Weil McLain glass tube (site) replacement

RTBuccino

Hello!
Weil McLain 68 Boiler Model P-468-ST
We recently had our boiler serviced and, after the guy left, we had a water leak from the site glass. Called the company back and they returned, replaced the glass, approx. 1/2 hour of work, charged us $.

We are happy to pay a contractor for their expertise and work but that seems really high.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Thank you.
Theresa

KC_Jones

RTBuccino said:

Hello!
Weil McLain 68 Boiler Model P-468-ST
We recently had our boiler serviced and, after the guy left, we had a water leak from the site glass. Called the company back and they returned, replaced the glass, approx. 1/2 hour of work, charged us $.

We are happy to pay a contractor for their expertise and work but that seems really high.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Thank you.
Theresa

We don't discuss labor pricing on this site, it's one of the few hard rules.

That said, remember, most companies have a minimum charge because of travel time etc. A 15 minute job could be more like an hour at least due to travel time, communication, scheduling etc. 1 person shows up, but there could be 1-3 others behind the scenes to support the field employee. There is a lot to it.

EBEBRATT-Ed

We can't talk prices on this forum. Not allowed. You can buy the parts online at supply house.com if you can change it yourself. They usually need to be changed every 5 years or so.

If it wasn't leaking before the service, I would call them and try and get some credit. They may say no but it's worth a try. Maybe when it was serviced he took it out to clean it and reinstalled it. The glass can break pretty easily.

RTBuccino

Thank you both so much for the speedy responses! I will make sure to follow the rules in the future.

STEAM DOCTOR

In the future, good idea to get cost up front. Now obviously it's unpredictable. Some jobs are flat rate prices. Some jobs are time and material. Sometimes there are minimum charges or trip charges. But for your sake and the contractors sake, always good to be upfront and forthcoming in advance.

ethicalpaul

I'm less worried about the cost and more worried that the tech left it leaking and maybe caused the leak. Was the glass broken? Was it broken by the tech? Was it already leaking before the tech arrived? Did it need to be replaced or just cleaned and snugged up?

We can't know if the tech was in some way at fault, but the lack of communication is the troubling part and I'm sure left the homeowner wondering. Not optimal.

109A_5

Hello @RTBuccino,
If they just replaced the glass and the gaskets, those parts are inexpensive. However you would have to spend your time to order them and/or go get them and do the work to install them. And the glass can break if you are not careful. And you would need the few tools too.

In this case it was repaired the same day and all you had to do was make a phone call.

I just wonder if it leaked from something the previous service caused. Did they remove and clean the old one as part of the original service ?

EBEBRATT-Ed

I will guess he took it out to clean it and reinstalled it and maybe over tightned the glass had a slight crack at the top. Then maybe he fired the boiler and left before it steamed.

If you look at them crooked they can break