Manhole replacement: were my expectations too high?

[Almost Aviation]

51 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

I'm guessing they were cash merchants and you've paid. 

 

I paid on a credit card, so I have the option of making a section 75 claim against the CC company and the contractor. I am trying to establish (a) whether people think it would be a legitimate claim, and (b) on what grounds to claim. (Also (c), whether to claim the entire fee or part of it.) My current feeling is to claim the whole fee, on three different grounds:

1. It's not a like-for-like replacement.
2. The installation wasn't done with 'reasonable care and skill'.
3. It's not even approximately airtight.

On point 3, restoring it to airtight condition was something I mentioned in an email exchange with them (including pictures) as information for them to offer a quote. (You will also see that the original lid is embossed with 'air tight inspection cover', which they would have been aware of before quoting.)

[saveasteading]

What did you ask for? Replace that broken manhole? Then 1. Stands.

2 and 3 are also correct.

I dont know if you are suposed to warn them ' before action'.

[Conor]

21 hours ago, Almost Aviation said:

Needless to say, the new manhole doesn't seal and I still get smells from the drain, which is a shared line for the street.

 

This means it's a public sewer under ownership of the local water company. So not your responsibility, and more importantly needs to be accessible for maintenance - which it won't be if you put a deck over it.

 

On the subject of smell, you shouldn't really get smells from a MH like that, even if not perfectly sealed- if you're needing to use silicone to to stop this, then there is another issue going on that might need to be addressed (poss. downstream blockage.) Up to you if you want to bother the water co. Somethings best left alone. 

[Almost Aviation]

37 minutes ago, Conor said:

needs to be accessible for maintenance - which it won't be if you put a deck over it.

 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by Almost Aviation

[Kelvin]

That manhole cover isn’t great when installed like this. I know this because I have exactly the same one only a bit bigger for my headwork chamber for my borehole. The frame is too flimsy for the heavy lid so any cement they batter around the frame to secure will always break. The frame needs to be secured in place then cemented. In my case I had a cover and frame made and resorted to doing it myself. 

[Carrerahill]

58 minutes ago, Conor said:

 

This means it's a public sewer under ownership of the local water company. 

 

I pointed this out too, therefore, without knowing the background, seems odd the OP is touching it. I would be making sure it looked rather dangerous, then called out the water authority! 

[Almost Aviation]

43 minutes ago, Carrerahill said:

I pointed this out too, therefore, without knowing the background, seems odd the OP is touching it. I would be making sure it looked rather dangerous, then called out the water authority! 

 

Yeah, it's probably too late for that. I did make a cursory effort to contact Thames Water but they don't make it easy unless there's an emergency. Perhaps I will email them.

[Almost Aviation]

1 hour ago, Kelvin said:

That manhole cover isn’t great when installed like this. I know this because I have exactly the same one only a bit bigger for my headwork chamber for my borehole. The frame is too flimsy for the heavy lid so any cement they batter around the frame to secure will always break. The frame needs to be secured in place then cemented. In my case I had a cover and frame made and resorted to doing it myself. 

 

Yeah, this is what they should have used. This took me literally 10 minutes web surfing to find and order. It just turned up this afternoon. (This is the other end of the garden, BTW!)

 

 

[Almost Aviation]

Update for the interested: I claimed 50% through my CC company, which was successful. So in the end I paid only (!) £481 for this job. A good result, though debatable whether the effort that needs to go into formulating a detailed complaint would be worth it for a lesser amount

 

 

[Andehh]

Well done, seems a reasonable outcome! Thanks for updating.