Shower shocker ! - how do i make a claim ?

[Greenbear]

I have a situation with the base ( external side ) of my shower, which has been growing a rather nasty wool like fungus for quite awhile now. I do wipe the fungus away regularly with disinfectant but the horrible growth reappears rapidly and is getting progressivly worse. My plumber is pretty certain that a pipe has burst underneath, and, due to the extreme cold in the room, all year round, suspects the situation has been like that for quite awhile, but because the entire room is tiled , floor to ceiling, the only visible effects of the pipe burst, is the furry white fungus He states I should be entitled to claim on my insurance for the work.

However, will the insurance company pay out when all that can be seen, is just the fungal growth, no physical evidence of flooding water ?

Some years ago, during winter there was a big freeze in the area where I live, due to this a couple of pipes burst and my kitchen was flooded. My new plumber stated at the time that the pipes had not been lagged which they should have been, in particular as I live in a greatly exposed, high altitude building. ( I did, incidently, originally, ask, that the piping be lagged, but my request was flatly ignored ...)

As the shower was installed by the same people who installed the pipework in my kitchen it would appear the same thing has happened again, except the flooding water is hidden beneath the base ( Please note : the base was totally filled in with cement, there is no access area, so the whole thing will have to be smashed to pieces to access the pipes, which will be time consuming and expensive. When I made the claim years earlier for the burst pipes in my kitchen my insurers were somewhat reluctant to pay out, even though many, many other households were hit by the big freeze in the locality ! They paid out eventually, but only because the rest of the nation was awash with flooding in their homes, so they had little option but to fork out !

However, now, I stand alone with burst pipes hidden deep down under thick cement and behind a strong barrier of tiling. The weather is not freezing, and no other homes are affected ....

What is the best way for me to approach my insurance company to ensure I get a fair result, regards this particular, it would appear, rather longstanding, issue ?

Edited September 30, 2012 by citizenB

[MARTIN3030]

Will move your thread.

[raydetinu]

well speak to them and see what they say!

They may well send a surveyor to have a look!

[unclebulgaria67]

Is there anyway of putting down a CCTV camera, which would be a wire with a small camera on the end, to check for breaks in the plumbing ? Speak to your Insurers, but as as there is no visable leak at the moment, you might not get anywhere (*but see below). You might want to speak to plumbing/drainage companies that offer CCTV surveys and ask whether they can help.

 

*When you speak to your Insurers, it may be worth mentioning that if there is a water leak occuring underneath the property, that this could cause an issue with the foundations of the house and if this is not looked into, then it could lead to a much larger claim in the future.

[Greenbear]

Thanx Ray, I certainly will speak to them, but, first, I think it wisest to gather as much info as poss, hopefully, which will help in my favour once the claim is put forward.... Greatly appreciate your input, Unclebulgaria, the bit about the possible danger to the foundations of the house is a priceless bit of info and I will defintely use this to strengthen my case when I contact the insurers....

Possibly I could, also, mention the danger involved in the toxicity of certain types of fungi ? I know some growths can be extemely harmful to human health, this might, also, make the insurers more inclined to honour my claim quickly .....

I live in hope !

Edited September 30, 2012 by citizenB

[honeybee13]

Hello greenbear.

 

I'm sorry to nag and there may be a good reason for this in which case I apologise, but is there any chance you could make the font in your posts a bit smaller please? It makes them quite hard to read.

 

My best, HB

[dacouc]

Does your policy include "Trace and Access" cover ?

[Greenbear]

Hello greenbear.

 

is there any chance you could make the font in your posts a bit smaller please? It makes them quite hard to read.

 

My best, HB

 

Apologies, HB, about size of text, I thought it would make easier reading for people, but I will reduce the size, a tad, if you wish, ..... hoping no-one goes and asks me for larger text then I will be in a right quandry !

 

P.S - Hope this helps ? anyone else who might have probs with size of my text do let me know and I will reduce further ....

Edited September 28, 2012 by Greenbear

[Greenbear]

Thanx dacouc ,I will have to find out about the - Trace and access clause, I have absolutely no idea if I'm covered for this, infact, I don't even have policy literature from my insurance people, I have asked them several times to, please send. but still without the necessary info ........ Does this show a bit of reluctance on their part, or what !.....

[honeybee13]

Apologies, HB, about size of text, I thought it would make easier reading for people, but I will reduce the size, a tad, if you wish, ..... hoping no-one goes and asks me for larger text then I will be in a right quandry !

 

P.S - Hope this helps ? anyone else who might have probs with size of my text do let me know and I will reduce further ....

 

Hello again.

 

Personally I find that the bold print hurts my eyes, and also when I'm trying to advise someone it's useful to be able to see more than one or two paragraphs at a time. I have no trouble reading the font size most people post in and which you have used in your previous posts, just my view. People replying to you have also used normal sized font.

 

I don't think the guys who advise here have vision problems and it seems you may not have either, but it's up to you.

 

Anyone who has trouble reading CAG's normal font size can always use the control button at the same time as the + sign to enlarge it to a suitable size.

 

HB

[raydetinu]

Try neat bleach to kll fungus, usually works. ( but you moght want to leave to show insurers )!

[Greenbear]

Hello again.

 

Personally I find that the bold print hurts my eyes.......

 

HB

 

 

Ok, Bzzzz, Bzzzzz of La la Land, text format from now on as to your request

 

Never upset a Bee, might get stung, Ouch ! .....

[Greenbear]

Try neat bleach to kll fungus, usually works.....!

 

Many thanx 4 the tip, Ray, a funny thing I find about this fungus is that after I've had a shower ( I always have stone cold showers, btw, as it keeps me tip top ! ) the fungus, which is on the, outside, of the base ( not inside the shower cubicle ) almost completey disappears. I do step out of the cold shower in front of a small heater which is never used otherwise, so might be the warm air gets rid of the fungus ? But, as I have said, the room is very cold, all year round, and never heated except for during my showers, two or three times a week...... Having said that, though, exactly, the same tiles, ( natural stone mosaics ) have been used in other parts of the room, yet there is no fungus anywhere else....