Can you spot the skyhooks

[goldoni]

I have heard it said that if you take one engineer and remove their brains you have one fully qualified plumbing and heating engineer.


Today I was called to a property where an engineer had done his own plumbing and boiler install, he has since sold this property and started on another. Can you spot the skyhooks on the end of the string that is holding the heating F&E tank in place and can you spot any other mistakes that make this installation substandard?

[Ramrod]

Is that a cold water tank sat on a (sagging) piece of chipboard?


..........and I love the bits of string

[paulyoung666]

also , i didnt like the look of the overflow in the header tank

[iadom]

Or the loose mains cable dangling round the tank.

[ikthius]

the brickwork is not looking too shabby

ik

[Bifta]

Originally Posted by iadom

Or the loose mains cable dangling round the tank.

Looks more like an earth cable.

[iadom]

Originally Posted by Bifta

Looks more like an earth cable.

Well to my untrained eye it looks like three core mains cable, but lets not fall out over it.

[Halcyon]

Using that chipboard to hold the cold water tank seems dodgy.
Plus, putting any piping in your roof is generally a bad idea if you can avoid it as if it freezes over and your pipes burst, you'l get a whole ceiling collapsing under the weight of water. (Happened to my parents in their first house. Not very nice.).
As for the others, cant see anything else apart from the brick work seems to need re-doing and maybe the wires are too near the water.
Go on, fill us in on the details.

[Rob]

The Cold Water Tank (CWS) the large black thing of the third photo, doesn't comply with Water Authority Byelaw 30. It should be fitted with a lid (to prevent dirt and stuff getting in. The overflow pipe needs to have an insect mesh screen so the creepy crawlies cant get in that way. The chipboard lid to the CWS is just not good enough. The CWS and associated pipes need thorough lagging (it is OK to have pipes and tanks in the roofspace - that is very common and accepted practice despite the risks Halycon pointed out - provided they are well protected against frost).

The CWS is inadequately supported. The chipboard is at risk of rotting and thus collapse if it gets wet from condensation that can occur on the CWS. The chipboard is already overspanned (see the bend in it) due to inadequate support. The single ceiling joist is insufficient to take the load of the tank. Eventually the ceilings below will start to crack.

The heating expansion tank (photos 1 & 2). The plastic tank is inadequately supported. Needs a firm even base over the two wall brackets. The string helping to prevent distortion to the tank and tie pipes in place is just a joke. The string around the float valve bar could foul the bar, jamming it open causing risk of overflow. Some lagging would be a good idea (although it's fairly rare to see on heating expansion tanks, and they don't need lids as water potability standards are unimportant).

Is that enough to condemn the installation :erm

NB i'm not a plumber or heating engineer

[Escapee]

That certainly looks like a job done by a cowboy builder, I do a lot of my own DIY type work and if anything I probably go over the top and a bit fussy.

I wonder how long it will be before the chipboard gets wet and disintigrates!

[goldoni]

The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 govern the installation and maintenance of water fittings. They place legal duties on the installers of water systems and the owners and occupiers of premises.

Following Parliament approval, the Regulations came into force on 1 July 1999, replacing the 1986 Water Supply Byelaws in England and Wales. A technically similar set of requirements were adopted in Scotland the following year, known as Water Byelaws 2000 (Scotland).

I will not quote chapter and verse regarding these water regulations, but for those interested you can Google them.

Both storage tanks should be on a solid base (Chipboard not recommended ) and protected against frost. The domestic hot water F&E (feed and expansion) tank should have a byelaw 30 kit consisting of a jacket and close fitting lid, which comes with vents, warning pipe connections.

The distance between the warning pipe (overflow) and inlet devise should have an air gap to prevent backflow contamination. The ballvalve as fitted in photo should not be used and replaced with a part II ballvalve with the outlet at the top.

The heating F&E tank has over filled and has started to pump over introducing air to the heating system causing the nice brown rusty water. The heating F&E only needs to be half full and you must allow room for expansion without overflowing as that is what they are, Feed and expansion tanks.

Regarding this job I advised the customer that it all needs to be replaced as it is all substandard and against nearly all water Regs that are in place to protect the consumer.
Oh and the 2.5 twin & earth is feeding a 8.5Kw electric shower off the ring main.

insulation?

Tank not covered?

Tank on chipboard as already mentioned but the chipboard on a broken fence post which is balance on the joist

No proper cover on the tank

[bopdude]

Originally Posted by iadom

Well to my untrained eye it looks like three core mains cable, but lets not fall out over it.

Yep, I'd go with that call, it's either 1mm or 1.5mm 3core and earth or 2.5mm twin and earth by the looks of it

But what a state, the whole job needs to be condemned IMO that is

[zoombini]

Looks OK to me

Are the water regs etc available online for the DIY person?
Quite often the regs for things are either only available if your in the right club or pay for them, so the DIY person don't get a look in.

[goldoni]

Originally Posted by zoombini

Looks OK to me

Are the water regs etc available online for the DIY person?
Quite often the regs for things are either only available if your in the right club or pay for them, so the DIY person don't get a look in.

Hope this link works, which will give you the info in pdf format link