Hello,
We completed our city villa at the end of October and have moved in. Quite quickly, it became clear that in the ground floor the hot water takes a very long time to arrive in the kitchen and guest bathroom. According to the planning documents, it should not take more than 3 seconds for the hot water to come out. It was officially measured, and it takes 25 seconds and 3.7 liters (about 1 gallon) in the kitchen before hot water arrives. The cause is the missing looped circulation pipe. The plumber admits his mistake and has now asked us whether we want this defect fixed or prefer a financial compensation instead.
What needs to be done:
The pipe in the hallway must be exposed and about 1.5 meters (5 feet) newly installed through a wall toward the utility room. The tiles will have to be broken on parts of the utility room and hallway floors; the screed (concrete subfloor) will likely have to be removed in these areas as well. Then a new pipe will be laid so that the current overly long pipe will be integrated into the hot water circulation system on the upper floor. Afterwards, everything must be restored to its original state. We have some leftover tiles, which we would use, and then ask him to order a new batch (to avoid color differences...).
This does not sound simple or cheap to me. Instead, he also offers money. What do you think would be appropriate for this? He said he would calculate the extra consumption over 20 years. But what about the loss of value of the property? This is a defect, and we have to disclose it when selling (since we are aware of it…). It's not causing major problems; having hot water in the kitchen is nice, but thanks to induction cooking, it heats up quickly anyway 🙂 And in the guest bathroom, well, you can just run the tap for 30 seconds before visitors arrive, and then it works…
How much money do you think would be reasonable? And yes, I know it’s easy for an outsider to say “definitely have it fixed.”
We completed our city villa at the end of October and have moved in. Quite quickly, it became clear that in the ground floor the hot water takes a very long time to arrive in the kitchen and guest bathroom. According to the planning documents, it should not take more than 3 seconds for the hot water to come out. It was officially measured, and it takes 25 seconds and 3.7 liters (about 1 gallon) in the kitchen before hot water arrives. The cause is the missing looped circulation pipe. The plumber admits his mistake and has now asked us whether we want this defect fixed or prefer a financial compensation instead.
What needs to be done:
The pipe in the hallway must be exposed and about 1.5 meters (5 feet) newly installed through a wall toward the utility room. The tiles will have to be broken on parts of the utility room and hallway floors; the screed (concrete subfloor) will likely have to be removed in these areas as well. Then a new pipe will be laid so that the current overly long pipe will be integrated into the hot water circulation system on the upper floor. Afterwards, everything must be restored to its original state. We have some leftover tiles, which we would use, and then ask him to order a new batch (to avoid color differences...).
This does not sound simple or cheap to me. Instead, he also offers money. What do you think would be appropriate for this? He said he would calculate the extra consumption over 20 years. But what about the loss of value of the property? This is a defect, and we have to disclose it when selling (since we are aware of it…). It's not causing major problems; having hot water in the kitchen is nice, but thanks to induction cooking, it heats up quickly anyway 🙂 And in the guest bathroom, well, you can just run the tap for 30 seconds before visitors arrive, and then it works…
How much money do you think would be reasonable? And yes, I know it’s easy for an outsider to say “definitely have it fixed.”
We just moved in, and I would totally lose it in a situation like this, so my condolences to you. You’re so happy to finally be finished and living in the house.
I need hot water in the kitchen for washing dishes and cleaning. For cooking, I always use cold tap water because who knows how long the hot water has been sitting in the tank. But you want to live with this for the next 20 to 30 years? That’s exactly the time you’ll regret it. Maybe only a little, but you will regret it. So I would just grit my teeth and have it fixed, preferably also have them cover the cost of a hotel for about a week during the work.
I need hot water in the kitchen for washing dishes and cleaning. For cooking, I always use cold tap water because who knows how long the hot water has been sitting in the tank. But you want to live with this for the next 20 to 30 years? That’s exactly the time you’ll regret it. Maybe only a little, but you will regret it. So I would just grit my teeth and have it fixed, preferably also have them cover the cost of a hotel for about a week during the work.
Malli schrieb:
Have them pay for one week in a hotel during the work.I think I’ll also demand something like that as compensation during my next pointless doctor’s appointment.
🙁 That’s annoying. We had a similar issue with our toilets – they are installed a bit high on the ground floor for us (45 cm (18 inches)), and the plumber also gave us the option to have them lowered; but honestly, we didn’t want to bother with it anymore.
25 seconds is quite a wait in the kitchen – especially since you often want to quickly rinse something. We don’t have a circulation pump at all, but it doesn’t take that long at any tap point in our house.
I think I would go ahead with it – alternatively, an instantaneous water heater under the sink; I would tie this somewhat to the payment offered.
25 seconds is quite a wait in the kitchen – especially since you often want to quickly rinse something. We don’t have a circulation pump at all, but it doesn’t take that long at any tap point in our house.
I think I would go ahead with it – alternatively, an instantaneous water heater under the sink; I would tie this somewhat to the payment offered.
If the pipe in the hallway needs to be exposed and partially replaced, including the screed with its drying times, and then tiles have to be installed again later, this cannot be done in just two days. We would have very limited access to the house for several days, especially with children. Therefore, my suggestion to stay in a hotel was not meant as a convenience but rather as a necessity if the house does not have a side entrance.
I find the subtle jab at my profession completely unnecessary, especially coming from a moderator at this point.
I find the subtle jab at my profession completely unnecessary, especially coming from a moderator at this point.
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