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Electrical problem in my flat due to water damage

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  1. #1

    Exclamation Electrical problem in my flat due to water damage

    I bought a 550 square foot flat in the Ma On Shan area in 2008. I've been living inside of it since.

    There's two areas in my flat that have been developing water damage. The most severely water damaged area is in the kitchen which has quite a bit of piping. The other area is the living room wall. On the other side of the living room wall is the shower.

    The water damage in the kitchen caused an electrical problem that caused all the wall sockets to stop working. However if I disabled the kitchen sockets in the circuit breaker, then the sockets in the rest of the flat would work fine.

    The electrician my wife found can do a stop gap solution to fix the kitchen wiring in the kitchen for $3.2k HKD, but he says it's only a matter of time before the electric wiring in the flat will completely fail and will need to be ripped out and replaced. This also means ripping up the walls, floors, etc.

    He says all of this work will cost about $210k HKD. That's not even the worst news; the most distressing part is that it's going to take 2 months.

    I find the need of having to find short term accommodation extremely unappealing, and having to live there for 2 months is major downer.

    And even worse is I imagine that I will have to move all my stuff out and find storage for it as well and then move it back in after the job is done. This all sounds very stressful to me. I'd love to hear some good news, like an electrician telling me this'll all cost 100k instead of 210k.

    Does anyone know any English speaking electricians? I'll also take an electrician who speaks Mandarin, but my vocabulary is much more limited since I'm still learning it.

    I want to gather as many opinions and price quotes from electricians as possible.

    Last edited by truemandate; 13-09-2014 at 04:08 PM.

  2. #2

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    Have you fixed the water leak problem? I assume yes but obviously that should be first priority.

    flameproof likes this.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by bibbju:
    Have you fixed the water leak problem? I assume yes but obviously that should be first priority.
    The 210k would be to tear everything out and fix everything including the leak plus replacing the electric.

  4. #4

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    do you have the photos of the wall sockets

  5. #5

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    Sorry, maybe I'm missing something here but how can an electrician quote you for fixing a water leak unless he's also a qualified plumber? Do you know what's causing the leak? Surely the first thing is to fix the leak before it does any more damage? I assume this isn't affecting any of your neighbours' flats (yet)? The last thing you need is a neighbour bringing a negligence claim against you if you've known about a leak but not fixed it and then if affects their property too.

    I'm a little bit baffled but maybe we just do things differently.

    210k does sound extortionate but it depends how bad the damage is. 2 months also sounds way OTT. Have you discussed this with your insurance company?

    Last edited by bibbju; 13-09-2014 at 05:57 PM.

  6. #6

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    It is better to move and find a new place imo.


  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by TimUK:
    It is better to move and find a new place imo.
    Ah yes find a buyer for a place with a major water leak and electrical issue


  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by bibbju:
    Sorry, maybe I'm missing something here but how can an electrician quote you for fixing a water leak unless he's also a qualified plumber?
    Welcome to Hong Kong!

    You could do the wiring overground. That's a DIY job that will take you maybe one Saturday afternoon.

    But as said, priority is to find the leak and fix it. Water (and god) can go mysterious ways and where the wet spot is is not necessarily were the leak is. That's where I would look first though.

    BTW, to open channels in your walls for piping or wires ain't THAT much of a job. You can do it within a weekend (watch the noise ordinance though).
    Last edited by flameproof; 10-11-2014 at 01:15 PM.

  9. #9

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    Both $210k and two months sounds like an absolute piss take.

    Suggest getting several more quotes. I have just had a major electrical refit done in London on a substantially larger flat for way under half what you are being quoted.


  10. #10

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    Try going to the lobby of your building, or the management office and find the supervisor
    Ask that supervisor to recommend a licensed plumber, to fix a leak in the kitchen.
    Usually the maintenance/security guys have a list of electrician, plumber on standby, these guys would have already worked with the management office and already have done stuff in your building previously AND they are already licensed. Normally, management office would only work with the licensed guys.
    I'd listen to what these plumber says first before making up my mind.

    WSD - Employ a Licensed Plumber

    shri likes this.

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