New Radiators & Thermostats

Pint Glass

Hi Folks,

I am looking to replace 6 old radiators (4 single & 2 double) with new radiators and thermostats. The sizes range roughly from 1600 x 500 to 1800 x 500.

Can you tell me is there a big difference between the various branbd of radiators & thermostats out there on the market. If so can you tell me what they are called or where is the best place to buy them

Also if i was to get a plumber in to do the job for me including buying the materials himself, how much am i looking at being charged.

Many thanks,

PG

Joey the lips

tbh how long is a pce of string. I always advise people to buy brands like myson or merriott for getting spare grills but if the trade is honest there is not much difference.

Just get 3 different prices from plumbers.

Your looking at 1000 euro for parts and then labour..... it will have to be survayed.

Pint Glass

Thanks Joey The Lips,

Is there much to this job. From what i have been told the system will need to be drained, straight refit of teh radiators and the thermostats fitted?

Cheers,

PG

Joey the lips

Pint Glass wrote: »

Thanks Joey The Lips,

Is there much to this job. From what i have been told the system will need to be drained, straight refit of teh radiators and the thermostats fitted?

Cheers,

PG

i dont know. If the system is old or badly clogged it might need a chemical flush and tbh i dont really know labour prices.

I would suggest you get an rgii.ie person though as the gas boiler will need to be worked on to drain it down etc.

sullzz

Joey the lips wrote: »

i dont know. If the system is old or badly clogged it might need a chemical flush and tbh i dont really know labour prices.

I would suggest you get an rgii.ie person though as the gas boiler will need to be worked on to drain it down etc.

Why would the gas boiler have to be worked on to drain it down , you wouldnt have to go near the boiler .
So what your saying is that a regular plumber who is not rgii can't replace a rad valve , that's just ridiculous .

sullzz

sullzz wrote: »

Why would the gas boiler have to be worked on to drain it down , you wouldnt have to go near the boiler .
So what your saying is that a regular plumber who is not rgii can't replace a rad valve , that's just ridiculous .

It's a bit ridiculous to think a drain down will never have a negative effect on a boiler.
Isn't it better to have someone who understands all aspects of a heating system than someone who can only do a bit.

Sparkpea

you are all just assuming its gas anyway? I haven't read any mention of the boiler from the OP

sullzz

gary71 wrote: »

It's a bit ridiculous to think a drain down will never have a negative effect on a boiler.
Isn't it better to have someone who understands all aspects of a heating system than someone who can only do a bit.

Oh my god , I can't believe it's going to get to the stage where a regular plumber is not going to be able to change a rad valve because he has to drain down a heating system .
Just because a plumber isn't rgi registered does not mean he doesn't know all aspects of a heating system . I know some lads who are registered and are useless , and I know other lads who are not registered and can sort any problem out , it's only a piece of paper . By the way I didn't say that it would never have a negative effect on the boiler , read my post , I said he wouldn't have to go near the boiler , which he wouldn't .
Is it going to get to the stage where only a rgi registered person is going to be able to vent a rad , because only he knows all aspects of a heating system .
What is this trade becoming , or is it just rgi lads self promoting themselves .

What I would promote is heating engineers that can take on all aspects of a heating system, it's a trade in it's self.

Coming from outside of the country and being a qualified heating engineer I find it funny that it can take 3 different tradesmen to fit a heating system, I would be happy to see plumbers stick to plumbing and plumbers who have the skills to be a heating engineer given a platform to do so as they have put the effort in to improving their knowledge, that's what the RGI scheme followed by OFTEC should of been and not as it is a easy option for the unskilled to enter the industry

As for what has the trade come to, I think things are improving I know many more plumbers now who want to do all the wiring, plumbing and commissioning of their installation which I try to promote everyday I go to work.

sullzz

Gary don't get me wrong I'm all for the trade improving and moving forward , I agree with what your saying in that 1 person should be able to complete a heating installation from start to finish , including the electrical side of things , also to clarify things I am oftec registered and rgi , but we are getting off the point of what I originally posted , I think it is completely wrong to suggest that only a rgi engineer should replace a rad valve . Whatever about a plumber who is not rgi servicing a boiler or replacing parts in a boiler but not being allowed to work on a rad is totally absurd . You don't have to agree with me but that's my opinion .

yoshytoshy

As long as the plumber is above board and has insurance ,there shouldn't be a problem. One of the key factors in being RGI registered ,is to have insurance.

Sparkpea

I am not gas registered and have no real intention to ever be but it doesn't stop me working on a system with a gas boiler. Ok so the water pump could be in the casing, not always but no big deal, take a radiator off and drain through it. I don't fix, service or install gas boilers but at the end of the day its a gas fired system only, the rest of the system is the same as oil fired etc. Not rocket science..

yoshytoshy

Sparkpea wrote: »

I am not gas registered and have no real intention to ever be but it doesn't stop me working on a system with a gas boiler. Ok so the water pump could be in the casing, not always but no big deal, take a radiator off and drain through it. I don't fix, service or install gas boilers but at the end of the day its a gas fired system only, the rest of the system is the same as oil fired etc. Not rocket science..

It's much easier to be an RGI member than it is to be Corgi registered sparkpea:(

Sparkpea

yoshytoshy wrote: »

It's much easier to be an RGI member than it is to be Corgi registered sparkpea:(

oh really

yoshytoshy

Sparkpea wrote: »

oh really

I work with a guy who's corgi registered ,he'd often tell me about having to redo exams every now and again.
To work on gas here in the past ,you had to have done an apprenticship for a few years. But now with rgi ,I'm not sure what the requirements are apart from insurance.

Corgi's gone, I'm Gassafe(corgi) and Rgii, there is no comparison in the two you have to resit papers every five years, there are 156 papers covering different aspects of a gas engineers job, it's split into LPG/NAT, domestic and commercial and you have to sit papers for each, you have to sign off on your own electrics and sit electrical papers equivalent to sitting a 18th edition paper to do so, you do your own BER certs and are liable if you're new boiler install is not within strict tolerances, it's hard work, expensive and it's what the powers that be want to slowly introduce here:D

yoshytoshy

gary71 wrote: »

Corgi's gone, I'm Gassafe(corgi) and Rgii, there is no comparison in the two you have to resit papers every five years, there are 156 papers covering different aspects of a gas engineers job, it's split into LPG/NAT, domestic and commercial and you have to sit papers for each, you have to sign off on your own electrics and sit electrical papers equivalent to sitting a 18th edition paper to do so, you do your own BER certs and are liable if you new boiler install is not within strict tolerances, it's hard work, expensive and it's what the powers that be want to slowly introduce here:D

Cheers for that Gary ,sounds like the right way to do things.

Edit: To be RGI here should really be a basic requirement for people getting work done on gas heating ,whether it's on the wet side or not.

Sparkpea

Sparkpea wrote: »

I am not gas registered and have no real intention to ever be but it doesn't stop me working on a system with a gas boiler. Ok so the water pump could be in the casing, not always but no big deal, take a radiator off and drain through it. I don't fix, service or install gas boilers but at the end of the day its a gas fired system only, the rest of the system is the same as oil fired etc. Not rocket science..

You'd think so and most days i'm sure your right but i'v replaced a few heat exchangers now because the heat exchangers weren't bled, with the change in design of main heat exchangers it's easier get a air locked heat exchanger, if you look at Viessmann they want you to put a hose on to pull any air out when filling after a drain down, easy but not always if a plumber doesn't have experience.

yoshytoshy

yoshytoshy wrote: »

Cheers for that Gary ,sounds like the right way to do things.

It hard work, but it keeps taxi drivers away:D you do get them but not as many.

yoshytoshy

gary71 wrote: »

It hard work, but it keeps taxi drivers away:D you do get them but not as many.

The recession has a lot to do with it aswell ,people use to turn their noses up at you when they heard you were a plumber/gas fitter. Now everyone is a plumber/gas fitter ,it's become the fashion.

yoshytoshy

yoshytoshy wrote: »

Cheers for that Gary ,sounds like the right way to do things.

Edit: To be RGI here should really be a basic requirement for people getting work done on gas heating ,whether it's on the wet side or not.

It shouldn't be plumber against RGI as most RGI are plumbers, it should be about who's competent to do the work and who isn't and how that's proved/measured the only platform at the moment is RGI and OFTEC(unfortunately), I am the last person to decide who's competent as I just flooded my mam's house, so going by my last job I'm sh1te:)

yoshytoshy

yoshytoshy wrote: »

The recession has a lot to do with it aswell ,people use to turn their noses up at you when they heard you were a plumber/gas fitter. Now everyone is a plumber/gas fitter ,it's become the fashion.

When I first started working here their was no gas fitters/heating engineers as a trade, now it becoming a recognised trade and more plumbers are identifying themselves as such, now we have to weed out the fruitloops :mad:

yoshytoshy

gary71 wrote: »

It shouldn't be plumber against RGI as most RGI are plumbers, it should be about who's competent to do the work and who isn't and how that's proved/measured the only platform at the moment is RGI and OFTEC(unfortunately), I am the last person to decide who competent as I just flooded my mam's house, so going by my last job I'm sh1te:)

The insurance part of things is important ,at least with RGI people know thats covered. How else will people know if the plumber has insurance ,without actually knowing and trusting the guy/company.

JohnnieK

gary71 wrote: »

It shouldn't be plumber against RGI as most RGI are plumbers, it should be about who's competent to do the work and who isn't and how that's proved/measured the only platform at the moment is RGI and OFTEC(unfortunately), I am the last person to decide who competent as I just flooded my mam's house, so going by my last job I'm sh1te:)

I hope your mother is going to claim on your insurance:D