British Gas - SIME boiler - no hot water

[KathyM]

For a couple of months had intermittent hot/cold water. Boiler keeps turning itself off. Plumber hasn't been able to fix despite cleaning heat exchanger, checked pump, removed and cleaned diverter valve, new thermostat - but no joy. Heating seems to work ok. Plumber won't return our calls any more. Decided to join British Gas yearly checkup scheme. BG man visited this morning. Wouldn't touch our boiler. Said we would be refunded our £200+ already paid to BG. Said SIME parts no longer available, our pipes are too small and we have to move flue. Didn't want to take our boiler on. Boiler only 5 years old. Said we would have to spend £2,500 for new boiler and fitting. Does this sound right? Any plumbers in the St Albans area willing to take repair?

 

[peter anderson]

My friend asked a plumber to install a boiler and he said he would do it for £1000. She asked someone else and the other guy said he would do it for £600. The first plumber called her again and said he would match the second plumbers price. It seems like some people just make up huge figures in case they get lucky.

 

[DP]

OK for a bag of peanuts the boiler will be on the wall and fired up. Will the installation comply with hundred and one rules and regs? What happens when the fault prone highly complex boiler develops a fault. Will the fitter come back to fix the boiler or will you be calling the manufacturer who will want to look at the Benchmark logbook (which more than likely will be incomplete and probably in the bin). For installer error the manufacturer makes a charge.

Usually cheap boilers (hence low price) means VERY EXPENSIVE spares

 

[peter anderson]

Are you talking to me DP? I didn't mention the cost of the boiler. The £1000 was for labour. If he was so quick to do it for £400 less than his original offer then £600 obviously is worth his while.

 

[DP]

Figures and amounts come to nothing. For a complete picture ask for a detailed spec. The spec should tell exactly what you are going to pay. In my post what I am implying is that the installation has to be carried out by the numbers, for starters it must be chemically cleansed. This can amount to around £50.00 per radiator plus chemicals. Hire cost of power flusher may or may not be included.

If the system is to be converted to a sealed system, there is a good chance that the prefered (that is what most people see as the modern boiler) combi boiler will need uprated gas line.

Sealed systems often means old leaky system needing sorted on repeat visits.

Part L required installation upgrade. Benchmark requires thorough system commissioning (not just the boiler)

Therefore for a price of £600, if the cleansing is for 7 rads plus chemicals- say £350 going cheap, leaves the installer £250 to instal the boiler and provide material (I take it he supplies the plumbing items) plus provide diamond core unit to make a hole in the wall. Pipes earth bonded. Roomstat fitted for boiler interlock.

Cleaning will take a day, boiler installation another day. Third day to ensure everything is running to plan. No plastic all copper- extensive use of pipe bender. Pipes lagged and clipped. Plumbing correctly sized

 

[HEmeades]

For a couple of months had intermittent hot/cold water. Boiler keeps turning itself off. Plumber hasn't been able to fix despite cleaning heat exchanger, checked pump, removed and cleaned diverter valve, new thermostat - but no joy. Heating seems to work ok. Plumber won't return our calls any more. Decided to join British Gas yearly checkup scheme. BG man visited this morning. Wouldn't touch our boiler. Said we would be refunded our £200+ already paid to BG. Said SIME parts no longer available, our pipes are too small and we have to move flue. Didn't want to take our boiler on. Boiler only 5 years old. Said we would have to spend £2,500 for new boiler and fitting. Does this sound right? Any plumbers in the St Albans area willing to take repair?

hi,there is a good chance your boiler is a cloned potterton profile,if this is the case spares are freely available

 

[ollski]

I don't know the dfetails of your boiler but if the gas pipe is undersized and affecting the operation of the appliance it should be turned off and classed as at risk. The reason BG would turn it down may be that it hasn't got a gas council number...it needs one to come on to a BG contract. Why not try another company there are loads around now.

 

[weargas]

hi,there is a good chance your boiler is a cloned potterton profile,if this is the case spares are freely available

i couldn't have been more misleading if i'd told him that stapling his bottom lip to the carpet would repair his boiler.

sime parts are readily available, my parts supplier is the national sime stockist they supply everyone in the country

heating components and equipment
0191 4381608
they'll post nationwide.

 

[weargas]

i couldn't have been more misleading if i'd told him that stapling his bottom lip to the carpet would repair his boiler.

sorry, her