New gas boiler, am I being ripped off. 3 December 2020 at 12:32PM in LPG, heating oil, solid & other fuels 5 replies 111 views

Killy

last week I had a new gas boiler fitted only to find that some of my radiators aren’t getting hot.  I have been told that the system needs balancing and I need new thermostatic controls on the radiators.  I am happy to pay for them as the existing ones aren’t thermostatic and they are rusty and sticking.  My question is should  I have to pay for the drain down or should a power flush have been included in the boiler and fitting cost.  Also the flue is dripping water outside meaning the ground is constantly wet along the side of my house.  Is this something he should sort out free of charge?   Being a single elderly woman I always worry that I’m being fleeced.

Gerry1

Unfortunately you have posted in the wrong section, so you may not get many replies.  Try re-posting in Energy.

dogshome

As above, but a system flush is a must when fitting a new boiler + an inhibitor being added during the refill

tim_p

In terms of being fleeced, I’d lean towards ‘yes’. He / they would have drained the system as part of the process of fitting the boiler and consequently should have checked / bled each radiator, ensuring all were getting hot properly. You shouldn’t have to pay extra to have them do what they should have done in the first place.  What did it all cost if you don’t mind me asking?

Killy

The cost of the new Alpha boiler (he said that was all he could get at short notice) was £2600 and the cost of drain down, supply and fit 8 new valves is an extra £850.  I don’t know about the flue dripping yet.

Gerry1

You can buy TRVs for less than a tenner each, so £850 looks a rip-off because around £750 will probably be for labour.

Make sure that bleeding the radiators is included.  It can need doing more than once as trapped air rises to the top of the radiators, so a return visit may be necessary.  However, it's probably not too difficult to do it yourself.

Get some competitive quotations first.