Question on Pump for central heating system

lynseyr1

Today I've had 2 companies in to quote for replacing my traditional boiler for a modern condensing one.
Both wanted to see the pump, but neither could find it, and we finally decided it must be under the floor boards somewhere. (I've only been in the house one year, and never had gas before so didn't even know there was a pump before today.)

One (local) company didn't seem to have a problem with this, apart from warn us they'd have to take the carpet and floor boards up to find it.

The other (national) company basically implied that the engineer who serviced the boiler last year was incompetent as checking the pump is part of the service, that a pump is the most likely thing to leak and need replacing, and that once they'd found it they'd need to relocate it somewhere more accessible.

Can anyone please confirm whether this is true or not?

Thanks.

Crabman

When our boiler was replaced a couple of years ago, the pump was moved to a new location in our upstairs airing cupboard. I'm not sure why this was done though I'm sure they mentioned some new regulations.

With regard to the servicing, ours was checked a few weeks ago and they checked the boiler, pump & cylinder. I'd think this would be a part of service as the pump is an integral part of the system.

Could you get a recommendation from anyone you know who's had work done recently and been satisfied? A third quote would be good for comparison too.

lynseyr1

Thanks for your answer.
I was wondering about getting a third quote, but that means taking even more time off work. If a pump really is part of the service though, I haven't got a lot of choice. It means the local company didn't service it properly last time and possibly can't be trusted to do a good job on the replacement.

ormus

when we had a new combi fitted 2 yrs ago, we found the old pump under the floor in the living room. we had a large void underneath.
then we discovered a sort of trapdoor on the hallway floor.
the pump had to be removed and the pipes reconnected.

ians5

yes they need to know the pump works but unless the new boiler has an integral pump, they dont need access to the existing one.
to find it:
the trick to do would be to trace the wiring from either the timer or the boiler as it goes off in the direction of the pump.
the other choice is to listen for it! sounds daft, but the pump is essentially a powerful motor with a propeller on the 'wet' end of it, it'll be 'burrrrrr'ing all the time the heating is on.

it is usual to replace the pump at the same time as the boiler but not essential. Also local guys will usually quote in an evening when they have finished their dirty job

my choice would be to always use local as they are more likely to 'respect' the business you give them and be more receptive to recomendations following a good job.

lynseyr1

Ians5 - Is it usual to relocate the pump to somewhere more accessible if they replace it? Do they really need to access it every time the boiler is serviced?

ians5

please note that im not a plumber by trade (but have installed and maintained several systems, less the gas connections of course, mr corgi)

Assuming the new system is the same functionally as the old the pump can stay where it is. if it is somwhere daft tho, this is the time to loose the old one (replace it with 10 inches of straight pipe (50p) and 2 couplings, (£2))
and fit the new one somwhere more logical in the system, ideally near the boiler for access purposes for the future. I guess it will be down to the company's small print if the pump is included in the'boiler service', if the pump is inside of the boiler casing then i guess it should be, but I would consider the pump to be in the 'other system components' category along with radiators and valves. yes, it pays to visually inspect the pump every now and then but they are sealed so tend to be disposable rather than servicable items anyway