Boiler installation / Ethics / General Q

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Poynty

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I’m due to have combi boiler installed next week with Heatable after getting the best price against Glow Green, IHeat, BOXT & British Gas.

Engineer from Heatable didn’t sound particularly friendly or helpful on phone so am changing to a new engineer, so far not best start with Heatable! Will update on how it goes..

Regarding combi boiler install, I was ideally thinking of keeping the copper / pumps and scrap to sell / take to scrap myself after, is this the done thing, as I feel plumbers seem to be quite vocal on this after googling around?

Is there any tips I should ask for or bear in mind going from a 11 year old conventional boiler to a Worcester 30kw 4000 combi?

Thanks!
 
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Scrap has usually always been the plumbers/gas fitters, so could rub them up the wrong way, but you can only discuss with them.
 
Many tradesmen can read customers. Maybe first engineer was unfriendly because you gave off bad vibes. Have to say I'm getting those bad vibes coming through loud and clear.

If you're penny pinching a few quids worth of copper off the installer you should take all the old boiler, waste, boxes, rubble, packaging, old timber, etc, etc, etc. Bit of a pee take to pick the best stuff and leave him with the rubbish. For a few quid, it's not worth rubbing people up the wrong way though.
 
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Unless agreed prior to the quote, dealing with good and bad scrap is part of the job.
Ok if he leaves the old boiler on the ktchen floor, is it?
"I was ideally thinking"? No you weren't, you hoped to pull fast one. Expect to be sworn at!
 
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Poynty said:
I was ideally thinking of keeping the copper / pumps and scrap to sell / take to scrap myself
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IMG_6182.gif
 
Poynty said:
Regarding combi boiler install, I was ideally thinking of keeping the copper / pumps and scrap to sell / take to scrap myself after, is this the done thing, as I feel plumbers seem to be quite vocal on this after googling around?
Click to expand...
If you wish to remove items from your house and sell them, you are free to do so. Once you have removed the items, apply to have the plumbing company re-quote, once you have done the rip out. Pointless asking any to quote prior.
 
impartial viewer said:
Our boiler is nearly 30 years old not the most efficient but very reliable easy to service and heats up a treat, yet every year they condemn it when serviced just to push a new one on us. which so far running the old one has cost less than the cost and eventual repair bills for an unreliable new chinesium built replacement.
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Our new Vaillant and the V Smart controller has been a boon. Our consumption is a fair bit lower now than when we had our old Turbomax. No sure of the savings as the price of gas has shot up. But it is noticeable.

A new install is only going to get more expensive, year on year.
 
ReganAndCarter said:
Many tradespeople can read customers. Maybe first engineer was unfriendly because you gave off bad vibes. Have to say I'm getting those bad vibes coming through loud and clear.

If you're penny pinching a few quids worth of copper off the installer you should take all the waste, boxes, rubble, packaging, old timber, etc, etc, etc. Bit of a pee take to pick the best stuff and leave him with the rubbish. For a few quid, it's not worth rubbing people up the wrong way though.
Click to expand...
Very interesting hearing from other perspective! I just felt if I’m paying a premium to do a job, surely I can do what I want with the parts & bits? Is it built into the quotes or just considered a tip?

*I should add to this, the engineer didn’t seem to realise he could use my existing Hive system, sounded like he wanted to rush the job from the start (said he’ll do quickest possible way, despite me saying I’d rather pay more for best way) & I could barely understand a word he said*

I guess I wouldn’t have minded clearing the scrap and waste myself into skip or whatever.

But I feel if it’s going to raise bad customer or 100% not done thing I would leave it be, isn’t worth the hassle!
 
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Poynty said:
Regarding combi boiler install, I was ideally thinking of keeping the copper / pumps and scrap to sell / take to scrap myself after, is this the done thing, as I feel plumbers seem to be quite vocal on this after googling around?
Click to expand...

My heating engineer said he made £800 to,£1200 a year from scrap, which sounds a lot but he has to load it in his van, store it home all year, then take it to the scrap dealer.

Plus you can’t get paid cash for it anymore you have to be registered with the scrap metal centre and they pay it into your account so it’s taxable.

I took out some copper piping which I had in the garage, I was more than happy to give it to the heating engineer along with the hot water tank and all the stuff he removed.

It’s hard work fitting a new boiler and changing pipework, letting the guy have the scrap copper seemed the least I could do.
 
Justin Passing said:
Unless agreed prior to the quote, dealing with good and bad scrap is part of the job.
Ok if he leaves the old boiler on the ktchen floor, is it?
"I was ideally thinking"? No you weren't, you hoped to pull fast one. Expect to be sworn at!
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Haha, it’s fascinating hearing others views! I am honestly shocked to hear that it’s expected for them when worth £££! Is it seen as a tip, or pays for the disposal? I just struggle to get in what world someone being paid a day rate or to do a job would keep your property after?

Please note we are first time buyers so this is all new experience, just learning process! I’m glad you’ve shared your view as if was sworn at would be so confused Haha!

that being said, I would hate to be seen as bad customer or get a bad job done so will certainly just let them keep the scrap!

So in conclusion , potentially £100+ of scrap and some new parts are considered a done deal for gas engineers to take when changing a boiler that you pay thousands + a day rate to do?
 
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Notch7 said:
My heating engineer said he made £800 to,£1200 a year from scrap, which sounds a lot but he has to load it in his van, store it home all year, then take it to the scrap dealer.

Plus you can’t get paid cash for it anymore you have to be registered with the scrap metal centre and they pay it into your account so it’s taxable.

I took out some copper piping which I had in the garage, I was more than happy to give it to the heating engineer along with the hot water tank and all the stuff he removed.

It’s hard work fitting a new boiler and changing pipework, letting the guy have the scrap copper seemed the least I could do.
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Okay, that helps give me context, I guess il see it as a Tip of some sort!

For Context!

Are the people replying Plumbers or Gas engineers or DIYers?
 
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Probabley about £30 worth of scrap in most boilers after you have stripped out the copper and brass (valuable parts, cast iron worth very little unless plenty of it). If you want the scrap then you generally keep all the waste to dispose of. Should agree before job starts. Usually the scrap compensates for getting rid of all the waste. We have to puchase a waste carriers licence. Usually an old radiator is worth about £3. Not worth the effort of storing or transport to the scrap yard.
 
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Andy165 said:
Probabley about £30 worth of scrap in most boilers after you have stripped out the copper and brass (valuable parts, cast iron worth very little unless plenty of it). If you want the scrap then you generally keep all the waste to dispose of. Should agree before job starts. Usually the scrap compensates for getting rid of all the waste. We have to puchase a waste carriers licence. Usually an old radiator is worth about £3. Not worth the effort of storing or transport to the scrap yard.
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I think that's the general point

If you want to dispose of all the waste then say so up front. But don't pick and choose.

A tradesmans day rate may seem expensive but it's not all wages, there's a lot of overheads in there
 
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