Replacing a hot water tank - is this reasonable?

[shorn]

Hi,
Just looking for a little guidance. We've got a 3 bed detached house. 1 bathroom, 1 ensuite.

We have an old thermostore? HW cylinder that is scaled up and needs replacing.

We've been looking at getting quotes, we've weighed up the option of replacing with a combi, but I'm pretty settled on just replacing the tank.

Quotes so far have been £1850-£2200 to replace the tank and pumps. All have said a days work.

Is that a reasonable cost? I looked up the last tank that they quoted for, and it's available for ~£300-400 to buy as a non trade. I realise there's pumps to factor in as well, but it looks like close to £1200-£1400 for a days labour.

Is that the going rate, or is it worth me continuing to shop around?

 

[sxturbo]

Plumbers/heating engineers don't get the discount people think they do. Often buying online is as cheap if not cheaper than what they get at the merchant.

I don't know what the people who have actually seen your system know so it's hard to comment further.

I know I was looking at replacing the hot water tank for a high gain version at the same time as having my boiler installed and this added £900 to the bill to do so.

 

[shorn]

Thanks for the reply. Just feels like a tad on the high side. I wondered if it was because we were getting quotes the same time for replacing with a combi. These came back fairly reasonable, ~£3k. Just seems like a lot of extra work to put in a combi, for not a high increase. (Combi would require ripping out old tank and old boiler, relocating from kitchen to upstairs airing cupboard, running the new feed in through the house, as I didn't want it on the outside of the building).
All that for just an extra £1k made me feel like their pricing the combi as the more attractive option.

 

[oldbuffer]

1. What pumps?
2. Do you really need to replace it. If it has an immersion heater fitted, or provision for one, it is sometimes possible to get most of the limescale out through the opening. Particularly so if the immersion is fitted low down.
3. Any remainder could be chemically removed.

 

[Nige F]

Hi,
Just looking for a little guidance. We've got a 3 bed detached house. 1 bathroom, 1 ensuite.

We have an old thermostore? HW cylinder that is scaled up and needs replacing.

?

A picture will be good to identify what you have fitted

 

[HERTS P&D]

Pictures Pictures Pictures!!!

Andy

 

[shorn]

Hi, sorry for the delay in replying. Wasn't getting notified. Here's some pics of what we have.

 

[shorn]

Bumping in the hope anyone has any further thoughts.

 

[denso13]

Is that a reasonable cost?

Sounds expensive.

 

[oldbuffer]

1. Combination cylinder at around £400, two pumps at around £100 = £600 for parts. With odds & ends, say £700.
2. £1300 for a days labour - nice!
3. You do have a blanking plate for an immersion heater. Third picture, bottom, just to right of red wheel handle to gate valve. If you could remove that you could probably clear out most of the limescale.
4. If you try it you will need a decent immersion heater spanner and possibly a wet & dry vacuum cleaner. Then:
4a. Just slightly slacken the blanking plate while the cylinder is full of water as its less likely to crumple.
4b. Turn off water inlet to cylinder.
4c. Drain the cylinder.
4d. Remove the blanking plate. There will probably be a good bit of residual water, so plenty of old towels, trays, buckets, possibly wet vacuum.
4e. Clear out the limescale. If you have one, hoover the base out with a wet vacuum cleaner.
4f. Replace plug with a new sealing washer.
4g. Reconnect water and allow to fill.

 

[Madrab]

Without seeing the rest of it, then that system may be able to be updated reasonably easily, go to one pump (S or Y plan) etc by the looks of it. It looks to be in a bit of a mess at the moment.
What boiler do you have?
Do you have good cold mains water pressure and flow?
Do you live in a flat, is there an attic?

There may be some better options than you have there at the moment TBH.

 

[sjmac]

Is that not a thermal store?

 

[denso13]

Is that not a thermal store?

Looks like a combination cylinder.

 

[sjmac]

Looks like a mains fed thermal store to me.

Cold main rises on rhs of cupboard, through scale reducer, nvr and strainer, mini exp vessel then t off to feed thermal store then through mixing valve to outlets

 

[denso13]

Here's similar combination cylinder set up on its way out.

Replaced with an unvented