Hello, new to the forum, looking for advice. Let me preface this with the fact that I am not a plumber, know little about plumbing other than basic faucet and toilet replacements I've done over the years. I hire plumbers to come in and do more technical repairs, and have no problem paying them for their knowledge and experience. I do have a problem when I feel like I am getting gouged. So, my question is, am I getting gouged? My boiler needs a new tridicator. They are wanting to charge $400 for replacing it. Indirect water heater needs new temperature control put on it, they want $600. That is parts and labor, but seems VERY high. Looking online, parts look to be around $200 total. Is $1000 for parts and labor high, or is it reasonable and I am just out of touch with todays labor costs? Thanks for any help.
Getting ripped off?
- Thread starter TheHud
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Get multiple bids if you can. Running a professional contracting company has high costs. $200 to $250. per hour is not unreasonable.
I am not a hydronics pro and there are no photos.
I am not a hydronics pro and there are no photos.
Thanks. Unfortunately nobody around here just comes out to give bids, they all charge $130+ just to show up, then service charge for diagnostics. Then, as in this case, $1000 to replace the 2 parts.
Is this the first time you’ve ever had any work done ?
Bird Doo Head
Well-Known Member
Joe-H is right. These gauges are very easy & fast to install. Make sure the system is cold for your safety. You can post photos of the gauge, area piping & valves. Perhaps one of us can guide you with more details of how-to.
To purchase, you can also search for Boiler Gauge or Temperature-Pressure Gauge instead of tridicator. You will get more generic (and often less expensive) results.
Boring Tridicator Stuff:
A true tridicator has 3 functions, hence the "Tri" in Tridicator. They read pressure and temperature, plus they have a manually set red pointer on the pressure scale. The pointer is included specifically for gravity hot water systems. It's titled "Altitude".
That pointer is set based on the height of the open expansion tank in gravity systems. (I'll save you from the boring math formula, unless you're interested.) Some have the altitude marked, to save having to do the math. Then you watch the hot pressure to ensure it matches the red pointer, adjusting the water fill as needed.
That open expansion tank is usually suspended from the ceiling over a top floor bathtub or in the attic with an overflow pipe leading out of an outside wall.
With a hydronic system the piping is closed and the water is pumped. Therefore there is no need for the pointer. Sometimes people set them in hydronic systems to the system pressure they want to maintain, but it's kind of redundant.
Paul
PS: If you go into an architectural salvage yard you'll see many art deco era bathtubs with rust circles in the corner at the drain end. That was the traditional spot for the overflow pipe from the expansion tank above the tub to land.
If you see a house in an old neighborhood with a stripe of brown ice going down a wall from under the eave overhang, it's often from the expansion tank's overflow pipe.
To purchase, you can also search for Boiler Gauge or Temperature-Pressure Gauge instead of tridicator. You will get more generic (and often less expensive) results.
Boring Tridicator Stuff:
A true tridicator has 3 functions, hence the "Tri" in Tridicator. They read pressure and temperature, plus they have a manually set red pointer on the pressure scale. The pointer is included specifically for gravity hot water systems. It's titled "Altitude".
That pointer is set based on the height of the open expansion tank in gravity systems. (I'll save you from the boring math formula, unless you're interested.) Some have the altitude marked, to save having to do the math. Then you watch the hot pressure to ensure it matches the red pointer, adjusting the water fill as needed.
That open expansion tank is usually suspended from the ceiling over a top floor bathtub or in the attic with an overflow pipe leading out of an outside wall.
With a hydronic system the piping is closed and the water is pumped. Therefore there is no need for the pointer. Sometimes people set them in hydronic systems to the system pressure they want to maintain, but it's kind of redundant.
Paul
PS: If you go into an architectural salvage yard you'll see many art deco era bathtubs with rust circles in the corner at the drain end. That was the traditional spot for the overflow pipe from the expansion tank above the tub to land.
If you see a house in an old neighborhood with a stripe of brown ice going down a wall from under the eave overhang, it's often from the expansion tank's overflow pipe.
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What you need to know is what thread and length of the probe. If you post some pictures you can get some more specific help. Again, with no knowledge whatsoever of what kind of water heater you have, no one can help you with that.
These are the first 4 on supplyhouse.com
Joe H
Mitchell-DIY-Guy
Well-Known Member
BTW the indirect water heaters were the original tankless. Great inside a hydronic boiler when #2 fuel oil (typically used to fire them in New England) was $0.27 a gallon. But to fire up the boiler at 125,000 BTU every time you turn on the hot water faucet is wasteful and costly.
They are pretty easy to bypass. I did it for my father with a $600 tank from Lowe’s and perhaps $150 of pieces and parts.
For the nitpickers the drain was added for the T&P valve. Photo is shown before installation completed. Also the leaky part (the reason for the bucket) was changed soon after. This is a three zone hydronic system. Old oil fired system.
They are pretty easy to bypass. I did it for my father with a $600 tank from Lowe’s and perhaps $150 of pieces and parts.
For the nitpickers the drain was added for the T&P valve. Photo is shown before installation completed. Also the leaky part (the reason for the bucket) was changed soon after. This is a three zone hydronic system. Old oil fired system.
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