Any honest plumbers out there?

[Matt94]

im learning to be a plumber (full time at college) and i think your looking at around 2.5/3k - knowhere near 7k though. - why dont you have a quick go at pricing it up yourself - i.e. cost of boiler and rads, these are what are going to push the price up.

regarding new pipework - i agree you may need all new - we did when we had a new boiler fitted.

[Creemteez]

Thanks for the input Matt. Mr Teez has been doing just that this afternoon...

[veggiechicken]

Combi or System boiler, Creemteez? Any thoughts on solar thermal, now or in the future. If so, don't have a combi.

[bearded bloke]

As I understand it in a "normal" domestic heating system primary pipework should be 22mm with the secondary pipework going to the radiators in 15mm

Other variables
Is your current system fully pumped heating & hot water,or is it pumped heating & gravity hot water
Is your current system conventional flue or balanced flue & are you replacing like for like

Ask your neighbours & local friends for recommendations of people they would employ & just as importantly people they would not employ

[donnakebab]

Any honest plumbers out there?

Ha ha ha ha ooh ha ha ha!

(present company excepted of course)

[veggiechicken]

Any honest plumbers out there?

Ha ha ha ha ooh ha ha ha!

Of course there are. There are honest people in every profession. My local central heating engineer is great, I trust him implicitly.
I would never go to a big company like British gas though, always to my local firm, and ask my neighbours for their recommendations.

[Potstubsdustbins]

First question are there any honest plumbers out there answer yes but few and far between. Domestic central heatig design is something that neither plumbers or gas engineers are formally taught its something they pick up, I was only taught when I became a site supervisor for a national company.

British Gas well you did exactly the right thing you laughed. The reason they are so expensive is that they use subcontractors so have to make their money on top of the usual price. The man who called on you was not a technical bod he was a salesman, the technical bod calls later when you have accepted the quote. WHICH YOU WON'T OF COURSE.

Boilers. Scrap Ariston and Alpha the companies make their money on the sale of spares so they cost a fortune to repair. (Sorry 2Sheds). I am getting close to needing a new boiler and at this time it would be a Worcester no doubt about it. More expensive yes, but the best quality around with great after sales service. I used to be able to say this about Ideal but their last offerings where a total disaster.

Do you need pipework alterations. Its very hard to say from this distance. But as said before most guys have no formal training and the situation was worse in times gone by. Therefore they guess at radiator sizes, and pipe up the system with the minimum of 22mm pipe they thought they could get away with. 15mm is half the cost so they used that sometimes to the detriment of the end user. Just because a radiator gets hot dosn't mean its working efficiently or the room will get warm. These factors depend on the correct size of radiator and the correct size of pipework in the system. As a rough guide 15mm will carry a heating load of 15,000 Btus whilst 22mm will carry about 50,000 Btus.

To give you an idea as to whether you need new pipework pop in your local plumbers merchant and scrounge a radiator chart. This will give you the output of the different sized radiators all you have to do then is measure up the rads add up the heating load not forgetting to add on your new rads and look at the exsisting pipework.

As to boiler size. With a combi boiler its all about hot water production. An average 3 bed house would normally have a heating load of about 12Kws. Combi boilers have a higher output purely to produce instant hot water from the cold main supply. So the bigger the output the more hot water you can get at anyone time. Were you my client I would be asking "do like baths or showers?" "How many people live in the property full time?" This would give me some idea of what boiler size to recommend.

Another thing I would do is measure the amount of water coming from your bath cold tap using a weir cup. It is no good whopping a great big boiler into your home capable of heating say 16ltrs a minute if your supply is only good for 12 ltrs a minute.

Hope this helps but if you have any questions I can answer from a distance. Ask advice is always free.

One last thought I have never been able to give a client anything but a guide price whilst on my first visit. In order to quote I need to calculate all the radiator sizes, pipe sizes etc before putting anything on paper. Therefore pinch of salt for anyone who walks in and gives you a price within a few minutes if they get it wrong they will downgrade the installation to suit the price they have quoted. When you ask for a quote another ploy is to ask them to put on paper the temperatures the rooms are going to reach. If they can't do this they are guessing.

Colin

[Potstubsdustbins]

And if anyone can understand that lot well done you.

Colin

[veggiechicken]

I understand it, Potty, Well done for putting it across so clearly!

[bearded bloke]

Yep I also understood it bud

[Bigmallly]

How far is it from Nottingham to Cornwall?..(A free holiday maybe)..........

[Potstubsdustbins]

BM Strange you should say that but my son is going down later in the year.

Glad people can understand it I sometimes get carried away. (Careful VC Careful).

Colin

[veggiechicken]

No comment!!!

[Potstubsdustbins]

I am away now will pop into on the morrow see if CT understood.

Goodnight all Colin

[Bigmallly]

BM Strange you should say that but my son is going down later in the year.

Glad people can understand it I sometimes get carried away. (Careful VC Careful).

Colin

Is he a plumber by any chance?.........