Washing machine plumbed into hot water supply.

[emtdickson]

On 18th April I had a new washing machine delivered.

As soon as the men left, I tried it out.

The washing boiled and I scalded my fingers when I tired to remove it.

 

Immediately I contacted Currys by email.

I expected them to send the men straight back, but they did not, and a seven month long battle began.

 

Indesit sent an engineer on 6/9 who told me the machine was working perfectly and the fault was mine.

 

When I heard that,

I suggested then that perhaps the machine had been connected to the hot water.

Without even checking he said it was not.

 

He told me that he had a good mind to make me pay for the visit as there was nothing wrong. He walked out while I was talking to him.

 

When he left I put it on again, first cottons, then wool at 20 degrees.

I sat at the computer while it was washing, and the boiler fired up.

The boiler feeds the radiators and the wet room and the washing machine, and since only the washing machine was on, it was clearly connected.

 

I posted on Indesit Face Book page.

They told me that their engineer had made his report, which they believed, and that if I posted again I would be banned.

 

After another battle they eventually sent a senior engineer today 27/10 who finally admitted that the machine had indeed been plumbed into the washing machine.

 

I have to thank the CAB for monitoring the situation.

It has been so stressful it hardly seems possible that someone can complain, and clothes ruined and they would not return, and I believe the visit today was because I started to list the costs involved, like their paying the difference in gas used from last year.

 

Todays visit was by a senior Indesit engineer

. Last Friday, however was not so good.

 

The person they sent had no English, no identification, no job sheet and no tool kit.

He could not understand what I said.

 

He got his 'boss' on the phone and gave it to me.

I spoke to the 'boss' and asked him if he would explain the job to the young man because he could not understand English.

 

The 'boss' said he did not know the job either and expected me to explain

. I was so nervous I threatened to call the police, because I really thought they were making a fool of me

 

. At the he ended the call and the young man left.

That is unpardonable.

[silverfox1961]

Hi

So I can get a grasp of this, you are saying that the engineer sent by Currys actually fitted the valve to carry the water to the machine and as a result of that clothing has been washed at too high a temperature causing damage to some clothes and increased your gas bill as well.

Firstly, if you have been scalded by the hot water then it is likely the boiler has been set at too high a temperature. This needs turning down.

 

Can you quantify the costs of the lost clothes and the excess gas bill. If so, I would send it to Currys to see what they say. (I assume they booked the engineer)

 

I would hold them responsible for any losses due to the incorrect plumbing.

 

I would say that (unless you are disabled- wet room!) you could have mitigated your loss by buying a self tapping valve kit and fitting it yourself.

 

As it is now daytime, I hope others will pop in to give their opinion.

[king12345]

I think what the op is saying is that the Wm has been connected to the hot water supply instead of the cold, so the water is being delivered at 65/67 degrees and even on cold washes the machine runs on hot water.

 

Any plumber with 2 minutes experience can sort this immediately.

I would call a local plumber, pull the machine out and take pictures of connection and let him fix the problem.

Then with his report, ask currys to pay the bill.

 

If you want to avoid this messing about, pull the machine out yourself and check if there's a cold water supply behind it.

 

If there is, simply close the hot water valve (should be a red lever),

unscrew the Wm hose by hand from the hot supply and screw it into the cold, then open the cold valve which should have a small blue lever.

 

Careful, there's a rubber washer in the hose connector, make sure it doesn't fall off when you disconnect it.

[king12345]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vPy_S5i9OI4/UY0Gpe-ui0I/AAAAAAAAA8I/qK2X6f28JCE/s1600/IMG_2502.JPG

 

This is how the cold supply usually looks like, the hot will be identical but with a red lever.

[silverfox1961]

Most new washing machines are cold fill only so there is no need for a hot valve so what the OP is likely to see is a blue lever. It beggars belief that a plumber would connect to the hot water. All he needed to do is run the hot tap for a few seconds to see which pipe got hot then connect the valve to the other pipe. I suspect he was wearing spurs and arrived on horseback!

[WarrenBuffet]

Ye hah!

[dx100uk]

 

Careful, there's a rubber washer in the hose connector, make sure it doesn't fall off when you disconnect it.

 

yep done that

 

and found out about it when you've spent 45mins putting everything back.....

[tiger265]

Please explain. What is your complaint? What is your problem? What do you want from Currys?

[mmfhater]

Curry's or any white good retailer don't send plumbers to connect washing machines the delivery driver mate who normally does it

 

Changing over to the cold supply takes 2 mins

[silverfox1961]

Curry's or any white good retailer don't send plumbers to connect washing machines the delivery driver mate who normally does it

 

Changing over to the cold supply takes 2 mins

 

Until the OP comes back to clarify I think that there was no connections present to plumb the washing machine in to therefore a plumber would have been needed to do the pipework required. A drivers mate would not be qualified to do this job.

As washing machines now have cold fill only, the plumber would have had to fit only one valve- to the cold supply. In this case (until told otherwise) the plumber fitted a valve to the hot supply and as such, no supply was available from the cold pipe. This is a schoolboy error and one that should not happen.