Pressure relief valve problem turned into something worse

Discussion in 'Plumbers' Talk' started by brendon83, Jan 17, 2020.

  1. brendon83

    brendon83 New Member

    Hi all,

    I need some help... I asked a quote to a local plumber as the pressure relief valve in my 10 years old Worcester 18i boiler was playing up so the boiler could not keep pressure. Everything else was working fine, boiler was last serviced 6 months ago. Plumber asked to know the model of the boiler and some pictures of it and quoted 140£, which was in line with some other quotes I received, and told me it would take between 30min and 1h to fix it. After 40min on the job he asked me for the boiler manual saying that if he knew it was that old he would not have agreed to come. After 2h of him going frantically through the manual and working on the boiler he seemed happy with it (during this time the boiler started leaking water all over the floor and he clearly struggled to stop it), put everything back together but the boiler would not start and the reset button would just keep flashing.
    So he said that he needed a spare part so off he went and came back with what he told me was a new PCB. At this point he started to be very defensive, saying the boiler was old and that these things just break easily once you start working on them. Anyway after another hour and many desperate phone calls he said he needed to came back in the morning with a Worcester engineer to understand what was the problem as the PCB probably wasn't the right one.
    I have 2 babies, without heating and hot water and I am afraid he would charge me a crazy amount of money for something he most likely caused and I am afraid to challenge him about this because he may not fix it at all and leave me with this mess to sort out with someone else.

    Can anybody suggest me what to do please? Many thanks
     
  2. jonathanc

    jonathanc Guest

    He may want to charge you but you don’t have to pay!

    So you contracted him to replace a part for a fixed price and that is what you should pay. If he has broken something or wants to charge you more then unless you agreed to the additional work then don’t pay for it
     
  3. jonathanc

    jonathanc Guest

    And just to add it has taken me 5 minutes to locate the Worcester Bosch instructions for replacing the prv. He probably took the hydraulic block out and lucked up the seals. To be honest it is easier to take the flue off, then remove the boiler off the wall frame , change prv and refit. Took me 2-3 hours On first attempt
     
    Mike83 likes this.
  4. Mike83

    Mike83 Screwfix Select

    I do feel sorry for him a little bit.
    One of the worst prvs ever to change.
    Some can be changed in minutes. This can’t.
    The flashing on the front should help identify the fault. It could only be the pcb if it got water on it.
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice