Le Plombier

Nick You sure you have decennal for that figure I pay 3500 euros for mine covering air conditioning, plumbing, gas, heating, alternative energies I am not alone, all the builders I know pay around 4000 euros if they are covered for structural work The cheapest deal I have heard of for plumbers is with MAFF, one I know says he pays them around 2000 euros a year I cannot renew my gas certifcate annually without providing proof to the Maison de Batiment of my decennal insurance so therefore I have to have it I don't know if it is a legal requirement but I suspect it probably is Regarding the topic of the post about working in France to practice any regulated activity it is illegal to practice unless you are listed on the register at your local Chambre de Metiers Operating from the UK in a regulated activity would still entail applying to the Chambre de Metiers to be listed on the register I have no idea if this is possible as a UK registered business Le Plombier

Nick True the siret checking sites only cover one activity Le Plombier

It may be listed on the Carte but a Siret No check will probably only show the activity the C de M have decided is the principle one Mine shows climatisation although I am also listed for plomberie, chauffage etc The attestation de insurance shows all and if they cannot produce one you should not employ them as you may well not be properly covered for the work My comments are based on my dealings with the C de Metiers, I have no knowledge of what the C de Commerce do Le Plombier

It is true the siret will cover the only one activity The comments  made about the registration card from the Chambre de Metiers and the insurance are valid, they list all the activities The insurance attestation is the best document to check It is more and more difficult to get decennal insurance these days and if you cannot prove to the insurers you are both registered, qualified and experienced in a particular activity then they will refuse to insure you I had a major problem with my insurers some time back getting them to cover me for underfloor heating, I now have that cover but only for heating, not for cooling applications and I am not covered for laying the chappe liquide, not that I would want to In all cases ask for a copy of the insurance attestation and check the required activity is listed, if it is not then you will probably not be able to claim on the artisans insurance if there is a future problem Le Plombier

My sentiments also my friend Le Plombier

I am fairly certain that 200 litre is the minimum size that you will be able to purchase I have not seen one any smaller, and 200 litre is the norm for a house Le Plombier

Concrete base slab to start, I assume that is your interpretation over oversite Above that insulation, tube network, then screed or chape liduide Insulation thickness is dependant upon room situation, number of external walls, on ground or above sous sol etc, needs to be assessed From the top of the slab to the finish level of the chape liquide 120 to 150mm, insulation thickness being the main criteria Then floor finish thickness on top, if tiles both the tile and the tile cement must be suitable for underfloor heating to ensure no loss of heat transfer For the chape liquide best to use a specialist, if you lay your own screed be sure to incorpoate the correct additive to the mix to ensure there is no entrained air in the screed which will reduce heat transfer A properly laid chape liquide floor will be perfectly level and immensesly stong so no need for a reinforcing mesh Le Plombier

tonyv Which one is the old wrinkly? Le Plombier

This post was edited by the moderators as it broke the forum Code of Conduct

I am qualified English, trade City and Guilds certs, H & V Technicians Cert, HND Member of the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers and a registered Incorporated Engineer Gas qualified in France That should be qualified enough I am here for a lifestyle change, been here years now and make a decent living working as a plumber Le Plombier This post was edited by the moderators as it broke the forum Code of Conduct

Get the tank from a distributor, they install and certify the tank Installation of the gas main depends on how far it is trenched, over 20m from house then exta external shut off valve etc A plumber may be interested but if your boiler is not french NF mark he probably would not touch it Provided he is Qualigaz registered he will issue the certificate I don't agree that boilers are much dearer here, UK normally 9 to 14kW output, France 20 to 35kW output Plus French boilers incorporate hot water production where required as opposed to a separate hot water cylinder Try to buy a 30kW boiler in the UK with say 130 litre of hot water storage and see what price you get Lastly I only try to advise people on the forum, I do not offer work or services, I have more than I can cope with without looking for more Le Plombier

Jondeau old bean Just as well you are retired You obviously have never worked in France and have absolutely no idea about the differences in most things out here If you did you might make a sensible comment Le Plombier

Gas pressure in the tank 6 bar plus dependant upon temperature etc Delivery pipework from tank is 1.5 bar up to the DDS valve which must be adjacent to the boiler After the DDS 37mbar to the boiler From the DDS to the boiler copper tube, flexible not permitted Any gas supply over 40mbar must be brasure forte, run in the correct manner, through ventilated areas and all fittings must comply with the regs You must also submit the installation to a 3bar pressure test Your supply will be propane Fitting for natural gas, propane and butane all are different There are all sorts of different valves, DDS, ROAI etc., etc If you don't know the gas regs then I suggest you don't do it yourself because you probably will never get your gas tank filled Le Plombier

Did say it was a bit big for a grease trap You got a taste of my job now Le Plombier

On a recently completed geothermie installation the client, by his own calculations reckons a payback of five and a half years Running costs 1100 euros as against 5000 euros for fossil fuel From the cost you need to deduct the cost you would pay for a conventional system as you would have that outlay any way The extra cost for the geothermal installation is subject to deduction of up to 8000 euros tax credit on the major equipment The balance is the sum of money for the payback calculation In the current climate it is worth the investment for the increase in the value of your property If you go down this route it is vital that you employ a company who are expert and use the best of equipment I see far to many alternative energy installations, particularly aerothermie, that have major problems and issues over controllability and performance with some very unhappy clients. Most systems such as solar, when used for heating, fall short of provision of a complete solution and require top up energy at the coldest periods. Wood burners are fine so long as you are happy humping wood and ash all the time and they go out if you don't feed them With gethermie you switch it on and leave it alone, nothing to do but adjust the programmer if you choose. The only back up is an electric element in the chauffe eau, this is there for provision of hot water in the unlikely event the pompe a chaleur is out of service Le Plombier

The freestanding cisterns are the same size as the buried ones The supplier I use does not charge rent and the credits and incentives they give for a buried cistern means you get the tank installed for next to nothing You should always talk to the plumber and ask what deal he can get you with a supplier Le PLombier

If you are going to install the boiler yourself you will need to know the gas regulations The gas distributor will install the tank and responsibility for the tank rests with him The gas pipe from the tank, boiler installation, ventilation, installation location etc rests with you or the person who does the installation The entire installation is subject to issue of a certificate of conformity, the distributor will not supply gas until they have been supplied with a their copy of the certificate. The French gas regs are much more severe than the UK regs, they cover everything in absolute detail You can pay Qualigaz to conduct the inspection and issue the certificate but be aware they are very strict and they will fail you on the smallest digression from the gas regulations . You would then have to repeat the process again until you get it right. At around 150 euros a time you had better know what you are doing It is unlikely that you will find a gas professional to issue a certificate on your behalf for work you have done, I only issue them on my own work, not even for a fellow professional, the penalties for a professional for non conformance are very severe and it's not worth the risk of signing off another person's work Note in particular that the copper gas supply, due to the pressure must be brasure forte, soft solder is not acceptable If your boiler does not have the French NF mark don't even bother I have installed UK range cookers here, without the NF mark, but it has taken me hours of argument with the Qualigaz inspector who is now a good mate of mine to accept the appliance In the long run you will probably save money by paying a local artisan to install a French boiler Le Plombier

A pompe a chaleur is heat pump and these are much more expensive than a conventional boilers I assume from your information he is probably quoting you for an aerothermie installation, it would be better if he is quoting for geothermie as you get better performance but you don't give enough information I install geothermie, as a guide for a 200 sq metre property with radiators and underfloor, ground loops or use of wells, heating and hot water with good quality equipment you should be looking at 40k euros approx A lot of these eco systems do not perform in all conditions, need boiler or electric elements to top up heat and therefore do not deliver real cost savings Aerothermie is good for mordern well insulated properties but not good for old poorly insulated stone properties Geothermie is the only one that delivers full performance with real saving on running cost I see all sorts of cheap alternative energy installations which frankly turn out to be a complete waste of money Le Plombier

Jonzjob Looks to me that you installation has been done correctly The chauffe eau can withstand the pressure increase up to a limit, that is why the pressure relief is set to 7 bar in order to protect the equipment It cannot absorb the increased volume of water caused by expansion due to heating, therefore the system pressure increases To absorb the increased water volume and maintain a stable pressure you would need to fit an expansion vessel Your solar coil circuit will be an independant sealed system and have no influence on the hot water system pressure I see a lot of installations with this problem and the vast majority are simply solved by installing a pressure reducing valve on the incoming mains water supply The dripping GDS is normally the symptom and not the problem Le Plombier

Jondeau Not a problem and ludicrous eh ? Maybe you should come and work with me for a while I will show you blocked drains you won't believe, the vast majority blocked solid with grease By the way I don't clear them, I leave that to DynoRod Le Plombier

The truth about the chauffe eau Can be single phase, three phase or some can be wired for either supply Some have thermostats, fitted under the removable cover, some do not Those that have thermostats have a limited range of temperature adjustment Some have elements that can be replaced, some do not The correct way to obtain the water temperature you require is by installing a simple adjustable mixing valve on the hot water outlet from the chauffe eau The groupe de secuity should not drip, if it does this should only be for a very short period of time as the heater reaches maximum temperature Water expands as it is heated and system pressure increases, the groupe de security is a safety device ( amongst it's other functions ) and it will open when the system pressure reaches 7 bar Normally there is no problem with the GDS valve, unless it is very old and bunged up with calcaire because it has been dribbling all the time The problem is almost always caused by an excessive cold water pressure You should have a pressure reducing valve on your incoming water supply to restrict the water pressure in you property to a maximum of 3 bar If this is installed then your hot water system pressure has to more than double before the GDS will open Operation of the GDS once a month is recommended, not to check the valve performance but to prime the trap with water, left unattended for a long period this trap can dry out with the result of drain smells in the house Le Plombier

You may well have a cover over a cover Check the concrete surface of the fosse under the cover carefully and you may find a join line where the fosse cover sits If your fosse is still active why would there be a cover with no access below Le Plombier

I am sure you are referring to to the Stage, a mandatory couse covering French business generally, whiuch you must complete before you will be allowed to register your own business They run the course in English at the Chambre de Metiers in Perigueux Electrical work, along with some other trades is a regulated activity and you must be listed on the register at your local Chambre de Metiers to be able to trade legally After you do the Stage you register at the C of M To register you need to provide your electrical qualifications, translated by an official traductor in to French If your qualifications are not acceptable you have to prove that you have a minimum of 3 years experience in your trade, written proof from previous employers is required Get a good accountant and get him to register your business with you The French regulations are more stringent than the UK regs, and in my view better, the idea that all things British are better is not always the case I encounter this problem, particularly with gas installations where clients want what the had in the UK which often does not meet the regs here Make sure you know the electrical regs before you start to work here Alternatively you could always find work through an agency like Manpower to get experience before you start your own business Le Plombier

Jo I personally would install one but it really depends upon usage whether it is essential or not I have to admit that although my grease trap is within 2 metres of the kitchen I have had to unblock the drain on one occaision Says a lot about my diet, or that of the previous owners, time will tell Le Plombier

Jonzsjob Are you sure that you have a grease trap What you describe sounds to me like the regard ( manhole ) normally installed after the fosse and filter bed just prior to the system finally discharging to a ditch or whatever. These normally are fitted with the arrangement you describe A grease trap is a large 200 litre tank with a division in the middle, it is similar to a very small fosse septique in construction However it seems to work which is better than the grease distilling out in your drain Le Plombier