An insurance policy that does not cover burst pipe! Be wary.

[mrsaneperson]

Recently i was ringing around for insurance property quotes & came across Lantern Insurance who are part of NZI .
The representative as part of their sales policy pre quote asked me if my rental property had "Dux Quest Pipework" . I said i didnt know & asked what does it look like? Her reply:

" Its black or gray & if youre unsure have a registered plumber check it out , we dont cover any leaks from this plumbing despite it being used in 1000's of homes because it has shortcomings in the manufacturing process which causes a leak eventually"

Problem is most water piping is black or grey!So how to tell ?

I did not take my premium out with Lantern because i felt that is an unfair policy as many people would be totally unaware if they had that type of plumbing or not in place. Then to get a rude awakening when something did happen, house was flooded & find...... they weren't covered!

As far as im aware Lantern are the only ones who have this policy; though Lantern is a subsidiary of IAG trading through NZI which also includes, AMI & State, i wonder if they also have this policy in place?

[PC]

Probably - they just don't tell you such things until they decline your claim.
It's a bit like getting your chimney swept each year.
Where does it say anything about this in a policy?
A simple English list of these fish hooks would be nice to have.

[TheLiberalLeft]

I think it's quite common. It was featured in a Fair Go programme a year or two back. Mainly used in the 70's I believe.

[Gladdynook]

The old DUX pipework has copper bands on the joints. Then they moved to aluminium (back now to copper however). Pretty sure it is all black pipework, but sounds like there may have been issues with grey also. Possibly the old fittings were used with the newer grey pipes?

Anyway, the hot pipes will split the copper bands on the joints due to the expansion and contraction. Cold will be fine. Once you have one fail, you may as well replace them all.

Call Dux and ask them what years the product was being used before they changed. I'd guess late 70s, through most of the 80s.

[Perry]

Sounds like an interesting variant on the leaky homes syndrome.
I.e. those who approved the use of the products have vanished,
without any trace or liability.

[Nice]

An existing insurance policy will generally cover damage caused by the first leak from this stuff, maybe the second if you are a good client and it is a nice day; but after that unless you replace the whole lot, you are on your own.

Elderly Mother In Law has this problem, insurance co has been good to her, but whole house needs to be redone. Flat roof, concrete slab, all pipes inside walls, no access anywhere. A real nightmare.

All insurance companies have the same view, but most won't tell you about it until it happens. I would suggest you should have gone with Lantern, they have been up front and told you about it; a most unusual trait from an insurer.

[TheLiberalLeft]

ooo, that doesn't sound nice, Nice.

[mrsaneperson]

Sounds like an interesting variant on the leaky homes syndrome.
I.e. those who approved the use of the products have vanished,
without any trace or liability.

They're still trading:

Dux Head Office
32 Mahia Road, Manurewa, Auckland 2102
Phone: 09 279 2850, Fax: 09 279 2851, Email: [email protected]
Contact Centre Freephone: 0800 367 389
For Export Enquiries (Outside NZ) please email: [email protected]

[Perry]

It's the approvers I was referring to. It was
the government (or government agencies)
that allowed untreated timber to be used in
so many buildings. Building that later became
the statistics in the leaky homes lists. That
happened after the two major timber suppliers
'schmoozed' those involved into agreeing that
it was OK.

I've heard building certifiers talk about how
certain products with a 50 year life claim
are seen to be failing in less than ten. But
they can't deny the use of them, despite
the signs of failure which they see.

And dux make other things besides pipe.

[essence]

Dux piping was around in the mid-eighties, so along with bad cladding you also got bad plumbing.

It looks like the black garden piping that you buy these days. I don't know if it's the same product and they've re-branded it or not.

If you've got this in your house, spend the money and replace the whole lot because otherwise you'll have burst pipe after burst pipe after burst pipe. And as mrsandperson says, the insurance companies are okay for maybe two claims but that's about it.

How long is plastic piping meant to last anyways? Don't forget, the '80's was 30 years ago!!!

[Maccachic]

This has come up a lot on here I think, quick google should find lots of threads. I believe a good pre purchase surveyor should make note of it.

[TheFlash]

Its black and has the wording dux qest imprinted on it, every short distance - so its easy to spot if you know to look for it.


this website has a picture

http://www.peterjacksonplumbing.co.nz/page703919

(no association)

[TheLiberalLeft]

Wow, that Peter Jackson sure is a multi-talented fellow.