Ugly Pipe Woes

[Avionyx]

Hi All,

We've just moved into a new house built in the late 80's, it's a pretty standard 3 Bedroom Semi and needs a bit of tidying up.

The CH system is working fine, no leaks or evidence of leaks in the past can be found.
The issue I have is that all the pipework is external and run along/up the walls as suits, which leaves for a very ugly feature in all the rooms. So I'd like them moved to under the floating floors and in the cavities.

I've tried ringing round local plumbers and central heating specialists (to be fair I've rung 5, more ringing to do tomorrow) and all of them seem intent only on selling me an entirely new CH system.

To help me get my budget sorted and assess if the person I'm speaking to isn't just trying to flog me more than I need, could someone give me an idea of how much it should cost to move the pipes for the 10 radiators I have, to a less visible place?

Thanks in advance,

Alex

 

[ALEC1]

how old is the current boiler...

the marginal cost of the boiler makes it a wise decision to replace it when someone is on site...

so yes expect high bills for just dropping pipes in the floor...

although if you supplied a carpenter to lift the floors and make good it will reduce the cost by a margin...

 

[Dan Robinson]

So I'd like them moved to under the floating floors and in the cavities

all of them seem intent only on selling me an entirely new CH system.

Eeerrrr

 

[Tibbot]

could someone give me an idea of how much it should cost to move the pipes for the 10 radiators I have, to a less visible place?

Being as your job is less visible to us than you want your pipes to be, how do you expect anyone to give you a price for it?

I can't understand why people seem to think there's a nationwide fixed rate for everything in this trade. You live in cut-throat UK, not Stalin's USSR.

 

[Avionyx]

Thanks for the replies guys, the current radiators (except perhaps 3 of them) and the boiler are all around 6 years old and are working fine, have been regularly serviced etc

More than happy to spend time getting someone round to look at the system but as I said, everyone I have rung so far says "might as well change the boiler and radiators at the same time" and are only interested in taking the job if that's the case

What I was really asking I suppose, is the cost of rerouting the pipes so close to the cost of replacing the entire lot including a new boiler etc, that it makes just doing the pipes nonsensical?

Alex

 

[Dan Robinson]

What boiler is it?

 

[stardanny]

Bit cheaper to have pipes box in if it's in the corner of room?

Or paint pipes same colour as wall so you can't see much.

Dan.

 

[Nige F]

What I was really asking I suppose, is the cost of rerouting the pipes so close to the cost of replacing the entire lot including a new boiler etc, that it makes just doing the pipes nonsensical?

Alex

No , it`s probably not close. But people can`t be bothered with bespoke jobs like yours - they want to bang in a load of new kit and get the profit . And they love being Gas Safe so they can fit new boilers - just moving the water pipes don`t need GS. Are you in E. Sussex ?

 

[mysteryman]

The problem here is that laying in the pipework and filling, venting and commissioning a heating system is the labour-intensive and expensive part of a central heating installation.