u/biggest_kid

So we had a sparky install a purple box for a powerpoint above our bathroom double vanity benchtop, but there was a miscommunication and unfortunately he installed it right in the middle of the tile line that will be the top of the backsplash.

I am going to ask him to come back and move it before the tiler starts, but just wondering if I should ask him to move it up above the backsplash, or down below it and closer to the vanity top?

Considering the options I would prefer it lower so it is closer to the vanity top and therefore the gadgets that will be using it (water flosser, toothbrush chargers), but electrical regs may only allow it about 50-70mm lower than it is given we are having above vanity vessel sinks installed.

If we move it up it will be approximately 450-500mm above the bench top which might look odd but will be clear of the sink no-go zone.

Anyone done this and have any advice as to what will look less shitty while still being compliant?

So we had a sparky install a purple box for a powerpoint above our bathroom double vanity benchtop, but there was a miscommunication and unfortunately he installed it right in the middle of the tile line that will be the top of the backsplash.

I am going to ask him to come back and move it before the tiler starts, but just wondering if I should ask him to move it up above the backsplash, or down below it and closer to the vanity top?

Considering the options I would prefer it lower so it is closer to the vanity top and therefore the gadgets that will be using it (water flosser, electric toothbrush chargers), but electrical regs may only allow it about 50-70mm lower than it is given we are having above vanity vessel sinks installed.

If we move it up it will be approximately 450-500mm above the bench top which might look odd but will be clear of the sink no-go zone.

Anyone done this and have any advice as to what will look less shitty while still being compliant?

Hi guys,

Currently in the middle of a full bathroom gut and reno in WA, and the licensed plumber has:

• Run a new waste pipe for the new double shower.
• Run new copper pipes from the old bath lines for the double shower head and in-wall mixers (water pressure tested as sufficient).
• Run new copper pipe from the old single shower to the new second vanity.

The bathroom is a suspended concrete slab on the second floor, and the shower wall is internal single brick, with external bathroom walls as cavity double bricks.

While quoting my tiler noted he could see some exposed copper pipe through the mud the plumber put in the wall, so I pulled a small chunk of his concrete out of a chase and sure enough he hasn’t lagged any of the copper pipe <- non-compliant. He has also used a reducer on the shower trap to go from 80mm to 50mm which has put a lip inside the shower waste pipe.

He has come off existing copper pipes in the walls, and I am thinking none of these existing pipes are lagged either, and are likely as old as the house (1995). I think this because when I pulled the bath out it exposed a small hole in the wall and I could see a copper pipe which I am assuming was feeding the existing single vanity.

I called him to speak to him about this and he told me not to worry about it, copper pipes dont need lagging and to just go ahead with the tiling. The conversation was getting tense so I ended the call while it was still civil. I have had 2 other plumbers look at the job to quote for rectifying the work, and both commented how average the quality of work was.

Speaking with my partner our options are to:

1. Call him and ask him to come back and rectify, but we don’t really want him in our house again.
2. Try and get a refund ($5000) from him and get another plumber to rip it all out and redo the work. I strongly suspect he will not want to give us any money back.
3. Just cop it ourselves and pay another plumber to redo it all.

Unfortunately the plumbing licensing boards’ default resolution in this situation is to get the original plumber to come back and rectify, which is absolutely not the option we want here. We would not feel comfortable having him working in our house again.

What would you do in this situation? We are fairly stressed about this, we paid this guy $5k to do this work, I feel like expecting compliant work from a licensed tradie is the bare minimum and is not an unreasonable expectation. Or do we just forget about it, as he would only be fixing his original work anyway, and seeing as there are probably other unlagged pipe lengths in this bathroom. I mean what if we go to all the effort of having this ripped out and redone, only for one of the older pipes to develop a leak anyway?

Any advice on this stressful situation is much appreciated.

As the title says, I need to remove the paint and plaster from the brick wall before tiling, what is the easiest way to do it without damaging the render underneath?

Was looking to hire a grinder with dust shroud and H class extractor, but was thinking the double row grinding cup might chew into the render quite a bit?

The whiteset plaster looks like it is only about 1mm thick.

Hey guys,

Have been doing some research on this and have asked a bunch of tilers and even some professional waterproofers (non-tilers) and cannot get a consistent answer for this, it seems to be a bit of a grey area.

From what I have read, a certificate of compliance for waterproofing is not legally required in WA. Any waterproofing work done however, IS legally required to comply with AS3740. So my first question is, if there is no official legal document stating my waterproofing is compliant to AS3740, how can the installer prove to me that it is? I just take his word for it? And then how can I prove that to an insurance company/real estate agent/solicitor?

Second question, if my tiler does the waterproofing, and in a few years time I have some issues with water leaks, is he legally obligated to return and rectify the issue? Does this change whether I have that piece of paper or not?

The only two people who told me they would issue a certificate of compliance were dedicated waterproofing professionals (non-tilers). I have had family and friends say that it is not a good idea to have separate companies doing the waterproofing and the tiling. They have said people who do this and have issues with their waterproofing will just have the waterproofer claiming the tiler damaged the membrane during install, and the tiler claiming the waterproofing was not installed properly. So third question, is this a valid concern?

My bathroom has a few high risk potential failure points in it (different material junctions/transitions resulting in internal angles etc) so I would like to get this right for peace of mind.

Appreciate any advice.