The Black Museum. None of this work was DIY I Think?

 

Emergency call to Radiator on the floor. This photograph serves as a stark reminder that all  heating installers should study instructions enclosed.

Brackets were upside-down Why did one of the radiators fall to the floor? Presumably because someone managed to fix them into brackets that were upside-down.| The Large photograph has been modified to save all involved from embarrassment.

Even showers get installed  upside-down. Thanks to the ever observant Steve who was asked why it was so noisy.

The upside-down waste branch guarantees that the horizontal pipe remains over half full. . No trap either?

Falling gas meter. I am not qualified to work on gas meters. but that does not prevent me from spotting one falling off the pipe-work. Look closely. I turned off the supply. Evacuated and ventilated the house. called the gas supplier. There was no gas explosion and the house  was not demolished and no it's not Fairy Liquid.

Confused cowboys? This photograph is titled burst.   Well not yet! Anytime soon perhaps. Note the plastic pipe, heating pump and adjacent immersion heater. They are advised against its' use. Why the pump? The pump was to make hot water come out the kitchen tap. The cold water cistern had been relocated to under the kitchen sink. Are you confused too? I wondered where the pong was coming from. It I was stuck for a reducer I wouldf go to the merchants. Cleverly they knew that water doesn't run uphill.   Or does It? Unhappy clients. The cowboy gallops off into the sunset and they are a little annoyed. The plumber is called in to make some adjustments but can only leave them enlightened but devastated.

Leaks from failed plastic oil tanks and increased fire risk.

Plastic oil tanks There is a long list of accidents caused by these tanks which are reported as being used in many households, schools and even hospitals. Plastic oil tanks are usually at the back of the building Some end up on top of the roof. Why is there little interest in rectifying this problem? Surely it too is a green issue? This was promptly replaced by a steel tank. Note what would appear to be oil seepage from down the left hand section. This tank seems to have failed due to sagging of the right hand section. Another one.  Hallo! is anyone listening ?

One of the easiest ways to save on our oil  consumption is to make sure that it is not needlessly let go back into the ground by installations such as this. I rarely see a properly supported and fixed plastic oil tank. This poorly sited plastic kerosene tank beside the window of a part timber clad house appeared to be a fire hazard. There were other tanks similarly installed in the Killiney housing estate. Am I the only one who loses sleep after seeing such an installation ? Such an oil tank should be at least 1.8 mts  from any house or boiler-flue and 760mm from a boundary.

Poorly Located Oil Tanks. Plastic tank on boiler-house roof near flue and window..

In garage wall. Lateral thinking ? Note this steel tank supports 9in solid wall As left by original house builders. Not DIY. Is this lateral thinking?

Would you tell next door to move it back over their side? The client did not want to fall out with next door. Well he certainly will if it splits! It is over-sailing his property.

Note enlarged installation instructions that were still clearly displayed on this tank. 9in lintels are surely not that expensive? He was an expert it said so on the van!

Plastic piped mains water connected directly a water heater with inadequate expansion provision ?
Worked for nine years. If I left a water heater like this safety valve would fail and the plastic pipe would burst.

Don't Do this! Plastic pipes connected directly to a water heater?

This is a reminder that plumbing water heaters should be left to plumbers especially  when
installed at high level.  This is a common find in commercial premises in Dublin.
despite the manufacturer enclosing instructions in every box.

Poorly supported plastic storage cisterns.

This poorly supported water tank remained un-affected for years only due to the low water level. Failure of the ball valve would have resulted in much increased weight causing tank distortion, rupture and water damage to property. The manufacturers of plastic tanks clearly state that they must be supported over the entire base area.

 

Hopefully we shall see an end to the cowboy developers who rode the Celtic tiger. Some of today's house builders don't waste materials on site.

Failure of thermostat could result in water damage to the property. A common find in the Dublin area.

Unprotected copper pipes buried in concrete inevitably fail. A surprising find in what was one of Irelands most expensive apartments.

Nailing hidden Plastic pipes

The offending masonry nail is in the foreground. Revealing plumbing surveys. The effects upon the property owner can be utterly devastating. Understandably invoices for such surveys may remain unpaid.

Be aware! Nailed plastic pipes may not leak enough to be noticed  for some time especially if non corroding masonry nails are used. The heating systems in a block of flats had more perforations than a Tetly tea bag but the leaks didn't show up for three years. Hot water weepage was mostly evaporating. There was excessive moisture and mould growth on the walls and ceilings. For some years extra ventilation had been installed and de-humidifiers used. The brighter second fix carpenters are using adhesives for fixing skirting and door saddles. Especially when they suspect pipes are in partition walls.

Cutting cast iron soil stack with a hammer?

Snapped in passing, Quickly!

This  heavy cast  iron soil vent would  appear to be retained by one bracket  that was probably hammered into the  wall some 50 years ago. Through the wall pan connections provide the only remaining stability for some older cast iron stacks. Do not take a lump hammer to it thoughtlessly. A small inexpensive angle grinder makes light work of cutting cast iron. Replacement is  best done from the top down.

Hm! Surprise surprise! Flue gases have burnt a hole in the adjacent plastic vent pipe I wonder who got there first

 

The house on the hill.

"The heating doesn´t appear to be leaking" I said stepping out onto the patio. Like a dry river bed ? It's not raining today..

A Patio is very nice but! Before you start throwing tons of sand and slabs around the house or garden. Consider! 1.Surface water run off in heavy rain, 2.Damp proof course in walls, 3.Any low level air vents in walls 4. Drainage access or gulley traps. Patio slabs half covered low level air vents and a gap under the patio door frame. The external mat-well was certainly not a good idea! Surface water that originally ran around the house had been running through it. Water had rotted the timber wall plate and carried off much of the remains. Wild-life retreats back to the garden.

Woodlice travelling to and from the half buried air vent. Skirting like this is surely a sign of trouble.

Odour in the kitchen?

They will be dining out for a while!

Are there hidden loose access covers or gulley traps beneath your floors. A sewerage back-up can be quite unpleasant! Usually found under  poorly built extensions or converted garages. The client rang and said he had a blockage cleared two weeks ago but there was a strong smell in the house. The kitchen floor was lifted to reveal the wood shavings afloat in sewerage.

DO REMOVE THE BROKEN PIECES WHEN REPLACING!

Liberal use of a jetting machine may have cleared the blockage. But certainly did not remove this heavy piece of cast iron. It had contributed to the sewerage back-up. Ah! There's nothing like the rods

Why on earth would I be of the opinion that this down pipe will be inadequate to do the job of the original one that it replaced? Important listed building.

It's not worth digging up roads and re-wiring the entire country if it means some of us will be drinking mains water delivered through an old piece of compressor hose. Damaged water services should be properly repaired.

Someone forgot to raise  and move the vent pipe  to the new tank position. The immersion thermostat failed and boiling water  pitched out and nearly  bought the ceilings down.

( Not DIY but pics from recently built offices)

Manufacturers of polyethylene pipes and similar usually stress that connections to a heat source be made with a minimum of One Metre of copper pipe. To my knowledge barrier pipes are not excluded from this advice BS 5599 part 8 1990 states that Plastics pipe-work shall not be connected directly to a boiler or circulator. Manufacturers insist that the entire open vent off a hot water cylinder be made with copper pipe.

Un-noticed seepage from corroded copper pipes in a concrete floor turned into a torrent just as Christmas dinner was being prepared. Pipes should be lagged or protected when buried.

This poorly soldered  pipe came out in the  plumbers hand  It had been leaking  for years and wet-rot eradication delayed the new bathroom.

The combination tank stood on a wooden platform that was on the same floor level as the bathroom and kitchen.  The pressure was so low that only one hot water tap worked at any time.

An angry and disappointed householder was relieved when the installers eventually returned to replace the work shown below. The above pipe-work was re-routed. A young child was crawling around the house.

It costs very little to fit. Up to €180 to remove. Well! there is the cost of the extraction tool.

One picture is worth a thousand words roof space of property worth 1 million, at present that is?

Chip-board sheet will sag or collapse when damp...(Attic conversion) Note main tank supports?

Cistern overflow pipe and vent over flue. Expensive housing development.

A hidden expansion vessel is likely to be forgotten about and not maintained. Washing machine hoses are for washing machines !!

Just a push with the fingers revealed unsupported plasterboard causing shower leakage. Apparently recycled plasterboard.

and misuse of the parallel thread  resulted in steady seepage within  the structure.

Section of gas pipe removed from under floorboards. Gas pipe routing must be carefully thought out. (Preferably external) When fixing door saddles screw  length should be no longer than necessary.

It's history now but interesting.

Whoever carefully constructed this would be amazed to learn that it held up the heavy tank for over a year after the house was built. All six fixings were the same. Fortunately the owner noticed the splitting timbers and put in extra supports.

Found in an important church building! The large expansion tank overflow and copper weathering had been pushed down into the roof space and slated over. Ball valve failure would have resulted  in substantial water damage. I  seem to go around doing nothing but finding fault and upsetting  people.

 
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