Wickes Dangerous Fitting

[DripDripDripBang]

I got new kitchen from Wickes 8 years ago using their fitters. There were a few issues at the time of fitting that got escalated to Wickes but they got resolved or so I thought

Dishwasher has broken, on pulling it out I realised they must have forced the sink on top of the freestanding dishwasher when they were putting it in place and now I've broke the sink seal and can not slide the dishwasher back in due to sink fitting. When fitting the sink Wickes did acknowledge there were sizing issues on their side not mine but they could sort it

John Lewis arrived this morning and refused to fit new dishwasher. I need new isolation tap (my issue to solve) but even if I fix that they still wouldn’t fit it due to plug being directly underneath the tap

They said although no regulations for kitchens like in bathrooms it was so dangerous they wouldn’t fit it

YABU it's been 8 years suck it up and fix the 3 issues yourself
YANBU to expect Wickes to sort out the plug and sink issues

Yeah they can just replace the tap with a join and relocate the tap further down the pipe

Thanks @rwalker that really helps thank you that I can make it safe

i've still got the issue I got a dislodged sink and a freestanding DW that should be under my sink in the middle of my kitchen rather than under my sink

You are incorrect. Read the Electrical Safety Regulations and Building Regs.

There are certain distances, mounting requirements and the requirement for an RCD but it is fine.

Get a proper electrician who is NICEIC qualified, rather than John Lewis, and they will confirm this.

You may have a dangerous fitting in the way it is mounted or wired, but in principle it is OK to have a plug under a sink.

I can vouch for this as I have a double socket under my own kitchen sink.

Agree in principle it might be ok @Ilovemyshed but I put a plastic bag taped over the plug to stop water from the dripping tap falling all over the socket

please feel free to wipe away the water and put the plug in

There is no separate link for the plug

Then it is a tap issue. When both are positioned correctly and legally, it is within regulations and approved. Clearly you had a rubbish install and didn’t have the knowledge to question it at the time. I presume given you accepted the install in the first place you don’t really understand anything about what is or isn't correct in house renovations.

I don't think you could reasonably have known the extent this was bodged. Now you do and it isn't unreasonable for you to expect them to deal with it, but whether you can persuade them of that is the real issue.

Setting all that aside, here is what you need to do:

Stop fussing about Wickes install and move on
Find a decent tradie who can refit the sink properly and seal it, or put in a new sink.
Have the plug socket moved to the side of the cabinet, its a better location and it is really a very easy job
While Tradie is there, and the power is knocked off, have them rewire the other plug properly and safely.
Then do yourself a favour and wise up a bit; freely admitting you haven’t a clue doesn’t help, its all pretty easy stuff and easy to learn and understand.

I think that is very good advice from @Ilovemyshed

We had a similar issue with some delivery guys saying things were illegal when they clearly weren’t.

Separately, we had a bit of workaround with our fitted dishwasher due to an incorrect kitchen design and when we needed to swap it, after much procrastination, I got the original fitter to come back and sort it for me. I had to pay him but he was very capable and efficient and most importantly, I didn’t have to do any more washing up!

it's hard to see the issue with the sink seal from the pictures. Which fitting is stopping you from putting the dishwasher back? Sounds like in the removing it, it was a tight fit and the sink forced upwards? Did john Lewis remove it or did you?

As for that socket Did Wickes put it in or was it already there?

What I can see is twin and earth ( the flat grey cable coming up from the around the skirting board then disappearing into the plaster underneath the socket.

Usually you see electricians surface mounting cable or capping it (placing it in conduit capping then plastering over). Not sure if this is to stop accidentally drilling into it rather than plaster damaging the insulation

An electrician could fit a blanking plate on that socket and move it somewhere else easily enough.

After 8 years I doubt you'll get far especially as it is not against regulations and if you do you might still end up with a dishwasher In the middle of your kitchen for weeks.

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice, especially around being able to move the tap rather than the plug socket

i pulled out the supposedly free standing dishwasher and yes it popped the sink

i signed off the snag list but I didn’t think I should have to pull out all the appliances to check for snags, maybe a lesson learnt for next time as no way would have accepted a plug under a tap. They had all the space to put it somewhere else as it was a back to brick installation

apart from the plugs in the sink above the DW is the only drainage in the sink and it’s the way they fitted it that made the sink pop and has now come out. If they had told me I would have said seal up the drainage to stop this issue

I’ll see if I hear back from Wickes and I have got someone coming round today

John Lewis never said it was illegal just that they wouldn’t fit it as too dangerous

It has to be a specific type of socket design that is splash proof. I agree that the problem is the tap not the socket which sounds perfectly legal.

Agree the tap seems the easiest solution but Wickes fitted both. Anyone can see putting a tap with high pressure water running through direct from the mains several times a day , where you can’t see if it is leaking, is absolutely ridiculous and totally unsafe

posters saying it was my fault for not understanding, I completely understand this is not right and it's dangerous but I couldn’t see it and trusted the professionals not to put a standard plug under the tap

is any one free to help me pull out the oven ( that is on a separate plug and link I can see this), my fridge and fitted larder so I can see if anymore bodge jobs? This shouldn’t be part of a standard snag list

Again thanks for the helpful advice, I’ve got standard response from Wickes that I’m out of workship warranty and have asked them to confirm this is final response before I go to the ombudsman as I do think this was a really dangerous installation if there had been a serious leak behind the DW onto the standard plug

wickes put them both there

I suspect the Ombudsman will reconfirm that you're out of workmanship warranty.

Ultimately you signed off on this work eight years ago., with a 2 year warranty.

I don't imagine the expected working lifespan of a kitchen is much above 8 years tbh.

I know I’ve sucked it up and will get it sorted

advice is because it’s a slimline dishwasher and not much space behind it is to move both the tap and the plug

price to move both, remove and make good the fitting stopping DW going back in place, completely re fit the sink that had popped and fit the new DW is £250. Luckily I got referred by a friend to someone who can do all the things rather than individual trades

to be fair it wasn’t about the money, it could have been worse, I would have paid Wickes to survey and do the work

for my it’s the really shoddy, potentially dangerous work they did. If my DW leak had originally been at the tap it could have been really dangerous

no one and surely not a professional fitter would think placing a plug directly below a tap is a great idea. This is what I want some response from Wickes and the Ombudsman from