central heating advice sought

[devonwoody]

British gas came in this afternoon, new boiler, new controls, powerflush...........£3800 inc.

Equipment came to around £1000 of that £3800, and he said two days work.


He got a bit shirty when I told him I thought 2.5K was about top rate imo for that job.


So if anyone is unemployed go get a years course at a uni somewhere and you should clear 50K per year at least, dont tell the immigrants about that one will yeah, they most probably get benefits whilst they are training as well.

 

[Digit]

Are you telling me that they want £2800 for two days work?

Roy.

 

[devonwoody]

Are you telling me that they want £2800 for two days work?

Roy.

Thats right, but he did explain that BG were not amateurs and it would be a 5 star job and not the rubbish that some local plumber would be doing. etc.etc.
The guarantee on the powerflush was useless he told me if I got a small plumber to do it.

I told him to come back next week with a managers special offer of £2200, and he went off me again.

Of course I had lots of advice how much it would save me. But I thought it would be cheaper for my wife if I jumped off Berry Head our local headland.

 

[Dibs-h]

But I thought it would be cheaper for ... if I jumped off Berry Head our local headland.

Not any cheaper if she jumped off? :lol: :lol:

Dibs

 

[Digit]

The last house I lived in had a 'Gold Star' CH system 'installed' by BG John, it didn't work properly and it reached the point where I informed the local office that unless they got their finger out they would find me sitting on their doorstep with a large placard.
Some time ago a customer phoned me in tears, she had been taking a shower when her partner used the kitchen taps, she was scalded.
I looked at the system and gave her a list of installation faults that she took back to BG.
They offerred me a job!
In both cases John the BG installers were sub contractors, find another, local company is my advise.
Tell BG you want your heating sorted, not buy the company!
As regards power flushing, I personally have never had trouble with pipes and rads in 50 yrs, now boilers, that's a different story!

Roy.

 

[devonwoody]

I have now studied the details itemised invoice.

If a pedlar type had come to my door and taken £3800 off me in cash and said he would be back to do the job next week. I think I would have a case going to the police and complaining that I had been rooked by a doorstep seller at the prices asked for some of the items.

e.g. do a preinstallation electric survey of my property before work comenced £91+. reinstall brickwork hole in the wall re old boilder flue £145 (around 20 bricks) etc.etc. oddly enough the powerflush was only £349 but I had already flattened him before he quoted on that one.

I paid £600 twelve years ago on the present boiler with some new controls etc. to a local plumber and one days work.

 

[RogerS]

If I had gas then there is no way that I would ever ever ever entertain any thought of British Gas coming anywhere near my property. The bad news stories about them are legion. Surely you can get someone to recommend a good local person, dw?

 

[Digit]

I've got a BG contract Rog, it starts, take three men three days....


Roy.

 

[RogerS]

I've got a BG contract Rog, it starts, take three men three days....to make one compression joint


Roy.

 

[Digit]

:lol:

Roy.

 

[beech1948]

Experience with BG has been pretty good for me.

I had a new boiler and rads 5 yrs ago. With a power flush. The BG power flush was not dome properly and small metal particles were being lodged in the minute cores of the boiler. BG redid the power flush, replaced the boiler core (£950 ) for the part. I did create a stink about it and had a stand-up row with the engineers manager who eventually added a free of charge magnaflux to capture all of the bits floating in the system, a CO2 alarm and an extra radio based thermostat to divide the property into two zones. I do have the insurance policy plus an annual visit from them but given the work done due to their faulty worksmanship I guess it cost them at least £1800.

Al

 

[RogerS]

Experience with BG has been pretty good for me.

I had a new boiler and rads 5 yrs ago. With a power flush. The BG power flush was not dome properly and small metal particles were being lodged in the minute cores of the boiler. BG redid the power flush, replaced the boiler core (£950 ) for the part. I did create a stink about it and had a stand-up row with the engineers manager who eventually added a free of charge magnaflux to capture all of the bits floating in the system, a CO2 alarm and an extra radio based thermostat to divide the property into two zones. I do have the insurance policy plus an annual visit from them but given the work done due to their faulty worksmanship I guess it cost them at least £1800.

Al

QED !

 

[devonwoody]

According to the BG gas salesman that called (he said he was an ex engineer with BG) if I used the one man band plumbers I could be in terrible trouble.

He knows he said because of his previous job with BG.

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

I can see I have got to do the job myself again.

BTW it appears that the condensation has to go to a drain. (difficult if a drain of your property is only on one side and your boiler is on the opposite side) where does this fluid actually come from ?
(the condensation pipe must fall and never rise, unless a pump is fitted he says)

 

[RogerS]

......
BTW it appears that the condensation has to go to a drain.....

Did he say that? More BG bullsh*t. Not true. See p 13 http://www.idhee.org.uk/ExceptionsGuide.pdf

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks Roger.

What about this one then.

I wanted the boiler situated in my hall and airing cupboard (a bungalow) he said it would cost me another £600 more to have a flue pipe though the ceiling, loft and a chimney outlet. I reckon the materials would be around £50?

Instead he wants a pump for the condensates, extra wiring, extra cold water main feed, loose a kitchen cupboard, four exposed pipes.
I've got to come out of retirement and start looking after myself again, if they would only let me, but no it seems I need certificating etc. They wont let me do it myself if they can help it.

 

[Digit]

The condensate is from the flue arrangement DW and should go to a drain, I'm not sure if a soak away is permitted.
You can do the job yourself but will need it signing off by a certified CH engineer for insurance purposes.
I did mine myself and had it certified by a local chap. Talk to the plumber you first spoke to about it. I never had any difficulty getting it certified, after all, you have to pay him.
As for DIY, the boilers are bloody heavy!
You would need to check the max and min flue lengths for the boiler as well, £50? I doubt it, you would need a sealing plate for the tiles, in SS that would be £30?
An outside wall is simpler IME.

Roy

 

[devonwoody]

Roy the length of flue would be around 1.5 metres. So six
hundred, no way.

So what physically creates the moisture with a condensing system, heat to cool surface somewhere?

Yeah the old and new boiler shifting around is the problem I know.

 

[Digit]

You can't just poke the flue through the roof John because of downdrafts. My boiler required a one metre min length, but I needed more than that to avoid down drafts, hence I had to make a support structure on the roof. The flue pipes are plastic BTW and not exactly self supporting.
Another reason as to why an out side wall is preferred.

Roy.

 

[RogerS]

....I'm not sure if a soak away is permitted.
....
Roy

They are.

dw...the condensate is a byproduct of condensing the vapour in the exhaust gas (to extract that little bit more heat). The condensate is acidic which explains why they make the rules as to where it can go.

 

[Digit]

They are.

Problem solved DW, but I'll bet BG didn't explain that!

Roy.