ComplaintsforPlumbing Dynamics

• Initial Complaint

  10/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 11/2/2021, my wife and I were in the option period to purchase our house. We asked the sellers for permission to perform a hydrostatic test. We contacted plumbing dynamics to perform the hydrostatic test. A plumber arrived on 11/2 and began inspecting the property. Neither I nor my agent was present. That same day, I received a text from my agent stating "No leaks. Everything looks good underneath the home." This was based on info communicated to him by the plumber. He then called me to accept payment, and I paid a $350 service fee. At no point in either of those communications did he tell us that he was unable to find the sewer cleanouts, and so was unable to fill the sewer pipes with water, neither was he able to fully camera the sewer line. Based on his representation of "no leaks", assuming that he had done the asked Hydrostatic test, we closed on the house 11/15. On 11/30, I called the plumber and asked him to come back to explain what exactly he was able to do. At that time I showed him the cleanouts located behind the fence. He stated "I should have seen these". He admitted to me that he was not able to fill the pipes with water on 11/2. He explained that all he had done was put his camera down the sewer vent stacks from the roof. I asked him "So you didn't do a true hydrostatic test then?" His response - "No, that is a hydrostatic test". I, not knowing any better, believed him. I still wanted an actual test so I sent him a text message clarifying my ask, and asking for the test results from 11/2. I did not receive the test results, but did get an estimate for needed tunneling under the house that he was able to see on 11/30. On 8/16/22, we finally had our cast iron replaced. Our new plumber said "there's no way any of this held water". Some pipes were completely non-functional. If the hydrostatic test had been performed as represented, we would not have closed on the house. We seek compensation for the cost of replacing our pipes.

  

  Business response

  02/15/2023

  Business Response /* (1000, 10, 2022/12/21) */ Contact Name and Title: **** ****** Contact Phone: XXXXXXXXXX Contact Email: ****************@verizon.net In response to customer complaint date 10/1/2022: A request was received from a prospective home buyer via their real estate agent to complete a Hydrostatic Test on a sewer system at ************************************ for a home that was on the market. On 11/02/21, we arrived at the property and were unable to locate the cleanouts to perform the test. It was determined that the clean outs were located under the back patio made of stone. We did not have consent from the listing property owner to excavate the patio, as the home was still on the market, and this would incur additional costs to the homeowner. The prospective buyer was also not going to cover that expense. We contacted the prospective buyer's real estate agent to provide him with an update, and informed him that we could try to locate the cleanouts by running the camera from the roof, but that without access to the cleanouts, we would not be able to complete the requested Hydrostatic Test, as we would not able to fill the pipes with water to test for leaks without that access. We were given the authorization to proceed with trying to locate the cleanouts through the vents on the roof. We attempted the first two vent stacks and were unable to get the camera down as the lines were blocked with debris. This would require snaking the lines to clear the debris to attempt to access cleanouts from there. The prospective buyer (Mr. *******) declined to have the vents snaked as he did not wish to incur additional costs other than the agreed $350.00 camera fee. As such, we did not access clean outs. The other vent stacks were able to get a camera down, and we found that the lines were dry, and scaling had started to accumulate along the inside of the copper pipes due to a lack of moisture. We continued with the camera inspection, (while not able to do the hydrostatic test) and found additional areas of pipe that were questionable, but were not able to provide a guarantee that breaks were not present due to the level of debris and scaling. The hydrostatic test that enables determination whether the lines would hold water was the way to ensure this, and we couldn't perform that test. Pictures were taken of the issues seen in the lines we could camera inspect, and were sent to all parties. Upon completion of the inspection, we contacted the buyer's agent to provide him with our findings. The agent asked for us to contact the prospective buyer directly with those findings, where it was explained that we were unable to conduct the hydrostatic test as we could not access the clean-outs. The buyer was informed that although we were not able to confirm, or not confirm, any actual breaks; there were places on the lines that the camera could not pass through. The buyer was provided details of the extent of scaling and debris built up in the system. The buyer was made aware that the system was the original cast iron, and due to debris and scaling as well as the home's age, (built in 1957), the original plumbing system would eventually need to be fully replaced at a point in the near future. Notes were made on the invoice and a quote was provided for the cost of replacing the whole system. While we truly understand the frustration of the home buyer, we did not misrepresent our work, or our findings. We do have phone records of calls made to both parties that day where we reviewed our findings, as well as written notes on the invoice. A text from their agent saying "no leaks" would be contrary to our phone conversations with the agent and the buyer, as well as the noted invoice. Months later, the new plumber, once able to properly access the clean outs, could perform the necessary hydrostatic test that we could not. And while we could not perform the conclusive hydrostatic test, we did report that the areas our camera could access, showed the original plumbing to be deteriorating, even though we could not conclude any actual breaks in the lines. For goodwill, we will refund Mr. *******'s $350 fee. We apologize for the delay in response. Our business address is not our mailing address, and the BBB had an incorrect email address. Consumer Response /* (3000, 12, 2022/12/27) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Neither I nor my real estate agent were informed that a hydrostatic test was not able to be performed. It is possible that Mr ****** contacted the seller's agent, but the seller's agent did not pay for the test. When I provided payment over the phone I was not informed of any blockage in the vent stacks, nor of the inability to perform a hydrostatic test. I was informed that the house had cast iron pipes that would need to be replaced eventually, but the plumber told me verbally that they looked good and would not need immediate replacement. I was not informed "there were places on the lines that the camera could not pass through", contrary to Mr ******'s claim, nor was I provided "details of the extent of scaling and debris built up in the system". When the plumber from Mr ******'s company returned on 11/30, he told me verbally that on 11/2 he was able to put a camera down the vent stacks and see the cast iron, and that what he could see at that time looked good. He also verbally told me that what he had done on 11/2 constituted a "hydrostatic test". Because I was planning to get foundation work done soon, I wanted a proper hydrostatic test done first so that I could compare and see if the foundation work had broken anything. So my first text message to the plumber after his visit on 11/30 reads: "Please give me a quote for a hydrostatic test in which you would uncover the cleanouts and fill the pipes with water". I specified "fill the pipes with water" due to his claim that he had performed a "hydrostatic test" in which he didn't fill the pipes with water. I also asked for a copy of the invoice for the work done on 11/2, but I never received that. I was told that Plumbing Dynamics does not keep electronic records and that they were unwilling to go find the invoice for me. I would be interested to see the notes on the invoice, as well as any phone records.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩