Major help & advice needed badly...

[PPS]

Hi guys, this my first post but I read this forum like a bible. So many thanks for all the previous help you've given me, without even knowing.

Right, I've been asked for a quote/estimate to service a central heating system.

It's a 3 story hotel, very old building, part of the system is original and part was added with an extention. I was there this week to change a leaking rad valve and it took me 4 hours to drain part of the system to get the valve off. The pipe work is a bit of a maze to say the least and when I went in the boiler room there was valves, pumps and pipes all over the place. Nothing is labeled, nothing is straight forward and it seems like nothing does what you think it would.

I'm not the most experienced person to be dealing with systems of this scale...but...

I moved to Devon november 2010 and could not get work with anybody, so I've set up business on my own and an experienced friend offered to give me advice and help me to get me off the ground, but has since let me down. I know...my fault for relying on sombody, but I've still got bills to pay, so I need to take the job!!

I need help with how to price it and an assult plan.

Any help, guides, ideas, do's & don'ts, things to look out for, golden rules etc. would be brilliant.

Many thanks, James.

 

[Dannypipe]

My advice, don't bite off more than you can chew. Been there and done it. No one wins. You and the client suffer.

At the very least, get someone who is very experienced to partner you on this project. By your own admission you aren't the most experienced plumber, and you could get in over your head.

Good luck, and well done winning such a nice job.

Dan

 

[gmac]

What is you definition of servicing a central heating system??

Boiler service / Balance Rads / Flush / Check rad valves/ Corrosion Inhibitor ????

 

[Davinder]

If you tell us what area this hotel is in, then i'm sure someone here on the forum will be more than happy to go with you and help you out (for a price of course).

 

[gaspastemania]

Im in devon and i do commercial,industrial,domestic

 

[Dannypipe]

Sounds like you and Gaspastemania should be talking to me.

 

[gaspastemania]

Sounds like you and Gaspastemania should be talking to me.

whys that then??

 

[capitanpugwash]

whys that then??

Think he meant: "Sounds to me like you and Gaspastemania should be talking"...

 

[dontknowitall]

Think he meant: "Sounds to me like you and Gaspastemania should be talking"...

As Cilla Black used to say on blind date:

"What's your name and where do you come from?"

... and ...

"And here's our Graham with a quick reminder" ...

 

[diamondgas]

thats funny man!!! Cilla Black!!! ROFL ...

Gaspastemania ... Ask PPS to PM you their contact details ... If they're near you maybe you can pop along and give them the benefit of your knowledge.:1eye:

 

[PPS]

Thanks for all the quick replies guys.

It needs to be flushed, checked and corrosion inhibitor added.

I'm in South Devon, where are you gaspastemania?

 

[tamz]

goldmine :lol:

 

[gaspastemania]

Im in south devon , cover most of devon /cornwall to be honest so not a massive issue where you are , pm me then can sort something out if you stuck . It never helps tho with no labels so will prob take two peeps to suss out whats going where etc.

 

[TC.]

i live in south devon too!

 

[WaterTight]

you should all meet up and have a picnic

perhaps skips through a field of posies hand in hand.

 

[GQuigley67]

2 minds are better than 1 on projects like this, I took a job on last year which was quite big and I got someone in from my old company to help me we done it at evenings and weekends made decent money kept customer happy its the best thing to do imho instead of trying to tackle it yourself and ending up messing things up. Sound's like you could make decent money on this job

 

[plumberdarren]

This is my forte as i do a lot of this kind of work, if you need any advise etc feel free to ask.

 

[boblydon]

Dont touch it if you dont understand it, and by the sounds of it it will be above 70kw, therefore you cant do it anyway.............also why did it take so long to do the radiator valve????????, why did you not just freeze the pipework?????

 

[Dannypipe]

Think he meant: "Sounds to me like you and Gaspastemania should be talking"...

Yeah, that is what I meant. Sorry!!

I see how it looks. Why would you want to speak to me!!!!!!?? For a start I'm in the South East and for a second I don't do commercial. So I wouldn't be much use.

 

[fuzzy]

there should be an 'as fitted drawing' but if there aint it needs to be correctly identified, dont guess

there may be a dosing pot, that would help

 

[gaspastemania]

you should all meet up and have a picnic

perhaps skips through a field of posies hand in hand.

dont do picnics rather have a curry

 

[dontknowitall]

dont do picnics rather have a curry

Are you one of those posh plumbers who doesn't eat lunch in the van?

:wink5:

 

[gaspastemania]

Eat lunch ??
dont think ever had time for that !!!

 

[dontknowitall]

Touché!!

Good answer!!

 

[Kimou]

Posh plumbers don't eat lunch, they do lunch.

 

[gaspastemania]

I like it when the cust leaves the biscuit tin out , been known to devou that on a few occasions

 

[Barry98]

feel the love pepole , feeling the love

 

[fuzzy]

I like it when the cust leaves the biscuit tin out , been known to devou that on a few occasions

its better when they dont leave it out and you sneak a couple

 

[gaspastemania]

its better when they dont leave it out and you sneak a couple

lol nver been known to do that :bucktooth:

 

[tamz]

I started a guy years ago and sent him to a job moving a hwc into the loft and raising the cold. Called round to see how he was getting on at lunchtime and walked in the door to see him standing with the fryingpan on and a half lb of sausages in it and the toast popping up.
Me "what are you doing"
Him "the woman told me to help myself to some tea"
Me :censored::shout::banghead::furious3::censored:

That was his last shift with me :lol:

 

[EPH]

I took an older engineer in once and he was working in a friend of a friends house. When the customer left for work in the morning he said help yourself to a drink or whatever. I had a call about 6 saying 12 cans if Stella had gone!!

 

[gaspastemania]

I love some of the stories you hear about how some plumbers work in other peoles homes.A friend of mine was sacked ffom the company he worked for because he treated peeps homes like doss houses. He was telling me he used to sit in front room reading paper watching dvd's and he would phone company up saying job was awkward etc. He got caught in the end because he felt tired and went to sleep in the custs bed and got caught when they returned lol.