Replacement hot water cylinder - are my in-laws being ripped off?

wordgirl_2

My in-laws appear to have some sort of leak from their hot water cylinder. There is no water actually dripping but the attic floor is damp and there is now a damp patch on their bedroom ceiling.
Their plumber has told them that the hot water cylinder needs to be replaced. The thing is, this same plumber only replaced the original (copper) hot water cylinder a few years ago!
Surely a hot water cylinder should last longer than this?
Of course my parents-in-law are elderly and as such are "typically trusting" and wouldn't think to question this.
So I would love to know if it is reasonable to have to replace the cylinder and if so, how much should it cost.
Any advice would be much appreciated and sorry for the vague description but this is all the information I can elicit from my mother-in-law whose knowledge of plumbing is, shall we say, limited.

kenshaz

The cost of a new cylinder is about( depends on size)and if it is indirect ,that means connected into the central heating system,would be approx £130 (also about £20 for other bits),then you have labour ,the heating system would have to be drained ,possibly pipework around the cylinder altered,(possible airlocks ,when you refill,which is time consuming)I would say approximately four hours plus or minus

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then it depends upon hourly rate.

Cylinders ,usually go on the bottom seam,they can be taken out and repaired,especially if it is only a few years old,but then you have no hot water whilst the cylinder is away ,and the cost of repair and labour.

A few years is not long ,could be a manufacturer's defect.

If it was a straight swop,no pipes to alter,which should be the case ,because the cylinder was changed relatively recently,that would reduce labour time ,exact same cylinder ,would need to be fitted to prevent pipework alteration.

rjm2k1

How long is a few years? The HW cylinder in my place is at least 17 years old. Sounds like he's trying it on to me, I would ask a lot more questions before letting him touch it.

kenshaz

rjm2k1 wrote:

How long is a few years? The HW cylinder in my place is at least 17 years old. Sounds like he's trying it on to me, I would ask a lot more questions before letting him touch it.

Cylinders come in different gauge of copper and quality,low grade domestic cylinders where commonly produced a few years ago ,standards have now improved and cost,it is possible that a defect has occurred.The fact that your cylinder is 17 years old bears no relevance to the situation,different products ,different temperature,usage and conditions.The situation needs an analysis before allegations are made.
What questions would you ask?

wordgirl_2

Okay, thanks for replying both of you (and please don't fall out over my in-laws' hot water cylinder!) I have managed to establish that they have had it for six years, which doesn't sound long to me but what do I know.
Anyway, assuming it does need replacing, I have told my mother-in-law to ask the plumber how much it is likely to cost before he starts the job - something which it would never have crossed her mind to do... (old people eh, gotta love 'em )
At least then I'll have some idea of whether it's reasonable, thanks to kenshaz's helpful breakdown of costs.

kenshaz

Six years,yes it could well just have failed.

rjm2k1

Fair enough, six years is a bit more than a few in my book.

One other option worth considering depending on how much the cylinder may cost to replace. If the boiler is quite old and likely to be in need of replacement in the near future, it might be worth looking into the cost of installing a combi boiler instead, so they do away with the need for a hw cylinder. If they are elderley, they may qualify for grant to help with this (though you would have to check this out). In theory a new boiler would be more efficient and cost less to run, removing the need for a hw cylinder also frees up some room. It's a longer term option as it will be more expensive to do, but if it's likely that the boiler is on its way out too, there seems little point in fitting a new cylinder which may not be needed a couple of years down the line.