Help please with a Quote!!!!!!!!

[madmicka]

i am fitting a DIY split air con unit - but as a complete c%^k that im am i have broken the soft copper pipe!!!!!!!!

So i am trying to get some idea what it should cost to come and replace
- 4 Meters of 6mm
- 4 Meters of 12mm coper pipe and fit it just incase i bulls it up again!!!!

i have got 1 quote over the phone of £300 ish which i think (hope) is him saying he can't be bothered to do it!!!!!!

so please can u give me an idea what i should b looking at please

many thanks!

 

[stephenf8542]

Is the pipe carrying refridgerant?

 

[madmicka]

Yes
the 6mm is marked up liquid and the 12mm is marked gas

 

[stephenf8542]

is that price including re-gassing the system

 

[madmicka]

He did'nt say-

but on the instructions is says u don't need to purge the system.

just once connected open 2 allen key bolts (and i think thats should blast them clear) but i have been advised i should use a vac pump and bin the instructions lol

 

[stephenf8542]

If youv'e broken the pipe there may be no gas left in the system

 

[madmicka]

no thats fine i broke the pipe b 4 i open the valve on the outside unit,

with the price i have just seen on line 6mm pipe @ £6.50 a meter and 12mm @ £9 as i want 4 meters of each thats just over £60 of copper is labour that much (£240) to bend some copper (without bulls in it up lol)

 

[Agile]

You have not said exactly how you have messed up the pipe and perhaps it can be joined?

I expect the £300 is a ball park figure for spending up to a day but hoping its only going to be 2-3 hours.

Be aware that some tradesman penalise DIYers by high rates for sorting out their mistakes.

I thought you could bend that soft copper by hand if you are careful not to kink it. There are also external bending springs.

Tony

 

[madmicka]

when bending the pipe i put a kink in it and after trying to take it out it broke(hows ya luck)

i think it is still could work if i cut it, and re flared it -

But how do u flare a pipe ?

 

[leakydave]

with a pipe flaring tool kit of course

 

[madmicka]

sorry so does £300 sound a fair price?

 

[electronicsuk]

sorry so does £300 sound a fair price?

It sounds very expensive to me, it will take very little time for the work to be carried out, and an A/C engineer will get the materials far cheaper than the prices you've seen on the internet.

If you fancy a go yourself, the pipe and flaring tools were available on eBay last time I checked. Either that, or you could try and patch up the pipe with a solder joint and some extra copper pipe, but I'm not sure how the A/C unit would react to flux and crap in the refrigerant lines!

 

[tincup]

Hi
Your local garage may be able to help?
HTH

 

[Boilerman2]

If you have broken the pipework you will need to Vac down the new pipework to remove ALL MOISTURE, as even a small amount of moisture will destroy the compressor, This work should only be carried out by a person who holds a Refrigerant Handling Certificate, and after July 1st will need to be registered with REFCOM the lines supplied are pre vac'd so additional refrigerant of the correct type will need to be added, I think £300 would be a good investment when the potential to wreck the whole unit is taken into account

 

[madmicka]

Thanks for all your help!!!

i have just call out an A/C engineer, paying £285 for all the copper, fitting, and then using a vac pump - a good investment - thanks for all ya help