Brand New Boiler & Central Heating System Instalation

Discussion in 'Plumbers' Talk' started by GBE, Dec 4, 2018.

  1. GBE

    GBE New Member

    Hi
    To start off with I'm not a plumber. I just had a new bolier and central heating system installed. I know this pipe work will be hidden but the picture below shows part of the instalation which to me just dont look right. Is using copper & what I assume is Polybutylene ok. The new heating system all works but I thought it would be all copper and a lot neater than this.

    What do you guys think or do you have any comments about the pipe work you see, would you be happy if you just paid £6000 and see part of the system looking like this?

    Many Thanks for any advice or help offered.
    001 Pipe work in small bedroom.jpg
     
  2. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    What a bluddy mess!:eek:

    Very rough work in my opinion, no planning of pipework!.

    Even out of sight, all pipework SHOULD be neat & tidy,just no excuses for shoddy plumbing.
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2018
  3. Mike83

    Mike83 Screwfix Select

    6k is a lot.
    I would have expected a top notch job.
    Layout could have been better.
     
    KIAB likes this.
  4. Mike83

    Mike83 Screwfix Select

    Show us more pics. Maybe include boiler.
     
    KIAB likes this.
  5. Would not be happy at all with that.A new system should be either copper or plastic,except tails up to rads and pipes from boiler when plastic,not bits and pieces all just shoved together as is the case here.

    Personally I prefer the system to be copper rather than plastic.

    I also do not like where the plastic fitting has been put on the uncleaned dirty cold main feed.
     
    KIAB likes this.
  6. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    Another one who prefers copper over plastic.
     
    Deleted member 11267 likes this.
  7. Allsorts

    Allsorts Super Member

    Possibly a bit harsh, KIAB.

    That's a torturous route for the extended H & C pipes right enough! Why on earth didn't he cut them before the old swept bends and take a more direct route towards the right? Was there, perhaps, not enough room and he didn't want to damage more floorboards to gain access?


    However, GBE, you will hopefully also see one of the major benefits of using plastic pipe - see how the new runs have been threaded through the centres of the joists where they'll have next to zero effect on the joists' strength? Cool, huh? Whereas all the copper pipes have been notched in to the tops of the joists - effectively reducing their overall dimensions down to virtually the low points of the notches.
     
  8. Allsorts

    Allsorts Super Member

    I prefer copper over plastic too.

    But I'd still use plastic wherever it's easier :)

    (Eg: for long continuous runs with no joints and for threading through joists.)

    Each has their pros and cons - and there is nothing wrong with mixing them.
     
    The Teach likes this.
  9. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    Harsh! That's tame.:)

    I also would love to see more photo's,especially the boiler,which others also want to see.
     
    Allsorts likes this.
  10. Allsorts

    Allsorts Super Member

    I bet all the above ground stuff will be beautifully swept copper, burnished to a deep shine :)

    Wanna see mine? :D
     
  11. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    I moved a lot of CH pipe work here, back in summer, I have one drop down to a radiator, & the standard of my soldering is not neat on two EF joints, & it annoys me no end,has to wait until spring when it will be redone.
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2018
  12. Mike83

    Mike83 Screwfix Select

    Sometimes a sacrifice has to be made in layout.
    To get pipes In the correct layout above the floor without crossing, they sometimes need to cross over under the floor.
    If he lifted the other board it would have made the job easier and neater.
    So many unnecessary fittings on show.
     
    KIAB likes this.
  13. If the quote you received said the job would be done in copper, insist that it is redone in copper.

    That is very sloppy and lazy work just to get the job done quicker,there is no need for it.
     
    KIAB likes this.
  14. The Teach

    The Teach Screwfix Select

    when plastic plumbing first arrived on the market,all concealed pipe runs had to be just pipe runs with no concealed fittings.

    doubt the good practice of old would be a good selling point now days,The idea of threading plastic pipe through drilled joist holes was a dream come true :D.
     
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  15. GBE

    GBE New Member

    OK thanks for your input guys, I think I will now complain to the well know company who did the installation.

    I will get some other more photos up later but think the copper that is visable all looks fine to me?

    Its just the state of this pipe work above and that one Rad was delivered damaged which I have not been able to use even 2 weeks after job finished, I've now started to chace them about it.
    Guys who did installation only worked for 3 hours on one of the days they were supost to be here, said they had to go to a meeting. After spending that sort of money I'm really disappointed.

    Thanks very much.
     
  16. Isitreally

    Isitreally Super Member

    Is the hot to the bathroom in 15mm? be a slow bath fill if it is, unless you have a combi boiler

    If it's a combi where is 6k from ??
     
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  17. Allsorts

    Allsorts Super Member

    Good point - that pipe was originally 22mm.

    GBE, assuming you do have a combi - in which case the 15mm plastic is fine - then what exactly are you going to complain to them about? I think it'll be worth getting the specifics sorted out in your head before you tackle them, and possibly run it past the pros on here first to check it's fair and reasonable.
     
  18. GBE

    GBE New Member

    Yes I have a New Worcester Bosch Greenstar 25i Combi Boiler.


    The original Hot water copper pipe which was re-used is 22mm, carries hot to the bath but changes to 15mm Tee'd off to kitchen sink. The engineers apart from attaching their 15mm pipe to it did not touch or change this. I can see they have used 15mm to connect to it?


    If I had known or asked I would have insisted on Copper, I didn’t know plastic can be used so wasn't even a thought for me.


    To my un-trained eye it looks like such a mess, I could have routed all that pipe work so much better and I'm not a plumber that’s why I'm thinking to complaining now.


    The 6K came from me paying that money to the company that supply and install all the central Heating system. I have no problem saying who the company is but not sure if its allowed for me to say on here.


    My house mains is low pressure so if Hot Bath & Sink tap are on together very low flow, it was better when connected to emersion tank/heater/boiler, sorry not sure what its called.


    The copper pipe work off the boiler looks beautiful to me but would have drilled a hole instead of cutting a slot in joist.


    1 broken rad still not changed or working after 2 weeks ish, 3 hours work on one day. May be I'm wrong but for that sort of money I was expecting better and choose them because I thought they were the best? I don’t feel I got the best.


    Thanks for all comments guys.

    002 Pipe Work (4).jpg 003 Pipe Work (1).jpg 004 Pipe Work (2).jpg 005 Pipe Work (3).jpg
     
  19. Allsorts

    Allsorts Super Member

    GBE, the reason you have poor flow to two hot taps is because a combi - unless it's a very big one and with excellent mains flow - cannot supply more than one tap at a time. That's a combi's main drawback.

    So that's got nothing to do with this pipework.

    There is also nothing wrong with them using plastic - in fact it allows better routing through the centres of joists. If you wanted copper, you should have made that clear from the start - you cannot reasonably ask for it now.

    Finally, even tho' that particular area of plumbing looks untidy, that is largely down to plastic fittings being bulky and the pipes themselves not being dead straight - ie plastic always looks 'untidy'!

    When all is said and done, the only 'real' issue as far I as can see is the weird routing of the hot and cold pipes - why do they swing left and around, rather than go more directly right?

    Why not ask them? But please don't bring up any other issues if they are not truly valid as they will likely consider you 'unreasonable' (and I may have to agree with them).

    If they had covered that pipework over, you'd be none the wiser and it would have worked ok.

    £6k is quite a lot, but I presume it compares with other quotes you got? If everything you can 'see' looks ok and the system works as it should, then please be ready to pay up.
     
  20. Mike83

    Mike83 Screwfix Select

    I can see from the pictures that when they were taken it was work in progress.

    Things to ask or check.
    Are all the pipes insulated.
    Has a magnetic filter been fitted. ( can see box).
    Is the system zoned. May be a requirement.

    It does look like the pipework has been thrown in. No effort to keep fittings to a minimum. No planning with pipe routes.

    6k seems very steep unless there was 10+ radiators with lots of pipework and floors lifted.
     
    Allsorts likes this.

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