Heating & Plumbing Helpful Hints
17 May 2023
By Andy Jarrett
- Know where your mains water valve is located.
- Should the worst case scenario occur and you need to turn off your water supply urgently, understanding where this is located is crucial for minimising any water damage to the property.
- Be aware of what you flush.
- Some things should be flushed, many things should definitely not be flushed down your toilet. Anything other than bodily fluids and appropriate levels of toilet paper can cause significant blockages along the pipework through to the main external drain, this can be both messy and costly if needing to call out a sewage contractor.
- Oil and Grease down the drain is a big No-No!
- These fats do to your drains as they can with your arteries, eventually they’ll clog up with layer upon layer building up until you have a serious plumbing problem. A great tip is to line a mug with tin foil, pour the fat into the container, allow to set, then tightly wrap and place into your waste bin.
- Drain strainers can save you from blocked pipes and unsavory aromas!
- From food waste down the kitchen sink to long hair slipping down the bath and shower plug hole, a simple strainer will stop unwanted items causing any smelly issues or unnecessary blockages.
- Maintain your drain using less hazardous cleaners.
- Corrosive chemicals can cause damage to your pipes so would not always recommend using these products for day to day maintenance. Instead a weekly flush of 1 cup vinegar and a half cup baking soda letting is do it’s magic for 10 minutes will keep them clean and blockage free, without the harshness. Also, half a cup into your dishwasher on a full empty cycle cleans it magnificently. A bag of vinegar tied around the shower head and left for a few hours remove stains and limescale. Lemons are a great way to remove stains from taps and faucets.
- Dripping taps can be easily fixed.
- Taps often continually drip due to being turned off as tightly as possible over time, and therefore eroding the seal due to increased pressure. You should only turn until the tap naturally feels like it’s closed. To fix, simply turn off the mains water supply, drain the line, pry the tap cover off and remove the screw and tap stem, remove the rubber seal, replacing with new and then put all elements back together.
- Don’t ignore drips and running toilets!
- With the cost of living crisis and energy hikes everyone’s concern, even the smallest drip can have an effect on your annual water bill with a running toilet adding more than 40%! If you spot a drip, your toilet constantly runs or a leak around a tap you should look to fix as soon as possible to save a costly bill later down the line.
- Turning your combi boiler down to 16° could save you up to £100 per year.
- The flow temperature is the level at which the water flows from your boiler through to radiators. This should not have a noticeable impact on the overall temperature of your home and doesn’t effect your thermostat control. However, you must assess home temperatures in line with your own individual health and circumstances.
- Bleed your radiators regularly.
- Bleeding radiators removes air pockets that lower their efficiency. To do this is straightforward, simply turn off the heating and allow the radiators to cool. Open the bleed valve on the side of the radiator using a radiator key, or flat headed screwdriver. As you open the valve you’ll hear a hissing noise as the air escapes, have a bowl and cloth ready to collect any water excess as the water level rises until obvious the radiator is full with water. Close the valve by tightening with the key and repeat on all other radiators around the house.
- Avoid freezing pipes using Trace Heaters or Condensulate Xtrme style cabling.
- One way to stop frozen pipes during the cold months is to install a Trace Heater, this unit gently heats up the external condensate waste pipe with the outside temperatures drop below 5°. Condensulate Xtreme goes even further, protecting pipes for up to 12 hours at -10°.