Hot water cylinder leaking needs replacing

Susan1942

I have discovered this am that my double immersor economy hot water cylinder is leaking I have managed to get a hold of my plumber and as the leak is not massive he has put the water to the cylinder off and will come and drain it in the morning He would have done it today but I was happier to leave it until the am.
I asked him how much the cylinder is going to cost but he said he would need to price it what I have is SUPER SEVEN IMI does not say how much water but it is 48" tall approx and about 18" deep I think I am wondering what the likely cost would be for a new cylinder and the likely labour cost This plumber has done several jobs for me and I do trust him so am wondering if I should get more than 1 quote for the work
Advice would be appreciated I have turned the electricity off at the wall and also the fuse boxes I assume this is the origional cylinder flat built 1989
Many thanks for any advice Sue

wallbash

Google cost of tank .
My plumber upgraded my tank , i.e there was a little pipe work adjustment
but still did it within a day
You have used him before , check his day rate.

Susan1942

Thanks for the information The Plumber charges me £20 an hour Should I ask him how long the job is likely to take. Tank has been drained before and that took a bit of time Both the immersors on the tank were fitted a couple of years ago Should I ask him to use these or fit new or would you recommend that I fit new in any case.
I did have a look and prices varied f rom £250 = to over £1000 so don't really know how much to expect Hopefully the work and the cylinder will not be more than £1000 Thanks again

Heedtheadvice

Immersion heaters should last a long time. Just get them inspected during the repair.
£20 per hour sounds reasonable - depending upon your location. Get a quote for the whole job with immersion heaters as an option. Decent cylinders are quite expensive now compared to years ago. If you are in a corrosion problem area (depends upon the supply water) get an option for a stainless steel one. More expensive but might be worth it in the long run.
Make sure that the heaters (whether new or old) are tested electrically for function and safety by a competent person.

Susan1942

Thank you for your response my plumber is here draining the tank Waiting on a price from his supplier for the cylinder He said I can pay directly to the supplier and I will get it at trade price Very good of him He was the plumber who worked with my Kitchen Fitter and joiner He has done several jobs over the years and I am fortunate that when I call him he will come out right away. Thanks for all the advice anyway.
Sue

Susan1942

I have had my hot water cylinder and 2 new immersers fitted Cost of cylinder and the immersers was £395 and I paid £250 for the labour 10 hours at £25 per hour I thought his rate was £20 but all is well and I am back in business.
Thanks again Sue

southcoastrgi

cylinder is about right with his profit
not quite sure what he was doing for 10 hours, although he would have charged for a days work

Susan1942

He came out on the sunday am so may have charged me a call out charge for that. He was here in excess of 3 -4 hours on the Monday draining the water off the cold tank and emptying the hot water cylinder. On the Thursday he came before 8.30 am and was here until after 2pm He then went to get me a new shower hose and fitted this too
Happy enough just to get it sorted out and without any undue delay.
regards Sue

Lgas

Blimey that makes me feel better, I thought I was slow taking 6 hours to do the last one including draining and re-filling...and I'm a girl!

ispookie666

It cost me 795 to replace a narrow tall hot water cylinder a few months back. If yours is standard size then it should be cheaper than 795.

Susan1942

No my cylinder is a large one more so than the regular That cost was for the cylinder and the fitting He said he gave me the cylinder at cost price and I did make the cheque out to his supplier
He at £25 an hour is more expensive than other tradesmen I have had and I do feel that he charges me for every little bit of time
I had a problem where the water was not heating at night on the economy 7 The Electrician was here 2 days in a row He thought that maybe the thermostat was set too low He did something which let him test it and then he said it should be OK and it was The water is very hot and I would like to turn it down a bit
The next problem was that the water in the shower was still cold or cool although the water pipes were hot I had the plumber back again when the water started to heat He had to change a ? valve and he showed me that it was not fully open He had to lower the water in the tank then let if fill and I put the day immersor on which just is a flick on off so it is only on for a short time He then tested it to make sure it is mixing it was fine No problem since so it was a long ordeal He had said the work was guaranteed for 2 years so no charge for this work There was no problem with the water heating before I had the problem but 2 new immersors were used Just hope that is it!!
I was concerned maybe after what the electrician did to try and test things He did something and then put it back to the night When I came back from holiday on Wednesday I put the economy switch on but the water did not heat so proved that the water is heating at night and at the cheap rate. The old one when you opened the door you could hear the noise of the water heating This new one there is no sound I think I can turn the theromostat by taking off the cover and using a screwdriver to turn the centre part I did this before with the old one and I could hear it click when I moved it The plumber did say he would come back and turn it down if need be Sorry this is so long winded but it was a stressful time Thanks for your help Sue