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Put in a full central heating system last week. 4 bed house, 5 day job; Vaillant Ecotec Plus 837 w/rads and all pipework. Got to go back in a few weeks and put the rads back on (took them off at end so they can decorate). 3.5k worth of materials in there, obv not paid yet until I go back and put rads back on and re-fill.

Get a call today, customers missus. 'We're not happy with your work, could you come round so we can discuss'.

So i'm like 'Yeah fine' , KNOWING that everything is spot on done correctly, no corners cut anywhere.

So I get there, and it's them and this bathroom fitter/plumber. He's told them that...are you sitting down.

1) The radiators should be piped in 22mm all the way to every rad, with the last 6 inches in 15mm.

2)I have cut out a 22mm hot pipe in the landing and replaced with 15mm. It should be 22mm.

This bellend stands in front of me and tells me that this is how it should be, and that's how it is in his house and EVERYONES house that he knows. Yes, really. Now, for reasons unknown, the customers are taking advice from this ****tard.

But wait, it gets better. Apparantly, they rang Vaillant, and Vaillant said it should be 22mm to all rads!!!!! Yes!!!

(shhh; don't even mention microbore....)

So; told them straight: bathroom man has absolutely no idea what he's talking about (he didn't like that, got all in my face, but yeah) and they are clearly mistaken about something they spoke to Vaillant about (my money is on them getting the gas pipe mixed up with the heating pipes).

So, i'm now awaiting the results of an email to Vaillant tomorrow......and possibly an extremely stern word with my Vaillant rep yada yada never fitting Vaillants again if that's the crap they're telling customers.

It also transpires that they rang another local engineer for advice; who told them i'm very well known in the area for an extremely high standard of work and basically corroborated every single thing i've done and said to them.
The customer didn't tell me that, the engineer actually rang me up and told me even though I don't actually know him.


So, yeah, stress.
 
Bas tar ds probably looking for some of your 3.5k to pay the bathroom retard.
Find out where he drinks and knock fu ck out the cant.
 
I would have said it was £xxxx.xx at end then £xxxx.xx to take off rads and put back on after decorating.



Did you do a single pipe sysrem :) :) :) :) Or is that as far as the bathroom fitter has read in his heating books :)
 
Yes I concur it is standard practice to run flow/return pipes in 22mm to rads as a minimum size, I actually prefer to use 28mm.....NOT!!
feel for you buddy!!
 
I'm working on ruining that ***** but i'm going to wait until i'm paid first :) He's extremely lucky I have great anger restraint.

There are no more than 3 rads off any 22mm branch. Most are straight off 22mm to the rad in 15mm.

As soon as this is sorted i'm asking for full payment to finish the job (5k). I have all his trvs, paperwork and controls at my house :) Not taking a risk on another numpty coming in and making trouble.

The best bit was when I said 'So what about microbore' to him and it went:

Me: So how come the boiler will work with microbore then, as stated in the manual?
Him: Have you ever fitted microbore???
Me: No, it's ****.
Him: THEN HOW DO YOU KNOW???
Me: ????

That is seriously how it went.
 
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Best register the boiler and get the details sent to your house as back up.
 
THis was the email I sent to him tonight. Point 3 is about the bathroom fitter said he wasn't going to replace the ancient pipes in the bathroom before fitting the bathroom.....

Hi xxxxx; I just wanted to put in writing some points I made tonight so that it is clear.

1) The heating system in your property has been piped correctly using 22mm main runs and then 15mm to radiators.
22mm to the radiators is not done, isn't done and is not the correct way to install a heating system. Myself, xxxxx (an engineer of over 30 years) and another engineer of over 20 years that I spoke to tonight has NEVER seen a professionally installed system done in this way. Your boiler (Ecotec Plus 837) is suitable for mini-bore and micro-bore systems (as stated in the installation manual); ie it will workperfectly on 8mm pipe runs, let alone 15mm off 22mm. Most houses these days are piped with a few metres of 22mm pipes (flow/return) from the boiler and then straight to a manifold feeding long runs of 8mm pipe.


I can only assume a mix-up has been made between heating and gas pipe supply? (your gas run is 28mm from meter with the last few metres in 22mm straight into the boiler). The 'last six inches in 15mm' rings of a Vaillant Ecotec Plus 831/Pro 24/28 where the last 6 inches of the gas connection is a manufacturer provided 15mm pipe.


If the information given is repeated then I will be calling my Vaillant representative immediately to find out why wildly incorrect technical information is being given to customers.





2) With the flow rates under mains pressure hot, 15mm hot pipes are optimal. The inlet into the boiler is 15mm, as is the outlet. 22mm hot pipes are a waste of water and gas, reduces efficiency and increases the time taken for hot water delivery to the outlets.


3) In my opinion and working practice, I would not even consider NOT re-piping a bathroom containing old pipes such as yours. For the relatively little work and cost involved for doing so, it really is a no brainer and would be standard practice for any bathroom fitter.. It just isn't worth NOT doing it, especially if the floor is to be tiled.






I'm sure you understand my anxiety after carrying out a good and proper install at your property, having it called into question in this way.


I am confident this will be resolved once you have taken advice from correctly qualified persons.


Regards,
xxxxxx
 
THis was the email I sent to him tonight. Point 3 is about the bathroom fitter said he wasn't going to replace the ancient pipes in the bathroom before fitting the bathroom.....

I wouldnt of put kisses at the end. That just looks sarcastic...
 
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