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[Closed] OT: Is my friend getting ripped off - Boiler content
My friend needs to buy a boiler to replace the one that's about to go - she going to get this one:
http://www.plumbnation.co.uk/site/vaillant-ecotec-plus-615-system-boiler-natural-gas/
Obviously the fitting is going to cost a bit - at the moment she's been quoted 2k for the following:
1. Drain down and remove your old boiler.
2. In the same place as your old boiler, supply and install an energy saving Vaillant Ecotec plus 615 system condensing boiler.
3. Run new condense pipe.
4. Wire boiler to existing controls.
5. Powerflush system using a Kamco powerflush machine and chemicals.
6. Refill system.
7. Run and test boiler.
8. Remove rubbish from site.
9. Show customer use of new boiler.
Is she getting ripped off? 1300 (2k-700 for the boiler) seems a bit high for a days work even in London (its a Victorian flat if that matters).
Sounds a ridiculous idea, but why doesnt she get some one else to give her a quote too ?
Needs to be done in a hurry - pregnant tenant. Just sense checking the quote - I figured someone might have replaced a boiler recently.
Other parts required?
Disposal of rubbish?
It'll prbably be a two man job?
Sure it'll be completed in one day?
Not condoning or condeming. We had a new boiler fitted, probably in the same ball park cost-wise. Took a couple of guys a day and a bit.
HTH.
We had a new boiler (combi voiler) fitted in August, it was just short of £2k, they said it would take a few days, took 2 guys 1 1/2 days in teh end. But I got a few quotes and tehy were all similar prices. Went for the boiler that came with the 5 year warranty rather than the 2 year warranty.
Powerflush is a waste of money. Hose it through is just as good.
There's £100+ saved.
That price sounds a bit rich to me. I'd want a price breakdown. How many days labour? Parts prices etc.
I'd be expecting a top of the range Worcester Bosch installed for that price, TBH
We had our boiler moved out to the garage: So lots of changing round and rejigging of pipework, 2 radiators installed (One brand new) pipes channeled into the floor, the other old rad put in the garage near the boiler and a redundand gas pipe removed. The boiler needed a special kit as an extra to vent it thorough a flat roof too. Worcester Bosch CDi (Top of range) boiler. IIRC it was 3-4 days work.
£2900 all in, WB recommended plumber.
🙂
Always, ALWAYS get a MINIMUM of 3 quotes too. It won't take any longer!
WE paid similar a couple of years ago to take a dead boiler out of the airing cupboard and put a Woster-Bosch in the loft. It was the best of three quotes. British Gas wanted double that. Look one guy on his own, about three days with a bit of help for a colleage for commissioning.
we had almost same done couple months back, same boiler, 2 men 1 day + 1 1/2" day. Included re-locating flu e.g. hole in wall £1600 but thats Up t'north.
Check to see if they can run condense pipe into a drain in the house rather than straight out the wall that way it wont freeze and stop your boiler working.
EDIT: O, ours included a £110 remote control stat / programer.
Vailant is a more top of the range than Worcester!
Not necessarily better.
£2k especially in London sounds ok. It's my ball park figure for telling people to budget without seeing stuff in the NE.
Powerflush is probably pointless but they probably do it as standard and no may feel they get less call backs from doing that.
Factor in the fact the company want to make a profit have to pay for ridiculous amounts of training. Any call back massively eats into any profit etc etc etc.
[i]Always, ALWAYS get a MINIMUM of 3 quotes too. It won't take any longer! [/i]
Yes it will as you have to arrange them all and be in to show them round then get baffled by what they all offer.
If you feel they are worth employing or they've given you good service in the past just get on with it. Next time don't leave it to the last minute in the middle of winter.
Quoted 150 for a powerflush from a mate and 350 from BG - a powerflush is probably needed if you want the boiler warranty. Don't forget just under a £100 for Building Control notice charges. The charges sound about right but they can be plus or minus 200 depending on the person[s]. The Valliant unit is a pretty good one, and we tend to see more of those going into our units than other makes.
Cheers for the comments, she did get a quote from BG who wanted lots.
Anyone got any recommendation of heating engineer in Cheswick area then?
My builder friend told me that most boiler warranties, in the small print, require the powerflush to be done at the time of installation otherwise it's invalid.
As TheGreatTape, we were told that too.
£2k sounds about right and as above - you need the powerflush for the warranty.
plus you need an electrician as well as a plumber on site to do the building controled stuff.
Cost sounds OK to me, I've phoned a few heating engineers recently and they would not look at taking work on for any cost. TBH, i'd be a [i]lot [/i]more concerned about the quality of the installation and workmanship than the cost.
I agree the thegreatape, warranties appear to be tied into powerflush. When having work like this done, a difference in cost of (say) £200 is insignificant over the life of the boiler compared with having a decent job done.
Yes it will as you have to arrange them all and be in to show them round then get baffled by what they all offer.
OK, just throw your money away then. It's not hard to understand if your IQ is more than your shoe size.
Personally, if an extra few phonecalls and an hour to show round 3 instead of one tradesman saves me £1000, I'll do it.
And I do. Every time. We've done a lot of work on our house recently. I've seen 3 plumbers, 4 kitchen companies, 2 plasterers, 3 electricians, 3 tilers, 3 bathroom fitters.....
I agree the thegreatape, warranties appear to be tied into powerflush.
You're believeing the BS they feed you. Sorry, but you are.
plus you need an electrician as well as a plumber on site to do the building controled stuff.
Electrician NOT needed to wire in a boiler, expecially as there will already be an electric supply in place in this instance. It might even be just a standard 13a plug into a wall socket, as that's all that's needed.
Just because you see a site selling your boiler for £700 doesn't mean the fitter is making the rest as profit! There will be delivery, flues, inhibitors, fittings etc on top.
Vaillant always had the reputation as being the best you can buy, though not as cheap to get fixed as a W/Bosch.
price sounds about right to me!
Re: Powerflush
It's a one-shot clean. Once it's done it's done.
With one of [url= http://www.plumbworld.co.uk/magnaclean-central-heating-2002-15134?CAWELAID=205024657 ]THESE[/url] fitted into the system it's constantly being clened and you just pop the lid off and rinse it out every so often. A far better, cheaper solution in the long run. 🙂
The same boiler just cost us £1500 flushed and fitted, took two fellas a full day to fit; replaced a non condensing combi so had to do the condensing pipe as well
I'd get another quote
EDIT ours came with a remote programmable thermostat as well
You're believeing the BS they feed you. Sorry, but you are.
It does not matter what you or I believe or what opinions you have, it's what the T&C's of the boiler manufacturer are for their warranties.At random from W-B website....
For Landan it sounds about right. Think the Wifes Sis paid about the same up here in the Middlelands.
this bringing up the increasingly anomolous issue of Trade prices for stuff: Joe Public can get this Vaillant boiler at £700 online, which is probably less than the trade price the plumber is getting it for; he then sells it on to you for £1150. You could supply it yourself and ask a plumber to install it, but I fear you may be asked to get on your bike!
I get asked to install kitchens people have bought from B+Q: They are then suprised I want a grand to fit it, but basically that's £600 for the basic fitting and the rest is contingiencies for the usuall B+Q * up's that I have to come back to sort and also the fact that I expect to make more money from a kitchen costing 5 grand than I do say fitting new locks to a single-mums door so her ex can't get in to kick the * out of her.
So, to surmise: Lots of money to fit something expensive makes up for times when you simply don't have the brassneck to charge what it really costs to come out and do a piddly wee job!
My New Years resolution is that when on Singletrack, to try and be relevant to the OP! 😳
I had two much cheaper boilers fitted last year, both around £1300 all in, both by plumbers who get regular work and recommendations from me, in one of the cheapest areas of the country. I'd still go with the Powerflush though as it's not clever having shiny new heat exchanger and pump gunked up in the first day it's working with accumulated grot, though by all means put extra cleaner gubbins on. On both my installs I was refurbing the house anyway so had time the day before to bypass the boiler and run mains water through for a couple of hours after putting the cleaner in and circulating. A huge amount of grot came out before it ran clean.
Back to the question though, the quote does sound fair, but have you a recommendation or seen other completed jobs. If you're not going for more quotes, at least do that.