it's not unusual to get issues when converting old heating systems after all the new boiler and system pipework will often be put under more pressure and quicker heat up times , A boiler replacement and a system upgrade is often completed in one day in my book that is rushed I can still do it if it's a combi swap but it's a long day to do it properly , cleaning a system can take a day to complete in itself I prefer 2- 3 days and will always try to organise my work load to not conflict with a install. Kop

 

[SimonG]

On Checktrade.
I did check his review, looks good. And he is on the Worcester Bosch website as accredited installer for Worcester Bosch!
But later I found he is not knowledgable and experienced at all, I can easily give 10 solid examples! He used a guy did the installation, he did not do anything. But that guy left him.
For the boiler and unvented cylinder he installed, the Gas Safety Register came and checked, they found 7 big defects and produced a report requesting him to rectify them!

So having checked his review on Checktrade, and found his name on Worcester Bosch, BUT, all these actually mean nothing, as the review can be fake, Worcester Bosch did not take people strictly as long as you register and showed them some course certificate? But they do not physically check their ability or knowledge.

I thought how could I have avoided him but seems not possible at the time, as he is not expensive as well---maybe this is a reason he knows his ability is not good?

You're sorted then, just been on the tv advert, they gaurantee all their members work for a year.

I trust you left an appropriate review?

 

[Ric2013]

You're sorted then, just been on the tv advert, they gaurantee all their members work for a year.

I trust you left an appropriate review?

Agree. As I think I said, my customer had Worcester-Bosch out to replace the heat exchanger on the boiler for free. And they did it even though the cause was dirty system water due to the installer's slapdash work. All they said to the customer was that they advised a filter be fitted. Must have cost W-B a few quid...

 

[SJB060685]

You're sorted then, just been on the tv advert, they gaurantee all their members work for a year.

I trust you left an appropriate review?

I just saw the advert mate. It states checkatrade guarantee their work for a year, not guaranteed work for a year.

 

[SimonG]

I just saw the advert mate. It states checkatrade guarantee their work for a year, not guaranteed work for a year.

Aye, gaurantee any work performed by a member for a year.

Checkatrade cant gaurantee to provide its members any work. All the cream will be sliced off to Homeserve. Was the point of no initial direct contact between customer and tradesman.