Plumber messed up by fitting wrong Boiler (wrong size Gas supply pipe). Advice?

Aubrey_Thicket

Hi all


I have a couple of small terraced houses that I rent out. For all my plumbing needs I use a local guy who definitely is GAS SAFE registered. Until recently he has always been a brilliant tradesman. A top guy. In fact, in the last house I refurbished he installed a complete new plumbing system in the House (Kitchen, Bathroom, Central Heating etc). His prices are very good and he is a genuine, all round great guy. So good, that I asked him to change the boiler at our Home last month because the current one was 10 years old and showing signs of age. So, he recommended a Potterton Boiler at the top end of the Market and quoted us £1,000 for this. I was happy with this. However, on the very day of fitting the boiler developed a massive fault. At regular intervals the Boiler would make an almighty racket like a plane engine revving up. As I was convinced the fault was nothing the plumber could have done I rang Potterton out under warranty on the new boiler. They came out and the Potterton guy told me:


It's not the fault of the Boiler. Your plumber has installed this boiler which needs a much larger gas supply than the pipes in this house are designed for. I can't remember the sizes of pipes he mentioned but he made it clear that this Boiler 'REQUIRED' a much larger Gas feed. He went on...The only options available to you are either:
1. Tell your plumber to fit the correct boiler designed for the pipework already installed in this House.
2. Change the circuit board in this boiler to trick this boiler into thinking that it is a different boiler and it won't make the loud noises.
Get your plumber to run a higher capacity Gas supply pipe from the Gas meter at the front of the house, round the side of the House and through the wall at the back of the house.


So, we have a problem. There's no way we can lift up the floor boards in both bedrooms so plumber can 'upgrade' gas pipes. I don't want a huge Gas pipe running round the side of our House. I don't really want to invalidate the 7 year warranty on the Potterton Boiler by getting someone to install a circuit board that is not designed for this Boiler.


Ironically, I still owe the Plumber £1,000 from a previous job but he has not been in touch with me asking for it which I suspect he might not now since I told him what the Potterton guy said about him fitting the wrong boiler.


As I said at the start of the Mail this guy is a lovely guy and I don't want to upset him or cause bad vibes but there's no way we can carry on with the huge banging noises from our new boiler. Potterton can't help because the Boiler is not faulty.


Any ideas? Advice please?

maninthestreet

Sounds like a major c-o-c-k up by your plumber. Have you contacted him yet about this problem?

phoenix_w

Aubrey_Thicket wrote: »

There's no way we can lift up the floor boards in both bedrooms so plumber can 'upgrade' gas pipes. I don't want a huge Gas pipe running round the side of our House.

You're going to have to do one of those things. If you do decide to bodge it, once your current boiler has gone to the great scrap metal god in the sky you'll have to do it then anyway. Virtually every new combi boiler needs a bigger supply.

Just about every house around where I live has a 22mm or 28mm gas pipe snaking round their house from the gas meter to wherever their boiler is sited - look around where you live, you've probably never noticed them but they're there. Having a gas pipe on the outside of your house isn't a big deal. Having no hot water and no heating in winter is a lot worse.

Aubrey_Thicket

I appreciate what you're saying phoenix but the meter is next to the front door. Any visitors are going to be greeted with a big ugly Gas Pipe running under the Lounge window.

Aubrey_Thicket

Just before he went on holiday (the day after he fitted the boiler) I actually handed him my phone to speak to the Potterton bloke. The Potterton bloke and the Plumber chatted although a lot of it was tech chat which I didn't understand. When they had finished chatting I took the phone back off Mr Potterton and said to the Plumber "This is the wrong boiler for these pipes". I could tell he was very embarrassed and muttered something about sorting it when he got back off holiday. That was 3 weeks ago. Plumber still hasn't been in touch for the £1,000 I owe him for previous works.

phoenix_w

Aubrey_Thicket wrote: »

Any visitors are going to be greeted with a big ugly Gas Pipe running under the Lounge window.

It was the same at my old house, the meter cupboard was right next to the front door (not the most aesthetically pleasing place to put it) and the pipe ran from the meter, beneath our front door frame and back up to the boiler cupboard. I painted it with some hammerite to tone it down a bit - never offended me after that.

It sounds like your installer was a naughty boy - maybe it was a short run and he thought he could get away with not replacing the pipework. Put some pressure on him to sort it out and if you really don't want that pipe on the outside make it clear to him that you don't want outside pipework and you would have stuck with a traditional boiler if you knew pipework would need replacing you feel so strongly.

Aubrey_Thicket

One thing I didn't mention is that when the Potterton guy had our brand new installation warranty manual in his hand he said to me "Look. This is not good. The Fitter is supposed to fill in this section here and write down the pressures etc. He hasn't completed this section".

TBagpuss

In the circumstnaces I think I would b getting a quote form a different heating engineer to do the remedial work (new gas pipe) and then propose to the original guythat you deduct that cost from what you owe him. I think in your position I would have lost confidence in him and wouldn't want him to do the remedial work.

Aubrey_Thicket

TBagpuss


Sadly, I am inclined to agree with you.

phil24_7

You will likely need the gas pipe upgraded in the future anyway. It wont be too much trouble to lift the carpets and the floorboards, surely.

The plumber can lift everything and put the boards back down and just get a carpet fitter round to make sure the carpet goes back down lovely. Half a days upheaval to get everything sorted properly. You can also get the plumber to fill out all the documentations properly!

roddydogs

Surely, a new condenser combi will use less gas, not more.& how would it cause a noise?