No hot water-rental.
Discussion
Hi chaps, some advice please.
Normally when I have rented in the past, if the landlord does not fix something, I get someone in and knock it off the rent, and have never had any problems with doing that, other than a few stroppy phone calls from landlord.
I now rent with my sister, and she wants to do things properly.
So here goes.
Moved in to current place june last year, after about 2 months the hot water started playing up. Letting agent sent round a plumber and fixed the problem.
3 weeks ago no hot water again. Letting agent sent round a plumber after a week, plumber said he had sorted the problem(I was not there) but still no hot water!
Another call to letting agent and they sent round a different plumber who said the heat exchangers needed replacing. Letting agent asked if we could pay the plumber in advance for parts! We said no.
Plumber came round on sunday and fitted new heat exchangers, I was upstairs doing my ironing and my sister called me and asked me to close garage door as plumber had just left and everything was OK. I went to have a shower, and yep, no hot water.
I called the plumber on his mobile and he came back. He looked at the boiler while I was there and concluded that the system needs a power flush as the boiler keeps cutting out, he also showed me various pipes and told me that they should be hot, but were luke warm.
He played around with settings on boiler so at least we could have a luke warm shower.
I had a shower last night that was lukewarm, but acceptable until powerflush can be done. Plumber is comming back this weekend to do powerflush. I think he works for a plumbing company and does work for letting agent 'on the side'.
Had a shower today, no hot water!
Spoke to letting agent again, who asked if we could pay plumber £475 for powerflush, and knock it off our rent.
I am very unhappy with all of it.
I will pay plumber if it means we can finally get hot water sorted, but, I am also thinking of knocking a further £500 off the rent for all the grief and the fact that it will be approx 4 weeks with no hot water(rent pcm £1500).
What is so frustrating is that you read all the horror stories about tenants, but we are excellent tenants, I painted the house top to bottom before we moved in, and had new carpet fitted in hall/lounge/stairs. We also keep the house spotless.
Your thoughts please.
Normally when I have rented in the past, if the landlord does not fix something, I get someone in and knock it off the rent, and have never had any problems with doing that, other than a few stroppy phone calls from landlord.
I now rent with my sister, and she wants to do things properly.
So here goes.
Moved in to current place june last year, after about 2 months the hot water started playing up. Letting agent sent round a plumber and fixed the problem.
3 weeks ago no hot water again. Letting agent sent round a plumber after a week, plumber said he had sorted the problem(I was not there) but still no hot water!
Another call to letting agent and they sent round a different plumber who said the heat exchangers needed replacing. Letting agent asked if we could pay the plumber in advance for parts! We said no.
Plumber came round on sunday and fitted new heat exchangers, I was upstairs doing my ironing and my sister called me and asked me to close garage door as plumber had just left and everything was OK. I went to have a shower, and yep, no hot water.
I called the plumber on his mobile and he came back. He looked at the boiler while I was there and concluded that the system needs a power flush as the boiler keeps cutting out, he also showed me various pipes and told me that they should be hot, but were luke warm.
He played around with settings on boiler so at least we could have a luke warm shower.
I had a shower last night that was lukewarm, but acceptable until powerflush can be done. Plumber is comming back this weekend to do powerflush. I think he works for a plumbing company and does work for letting agent 'on the side'.
Had a shower today, no hot water!
Spoke to letting agent again, who asked if we could pay plumber £475 for powerflush, and knock it off our rent.
I am very unhappy with all of it.
I will pay plumber if it means we can finally get hot water sorted, but, I am also thinking of knocking a further £500 off the rent for all the grief and the fact that it will be approx 4 weeks with no hot water(rent pcm £1500).
What is so frustrating is that you read all the horror stories about tenants, but we are excellent tenants, I painted the house top to bottom before we moved in, and had new carpet fitted in hall/lounge/stairs. We also keep the house spotless.
Your thoughts please.
teabelly said:
Has the diverter valve or diverter valve diaphragm been changed? Did the hot water have odd bits in it before it started playing up?
I asked the plumber this, he said previous plumber had changed it.Must admit, I can't see how a power flush will solve the problem, but i'm not a plumber.
Spoke to letting agent today, they have spoken to landlord who has agreed to pay for power flush. I just hope it works!
Strange thing is, if I run the hot tap very slowly, the water is hot.
Boiler is a glow worm betacom 30c.
Various problems come up on google, overheat switch, heatexchanger, sludge, pump.
TBH, the letting agent is as frustrated as I am, as much as I say get it sorted, it's down to the landlord to approve repairs.
If its not fixed sunday, I might get a new boiler fitted and knock it of the coming months rent.
If the landlord serves a sec 21 notice, i'll move and take new boiler with me!
Letting agent has already said they could sort me out a new place if needed.
Just shows you, there are crappy landlords out there as well.
Various problems come up on google, overheat switch, heatexchanger, sludge, pump.
TBH, the letting agent is as frustrated as I am, as much as I say get it sorted, it's down to the landlord to approve repairs.
If its not fixed sunday, I might get a new boiler fitted and knock it of the coming months rent.
If the landlord serves a sec 21 notice, i'll move and take new boiler with me!
Letting agent has already said they could sort me out a new place if needed.
Just shows you, there are crappy landlords out there as well.
Update.
Plumber came yesterday whilst I was at work. My sister was here with him.
He got here at 10.30 and was just finishing up as I got back from work at about 4pm.
Before he left I checked all taps and showers and we had hot water!
However, after he left, I went for a bath, and no bloody hot water!!
If I run the tap very slowly, I get hot water, but as soon as I turn the tap on full, the water goes cold and the boiler cuts out.
I showed my sister a video from youtube of a powerflush, and she said she did not see a powerflush machine or hear any noise that sounded like a powerflush.
I really do get the feeling that the plumber is taking the p*ss and making more work for himself.
I sent the plumber a text last night and have had no reply.
I also sent the letting agent a text and she has tried to contact the plumber with no joy.
This will be about the 4th week with no hot water.
I was thinking of calling british gas and getting them out to look at boiler, at least then they will be able to tell me if the work that the plumber has said he has done, has been done.
Heating is working fine.
Ive been on google and so far, the possible faults seem to be;
Diverter valve(although plumber said this was new and had been changed by another plumber).
Pump.
Heat exchanger(plumber said he changed this last week, But, last week he took out a heat exchanger and took it into the back garden, asked for a kettle of hot water and flushed it, wether or not he re fitted it or fitted a new one I don't know)
Secondry heat exchanger.
Hot water thermister.
Maximum temp sensor.
It is sooooo bloody frustrating, we pay our rent on time, keep the house spotless, and I decorated top to bottom when we moved in and had new carpet fitted in lounge/hallway/stairs.
What can I do next?
Plumber came yesterday whilst I was at work. My sister was here with him.
He got here at 10.30 and was just finishing up as I got back from work at about 4pm.
Before he left I checked all taps and showers and we had hot water!
However, after he left, I went for a bath, and no bloody hot water!!
If I run the tap very slowly, I get hot water, but as soon as I turn the tap on full, the water goes cold and the boiler cuts out.
I showed my sister a video from youtube of a powerflush, and she said she did not see a powerflush machine or hear any noise that sounded like a powerflush.
I really do get the feeling that the plumber is taking the p*ss and making more work for himself.
I sent the plumber a text last night and have had no reply.
I also sent the letting agent a text and she has tried to contact the plumber with no joy.
This will be about the 4th week with no hot water.
I was thinking of calling british gas and getting them out to look at boiler, at least then they will be able to tell me if the work that the plumber has said he has done, has been done.
Heating is working fine.
Ive been on google and so far, the possible faults seem to be;
Diverter valve(although plumber said this was new and had been changed by another plumber).
Pump.
Heat exchanger(plumber said he changed this last week, But, last week he took out a heat exchanger and took it into the back garden, asked for a kettle of hot water and flushed it, wether or not he re fitted it or fitted a new one I don't know)
Secondry heat exchanger.
Hot water thermister.
Maximum temp sensor.
It is sooooo bloody frustrating, we pay our rent on time, keep the house spotless, and I decorated top to bottom when we moved in and had new carpet fitted in lounge/hallway/stairs.
What can I do next?
@ rickyy, yes, it did look like that.
There is a white plastic box next to the boiler, about 3inch x 3inch, it has 2 lights- red and green, when red and green are lit together, hot water works, when only red light is showing- boiler does not work.
Heating is working.
Strange thing is that the hot water has just started working again!!
I have got the hot bath tap running, its been running for about 20 minutes and hot water is coming out, i'm going to leave it running for another 30 minutes, maybe an air lock was present?
Just spoke to letting agent, she has called plumber twice with no reply, I will suggest she contacts glow worm direct about the fixed price repair.
There is a white plastic box next to the boiler, about 3inch x 3inch, it has 2 lights- red and green, when red and green are lit together, hot water works, when only red light is showing- boiler does not work.
Heating is working.
Strange thing is that the hot water has just started working again!!
I have got the hot bath tap running, its been running for about 20 minutes and hot water is coming out, i'm going to leave it running for another 30 minutes, maybe an air lock was present?
Just spoke to letting agent, she has called plumber twice with no reply, I will suggest she contacts glow worm direct about the fixed price repair.
@brman, you could be on to something.
I have that model of wireless thermostat, I changed the batteries and moved wireless thermostat into garage, ran the bath, bingo!-hot water.
I then moved wireless thermostat back into lounge and turned the temp down on it to 5c, I ran the tap in kitchen, bingo!-hot water.
Could it be that I have fitted new batteries to wireless thermostat seems to of sorted the problem?
I have that model of wireless thermostat, I changed the batteries and moved wireless thermostat into garage, ran the bath, bingo!-hot water.
I then moved wireless thermostat back into lounge and turned the temp down on it to 5c, I ran the tap in kitchen, bingo!-hot water.
Could it be that I have fitted new batteries to wireless thermostat seems to of sorted the problem?
I just turned on the hot water tap on the bath-cold.
I left it running and went into garage where boiler is, white box on wall had just red light on.
I then turned up temp on thermostat, red and green light on together, boiler fires up then cuts out, still no hot water.
Intermittent fault= the hardest to solve!
I left it running and went into garage where boiler is, white box on wall had just red light on.
I then turned up temp on thermostat, red and green light on together, boiler fires up then cuts out, still no hot water.
Intermittent fault= the hardest to solve!
It will fire up if I switch the hot tap on, then cuts out again.
Heating is working fine.
Letting agent called tonight, she has been trying to get hold of the plumber all day, including calling him from a different number, the lady from the letting agents is actually on holiday and will be back in office tomorow.
The whole thing is a poxy nightmare tbh.
Heating is working fine.
Letting agent called tonight, she has been trying to get hold of the plumber all day, including calling him from a different number, the lady from the letting agents is actually on holiday and will be back in office tomorow.
The whole thing is a poxy nightmare tbh.
hunton69 said:
Why aren't all tenants like you and how patient you have been, your land lord does not deserve you.
Not sure I would just pluck a figure up out of thin air and hold back that amount of money.
Only my thoughts but I would of logged how many days you didn't have hot water after the first time it was fixed and deducted a percentage of the rent on a daily basis plus some money for your time.
Thats whats so annoying, we are brilliant tenants, and the landlord wanted long term tenants, so it suited us well.Not sure I would just pluck a figure up out of thin air and hold back that amount of money.
Only my thoughts but I would of logged how many days you didn't have hot water after the first time it was fixed and deducted a percentage of the rent on a daily basis plus some money for your time.
brman said:
To be honest I think your problem has not been with the landlord/agent. I think it has been down to plumber(s) that are crap! I fully understand that things like this can be hard to diagnose but I think there is no excuse for the apparent "fiddle with bits and hope" way of doing things.
One of my jobs is as a domestic electrician and whenever I have a fault I am not sure I have fixed (most earth leakage problems) I always make sure the customer is aware that I might not have found the real cause and what the next steps are if needed. Probably why I have NEVER had a dissatisfied customer, even when things have gone wrong!
Agree with that 100%.One of my jobs is as a domestic electrician and whenever I have a fault I am not sure I have fixed (most earth leakage problems) I always make sure the customer is aware that I might not have found the real cause and what the next steps are if needed. Probably why I have NEVER had a dissatisfied customer, even when things have gone wrong!
But the landlord insisted on using the plumber of her choice 1st.
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