Ballpark costs for the installation of a Balanced Flue Gas Fire

[sijones]

I am replacing the existing power-flued gas fire in my lounge with a balanced flue gas fire. The existing fire and external fan have already been removed. What would I expect to pay for the installation of the new fire? I live Berkshire.

 

[AWheating]

probably best to ask for a number of quotes from local engineers. how much did the engineer who removed the old fire quote?

 

[sijones]

probably best to ask for a number of quotes from local engineers. how much did the engineer who removed the old fire quote?

The current quote I have is £350. The more I think about this quote the more I think it is too high. It is a lot for half a days work and not much material cost.

 

[Ermintrude]

Is the cavity for fire big enough ? Is the hearth ok , I hate bf or ff fires. £350. . Prob includes vat, notification, testing , time spent doing survey and a premium for not supplying appliance and not doing more lucrative work. £350 good price. U ain't going to get it done for day rate . Maybe £200 if blokes desperate?

 

[sijones]

There's no VAT component in the £350. The new fire will fit in to the existing aperture in the fireplace and the hearth is OK. It's not rocket science to fit it so I am just trying to understand why the quote is so high.

 

[AWheating]

get 2 or 3 more quotes and then you have something to compare.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

There's no VAT component in the £350. The new fire will fit in to the existing aperture in the fireplace and the hearth is OK. It's not rocket science to fit it so I am just trying to understand why the quote is so high.

i fit lots of bf fires,there not a simple fit,the hole will almost always be to high or to low for the new flue,what brand of fire are you having and his he/she blending in the existing brick finish?

 

[Dotty]

I really hate the phrase 'it's not rocket science!'

It might look ok to the inexperienced eye. As already asked, is the cavity correct? Is a new liner required? Is the hearth sufficient? Will the gas supply be undersized?

And so on and so on.

Get 3 or 4 quotes. Then you'll have your ball park figure.

 

[sijones]

i fit lots of bf fires,there not a simple fit,the hole will almost always be to high or to low for the new flue,what brand of fire are you having and his he/she blending in the existing brick finish?

It's a Fluval branded fire. The adjustment to the existing opening in the brickwork for the flue looks fairly straightforward.

 

[sijones]

I really hate the phrase 'it's not rocket science!'

It might look ok to the inexperienced eye. As already asked, is the cavity correct? Is a new liner required? Is the hearth sufficient? Will the gas supply be undersized?

And so on and so on.

Get 3 or 4 quotes. Then you'll have your ball park figure.

It's not a phrase I use a lot and not one that I particularly like. I was just trying to point out that the installation was a fairly straightforward one.

 

[Chalked]

It's a Fluval branded fire. The adjustment to the existing opening in the brickwork for the flue looks fairly straightforward.

Your right it is that easy.

all you need to do now is go out, buy a van, get tons of tools, spend a couple of grand getting your gas safe. Go look at lots of jobs like yours for free and your there.

£350 seems a bit cheap now !

this isn't a rant its a fact.

 

[sijones]

Your right it is that easy.

all you need to do now is go out, buy a van, get tons of tools, spend a couple of grand getting your gas safe. Go look at lots of jobs like yours for free and your there.

£350 seems a bit cheap now !

this isn't a rant its a fact.

I didn't say it was easy. I said it was straightforward. i.e. Not complicated. In that there are no unknown factors or changes to the existing fireplace, hearth, pipework etc. required. I only posted on here to enquire if £350 for half a days work was too high. It seems like a lot to me and this has nothing to do with how difficult it is. The person who quoted stated that it would take half a day so that's close to £100/hour.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

It's a Fluval branded fire. The adjustment to the existing opening in the brickwork for the flue looks fairly straightforward.

flavels can be very hard fits,sounds like your installer is spot on price wise

 

[julesverne]

if you dont like the price compare with other quotes every business/person has a standard of living they aspire too. you think the quote is expensive others might not. he's not holding a gun to your head it's upto you if you accept or not. bear in my mind the time of year as it starts to get cold our time comes at a premium. also dont forget we as gas engineers work hard all winter to account for the slack we have in the summer.

 

[Mrs Tara Plumbi]

Totally agree with the obvious that you just need to get more quotes.
Is £350 high for half a day for a qualified gas fire installer - no it sounds reasonable to me.

You might not realise that gas fire work is a specialist subsection of work that he has trained in and has to resit exams for within every 5 year period.

Most domestic gas installers do not have the qualification to install gas fires.
I have employed many gas engineers over the years and very few have had the gas fire qualification.

On top of this something like 1 in 5 or as many as 1 in 3 gas fires currently in place, in use in the UK today is dangerous
This means if inspected by a qualified gas fire installer they would be turned off/ perhaps disconnected and a warning sticker attached.
Sometimes that is because of faulty installation (eg people thinking it is straight forward so they DIY)
but often it is due to lack of maintenance.
Fires must be serviced every year - by a specialist gas fire qualified engineer.

You might find someone willing to install it for a lot less but seriously check their GAS SAFE CARD & the gas safe register on line to check they are qualified to install gas fires.

 

[sijones]

Thanks for all the replies. The reason for posting here was to get an idea if the amount I was quoted was the going rate for a specialist gas fire installer. It seems from the replies that my quote is near enough the going rate. The engineer is booked for Monday. My lounge will then be ready for a cold winter.

 

[Hughieboy]

A bit late on this one but I install fires and fireplaces and charge £350 to fit a surround and fire, balanced flue or otherwise if it can be done in a day (6 hours or so). If the fireplace surround is correct, the hole into the cavity prepared and lintelled from the previous fire and assuming the gas supply is also correctly prepared and positioned and he has to literally prepare and fit the new fire plus a bit of making good outside then he is definitely expensive! But then the chances of everything being that straightforward are pretty slim..... About time I put my prices up!

 

[lame plumber]

I went to fit a fire today, as I cut off the old one last year and told the owner a mate to fit an electric one for his tenants. But no, he wanted a gas fire and bought another dfe with remote control. So in I went and lit a smoke bomb, rush around opening windows to clear the air, warmed the flue as per regs and reopened all the windows as I couldnt see . So I only condemed the old one as it was badly corroded, I never bothered to check the flue, which wasnt drawing correctly but had had a fire in it for some 15 years!!!!!!!!!