Is this acceptable?

[ajb]

Sorry to bother you all, but I could do with some advice. I have a fair size property that for various reasons was drained before we purchased it. Due to some archic pipe work we now need a pump fitted to get the hot water going to one side of the property. (The cold water needs a good boost as well so we were advised a hot and cold pump.) The plumber said around a grand to fit two pumps and re route some piping as currently the upstairs cold is coming from a tank, and to fit a new shower upstairs.

When they confirmed the quote they said £1050. I asked for a breakdown of how this is worked out. Pump (now saying on paper a twin 2 bar negative head pump - not two pumps) - £495. A number of fittings (won't bore you but pipe and fittings etc £110, and £445 for labour (1 day). However, no mention is made of the shower and they are also now adding VAT to the £1050!

My questions are thus: are they just picking figures out of the air to make it £1050, do I need two single pumps or is the dbl one better? Also - is this average or high for labour and should I expect to get a cheapish shower fitted in this price?

Very many thanks.

 

[dontknowitall]

Large house = high quote because customer has money. Small house with old aged person = low quote because customer has not much money. At least that's what many people assume and frequently it's wrong in any case!

If I were you, I'd get another quote from another plumber. Depending on where you live a "small" independent plumber will tend to charge around £150-£250 for a day's work.

Are you having power showers fitted or have you a swimming pool? I ask because in large houses an old fashioned cold water storage in loft with hot water cylinder in airing cupboard is usually perfectly adequate. Perhaps the water pipes are scaled which is why pressure/flow rate is low?

* I refer to "Small" as meaning self employed as opposed to a company of plumbers.

 

[ajb]

Many thanks for replying. It's a 5 bed house but bigger than what the average 5 bed is these days (it's a countryfied house/cottage). There's no swimming pool etc! As a non-plumber it's hard to know what it would cost to fit a pump as the brochures obv have many types. Apart from the actual type of pump is it pretty much the same job to fit one as it is another? If so, could this be done in a cpl hours or so?

Thanks again for replying.

BTW - in answer to your question, the reason the pump is apparently needed is because having been drained there is now not anouth preasure to push the water to the end of the house (some ofthe piping goes up rather than down!) British Gas gave it a go and DynaRod but only by using rubber piping between the bath and sink etc. It's hard to know who/what to believe. i don't mind paying an honest amount but it seems impossible to find out what is an honest amount and what actually HAS to be done to get things working.

Thanks again.

 

[dontknowitall]

Thanks for the appreciation! Reading your second post reinforces my thought that an opinion from an independent plumber might well be worth it. Can any of your neighbours recommend one? It shouldn't cost you anything for someone to look at your system.

 

[ajb]

Yes - I'm getting a 2nd opinion. The first plumber was actually recommended by a neighbour!

Thanks

 

[secret squirrel]

I'd also ask for other solutions. Can you have half the house on mains cold and the other half tank fed? would it pay for you to have an unvented system put in? what are your needs going to be in the next 5 years? are you going to move walls, bathrooms etc? what are the pipe runs? Have you got 1/2 ensuites do they need to be power showers or are you going to have one electric one etc? can you increase the pipe size from 15mm to 22mm? These are some of the questions I'd be asking.

I don't like doing work just to have it ripped out in 12 months time, waste of your money and I'd feel a little deflated....