LETTING OFF STEAM!

Richard Renouf Furniture and Floorcoverings Consultant

"In conclusion, my report to the solicitor was very easy to write. Yes, the worktop was damaged. Yes, it could be ‘repaired’ by replacing it, and as the design was discontinued this would mean all the worktops in the kitchen. But the damage was likely to have begun well before 2016 and it was therefore not possible for me to confirm that it was due to the incorrect installation of the second dishwasher six years after the kitchen was put in."

Our regular contributor and kbb installation inspector, Richard Renouf, recounts a recent inspection he performed regarding steam damage to a worksurface from a dishwasher.

It was a simple question: should the installer have fitted a steam deflector to the underside of the worktop? The briefing pack the solicitor sent to me was about a centimetre thick and after reading through it all, I could tell I was not being given the full story.

The notes I took to site explained that a dishwasher had been installed during 2016 and the postformed laminate worktop had blown five years later. The customer was not happy with the offer from the company which supplied and installed the dishwasher, which was to replace the damaged worktop, sadly, the matter had escalated from there and was now in the hands of solicitors, appointed by the customer’s legal expenses insurers. They had instructed me to carry out an assessment of the damage and the feasibility and cost of a repair.

I had found the brand name of the dishwasher, but no model number or other information that could lead me to find the product details and installation instructions. I had examined some photographs from a tradesperson who had been asked to quote for the repairs, but this showed a completely different brand of machine. I arranged my appointment in the hope that the customer might be able to fill in some of the blanks.

The dishwasher I found in the customer’s kitchen was brand new, still with its transit packing in place. It was a different brand entirely, “That’s because I had an outside tap fitted last week and the installer drilled right through the previous dishwasher and therefore has had to replace it” the customer told me.

I went through the saga with the customer to try and ensure I understood it correctly, which was the dishwasher alleged to have caused all the damage, was fitted in 2016. This was replaced early in 2021, but the new installer had still not fitted a steam deflector as the customer did not want to prejudice a potential Court claim. Then the accident the previous week had resulted in the third appliance being fitted just the day before I turned up.

“So, was the 2016 dishwasher the one that came with the new kitchen?” I asked.

“Oh, no, the kitchen was fitted in 2010, but I can’t remember what the original dishwasher was and I don’t have the paperwork.” The customer replied.

I looked at the damage to the kitchen. The worktop had blown, and this was clearly due to the effects of steam over a period of time. It was obvious that there had never been a steam deflector fitted at any time. The draining board sat across the top of the dishwasher and it was close enough to the front edge of the worktop to make it too narrow for a deflector strip and too difficult to seal the space above the dishwasher. In truth, it wouldn’t have been difficult at all, but it would have required a panel underneath the full width and depth of the dishwasher and this was clearly not something the installer knew to do or wished to do. The worktop had therefore had six years of steam ingress even before the ‘faulty’ machine was installed. The customer told me she had been unable to trace the original installer who supplied and fitted the kitchen.

In conclusion, my report to the solicitor was very easy to write. Yes, the worktop was damaged. Yes, it could be ‘repaired’ by replacing it, and as the design was discontinued this would mean all the worktops in the kitchen. But the damage was likely to have begun well before 2016 and it was therefore not possible for me to confirm that it was due to the incorrect installation of the second dishwasher six years after the kitchen was put in.

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