[willy the pimp]

hi
just been given a quote by plumber for new central heating system (gas).
to include,
10 double rads various sizes,
1 combi boiler,
replace 8mm pipework for standerd size,
the plumber is corgi registerd and comes well recommended.
all the above for £3600,is this resonable or not,any thoughts would be much appreciated.
and the current system we have is about 35 years old,would the cost be reflected in savings over a matter of time.

[andykn]

What part of the country?

[willy the pimp]

south wales

[THE AMATUER]

Originally Posted by willy the pimp

hi
just been given a quote by plumber for new central heating system (gas).
to include,
10 double rads various sizes,
1 combi boiler,
replace 8mm pipework for standerd size,
the plumber is corgi registerd and comes well recommended.
all the above for £3600,is this resonable or not,any thoughts would be much appreciated.
and the current system we have is about 35 years old,would the cost be reflected in savings over a matter of time.

What make and model of boiler is he planning to install? The price sounds very reasonable to me. When I was looking to replace my central heating I had a local firm quote me, who are very highly thought of and recommended. To remove and replace all my old pipework with new copper piping, new combi boiler, all new rads (8 rads and 1 towel rail), all with thermostatic valves and remote control was around £7500 if my memory serves me right.

If your company comes recommended and they are Corgi registered (check with Corgi anyway) I would take them on. I doubt you would find it very much cheaper.

[Desmo]

Sounds very good to me. I paid about £2800 for a complete new install of combi boiler with 4 rads. Also had shower, bath and sink plumbed in too. That's over here in Essex though so going to be more expensive.

[funkyspider]

It's unlikely he will use much copper these days. Mostly push fit plastic which is fine and very easy to add to or modify if you decide to add or change the position of a radiator.

Double check the energy efficiency rating of the boiler he's planning to fit and make sure it's a well known make which is easy to service. Get the exact model and do a quick google search to make sure there aren't hundreds of people complaining about a common problem.

If you want a certain style of radiator then specify that otherwise he'll just fit the cheapest available. Also just double check that the size of radiators he's fitting in each room have a sufficient BTU output rating to heat that area - there is a chart somewhere online which I checked when fitting some new radiators.

http://www.radcalcs.com/
http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/rads.htm


Check if he's planning on fitting thermostat valves on each radiator. You should have at least one radiator without a thermostat (usually the hallway) but I'd recommend fitting them to at least the main ones (main bedrooms, lounge) if not all.

[neilios]

Its a good price ,and i still use copper on central heating jobs like the one your having done.If he is following the part l building regs he'll be doing the job properly ,make sure he notify's the work when finished .

[Epicurus]

Sounds like a good price to me if that includes all parts and labour. Make sure he doesn't try and "sting" you for extras though.

[metal.mark]

Sounds like a good price friends of mine were quoted £2700 just to replace a combi boiler a few months back.

[funkyspider]

Originally Posted by neilios

i still use copper on central heating jobs like the one your having done.

What's the benefit of using copper. Isn't plastic now more popular at least for the 15mm pipes ?

[sdb123]

Seems a fair price to me. We had a new Combi boiler and eleven new radiators fitted for £2400....that was a very good price though from a plumber we have a good relationship with.

[neilios]

Originally Posted by funkyspider

What's the benefit of using copper. Isn't plastic now more popular at least for the 15mm pipes ?

I'm just old fashioned ,looks and lays better in the joist etc ,plus its rat and mouse proof and in the main tends to leak less ,i do use polypipe ,just laid 500m of the dam stuff in a barn conversion ,haven't even started on the 200square meters of underfloor yet .

Polypipe has its uses but i would use copper on the ops installation.

[funkyspider]

OK, just asking out of interest. I've just put 2 new rads in and run plastic to them from the main copper, just wondered if I should have stayed with the copper.

[neilios]

Nah you'll be fine ,makes no difference, i suppose for jobs such as that it makes it easier ,copper is so unflexible to work with sometimes.

[willy the pimp]

many thanks for all the replies,heplans to use polypipe as he says it is less prone to frost and fur build up, not a problem though as we live in a soft water area.The boiler will be a valour and bigger than whats needed,to allow for any future expansion in the system.
The radiators he,ll replace will be more or less like for like but of the double type.I have a mind to rplace the living room rads with something different than the normal white bog standard type, any thoughts?

[neilios]

What ever you do don't buy a fancy rad fron any of the big chain diy stores eg b and q etc ,they are ****.