We had a new boiler installed last year after 5 months and several attempts the installation company has finally got all rads operating (sort of). They have sent me a bill for the last visit 4 hours @ ?45 per hour. Is it reasonable to expect that all rads working, would be included as part of the initial installation?
No. They just vent the air from the system
Absolutely. And, no additional charges.
All the basic questions: a) One or two-pipe distribution system? b) What did the contract say? Was it for the installation only, or was it for a complete system rework? c) Did the radiator problem exist prior to the new boiler installation? d) And, lastly, hot water or steam? Now, some potential answers: 1. A new boiler should make no difference in how heat is distributed - that is, unless your previous system was gravity and the new one uses a circulator. And if the latter, that will be a two-pipe system. In that case, there will be no need to balance. 2. If you have a two-pipe system, balancing consist mostly of making sure there are no air-locks in the system and that it is properly pressurized, and that the expansion tank is functioning correctly. 3. Which leads me to suspect that you have a single pipe system using inlet valves to determine radiator response. You may also have several zones with their own zone valves. Balancing these systems is very tricky such that demand temperatures (specific load on a specific radiator) can cause changes in how the system responds. And if there are multiple zones, if the demand on one zone changes that will also affect the entire system. Balancing that sort of system is both something of an art-form and typically not included in an installation contract unless requested in advance and specified in writing.
