UK - Boiler heat exchanger leak fixed in 10mins feasible?

dellboy102

Hi everyone

Just wanted some advice, we have a Vaillant Ecotec Plus 837 combi boiler which developed a small dripping leak, I called a plumber and he visited while I was at work and resolved the issue, I had advised to call me before any repairs are carried out but he called me after it was all done.

He said it was leaking from the heat exchanger, I spoke to the wife who was at home and she said he was only there for 10mins and just tightened something in the boiler, no parts were replaced, he did remove the lid.

He mentioned if it happens again the washer will have to be replaced or something, if he called me while he was there I would have said to replace it anyway as i'm concerned this is going to reoccur, just tightening doesnt sound like a long term fix but i'm not an expert so happy to be corrected.

He's billed me for £150, does this sound reasonable? happy to pay if this is the going rate but just wanted to make sure this sounds excessive, a friend mentioned a leak at the heat exchanger would have taken longer then 10mins to fix so thats why I thought I should get further advice.

Advice appreciated

FreeBear

I've had a (minor) leak from a fitting before now. Just nipping it a fraction more cured it. Took longer to find the right spanner than it did to fix.

So yes, 10 minutes to tighten a fitting is about right. If the leak had been from the heat exchanger, replacing that part would have taken much longer and cost a lot more.

ThisIsWeird

That's too open a description of the repair.

The Heat Exchanger (assuming it's the 'Main' one) is the single biggest and most costly part of a boiler. In essence, unless it's under warranty, a leaking or failed exchanger will often mean the boiler should be scraped - the part itself is very costly (many £undreds) and replacing it very involved - a good half-day's work. That is presumably what your friend is thinking of.

(There is a 'Secondary' exchanger too, which is much easier and cheaper to replace, but that, too, would be a good hour's work, and come to a couple of £undred).

So, clearly the exchanger itself has not failed in your case.

So, what caused the drip? Most likely - given it took only 10 minutes to fix, and involved the turning of a wrench or screwdriver - was a pipe connection to the exchanger, or even tightening the exchanger down against the block in the case of the Secondary fellow. Ie, it almost certainly wasn't the actual exchanger wot was leaking, but a connection to it. The simplest of simple tasks.

It sounds as tho' no parts were used, and the job completed within the first hour or even half hour of a 'call-out' charge period.

So, is £150 reasonable? No idea - it depends where you are - London, perhaps? I would say it's absolutely top rate, tho', typically the sort of charge levied by Pimlico Plumbers, for example, whose 'engineers' typically earn around £150k per annum, I understand. (I have a story about them that I'm happy to relate - quite jaw-dropping.)

I would (a) question the bill, and ask them to explain exactly what was done (since you seemingly do not know what their 'call-out' and 'hourly' rates are), and (b) find a different recommended GasSafe for the future.

Almost certainly their bill is technically 'legit' if seemingly unethical, so you'll have to pay.

Betterthanlife

I guess its the usual, £1 for spanner hire, £149 for knowing what to do with it 

Albermarle

So, is £150 reasonable? No idea - it depends where you are - London, perhaps? I would say it's absolutely top rate, tho',

We called a gas safe heating engineer out over the Xmas holidays. Call out charge £150 + Vat , including up to one hours work. Close to M25 but not London.

Our normal guy was not working over Xmas, so what can you do ? Probably would have charged something similar anyway.

Ectophile

I've fixed a leaking boiler before with nothing more than a spanner.  It lasted until the boiler was scrapped several years later.

That was back in the days when it was possible to remove the casing off a boiler without compromising the combustion chamber or other gassy bits.  So perfectly safe for a DIY-er.

sheslookinhot

ThisIsWeird said:

That's too open a description of the repair.

The Heat Exchanger (assuming it's the 'Main' one) is the single biggest and most costly part of a boiler. In essence, unless it's under warranty, a leaking or failed exchanger will often mean the boiler should be scraped - the part itself is very costly (many £undreds) and replacing it very involved - a good half-day's work. That is presumably what your friend is thinking of.

(There is a 'Secondary' exchanger too, which is much easier and cheaper to replace, but that, too, would be a good hour's work, and come to a couple of £undred).

So, clearly the exchanger itself has not failed in your case.

So, what caused the drip? Most likely - given it took only 10 minutes to fix, and involved the turning of a wrench or screwdriver - was a pipe connection to the exchanger, or even tightening the exchanger down against the block in the case of the Secondary fellow. Ie, it almost certainly wasn't the actual exchanger wot was leaking, but a connection to it. The simplest of simple tasks.

It sounds as tho' no parts were used, and the job completed within the first hour or even half hour of a 'call-out' charge period.

So, is £150 reasonable? No idea - it depends where you are - London, perhaps? I would say it's absolutely top rate, tho', typically the sort of charge levied by Pimlico Plumbers, for example, whose 'engineers' typically earn around £150k per annum, I understand. (I have a story about them that I'm happy to relate - quite jaw-dropping.)

I would (a) question the bill, and ask them to explain exactly what was done (since you seemingly do not know what their 'call-out' and 'hourly' rates are), and (b) find a different recommended GasSafe for the future.

Almost certainly their bill is technically 'legit' if seemingly unethical, so you'll have to pay.

Agree, it’s likely that if the heat exchanger was leaking it is non repairable and would require replacement. Like I had to do last month. Luckily although the boiler was out of warranty the exchanger has a 10 year warranty and so was replaced by Worcester Bosch. A £700 part.