Saltar a contenido principal
Fotos
Fotos
Consejos
Lo último en Houzz
Conversaciones
Estudios de Houzz
Inicia sesión
Houzz Logo Print
Ver conversaciones
Cocina
joseph_corlett

My First Liability Claim

Joseph Corlett, LLC
hace 7 años
última modificación:hace 7 años

After paying liability insurance premiums for over twenty years, I’ve finally had a claim filed against me.

I’ve done undermount sink reattachments at least 50 times over the last 8 years without incident and this was a typical job. The original installer smeared polyester on stone scraps then bridged the sink flange and stone bottom to hold the sink. Non-mechanical fastening like this fails anywhere between 6 months and 6 years later.

Often the sink is completely detached, but I had to drive a scraper into the silicone between the stone and sink flange to get this one to let go. The stainless steel sink, which probably weighed less than 4lbs., broke the CPVC water supply line behind the cabinet and inside the wall on its way down.

It is amazing how instantly focused one becomes with water blasting into the cabinet and onto the kitchen floor. I tried to stem the flow with my hands while instructing the homeowner to turn off the main shutoff. A computer geek type, he had no clue where it was located. I abandoned my post and ran to the side of the house, turned the valve, only to hear the homeowner shout that the water was still coming. In hindsight, I should have just broken or cut the plastic pipe and had the water pump harmlessly onto the lawn and a $1.50 fix. Instead, I ran to my truck, grabbed a monkey wrench, and turned off the water at the curb box. If more than 8 minutes elapsed between the break and shutoff, I’d be amazed, although with water gushing, 8 minutes feels like an eternity.

I returned to the kitchen to find about an inch of water covering the tile floor and wicking its way to the wood floor in the dining room. I commandeered the homeowner’s push broom and swept it through the kitchen garage door where it ran harmlessly to the driveway. I finished rehanging the sink mechanically, told the homeowner “No charge”, and to call a plumber in the morning. Although I’m a licensed Florida building contractor, reattaching a sink is considered maintenance and doesn’t require a license or permit, not so repairing broken supply lines inside walls.

Several days later I received a certified letter from the homeowner’s insurance company stating their intentions to subrogate their expenses on his claim to my insurance company. I immediately contacted my insurance company to see how they wanted to handle the situation. They didn’t seem interested in attending the meeting offered by the homeowner’s insurance company, nor the documentation I had substantiating the repeated failure of CPVC pipe in Florida. (Pipes have broken from simply turning a shutoff valve.) Or in forensic testing of the piece of CPVC I absconded with:

The failed CPVC is on the top, new CPVC on the bottom. Note the color difference.

My insurance lady told me they’d probably just settle; it was less expensive than proving the truth. When she told me they wouldn’t cancel my policy for making a claim, she lied, but my agent says he has another company to resume coverage when this policy expires. I wonder if my premiums will rise?

Now I find and test the main shutoff valve on my sink reattachment jobs before beginning any work.

Respuesta destacada
  • cpartist
    hace 7 años

    Sorry to hear it Joe. Do they still use the CPVC pipe or is their a newer PVC pipe that works better?

    Comentarios (24)

    • eam44
      hace 7 años

      Oh man.....bad day. Thanks for sharing. Now I will make sure to turn the water off before I replace my powder room vanity sink.

    • PRO
      Precision Carpentry
      hace 7 años

      I hate CPVC.That stuff gets very britle with age and sometimes will just shatter with the slightest amount of pressure.I've been lucky enough to never have any major damages cased buy it.Usually on the out flow side of a shutoff or in a basement.I always locate the main shutoff and meter before working on any plumbing.

      Liability insurance sucks.I pay around $3200 a year and have never had to file a claim. Another factor people don't see when complaining about our bid prices.

    • numbersjunkie
      hace 7 años

      It just goes to show that sometimes bad stuff happens - even to good, competent people. Sorry about the claim, but I guess you juts paid more "tuition".

    • 3katz4me
      hace 7 años

      Insurance is a strange thing. You pay through the nose so if you have a problem you're covered. Then they cancel on you the first time you file a claim. And take the cheap way out by just settling and then dumping you.

    • practigal
      hace 7 años

      Insurers never bet against a sure thing... They do not want any claims, they want to keep your money and run....

    • Nothing Left to Say
      hace 7 años

      So frustrating. And an excellent reminder to me to review where our whole house shut off valve is. I haven't used it in a few years and I tend to forget that kind of thing.


      Sorry for the bad job experience and every sorrier for the insurance--that's so typical of insurance companies.

    • zellycat2
      hace 7 años

      I'm so sorry, that's such a huge bummer.

      Honestly, I don't understand how there isn't a law in place to keep insurance companies from cancelling as soon as a file is claimed. Especially when long-time, no-claims customers finally make a claim. It flies in the face of what insurance companies present themselves to be and shows their goal isn't to use the collective good to mitigate individual risk and make a reasonable return, but to soak up profit without any social consciousness.

    • mama goose_gw zn6OH
      hace 7 años
      Última modificación: hace 7 años

      Sorry to hear about this, Joe.

      Last year the inline water heater under the auxiliary sink arced and blew a hole in the copper tubing. I panicked and ran out to the meter and turned off the water, then remembered there's a shut off where the supply line enters the cabinet. : /

      There was so much junk in the cabinet, I couldn't see the handle, but most of it's gone--I learned my lesson. Let's hope you never need a shut-off valve again.

    • mabeldingeldine
      hace 7 años

      Oh, too bad. Sorry to hear this happened to you!

      Joseph Corlett, LLC agradeció a mabeldingeldine
    • PRO
      Joseph Corlett, LLC
      Autor original
      hace 7 años

      I like sharing my failures as well as my successes here. I just took a pounding on a refinish job. I estimated 12 hours and it took 36, but that's another story.


      The lesson here is that when you're looking for a contractor, you don't just want to hear about his successes. You want to find out what's going to transpire when the job is about to go down the toilet or is already swirling in the bowl. Every contractor has stories like these; the ones that don't are lying.


      Does your guy have liability insurance or is he a Craigslister?

    • PRO
      Joseph Corlett, LLC
      Autor original
      hace 7 años

      "Do they still use the CPVC pipe or is their a newer PVC pipe that works better?"


      Like most articles, there are two sides to every story. I just read of a massive CPVC commercial failure, but it turned out the installers didn't follow the installation specifications. Modern CPVC is a fine product installed properly, but a cleaning lady shouldn't be able to snuff a stub with a mop nor should a contractor with a 4lb. sink.

    • User
      hace 7 años
      Última modificación: hace 7 años

      Got 30 year old CPVC in my house with no issues. Better than the copper with pin holes that it replaced.

      An education that your insurance mostly pays for is getting off easy. Surprised that you don't already shut off the whole house when doing repairs. Those old under the sink shut offs are always a leaky problem, and relying on the mains to work is much more reliable. Nothing worse than a shutoff suddenly geysering just because you tried to make it do it's job. Better to just do the big dog in the first place if you aren't allowed to do pipe work.

    • PRO
      Joseph Corlett, LLC
      Autor original
      hace 7 años

      A roofer doesn't shut the water off to the house. It seems nearly inconceivable to him that his hammer would fall out of his pouch, hit a pipe and break it. Kinda the same thing here.

    • mgmum
      hace 7 años

      Ah, that sucks!!

    • PRO
      Mint tile Minneapolis
      hace 7 años
      Última modificación: hace 7 años

      "Got 30 year old CPVC in my house with no issues. Better than the copper with pin holes that it replaced."


      LOL sell that to a plumber...

    • Russ Barnard
      hace 7 años

      Eh, that is why ya have insurance. Not a huge deal, really. Even the best workers have mistakes, hence why you are covered. I would not sweat it.

    • New Freedom Nurse
      hace 7 años
      Última modificación: hace 7 años

      Our 30 year old house had no shut offs when we moved in 15 years ago. It was one of the first things I did on move in. We have also been replacing the copper pipe as we remodel:)

    • waterloo360t
      hace 7 años

      Copper doesn't like aggressive water but I would still rather have it in my house than plastic.*


      Full disclosure - we manufacture copper plumbing fittings.

    • PRO
      Joseph Corlett, LLC
      Autor original
      hace 7 años

      I'm fairly sure there's never been a copper pipe with a properly soldered fitting break when struck by a 4lb. sink. Ever.

    • waterloo360t
      hace 7 años

      I hate water. So much damage in so little time. I am surprised your insurance company has no interest in going after the CPVC manufacturer.

    • blfenton
      hace 7 años

      Oh Joseph I'm sorry. What a pain. What's that saying.... Sometimes bad things happen to good people.

    • PRO
      Joseph Corlett, LLC
      Autor original
      hace 7 años

      "I am surprised your insurance company has no interest in going after the CPVC manufacturer."


      I'm saddened, but not surprised. Insurance is a numbers game, not a justice game.



      I paid ten thousand dollars for this brush twenty years ago. It was cheaper than fighting a crooked general contractor. Long story, but kinda the same thing.

    • PRO
      Joseph Corlett, LLC
      Autor original
      hace 7 años

      Ms. Andrews says this means that my sample pipe was so bad they couldn't even test it to see how bad it was.

    Patrocinado

    Volver a cargar la página para no volver a ver este anuncio en concreto

    España
    Personalizar mi experiencia con el uso de cookies

    Houzz utiliza cookies y tecnologías similares para personalizar mi experiencia, ofrecerme contenido relevante y mejorar los productos y servicios de Houzz. Al hacer clic en 'Aceptar' confirmo que estoy de acuerdo con lo antes expuesto, como se describe con más detalle en la Política de cookies de Houzz. Puedo rechazar las cookies no esenciales haciendo clic en 'Gestionar preferencias'.