Customers being ripped off - Power flushing.

[oldtimeplumber]

It never ceases to amaze me how much some companies/sole traders are charging for a power flush

British Gas is top of the list, i have heard horror stories from people who have been quoted £600-£800 for this service!

The fact is at those prices ^^ it's a rip off - plain and simple.

Any engineer worth his salt won't be anywhere near those prices, especially for your average sized system of say 8 radiators, after all we are talking a days work in most cases (plus chemicals) so there isn't any justification to charge exessive prices especially like those given above, my advise would be to tell them to (politely) take a hike!

You can have a power flush carried out for as little as £200.00 for a system comprising of 8 radiators (including boiler) if you shop about.

Sorry for the rant, just makes my blood boil to hear of people being ripped off like this....

 

[bengasman]

I doubt that you will get a proper powerflush for £200, but it is indeed a lot closer to the mark than £800

 

[oldtimeplumber]

I doubt that you will get a proper powerflush for £200, but it is indeed a lot closer to the mark than £800

Define 'proper' please, i take your point that care should be taken in choosing a competent person to carry out the job if thats what you meant?

But a power flush being carried out correctly will be:

No shortage of dustsheets in the first instance!
All day to carry out in most cases
If open vented then F+E tank removed and cleaned
Some sort of device to agitate the magnetite in the radiators.
....and the process should be carried out on each radiator
Ideally mag filters inconjunction with flush
Some sort of device to monitor flow through radiators.
Chemical cleaner (and inhibitor afterwards)
A tds meter test
Guarantee of workmanship given at end of job!

Sorry bengasman, the above wasn't meant for you, more for any prospective customer wishing to undertake a power flush, and who may be sourcing info

 

[jackpike]

i agree 100% with you oldtimer, and its not just powerflushing, some of the so called serviceing is questionable too, many operatives now (please lets stop calling them engineers) just stick a probe in the flue and charge full whack,,,,,disgracefull

 

[lawrance]

You are a character! some sort of this and some sort of that?

you obviously dont have a clue what your on about

 

[kevplumb]

Some sort of device to agitate the magnetite in the radiators.

that will be

then

 

[oldtimeplumber]

@Bengasman....
just noticed your sig, 100 quid says you cant get my 'old boiler' going - i've been trying since i met her!

 

[oldtimeplumber]

Hit a nerve have i?

 

[kevplumb]

no

 

[oldtimeplumber]

So please tell us then, do you follow some other process in relation to this post?

 

[kevplumb]

the real rip off merchants are the "powerflushing is a cure for all ills brigade"

 

[ChrisR]

Yep, it gets me going. Some people want silly money to do it, some want it done for nothing "while you're fitting the boiler".

It's all a bit of a lottery. You get excellent, or unthinking contractors, and easy or difficult, normal or choked, systems.

It takes quite a bit of understanding and experience to deal with the problems you can come across. I've had more than my share of bypasses in stupid places. Microbore. Anti-gravity valves. Incorrect plumbing. Leaking rad valves.
If all systems were "standard" yes you could train a monkey to do them, but they aren't.
Often you have to spend considerable time making decent access points. You hear of pflush contractors connecting their wonder pump through rad valves (4mm dia hole in some trvs....). Powerflush pumps are usually about 1.4 bar max, so the flow's a lot less than people usually think.
Then there's the ones who let all the carp collect in the pump, then there's the ones who flush "one radiator at a time" but conveniently forget the boiler's still connected cos there's no isolators.

Having said all that it seems to me that most systems don't need all the fuss. The mains sent through via whatever route you can get (after a bit of thought) is usually plenty to get the system clean enough. Washing machine hoses on the rad tails and a couple of hours, is pretty damned effective. Especially if it's been running with a suitable cleaner for a while first.
Half the time the system wasn't bad in the first place - 80% if it was already sealed. But you never know till you turn up and try.

So sure maybe £300 all-in ought to cover it, but if your normal work is fitting boilers, and you're there till 9pm, it's not a good payday.

Rant over!

 

[oldtimeplumber]

the real rip off merchants are the "powerflushing is a cure for all ills brigade"

I agree, thats why a thermal imaging camera is my prefered 'some sort of device', but these are very expensive, and make the diagnosis of whether or not the system actually does need a flush much easier.

I recognise that a thermal imaging camera is not a requirement, only a useful aid, thats why i didn't specify the need for one and only loosely termed it as a device, a digital thermometer is sufficient.

 

[ChrisR]

a digital thermometer is sufficient.

The infra red ones with a posy laser are very good, and almost make it look like you know what you're doing!

 

[petit_pablo]

The custard doesnt have to pay BG or anyone else X amount for a flush. Its their choice if they do choose to pay the higher price so how can it be a rip off?

Would you choose to pay 300 more for the same product if you could get it cheaper elsewhere then moan you've been ripped off? Course you wouldnt, you chose to pay that higher price for a reason.