" £250 " quote for Ferroli F30 PRV from a plumber

[brian75]

Hi guys .

I have a Ferroli F30 which has sprung a leak from the PRV . The valve is not attached to a pipe to take the excess water out and away from the boiler . Lucky me just found this out as the leak just drips straight down and forms a lovely pool under the boiler in the kitchen .

This started during the cold snap as there must have been a blockage which caused the pressure to rise to almost 4 bars and started leaking about 1 pint per 2 days at its worst . The pressure is now fine and it only leaks a few drips an hour , nonetheless constantly .

I had a plumber come take a look . He charged £55 for an annual service and then said it would cost " a couple of hundred " to change the PRV as apparently you have to change the whole unit . I looked up a Ferroli F30 PRV online and found a price of £50 .

Is this a fair quote as it may be a complicated job ?

Thanks for your time and advice .

 

[assured heating]

Sounds a tad dear to me , the pressure vessel might want recharging or replaceing as well though get him to check those as well

 

[Gasman28]

If the PRV isn't attached to any pipework, he may have quoted you the prive of the valve, plus running the pipework to outside. The price depends on where the boiler is installed ie : in the loft. first floor ?

 

[steve32]

sounds about right to me to change a prv and run discharge to outside

 

[gas_man_gaz]

if iam thinking of the right boiler it comes built into the manifold and ya have to take the heat exchanger out to replace the lot.
ya could just clean the seating and change the head tho

 

[hym]

Early ones had separate prv. If it is a combined unit it can be done without taking out heat exchanger. It is not a difficult job if you know how and does not take very long. Have done plenty. End of the day the engineer has a living to make. Van to maintain deisel and other over heads, and yeah very worth while getting him to check expansion vessel pressure, once again simple task.

 

[brian75]

Cheers guys . The quote was for just replacing the PRV and not to do any of the pipe work though .

 

[Agile]

I am still wondering if that quote is for replacing the EXV.

No respectable engineer would replace a PRV and not fit the discharge pipework to the outside at the same time.

But of course you said he was a plumber!

Tony

 

[tamz]

But of course you said he was a plumber!

Tony

Come on Tony not all plumbers are thick

Does seem a wee bit dear though unless you have 3' thick walls

 

[Agile]

Anyone who quotes to replace a PRV without connecting it to the outside must be thick !

Thats a dangerous situation to leave and would be liable to get him sacked if he worked for a safety concious employer like BG.

Of course not all plumbers are thick. Its just the public perception of plumbers.

Tony

 

[tamz]

Of course i'm thinking like any decent plumber would, that the pipe has to go outside.

I'm assuming although he never said to the OP, this is what the price was for. All the OP needs to do is ask him and clarify the matter.

Thats a dangerous situation to leave and would be liable to get him sacked if he worked for a safety concious employer like BG.

I did installs in the 80's for BG, just when sealed systems were coming in. We were allowed to terminate the PRV discharge at floor level on their instruction

 

[Nige F]

I did installs in the 80's for BG, just when sealed systems were coming in. We were allowed to terminate the PRV discharge at floor level on their instruction[/quote] You should have seen what they were up to in the 70`s ...I was doing sub.contract installs for them when there was a copper shortage late 70`s - so yes, they helped me out through that lean time ...but @ what carp they fed the custards Of course that was the old BG before privatisation..should`ve done that apprenticeship instead of plumbing had the choice. Then a££ that dosh and shares when it was all sold ...Anyone here care to admit what £ they got from the sell off

 

[tamz]

I was doing sub.contract installs for them when there was a copper shortage late 70`s

Ah, the wonderful Truewell Some of it didn't last 10 years.

Surprisingly i did a new system last year where the some of the truewell was still shiny like new

Old Servowarm job with the urn? up in the corner of the bedroom

I subbed with them too right through to the mid 90's when they brought out the "low cost" jobs which meant we were taking another cut. I'd had enough by then and rapped it.

 

[onlyfitidealboilers]

Come on Tony not all plumbers are thick

Time served plumbers are definitely not thick, they are highly qualified pros qualifications lead burning,hot&cold water bylaws, central heating, above & below ground drainage and to pass your NVQ3 you need to obtain ACS certification.

 

[tamz]

Time served plumbers are definitely not thick, they are highly qualified pros qualifications lead burning,hot&cold water bylaws, central heating, above & below ground drainage and to pass your NVQ3 you need to obtain ACS certification.

Totally agree and that is what makes all the difference