Power flush - expensive!

[koalabear]

Ok ao I called a plumber out to look at some cold radiators, and after ten minutes he told me my heating system needs a power flush which would take all day and cost £400 plus VAT. To top it all, he wants a £20 call out fee for coming and telling me this.

He reckons 'there's plenty of water in the rads, but there's a block in the pipes not letting it through'. The pipes are sunk in the wall so he can't get to them individually.


Lads and ladies, is there any way of getting this done cheaper than £400?!


I'm no diy expert so I can't do it. He won't be getting an invite back, but will everyone charge the same for this?

Thanks for any advice.[/b]

 

[sooey]

Turn off your hot rads and see if the cold ones warm up.

 

[hi-spec plumbing heating]

Lads and ladies, is there any way of getting this done cheaper than £400?!




Thanks for any advice.[/b]

you can i charge £350 for seven rad system + £25 for every extra rad.

phone bg they will give you a good deal.

mind you most people are grateful of a good service.

£20 for diagnostic work is cheap.

 

[simond]

£20 for coming round your house and diagnosing a problem. Rip off plumbers!

He should have driven over to you for nothing and taken you out for a curry afterwards for the honour of being allowed to cross your threshold.

 

[JohnD]

yes, try turning off the hot ones first as sooey says.

if there is any flow at all, you can use a chemical cleaner like Sentinel X400 which you can easily do yourself, and drain and flush them after a week or two. It loosens black sediment so it is washed around in the circulating water instead of lying in a lump.

If there is no flow at all then the chemical will not be able to flow into the blockage. If you take the rads into the garden and squirt them through with a hosepipe that may clear it. This will not help if a pipe is blocked completely and you can't flush it through.

The chemical will only cost you about £15 plus an afternoon of your time, so is certainly worth a try. If it is not successful you can still take the powerflush route, and it will help the powerflush as it will have softened the sediment. You can also buy a Magnaclean for £100 or so which is well worth having on a sludgy system and is a fairly straightforward DIY plumbing job to fit.

Once you have got the system clean, you must refill using a corrosion inhibitor or it will happen again.

You will find it very easy to use a chemical if you have a feed and expansion tank in the loft and a radiator drain cock downstairs.

p.s. it is very much easier and cheaper to clean your system before you get a blockage, than after. Your plumber sounds very fair to me. I am not a plumber.

p.p.s. if you are not going to try and DIY, you might as well get on and have a powerflush.

 

[Agile]

We charge £84 to come and diagnose a fault !!!

But that covers any ( reasonable ) number of faults though. Power flushing about £350.

Your fellow has to charge £400 because you did not pay him £70 to diagnose the fault.

Tony

 

[bengasman]

Very reasonable to charge only 20 quid for coming around and diagnose the fault. 400 for a powerflush depends on the number of rads you have got, for 10 rads, it is not bad.
If you bring your car to the garage and they find the fault but you decide to go somewhere else to get it fixed, they will charge you more than a score.

 

[jamsco]

I agreer with bengasman, you can't expect people to travel to your house,and diagnose your problems for free! What about the guys fuel, van wear & tear and his time. If he spent all day fault finding without charging he'd be bloody bankrupt. Be real people, sometimes you have to pay for what we know not what we do. Ps shop around and you may get the flush cheaper but don't use a cowboy. Good luck.

 

[giblets]

What is it with some people that they expect someone to diagnose a problem for free.

Let's hope the OP's TV or washing machine doesn't break down. He may be in for a tasty shock.

 

[rssteve]

why bring up an old post? i wonder if he ever got his power flush done?

 

[75pete]

You could try the Mains flush.

At the top of the page you will see Wiki.

Now go to Frequently asked questions.

Now see No5.

Simple and worth a try.

 

[breezer]

why bring up an old post? i wonder if he ever got his power flush done?

You are allowed to now, though i personally do not see the point.

In answer to your question "did he ever get the powerflush done", its a safe bet to say no. I say this because although he asked in November 07 he asked again in April 08 clciky

I blame jamsco, since it was he who dug up the old post