Help and advice - leaking shower and dodgy central heating boiler

pumbaa · 08-10-2009, 7:03 PM

Righto, here goes. I have two problems I need some help with.

Firstly, I have a leaky shower. What happens only appears to happen when my wife takes a shower (as she takes longer to shower than I), but basically water leaks through one of the inset halogen sockets in the kitchen downstairs. I've removed the bulb from the particular lamp, and I've checked under the bath to see where there is water - nada. The shower itself works fine, but its a Mira jobby that sits flush on the wall, with just two dials for heat control and on/off - all other pipes etc. are behind a tiled wall. I could call a plumber, but they'll charge me for call out and investigation purposes.

So problem two. Got the boiler serviced recently for the first time, and its essentially been condemned. In summary, whoever installed it completely messed it up - long story. Bottom line is that the boiler keeps cutting out at regular intervals.

What I want to know is, can I claim for both these problems under my household insurance? Or do I have to suck it and pay out of my own pocket to get both problems fixed.

The joys of home ownership eh........

SeanT · 08-10-2009, 8:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pumbaa

Bottom line is that the boiler keeps cutting out at regular intervals.

What boiler is it? I assume it's a combi. Does it cut out when you're using the hot water / showering?

pumbaa · 09-10-2009, 5:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeanT

What boiler is it? I assume it's a combi. Does it cut out when you're using the hot water / showering?

Its an old (>10 years) Worcester Bosch jobby. It cuts out in all scenarios, those above as you mentioned, but mostly when the central heating is running. Several times a day too.

I really just want to know whether this is worth pursuing as a household insurance claim, or whether I just have to put up and shut up, so to speak.

DPinBucks · 09-10-2009, 6:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pumbaa

... What I want to know is, can I claim for both these problems under my household insurance? Or do I have to suck it and pay out of my own pocket to get both problems fixed. ...

Probably no to the boiler, possibly yes to the shower, within limits.

Unless you have specific breakdown insurance for the items (which seems unlikely), household insurance won't cover you for what is essentially wear and tear of the object itself. However, it should cover you for making good any damage caused, such as to the ceiling below the shower. It also might well cover you for ripping out the tiles to get at the pipework behind the wall, but they might argue that that's part of the repair process; not incidental damage. It could depend on how old the shower is. Definitely worth a try, though.

guitarcarfanati · 10-10-2009, 8:18 AM

Two things to check your policy for. First whether you have trace and access cover and secondly whether you have accidental cover.

If the shower has developed a leak, the resulting damage will be covered providing it is not deemed to be wear and tear. I imagine that as this is a single instance and you have just discovered it, it would be covered. If the leak is due to seals around the bath perishing etc, then it probably won't be covered unless you have accidental cover. The cause won't be covered but the accidental cover will cover any resulting damage.

Providing you have trace and access cover, your insurance will also cover any damage (removal of tiles ect) needed to trace the leak. Call your insyrance company who will request you get a plumber to fix the leak and then they will arrange for a surveyor to visit and access the damage.

guitarcarfanati · 10-10-2009, 8:22 AM

Oh and boiler and pipework are almost never covered. Only resulting damage normally.

SeanT · 10-10-2009, 8:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pumbaa

Its an old (>10 years) Worcester Bosch jobby. It cuts out in all scenarios, those above as you mentioned, but mostly when the central heating is running. Several times a day too.

Either something is overheating, the boiler thinks something is overheating, the fan is packing up (unlikely), or the boiler thinks that the fan is packing up. It's probably the fan sensor or a temperature sensor. Old WBs aren't too hard to diagnose, especially if you have access to the manual. There's usually a 20 page or so troubleshooting guide at the back, and the boiler will usually have some indication of what's going on. If it's a sensor it'll be about 30-50 quid, and you can probably change it yourself with a couple of long screwdrivers and a modicum of common sense (although you might want to do some reading somewhere like diynot first)

I found out what was wrong with the WB in our old rented house, because I was curious what the fault condition indicated by the lights and the test sequence in the manual was, then told the landlord what the problem was according to the flowchart that I'd followed. Turned out that I was right, and that the "heating engineer" came and blindly replaced the wrong part for starters, and then slapped him with a massive bill (yes, he replaced the fan, WRONG) Conclusion,

Let me know if you have trouble getting hold of the manual, I think it requires you to log in to the WB site with some details, like a corgi / gassafe number. (I have a relative who is a registered engineer)

The advice above about your insurance cover is sound, might work out cheaper to get it fixed than to claim in the long run though.

shoestring25 · 10-10-2009, 10:08 AM

i don't think you have a claim on the house insurance as they will say the boiler was never serviced and maintained same for the shower. they would probably only repair water damage if a huge leak caved in a ceiling

shoestring25 · 10-10-2009, 10:20 AM

i would also supect the shower leak has to do with the drain from the bath becuse that most likly sits above the light in the kitchen.

as for the boiler what did the person who serviced it say was wrong with it?
what sort of cenral heating do you have conventional ( two tanks in loft) combi, or system?