TILE LIFTING SERVICE REMOVES STRESS WITH ONE SIMPLE PROCESS

The damage suffered as a result of leaking pipes should not be underestimated – a 0.5mm leak could lose 20 litres of water every hour. Even if a leaking pipe is noticed, the cost and disruption associated with locating the source could be excessive. Too often walls and floors are unnecessarily damaged and there are no guarantees that the leak will be found.

When leaks are discovered below or behind tiled surfaces, such as bathroom walls and kitchen floors, the only obvious solution is often to destroy the tiled area. Polygon’s constant investment in skills, technology and equipment has led to the development of an innovative tile removal service, which when employed in conjunction with its leak detection service, can make the process of finding leaks truly non-destructive.

Problem

When a high net worth policyholder noticed water damage to the skirting board in their kitchen they were advised by their plumber to use a specialist leak detection service. It was highly important to the customer that disruption was kept to a minimum and a solution was found, fast.

Solution 

Under the policyholder’s trace and access insurance cover, Polygon was instructed to visit the property and conduct a leak detection survey.

A Polygon leak detection technician conducted two tests – a thermal imaging survey to locate the run of the pipes, and a tracer gas survey to identify the suspected leak site in the 65m2 kitchen floor.

The technician traced the leak to a heating circuit pipe, located under the kitchen floor. The leak location was marked with tape and a recommendation was made to remove the tiles to facilitate excavation and repair.

The policyholder was anxious to keep the existing floor tiles; no spare tiles were available and the floor would be expensive to replace.

Using Polygon’s unique tile removal technology, the technician was able to remove two tiles without breaking or damaging either those, or the adjoining tiles. The concrete slab was then excavated to expose the leaking pipe, which the technician fixed.

The entire process took only one day – to trace the leak, lift the tile, expose the pipe and fix the leak.

Benefits

• Negated the requirement to break and damage potentially expensive tiles and eliminated secondary damage e.g. potential kitchen removal
• Reduced claim cycle time for insurer
• Reduced material and labour costs, far lower reinstatement costs and no need for alternative accommodation costs for the insurer
• Faster repair period meant a better policyholder experience with fewer visits and less disruption
• Plumbing repairs carried out by Polygon’s fully qualified technicians
• Overall, high policyholder satisfaction and lower costs for insurer.