Features WATER DAMAGE
construction are considered to be an issue but this needs further investigation
What can be done about unaffordable premiums? The Council of Mortgage Lenders will only accept a maximum of £1000 excess. Once charges go over this sum, flats become unsaleable and start to lose market value.
Who should be responsible for paying the excess – flat owners or policy holders? Leases are frequently silent on the question of whether or not an insurance
excess can be added to the service charge.
The alternative is for flat owners to have a leak protection system installed, which will not only reduce the risk of water damage but could bring down insurance premiums. If this is the case, why don’t developers install these systems in new blocks and why don’t flat buyers ask about them at the point of purchase?
Insulation and fire protection are requirements in new blocks under the Building regulations. Why is this
protection not extended to water systems?
The conclusion drawn by those attending the forum is that action is needed to better inform existing flat owners about the leak protection products available on the market.
Longer term, should the insurance industry insist they would only insure new builds with timber frames and plastic plumbing if they had leak protection installed, it would force developers to sit up and take notice (see On the Record, page 20 for more on the water damage forum).
infallible. Vibrations can loosen fittings; plastic parts can become brittle and metal parts may corrode. Structural seals crack and fail. Sooner or later something will leak.
Early detection The key to damage prevention is early and accurate detection and there are two basic leak detection strategies:
DRY
Arriving home after a long weekend to find a puddle of water in your single level bungalow is a nuisance. Arriving home at your flat on the fifteenth floor to find a leak is a potential calamity. In the best case scenario, you get out the mop and clean up, hopefully without suffering too much damage to your ceilings or floors. The worst case scenario is that water will have found its way through walls and floors from somewhere above. The source may be only one floor above, but water may be coming from several levels above its point of discovery. Ceilings, walls, flooring and furnishings all along the leak path may require repairs. There may be hidden damp spaces leading to mold and mildew and necessitating disruptive, time consuming repairs and restoration. Water damage has been known to cost well in excess of £200,000 (Source: Zurich Insurance) to put right. Liability disputes between leaseholders and the management company are a possibility and increases in insurance premiums are likely.
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High &
Water damage to flats is a costly nightmare but it can be avoided with early leak detection. Here, Julian Walmsley introduces Aquilar’s Aqui-Tron system.
Let’s be clear, water leaks are not an everyday occurrence. The average home owner may go years between the leaking water heater and a broken water pipe. Single family home owners often accept the risk and consequences of the occasional leak. But for anyone living in a high rise residence, the ‘occasional leak’ for the individual flat expands proportionately to the number of flats in the stack. The problem is particularly acute in blocks where owners are absent for months at a time. Leaks may not be discovered until they reach an occupied level and the cost of repairs will be much higher.
Potential water sources are plentiful: sinks; drains; toilets; baths and showers; hot water heaters; dishwashers; washing machines; chilled water dispensers; wet bars; poorly maintained roofs and windows; drip irrigation systems for roof or balcony plantings; and hot and chilled water circulation for air conditioning can all cause problems. Mechanical systems are not
Identifying excessive water flow; and Detecting the physical presence of water where it should not be.
The response is twofold: Isolate the water supply if possible and notify a person who can initiate repairs.
Excess flow detection can be achieved simply and effectively by using a home water monitor. This is an electronic device that automatically shuts off the water supply if the water flow continues beyond a pre-set period. The monitor is set so the owner has time to fill a bath or take a shower, but if water continues to flow beyond the time limit, a solenoid valve is triggered to isolate the water supply. The timer automatically resets whenever the flow drops to zero of its own accord.
What’s the cost?
The cost is around £300 for a monitor to fit a typical 15mm home water pipe, complete with controller and isolating valve plus about £100/£140 for installation. While it is possible to retrofit these devices, the installation costs are somewhat lower when plumbing is exposed during construction.
What are the limitations? Planning where to install isolation valves and determining who has override permission may be problematic. Also consider that some devices like dishwashers and washing machines have their own timers which periodically shut of internal water flow and thereby reset the Home Water Monitor. Flow monitoring devices only work for supply lines. Drain and structural leaks are not detected.
What’s this water doing here? To detect the presence of water in a place that should be dry, a variety of water sensor cables and point detectors (probes) are
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