Prices on Taco zone valve wiring jobs

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Mike Lang

Mike Lang

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New Jersey
I was just curious what some of you guys get for wiring a radiant heat system with 4 or more zones. I use the Taco panels which are really nice and simple. I was getting around $700 to do these and never heard a complaint. Just today I looked at an 18 zone system for radiant floor heat and told the builder right off the bat the panels are about $700 for all these zones. He laughed and said the whole job shouldn't be that much.

Keep in mind his regular electrician said he didn't want to waste his time wiring it up. He probably doesn't know how and that's why they called me. For 18 zones I'm guessing around $1400. I need to daisy chain 4 panels = $700, then I'll go through about a roll or 14-2 MC- $90, then my time. I say about $1400.
 
Mike Lang said:
I was just curious what some of you guys get for wiring a radiant heat system with 4 or more zones. I use the Taco panels which are really nice and simple. I was getting around $700 to do these and never heard a complaint. Just today I looked at an 18 zone system for radiant floor heat and told the builder right off the bat the panels are about $700 for all these zones. He laughed and said the whole job shouldn't be that much.

Keep in mind his regular electrician said he didn't want to waste his time wiring it up. He probably doesn't know how and that's why they called me. For 18 zones I'm guessing around $1400. I need to daisy chain 4 panels = $700, then I'll go through about a roll or 14-2 MC- $90, then my time. I say about $1400.
Click to expand...

Actually sounds low to me.

I'm picturing modulating 3W zone valves, zone T-stats, supply&return T-senors, ODT reset, control panel, etc. Circ pumps?

I'm assuming a commercial app since your using MC.

Am I way off base here?
 
Mike Lang said:
He laughed and said the whole job shouldn't be that much.
Click to expand...
It's a game they play. You did your "test close" when you shot an off the cuff price, and he countered in a GC's usual style. No big deal.
 
I hope some knowlegable people will contribute in this thread, because I personally find the NEC Art 725 confusing and would like to understand it better.

I think low voltage applications are often rather ignored because they are low voltage, but because of the size of the conductors often involved, there may be as great a risk of fire as power and lighting circuits.

Your thread is more of a money thing, but I think the specifics of the technical aspects would influence the money part.

Are these 24 vac zone valves @ about 0.9 A. each? I recently started a post about these. Manufacturer says that 3 valves of a specific type can be operated from a 40VA transformer and I believe the panels to which you refer have 1 40 VA trans. per 3 valves. The taco zone valve panels seem pretty simple from an electricians's perspective

What kind of installation is this... residential, commercial? It sounds from the number that it may be commercial, but it's not hard to get a bunch of zones in a residence.

Are they scattered out around the building? If there are any number of valves, a "panel" type installation can be built where the valves are all in one location.

Are you also wiring pumps and boiler? How many pumps?

I hope you'll be willing to elaborate and some knowlegable people will respond.:smile:
 
Ive been wiring them for a bit less, but I dont use a control panels unless the plumber wants it. I just did 6 zones one is a water heater. Material was just a few feet of mc and less than 30 feet of thermostat wire. so I charged him for material and a day of labor. Although it didnt really take all day to do it i still charged about 600 bucks. I guess I was a little low?
 
The system I'm bidding on is a residential application. Although it has 120 volt circulator pumps because the zones are pretty big and far away from the boiler they need the extra push of a circulator pump. The last one I did was about 6-8 zones and I went through about 100' of MC. I use MC just because I route the cable along the plumbing pipes and up to the zone vales because they are not installed on or near a wall. I'll have to upload a pic to show you guys. Also there will be 2 boilers and 18 Zones total with circulator pumps 120Volt. The boilers might have a temp stat already wired in but they usually don't have a low water cut off from the factory.

This one will probably take 200' of MC since each run from the zone panel to the pump is about 10'-12'. I'm going to try and upload a pic of the last one I did.
 
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So you're not talking about 24 vac zone valves at all. You're talking about 18 120 v circulating pumps?...

I think if you got a house with two boilers and 18 hydronic pumps, you can pay 1400 bucks to get them wired up.
 
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