Installing new radiator

[bobiscuit]

Does anyone know how much time/money we should expect to pay for labour for installing a new radiator?

It's in a converted garage in a new-build house. Through the wall from the hallway which has a radiator already. The radiators use plastic/flexible pipes which feed into the wall.

I've only had one quote so far, but they wanted £250 just for labour (full day). Seems excessive to me... I was hoping to pay under £200 including parts. Is that realistic?

 

[muggles]

No, it isn't excessive. I charge £320 for a day's labour and I'm by no means expensive - I personally know several guys who charge in the region of £70-90 an hour.

If you've got 10mm pipes coming out of the wall in plastic, in the manner of many new build houses now, then you can't really tee off them as the system is designed to have one radiator per set of pipes, usually off a manifold. To do it correctly, new pipes need to be run back to the manifold (or main pipe runs where no manifold exists).

 

[londoner1]

Get more quotes, and order your own rad from www.screwfix.com

 

[bobiscuit]

No, it isn't excessive. I charge £320 for a day's labour and I'm by no means expensive - I personally know several guys who charge in the region of £70-90 an hour.

If you've got 10mm pipes coming out of the wall in plastic, in the manner of many new build houses now, then you can't really tee off them as the system is designed to have one radiator per set of pipes, usually off a manifold. To do it correctly, new pipes need to be run back to the manifold (or main pipe runs where no manifold exists).

Thanks. Would you expect it to take a full day to do that?

 

[muggles]

Could well do, it depends on the layout of your house and pipework under the floors

Remember there's a great deal of difference between what is charged and what is earned. Plumbing & heating businesses have overheads which stretch to many thousands of pounds ever year, and these normally come out of the labour charge

 

[chris1982]

The other day I was quoted £60 in labour for fitting a new radiator, but in a setup that sounds easier than yours (there are copper pipes just about 1.5m away and below the floorboards). Add another £40 for materials, and you still need to pay for the radiator itself.