new boiler costs

[Agile]

I dont know how my experience of London costs can be so different from yours. I answer the phone to give budgetary quotes and virtually all the prices I give for installation work is way too high.

A prime example last week, fit a rad which a lady has already bought herself. Its a few inches shorter than the old one so pipework mods are needed. I told her it would be at least £160 as it would involve draining the system. That was way too much!

Over the last three months I have not seen ONE builder who was employing English people, they say the Poles are polite, hard working and have good skills and are happy on £60-£100 per day depending on their skills.

In fact, rather oddly, the only English workers I have seen were being employed by an Iranian!

A nice friendly plumber I met was being made redundant after six years because the work had "dried up" ! He blamed the Polish!

Tony

 

[ACOperson]

Could you not have used radiator extension bolts?

For a draindown + radiator fit, £160 is about right for where we are I'd say.

£1100 for 4 days hard installation work is not!

Try phoning BG, CH, AATBF or VHL (all London) and ask them what they would charge for equivalent work and you will find that in the example of this guest house they would charge WAY more than £1100 for the 4 days.

I know that for a small partnership the cost would be less than for the above firms, but not that much less.

If you are getting a lot of rejections for the cost of installation work, just sit back and be glad that in 3-5 years you will be visiting all the cheaply done boiler installation jobs and charging £84 to tell them that the system was not properly installed, and that it will be xxxxx amount to rectify.

 

[brooks]

Hello again.

Thanks for everyone's input. It's left me behind a bit but I understand that the total price will be closer to £2000.

I have had two firms round who will give me prices later today and I will let you know but they have given me another problem. The system is in need of cleaning and I understand it will be flushed when the new boiler is put in but one says he definitely has to use a chemical flush; the other says he won't do that unless it is absolutely necessary. Who is right?

By the way this is Weymouth where it is almost impossible to get anyone to do anything.

 

[Agile]

Just make sure the installer is held responsible for the cleanliness of the system. Power flushing may not always be essential but it is the one way to be sure its as clean as it can be.

I have friends I visit regularly at Wyke so I might come and see your new system in a few weeks if you invited me!

You did not say why you need it changed, if its not urgent then I could almost quote you!

Tony

 

[goalc]

I don't know about Dorset prices, but in London a CORGI bloke would charge over £2300 for the job.

This is assuming that the job is done right

By right I mean:

- condensing boiler, at least 30KW or more if powering that many radiators AND large enough hot water storage for a property of that size. Thats £1000 or more itself.

- Bringing the system up to part L (TRV's, possibly cylinder, zoning if neccessary etc)

- New Pump (almost always needed when replacing heating only boilers) - £65.00

- Powerflush on 12-18 radiators (12 bedrooms, public rooms and bathrooms, 2 bottles of cleaning fluid, 2 bottles inhibitor): A big job in itself, I'd charge £350-£450 for this alone.

Thats best part of £1500 BEFORE you are charged for labour, which in London would be around 'a bag of sand' (grand).

Excuse my ignorance here, but I will be going through the same process in the summer . Can you please explain/confirm the following :

1) Isn't it a requirement now that you have to fit a condensing boiler ?

2) What does "bringing the system up to Part L" mean ? Does this automatically include fitting TRV's ?

3) Is it necessary to have a powerflush ? Our system is microbore ( ) and is about 20 years old. I have no idea if anything has ever been done to it.

Also, should we look out for anything else when we are replacing it ? We currently have a Potterton boiler, seperate Grundflos pump in the airing cupboard, 14 radiators, and an epansion tank in the attic (?)

thanks....

 

[ACOperson]

goalc:

1) It is a requirement apart from in some very unlikely circumstances.

2) Part L means that the system basically has to be as efficient as possible, this means a lagged cylinder (if you have one), TRV's on all radiators, a system bypass (if all rads have TRV's), full control (programmer, room stat, cylinder stat), and lagged DHW pipework.

3) On a 20 year old open vented system I would say it does definitely have to be powerflushed if you are having a condensing boiler. They are a lot more sensitive to system dirt & sludge than older generation boilers.

Word of advice: convert it to a pressurised system (ie take out the expansion tank in the loft, that way it is not open to the atmosphere and will last longer.

 

[brooks]

Hello again.

We finally got sorted and we can get the work done on Friday at a cost of £2250 inc vat. Thanks for everyone's help. You gave us a good idea of what to expect.

PS

Agile, you are welcome to call in at Elwell Manor Guesthouse in Rodwell Road, near Wyke, to see our shiny new boiler anytime.


Thanks again.