Dreaded call...water pouring through ceiling under newly fitted shower

[Phil]

I can never have a normal evening, after working at least 10 hours a day for 3 weeks I had a 4pm finish today which I never ever have and just when I was sat having my early tea the phone went, recognized the number..let the stress commence..

Two and a half weeks ago I re did a leaking old shower enclosure with a cracked tray, re plumbed everything in copper and fixed a 760 x 760 stone tray right down on the floor and tiled 3 walls round with the existing shower door (don't ask), existing electric shower went back in, everything tested fully.

Get the call tonight shes just got home after a week away to find water pouring out of the ceiling into the lounge from right under the shower, I said right turn the water off and I'm on my way, drove 2 miles there through all the rush our traffic thinking oh god this is the big insurance claim I've been dreading for 10 years. Got there and saw the mess downstairs and wanted to cry, went into bathroom and took the cover off the Mira Zest, bone dry so I cut a hole in the floor (old cork tiles over floorboards), got my torch and camera under the tray and saw wetness but couldn't pinpoint so I went round to the foot of the toilet and cut another section of floor out and it was worse there but the copper pipe going up to the shower was dry, I turned the water on again to see if I could see or hear anything but nothing so I cut further towards the toilet into the next joist space and that was where most of the water was..I thought to myself is this even the shower leaking and the over flow from the cistern went straight down under the floorboards and into an elbow, I lifted the cistern lid and the Torbeck was passing and water was brimming the overflow, the elbow was leaking under the floor after all that! I was about to start ripping my new tiles off!

Major panic to total relief 😱

 

[king of pipes]

Total relief bud glad it worked out for you , time to upgrade the toilet . kop

 

[Phil]

This grey pushfit overflow is total garbage, gets me lot of work.
Fluidmaster and solvent weld I think..

 

[Last Plumber]

We've all felt the panic!!
Then that relief where you smile inside because it was nowt to do wi you!!
Glad it's all over for you. Never happens on a Monday morning though does it?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

I'm starting to cap the over flows off and install an fluid master at most it's going to run into the bowel etc

 

[Phil]

It turns out the grey overflow had a hole in it at just below chipboard level and was on an uphill ba57ardised run so the hole was lower than the outlet.
The house backs straight onto a field full of weeing and jobbying cows 3 metres away from my ladders in the rain.
I replaced in Solvent weld.

 

[kozak1968]

It shows you have a conscience.... A lot of guys don't....

 

[mfgs]

Convert to internal overflow.

The dreaded moment you get a call from a customer who you have just done work for. I always assume the worst when I see the number pop up.

 

[Best]

I know exactly that end of the world feeling. Am sure big relief for you Phil, but I bet you didn’t get over the initial shock and worry for a day?
Worst false alarm I had was after I worked in a multi story apartment on a top floor flat and next day reports were the flat below was getting flooded.
I imagined I had somehow destroyed all the flats below and rushed to find no sign of water in flat I worked in. Got a phone call the next day to say it was a mistake and flooding was on another apartment block. Genuinely made me feel ill. 😛

 

[Last Plumber]

I know exactly that end of the world feeling. Am sure big relief for you Phil, but I bet you didn’t get over the initial shock and worry for a day?
Worst false alarm I had was after I worked in a multi story apartment on a top floor flat and next day reports were the flat below was getting flooded.
I imagined I had somehow destroyed all the flats below and rushed to find no sign of water in flat I worked in. Got a phone call the next day to say it was a mistake and flooding was on another apartment block. Genuinely made me feel ill. 😛

Proof you're human lol.

 

[Phil]

I know exactly that end of the world feeling. Am sure big relief for you Phil, but I bet you didn’t get over the initial shock and worry for a day?
Worst false alarm I had was after I worked in a multi story apartment on a top floor flat and next day reports were the flat below was getting flooded.
I imagined I had somehow destroyed all the flats below and rushed to find no sign of water in flat I worked in. Got a phone call the next day to say it was a mistake and flooding was on another apartment block. Genuinely made me feel ill. 😛

Its horrible, I mean I trust my work but you are at the mercy of fittings and pipe further along the floor that may have a dry joint or a pushfit to nearly pop out.

If that call had have come in on holiday it would have ruined it.

 

[WaterTight]

If you have left yourself with the ability to listen to work voicemails, see work texts and read work emails on holiday you are a sadomasochist.

The dreaded moment you get a call from a customer who you have just done work for. I always assume the worst when I see the number pop up.

I assume the worst when every single number shows up. Even when I lok at then see they've never called me before. I've had a bunch of stuff go wrong recently and to be honest I've lost my nerve. I'm starting to think I'm done with this. Currently looking at getting out within 5 years.

 

[Phil]

If you have left yourself with the ability to listen to work voicemails, see work texts and read work emails on holiday you are a sadomasochist.


I assume the worst when every single number shows up. Even when I lok at then see they've never called me before. I've had a bunch of stuff go wrong recently and to be honest I've lost my nerve. I'm starting to think I'm done with this. Currently looking at getting out within 5 years.

I'd rather eat my £hit sandwiches as they come in rather than turning my phone on after 10 days and eating a big pile of them at once and being choked.

I was really sick once and had my phone off all week and when I turned it on about 100 voicemails came in, people trying over and over to contact me in stress and a customer who's cheapo tap that I fitted for them was leaking but only at night and was causing damage.

I'm the exact opposite to those plumbers (non on here I hope) who fob people off and don't return to sort stuff, I was once slightly criticised for some workmanship (tiled and slopping window cill without leveling it) 10 years ago and it was a horrible feeling and vowed it would never happen again and it hasn't, I do a job...stand back and critique myself, anything looks weird or something is chipped or not straight I redo it.

 

[WaterTight]

Each to their own but for me a holiday is a holiday.

 

[Harvest Fields]

I change my answer phone saying I’m
Not available until the day after I am back.

 

[Welder]

Do you lot know what you lot? It's chuffin brilliant to see people take what is after all 'just a job' so seriously, act so responsibly and take the needs of customers so much to heart.

Give yourselves a bloody great pat on the back - then turn your phones off you sad gits 😀😀😀 Just kiddin 🙄

 

[Harvest Fields]

Do you lot know what you lot? It's chuffin brilliant to see people take what is after all 'just a job' so seriously, act so responsibly and take the needs of customers so much to heart.

Give yourselves a bloody great pat on the back - then turn your phones off you sad gits 😀😀😀 Just kiddin 🙄

You doing the Ricoh this year Dave?

 

[Welder]

You doing the Ricoh this year Dave?

Unfortunately not this year but def next.

I'm still working my, not so little, backside off doing computer animation videos for instructions, gathering parts from various places and having to put right problems 'introduced' by well meaning manufacturers... You couldn't make it up!

Much as we wanted to, we simply could not be ready on time. We will however have our 'official' launch at Installer Scotland in September which we are dead chuffed about. 😀😀😀 We'll be selling kits as well as demoing the new design.

Just between you and I, no one reads this so we're safe 😉, we've just signed up today to do PHEX in Manchester in October. Have to say, having it at Man U's ground sucks but hey ho 🙄

 

[Harvest Fields]

Unfortunately not this year but def next.

I'm still working my, not so little, backside off doing computer animation videos for instructions, gathering parts from various places and having to put right problems 'introduced' by well meaning manufacturers... You couldn't make it up!

Much as we wanted to, we simply could not be ready on time. We will however have our 'official' launch at Installer Scotland in September which we are dead chuffed about. 😀😀😀 We'll be selling kits as well as demoing the new design.

Just between you and I, no one reads this so we're safe 😉, we've just signed up today to do PHEX in Manchester in October. Have to say, having it at Man U's ground sucks but hey ho 🙄

Free test kit?😉😉😉

 

[Welder]

Lets just say I keep my promises...

 

[Stigster]

We've all felt the panic!!
Then that relief where you smile inside because it was nowt to do wi you!!
Glad it's all over for you. Never happens on a Monday morning though does it?

It is such a relief. Unfortunately as so many people a clueless when it comes to plumbing (that's generally a good thing for us of course) You must have had the situation where you do some work for someone, like servicing their oil fired heat only boiler, then a week later their shower tray springs a leak and they blame you because "you were working on our plumbing last week and it must have been something you did."

Then you've got the task of explaining to somebody how it all works and what you did is not in any way connected to the new problem. Sometimes they still don't believe you. These are the type of people who think everything is linked and they want to blame you.

Then there's the boiler breaks down a week after you serviced it and once again "it must have been something you did". Some people are hard to convince.

 

[Welder]

Over the years I developed a 'Tw4t' nose. Eventually, I got to understand and I'd not work for those who made it twitch. Fact is they are never happy and not worth whatever you try and charge. My advice is listen to your instincts and walk away. There's a 'nice' customer waiting round the corner ...

 

[Last Plumber]

It is such a relief. Unfortunately as so many people a clueless when it comes to plumbing (that's generally a good thing for us of course) You must have had the situation where you do some work for someone, like servicing their oil fired heat only boiler, then a week later their shower tray springs a leak and they blame you because "you were working on our plumbing last week and it must have been something you did."

Then you've got the task of explaining to somebody how it all works and what you did is not in any way connected to the new problem. Sometimes they still don't believe you. These are the type of people who think everything is linked and they want to blame you.

Then there's the boiler breaks down a week after you serviced it and once again "it must have been something you did". Some people are hard to convince.

We've all had that yes. The worst one I ever had was a Woman who came from the house next door to where I was working (detached from) and blamed me because 'since my van appeared outside, her overflow in the loft had started running'.
That one still blows my mind 30 years later.