No more leaks?

PROGRESS: Sunfold Systems decided to send a team of fitters to sort out these leaks properly. The idea being to lift out each pane of (enormous) glass and re-fit them, re-seal them and thus stop the leaks.

Rob and I spent an hour last night clearing every bit of furniture and associated debris from downstairs underneath the glass (ie most of the dining room). I did 20+ trips up and down the stairs while Rob dealt with the fiddly stuff. We then stacked the heavier bits and watched the drips land on our artfully arranged selection of pots and trays.

I managed to damage our Arco lamp when I thought I was unscrewing the bulb but was in fact shearing off the fitting including the wires. (Fortunately Rob knows how to resurrect this from his distant past as a scientist with a qualification in electricity or similar).

Sunfold's crack team arrived this morning ON TIME at 8.30am and were done by lunchtime. After so many visits which ranged from no show to late to not resolving the issue, I was beyond happy.

Apparently our problem was caused because the frames the vents (windows) sit on leaked at the joints - which is a manufacturer fault as they come pre-fabricated. It's Sunfold's responsibility to remedy even though the frames are manufactured in Germany. I am waiting for a rain storm so I can confirm that everything is water tight. Everything is crossed.

Tap, leaks & cartridges

I've just ordered a home delivery meal as plans to make dinner were scuppered when our lovely Polish builders popped round. Initially they were going to sort the leaking hot water heater under our stairs. A plastic nut had cracked, so water was leaking for about 2 weeks before we noticed it. There's bound to be water damage but I'm not motivated to empty the cardboard boxes that are stored under there just yet.

The builders then tried to install our replacement kitchen tap. Which unfortunately turned into a massive breakage. The concrete counter has a hole drilled through it, but there's nowhere for the vice to attach to, to hold the tap still. The part that should hold it in place has sheered off from the jiggling. Now we have no tap installed and the contents from under the kitchen sink cupboard are spread out all over counter top.

It's not the builder's fault, it's just one (or two) of those things. Hopefully replacement parts can be procured tomorrow. Otherwise we're in trouble as it means no tap until the builders get back from their next job.

On a positive note, I finally got proper cartridges for my decks and learned how to adjust the tone arms. Immediately my vinyl sounded 100X better. They're Numark CC1's if you're interested (pictured). They're not the top of the range by any stretch but for around £80 a pair they're a lot more affordable than other options. Really wish I'd done it sooner.

Sunfold Systems still suck

After a very exasperated phone call explaining that the Olympics actually meant light traffic, we got a new (!) slot for the service team to come round. We were assured by both the booking person and the head of installation that we'd be the first call out this morning. Guess what? No-one had showed up by 11am. Or midday. In fact, they didn't show up until the middle of the afternoon, saying that there was nothing on the call sheet about us being the first call out. (What is wrong with this company?!)

Rob had worked from home so he'd be there to explain the problems himself. Apparently the service chap was perfectly lovely and agreed that Mastick, debris, unusual shrinkage etc were not acceptable reasons for the number of leaks we were enduring. He's going to order up replacement vents and metres of rubber and replace as much as possible. This will be a full day's job. (The last time Sunfold Systems were meant to do a 'full days work' it lasted for several days, so I won't hold my breath).

Fortunately we have a 10 year warrantee. I hope these leaks are sorted before the 10 years is up!

Sunfold Systems suck

Guess what happened? After several emails sorting out the Sunfold installers to come back for the 6th or 7th time to sort out the ever worsening leaks, we finally had a date in the diary. It was several weeks away owing to high demand (!). We even had a generic email telling us there might be delays in reaching us due to the Olympics.

I emailed back asking if there was a cancellation earlier in the month to please let us know but alas, 31st July was the earliest we could get. Of course, the leaks continued right through June & July and the floor has been covered with towels and pans for so long that I've adapted my cooking to use fewer pans.

Yesterday on the drive back from Camp Bestival Rob rang Sunfold Systems to remind them that we had requested the first call out of the day. He wanted to speak to the installers directly to explain the problems and show them the new leaks. He left a message explaining this and his number so that they could confirm, but alas didn't hear back.

This morning he waited for a while and at 9am rang again, and was surprised that the same person who's been dealing with us all this time was clueless about the call out. At 11am he emailed me with the news that all London jobs had been cancelled but they'd forgotten to tell us. Apparently the Olympics would make it too difficult for them to come by van.

What a company: firstly, I drove across London in rush hour last night and the traffic was no worse than usual. If anything it was a little quiet. This morning I cycled to work and again, the traffic was lighter than usual. Lastly - WHY DIDN'T THEY COMMUNICATE THAT TO US?!

As Rob is a contractor he will only get paid for half a day today (he has a 90 minute commute). I am tempted to invoice Sunfold Systems for the lost income/wasting his time (does anyone know the legal viewpoint on this?).

I have never dealt with such a baffling company - their product isn't fit for purpose, and their customer service and after-sales service is laughable.

How appropriate that we bought a bottle of delicious Holy F*ck hot sauce at the weekend. I've been muttering that phrase all morning.

As the Olympics 'traffic' is going to affect London til September I guess this means we'll continue with the leaks for another 6+ weeks, at least...

Six months on a leaky boat

Over two weeks ago I emailed Sunfold Systems about these persistent leaks but have yet to get a reply. I guess they're exasperated with us - the annoying client who always has leaks despite 5+ site visits. We're pretty exasperated too - it's not ideal paying over £20k for a brand new roof to live with pots, pans and towels on the floor. The leaks have gotten so much worse since the last visit that we're wondering if having the serviceman up there has somehow damaged the steel supports. Will write a firmly worded letter and update in due course.

In other news, LOVE having that second shower. Especially when the weather's been humid and the kids come home filthy. The shower space is easily big enough for both girls - it feels roomier than other showers we've used actually, and despite various warnings about soap scum the black tiles look fine.

PS title refers to a Split Enz song: Rubbish quality video but it's from 1982, pre HD:

Drip drip drip

Bad news - despite replacing the rubber seals around the vents/windows, the roof still leaks. Now it seems to leak in four places, when it used to be three. Actually I've spotted rogue drips landing on random places on our floor and can't even figure out where they're coming in.

The Sunfold System repairmen suggested we poke at the drainage holes in the rubber with a stick to clear any debris regularly, but as the drips started a few days after their last visit this is clearly absurd. Even if the drainage holes were blocked with roof moss or dirt or whatever, the overflowing rain should surely drain off the exterior glass towards the guttering rather than drip INSIDE the house.

Funnier still, once the rain stopped, the drips continued for another two days - as the water is obviously building up somewhere beneath the seals. How can we be the only customers to have this problem?! If you've heard of any similar problems with a newly installed glass roofing system please leave the details in the comment box below.

Is now a good time to mention that the customer care person I'm dealing with is called Sue Lake? There's an irony in there somewhere.

Leaks in the roof

The rain in the UK has caused flooding, so you can imagine that quite a lot of water has fallen the last month or two. With it comes an ongoing problem that we have from our otherwise superb glass extension: The three vents (aka windows) all leak. Not from the frame, but from the rubber seals in non-consistent places on all three.

Sometimes one does it, sometimes two, but never so far all three. We've had Sunfold Systems (who installed it) out four times to remedy the problem over the last couple of years. This usually results in some rubber getting cut to improve drainage, then a fella coming back to seal up the hole which is too large. Then a fella coming back to cut a hole in the seal when the vents start holding water, a bit like an overhead glass-bottomed boat feature.

This time though they decided to pull up the external rubber and replace it with a wider version which should channel any water (rain, condensation, overflow from washing the windows etc) into the holes. From here it trickles over the glass and down into a gutter. That's the theory anyway. And yes, apparently we're STILL the only people to have this problem.

The top photo shows the dining area sporting roasting trays on the floor to catch the drips.

UPDATE

Two of the leaks have come back, so Sunfold are coming back next week to have another look...

A seeping problem

I have what is technically called an ensuite bathroom that I've been using as a shoe storage facility. The water pressure was so dire it was pointless using the shower, but I could stack six boxes up to the roof. In December we got a new boiler installed and at the time the plumber had tested the shower pressure in the ensuite.

Two days ago I noticed that one of the plastic shoe boxes was half full of gungy coloured water. The shower head had been dribbling for the last four months. I pulled out all the boxes, the one pictured below was the worst of them: 18 pairs of shoes were water damaged, 10 were so far gone that they were unsalvageable. My £300 pair of suede Christian Louboutins - which are so uncomforable I've worn them three times - were mouldy. Of all my shoes, these are the one pair I wanted to save (£100 per wear is ridiculous, regardless of comfort).

Unfortunately, moving the boxes meant that the water was able to seep into a broken wall tile and within hours the ceiling in the TV room AND the spare room had both developed ugly brown watermarks.

Rob has now blocked off the leaky shower attachment with a special plug. He's going to do an emergency paint job tomorrow night. We have 48 hours to get it looking reasonable as the bank valuer is coming over for another round - the last valuation was so ludicrous we decided not to pursue a mortgage with that particular bank... great timing, but these things never seem to happen at a good time. It really is never ending isn't it?