Hi,

Really need advice as i sense i am being ripped off? problem we had was heating worked fine and rads operate ok....just we were getting lukewarm/warm water at best from all taps....never piping hot.

british gas engineer came, after banging around on the hot water tank and trying to boil out any blockage - he said we needed new release cyltrol valve on the tank as other once seems ceased up and thats why no hot water being released. he then showed me all the sludge coming from one of my rads it was slimy and black and quit a lot...he said this would need a system power flush as thats was probably clogging the tank up. it was then that he quoted me £765!!! after checking on web average price even from places like EON seem to be 350-400 quid how can this be right??

also since he left yesterday we now have not hot water at all ...its just cold now so we have gone from functioning fine just not piping hot to cold water and a bill for more work of 765! can anyone advise?..i have hm coming back today to explain why my water is now cold.
1: does it sound like powerflush is going to solve our problems? i admit the water looked sludgy and does probably need doing the issue i have is the price
2: is it better to go for cheaper quotes any recommendations?

Please any tips or advice appreciated this bill is going to clean me out !

Ta
MJ

i don't know what the item is that you refer to as i'm not a plumber, i am a tradesman though and that rings alarms bells with me.

flushing an average house system out does not take that long at all. i don't know how long it would take to fit the item you mentioned though.

i would ask him how long it is going to take him and then stand there watching him. do not let him out of your sight to prove the hours of charging. for any one person to be more than the likes of BG/EON etc who have so may overheads you pay for, it sounds at 1st thought, a little pricey.

i certainly wouldn't pay anything until you have had some more quotes.

Any independent will do it for half that. ish.

Post a location and check the regulars on here they may cover your patch.

Typical BG rip-off price.

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Ilford, essex

ive heard its a full day job to do properly but doest that sound like that will solve the issue plus the additional new valve? can't belieb B.G charge double!!

Average system about 5hours with modern kit.

Average price around £350.00.

Will it solve the problem, who knows, I would suspect other problems as well as sludge.

If it's an open vented system, then the cold feed could be blocked etc.

Personally I wouldn't trust a word the BG salesman said.

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Cheers for relpies so far!! any more info advice on power flush as a solution appreciated!

Pictures and details of all the system components please.

If the 15mm pipes to the rads are working I doubt if the inch primaries to the cylinder are sludged beyond use

I wouldn't be panicked into doing anything and certainly not at that price

A flush might help clear the symptoms but it won't cure the cause of the sludge.

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thats what confused me!. theres was lots of sludge coming out i saw but tha was from a rad downstairs...how was i still getting hot-ish water for last month? il take pics today of it all and add to posts asap

Check the header tank in the loft and post a pic of that as well. (inside and out)

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Right heres few pics: one of boiler itself, few of the hot water tank in question...(its few years old fairly new still!) and few of loft tank. Brit gas man came back today tried without success to get my lukewarm water running again as we now have no hot water at all due to him trying to boil the blockage away and as a result well and truly blocking the hot water flow into and out of the tank.. He has no left me in a situation where i NEED to get a powerflush done asap now as i have a 7 week old i need to bathe daily and i need hot water...just emailed brit. gas complaints listing my issues! expect compensation or massive discount now as hes messed up.

details: t is a Conventional gravity fed system...approx 30 yr old property, think boilers been replaced over decade ago...ish

any more tips advice appreciated pulling my hair out here!

Sounds like a flush is advisable, but I don't think sludge is the cause of your h/w problems. If the rads are getting hot properly then so should the hot water.

I would suspect the blue topped valve is causing the problem.

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Dave

www.drlgas.co.uk

Cheers Dave...
i suspect its the valve too...he said the cyltrol valve needs replacing. i guess thats the blue one...but yes having seen the thick sludge i can see a powerflush will be needed also

If you empty a few buckets out of the system via a hosepipe and drainoff does the header tank level drop and refill?

If he took the sample from a drainoff it will always be dirty as crud collects there. However the system does look filthy.

I also agree that the valve is the most likely culprit the system being sludged is going to have more effect on the pump than anything else.

You also need to bear in mind that a powerflush will usually only do the heating side gets flushed not the gravity primaries

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il have to try that 2morow. he opened up one of the rads downstairs and thickish blacky/grey sludgy water came out there was a fair bit not sure if it was from drain off? ...the valve it sound slike maybe i should ask them to replace the valve as the first step and if they wont budge on the powerflush quote go elsewhere to get that done as 765 seems way excessive when compared to any other company out there!

Isn't that immersion heater in the first picture connected up? Don't be panicked into doing anything! That will give you hot water for now

Is there any names or numbers on the valve or can you get a better pic of it. (might just be unclear for me as I'm on the wallyphone)

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