Replacing my Old Boiler Quotes - Is this Fair

Dodgybloke

I've had the following 3 quotes to have a new gas boiler installed in my house. Could people let me know what they think of quotes please?

Nature of the job as described but CORGI Plumber A

• Drain down the central heating system, disconnecting existing wall hung gas boiler and remove from site.
• Supply and install at high level, in the same position, 1 Vaillant Ecotec 831 plus condensing combination boiler, connecting flue direct to outside.
• Supply and install 1 Vaillant terminal variation kit to allow for directing of fluming to the neighbouring properties.
• Supply programmable room thermostat and electrical wiring of boiler and heating controls.
• Pick up on hot and cold pipework and connect onto boiler.
• Pick up on 22mm gas supply and connect onto boiler.
• Run 1 condensate pipe to nearest available drain.
• Drain down the hot water cylinder, disconnect and remove from site.
• Also remove any cold water storage cisterns in the roof space and redundant pipework. Adapt heating pipework in the airing cupboard floor.
• Refill, test and check for water soundness.
• Supply all necessary copper pipe and fittings for the above.
• Labour and materials.

£1,990.00 excluding VAT

Any thermostatic radiator valves, fitted to the minimum of bedroom would be charged at £25.00 plus vat per radiator. There are 3 bedrooms

Power flush to central heating system £300.00 excluding VAT

In total, £2365.00 excluding VAT

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The same job as above but with CORGI Plumber B.

Vaillant EcoText 824 condensing combination boiler.
Supply and fit 5 thermostatic radiator valves and 1 wheelhead valve.

£2521.35 excluding VAT

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The same job as above but with CORGI Plumber C

Worcester Bosch 28i junior condensing combination boiler.
Supply and fit 5 thermostatic radiator valves and 1 wheelhead valve.

£1825.00 excluding VAT

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I live near Cambridge. Any opinions greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

marginalnut

My guess, as i'm going through the same thing and the quotes im receiving are crazy is that the difference in your quotes is comming from the boilers. All the brands there are reputable and should be ok, however, from the research that i have done an ecotec boiler tends to be better.

Ensure that the boiler they are offering you is suitable for your property size, i'm guessing that you are living in a small-med flat. For these combi boilers its not recommended that there is a large strain on them, such as only having one bathroom, as when they are supplying hotwater to a tap they are not heating the house, as hot water is their priority. Its also recommended that the boilers only supply a certain number of radiators depending on their rating.

Just double check your boiler power, and make sure the plumbers are supplying a boiler that matches your needs, and not one thats providing too much power or too little, older plumbers may tend to over estimate your needs.

Hope something there helps.

xJ

cattie

Price sounds pretty normal from my experience with having boilers installed previously.

Vallaint are the Rolls Royce of the boiler world, so you'd expect to be paying more for that brand than say the Worcester.

I'm not sure a power flush is worth it, but no doubt somebody with knowledge will be able to advise you there.

flikkerty

Are you eligible for the 'warm front' grant, check out the energy saving trust website before you agree to anything just in case you can get help, there is also something called a magic boiler grant - i think which gives you a discount on your boiler.

Dodgybloke

Good point about asking for a grant. So I asked working on a don't ask don't get basis. Unsurprisingly, a single male owning a 3 bedroom house on a mortgage with an above average income, doesn't qualify for a grant.

I've used the grants for insulation though which are handy.

polly7_2

sorry to confuse things even more but the problem with comparing quotes is that you have to compare like for like. Nopt just the make of boiler but everything. Are they using table X british copper and fitting that are all to British Standard. Foreign copper will do the job just as well but if you are in a soft water area the aggressive water will eat into the cheaper copper in a couple of years and you could end up having it replaced. If you are in a soft water area, are the fittings DZR as far as practical. The price can vary right down to how many pipe clips the installer uses. Not that clips are pricey but it takes longer to put more clips and that will cost more in labour but will stop your pipes banging and vibrating. That is an over the top example but just to show how many variations there can be in an estimate. The best thing you can do is go by gut feeling when you talk to the installer. Do you get the feeling he will be interested in you once the job is finished. Have you got a personal recommendation. That is by far the best way. If an installer is in and out quickly he can't make a good job as that takes time. If he is available straight away, ask yourself why he isn't booked up in advance, most good plumbers are booked and a good installer is like gold dust. Also, one last note. The price of copper has almost trebled in recent weeks. Was one quote taking this into account when the others weren't aware of it?
good luck

Dodgybloke

I live in a hard water area. I don't have the luxury of personal recommendation as I'm new to the area. I'm not going to rely on gut feeling as it's too subjective, being in IT drives this line of thought.

100percentmug

I am looking at replacing my boiler with the condensing variety. Looking at the EST (Energy Saving Trust) website- my L.A. are taking part in the MAGIC BOILER SCHEME. The links let you download a comprehensive list of boilers and their vat inclusive prices.
ALL are cheaper than any internet sites I can find- so this looks to be a great option for those with similar minded LA's.
My one problem with this is...if you buy your own boiler ( the local link says non-trade although the EST site says non-trade & Installers) then am I going to find it difficult to get a plumber/installer to fit it? This is one revenue stream where he will not be able to bump up his profit i.e. you will know how much the boiler cost.

moneysavingplumber

What concerns me most about all three original quotes above is that they do not detail commissioning and balancing the system in the quote, which is an essential, yet time consuming, part of a boiler change, and is the most often neglected. If a system is not correctly balanced then it will be uncomfortable for the user and alot of the percieved benefits of having a condensing boiler will be lost. The installer is required to carry out these procedures under Part L building reg'.

BobProperty

Only one of them included for a powerflush? I'm not CORGI reg but I think without the powerflush most if not all manufacturers won't guarantee their boilers.

moneysavingplumber

It should include a chemical flush at least, but it doesn't need to be a powerflush. To be honest, if individual radiators are heavily sludged then the best course is to replace them. I've spoken to a Vaillant engineer recently regarding having to replace stainless steel heat exchangers on 6 month old boilers and he said the same thing, because the waterways are so narrow in the stainless HEs then even minor sludging in the system will lead to limescale build-up and kettling within, regardless of chemical treatments.

But you're quite right Bobproperty, a flush and treatment should also be included on all quotes.