Plumbers

Plumbers: Every now and then issues come up with the plumbing in your property, it will either be a problem with the heating system for instance a cold radiator, a combi boiler breakdown or a broken immersion heater, or it may be connected with the household water system ie a toilet that won't flush, a tap that leaks or a burst pipe. Whichever it is, you will certainly need to contact a certified UK plumber or heating engineer to deal with the problem. Some of you might have basic plumbing skills and be quite able to change a tap washer or bleed a radiator, but not many of you will be able to fix a central heating boiler or deal with a burst pipe. So you must speak to a plumber in the UK and you'll need to get a trustworthy one.

While the obvious task that pops into your head when a UK plumber is the topic of conversation is working with hot and cold water systems, that is only the tip of the iceberg of what a skilled plumber in the UK is able to do, the fitting of gas appliances and the maintenance of central heating systems are other regular jobs that they do. It's often the case that people need the services of a professional UK plumber in desperate situations; an unidentified water leak for instance, or even a faulty boiler. Look for a local UK plumbing service that is available 24 hours a day so that you know you are able to phone them any time night or day.

The bread and butter of any professional UK plumber is the fault finding and maintenance of your gas, oil and water systems around the house. The main work of a good number of professional plumbers in the UK is the maintenance of gas, oil and water systems. You shouldn't try to tinker with these things unless you are fully qualified to do so, and the likelihood is that severe injury to you or damage to your property may be the consequence of such activities.

UK plumbers have to be registered through the relevant scheme before they can work on your gas or oil central heating equipment, therefore when contacting a local plumber verify that this is the case. UK plumbers working on gas services are required to be certified by the Gas Safe Register (previously CORGI), and any dealing with oil systems are required to be certified members of the OFTEC association. Having both or either of these affiliations prove to you that the plumber has finished the essential training courses and gives a good quality service that is guaranteed under these schemes. This also lets you check that your chosen plumber has the correct qualifications and offers you access to guidance should you not be satisfied with the advice or quality of workmanship supplied.

In rented properties it is a legal requirement for landlords to carry out safety checks to make certain all appliances are safe and working properly. Having safety checks is certainly a smart idea though it is not required by law for normal homeowners. During the last year as an example there were about 67,000 incident response callouts and one hundred and forty thousand houses checked. From these, one out of six home appliances were found to have defects which could have led to injury to the household occupants. Employing a professional UK plumber to perform a safety check around your home is an excellent option to give you peace of mind and safeguard your family members.

You should try to get around three quotes when you've got a certain plumbing job in mind, this gives you a broader choice as opposed to just hiring the 1st plumber that comes along. To help avoid paying for afternoons cut short, wasted time, constant phone conversations and related hold-ups not caused by yourself, obtain a quotation for the completed job not based on a daily or hourly rate.

No matter what form of plumbing job it is, there is invariably a possibility of blunders. You should have a chat with the plumber to start with if you are not all that satisfied with the work that's been carried out. You must try to execute this in a reserved and calm manner where possible. By far the best policy is to put it all down in black and white, with an outline of what you are and aren't happy with. It's generally advisable to take some photographs as the work moves forward so that you will have a certain amount of pictorial evidence of what occurred. Any self-respecting UK plumber will be glad to resolve any complaints in most situations. In the plumbing trade, having a good reputation is one of the most important things.

Plumbers Merchants UK

If you need to acquire materials for a planned plumbing project you will likely be searching for nearby plumbers' merchants which you can use. Performing a quick search on Yell (formerly Yellow Pages) is one way that you can get a perception of the range of plumbing suppliers that exist within driving distance of UK. To make it simpler for you, we have put in a direct weblink here. It is of course also possible to do a search for tradespeople on Yell, although there's no way to know the reliability of the UK plumbers advertising there seeing that they are paid business listings, and the ones near to the top have paid to get listed in that position. Therefore, when using this strategy for obtaining a plumber in the UK you must be careful, because all is probably not as it seems.

Radiator Bleeding UK

If your gas central heating just isn't warming your home up effectively, it may be that you've got air bubbles trapped inside the system. This is a rather typical problem and it is easily resolved. The hot water cannot circulate properly when there are air bubbles in the heating system, therefore preventing the radiators from heating up. The chances are your radiators will likely be hot at the top and cold at the bottom. Bleeding the radiators is typically the resolution to this issue. This is perhaps best left to an expert if you are not comfortable doing yourself. The process of bleeding radiators consists of turning off the heating, allowing the radiators to cool down, placing a container underneath the radiator bleeding valve to capture any drips of water, turning the radiator key a quarter of a turn anti-clockwise until the water runs easily, and finally shutting off the valve. This is traditionally done by a plumber or heating engineer, although a reliable handyman might be able to help. When you turn the heating back on again, the issue will probably be resolved, if it's not and the bottoms of the radiators are cold, there may be a sludge build up, which has to be flushed out by a plumber.

New Central Heating Boilers UK

Every so often all homes using gas should have a new boiler installed. Whilst modern gas boilers are usually super-efficient and sturdily built, they have still got a limited lifespan. A five year warranty is standard for decent quality boilers, after which you will almost certainly need to fork out for repairs. It might be possible to get a maintenance package with your supplier for future maintenance. You ought to exchange your old combi boiler for a new modern one after 15 years or so. A new central heating boiler could save money in the long run because the technology is continually evolving. Replacement isn't a cheap thing to do therefore committing to an efficient combi boiler is a great idea if you would like value for your money. For putting in your new boiler you'll have to get a genuine Gas Safe heating engineer. Never monkey around with a boiler by yourself. (Tags: Gas Boiler Installation, Replacement Boilers, New Boilers)

Wet Rooms UK

As lots of houses in the UK have modest bathrooms nowadays, wet rooms have become extremely popular. The easy access and increased safety features make wet rooms especially popular with individuals with restricted mobility like the elderly or infirm. There is not much difference between a wet room and a shower room except that a wet room doesn't have a screen or shower tray. The whole room is waterproofed while the floor surface slopes slightly towards the drain. Adding a stylish wet room may even add extra value to your property, so long as it's employed in a spare bathroom but not instead of your main family bathroom. To prevent damage to your underlying flooring, the tiling and waterproofing of a wet room should be carried out to a very high standard, therefore ensure the installation is handled by a competent fitter.

Emergency Plumbers UK

Occasionally you may need to call out an emergency plumber. Luckily for us, this sort of service is offered by several plumbers in the UK. Plumbing companies acknowledge that homeowners sometimes have emergencies and where water or sewage is involved an immediate resolution is necessary. It's definitely a wise idea to keep the contact details of a 24 hour plumber at hand so that you don't need to get stressed when you need it. These sorts of rapid call out service are available at a premium, so you are going to be charged more for it. An emergency plumber in the UK might be required for things such as: a lack of any water, burst or cracked pipes, water seepage or leaks, blocked or non-flushing toilets, not having any hot water and clogged drains.

Toilet Repairs UK

One of the most frequent reasons for bringing in a plumber in the UK, is for issues with a toilet. Because of the amount of working parts in a toilet cistern, there are many different things that can break down. Just a handful of the troubles which you could run into include: a running toilet, a rocking toilet bowl, a leaky toilet, a slow tank fill, a smelly toilet, an overflowing toilet cistern, a wobbly toilet seat, a loose or stuck toilet handle, a cracked toilet, a partial or weak flush, a whistling tank fill or a blocked toilet. It isn't really a great idea to begin tinkering around with your own toilet cistern, unless you know exactly what you're doing, and possess the correct tools to do the job. A plumber is the obvious tradesman to get in for this kind of repair, though a handyman or odd job man may well be capable of handling basic tasks, and at a more affordable price. You should never ignore any of these problems if you encounter them in your toilet. Minor problems are well known for becoming more critical when they aren't taken care of straight away.

Saniflo Fitters UK

Now and again householders in the UK want to add a new toilet to their property. This may not seem that difficult to accomplish but will depend on whether there is a functioning soil pipe nearby. There are several solutions to this problem and the one you want to avoid is the disruptive and costly installation of additional piping. Rather than having your whole house remodeled, you could have a Saniflo toilet system installed, which will be easier and cheaper. A Saniflo toilet system functions by macerating the waste so that it can be pumped out and expelled through a small one inch pipe which is easier to fit. The generated waste matter can be forced up to 3m vertically and 50m horizontally, making it acceptable for most standard size homes. This kind of installation will definitely require the expertise of an experienced plumber or a Saniflo technician if you are to have it done properly. (Tags: Saniflo Engineers UK, Saniflo Toilets UK, Saniflo Fitters UK, Saniflo Systems UK)

Landlord Gas Safety Certificates UK

Landlords in the UK are liable for the safety of their tenants with regards to gas appliances and flues. These have to be given a thorough annual gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer. A Landlord Gas Safety Record or Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) will be given to the landlord after this check has been completed. Within four weeks of this being completed, landlords have to provide a copy of this report (the Landlord Gas Safety Record) for their tenants. Frequent maintenance also has to be given to all gas pipework, gas appliances, chimneys and flues, so that they're kept in a safe state of repair.

Blocked Waste Pipe

Waste traps and pipes should be kept clear since they are a vital part of a home's drainage system. The use of plastic accessories and piping is commonplace in most present day systems. Waste pipes are wider than water supply pipes. Every once in awhile these waste pipes suffer blockages because of a build up of rubbish for instance leftover food, grease and strands of hair. A sure sign of an obstruction is if the flow of water from plug holes slows down in sinks and baths. The chance that a blockage is beginning to form somewhere inside the pipework is substantial. Immediate attention is required for this sort of situation. You will either have to have a shot at unclogging it on your own or speak to a local plumber. Householders normally attempt to sort out waste blockages with remedies like sink plungers, hot water, salt with vinegar, chemical cleaners and plumber's snakes.

Searching for a Good Plumber

Acquiring a reliable tradesman nowadays is often a real headache, as you'll soon realise when you're on the lookout for a decent plumber or builder to work on your property. There are a lot of "plumbers" promoting such services in local newspapers, in online directories and by way of flyers, but which one can you rely on? With every trade, there are plenty of cowboys and tricksters out there who'll be happy to take your cash but will disappoint when it comes to completing the work required. Industry portals such as Rated People can be a great help and with luck you can avoid scoundrels by reading reviews and testimonials by former customers. Take your time and you should get a good plumber for that job, although of course no method guarantees success.

Plumbing Tasks

Local UK plumbers should be able to help to with under floor heating installation and repair in the UK, boiler repairs in the UK, boiler installation, installing gas central heating systems in the UK, fitting dishwashers and washing machines, fitting external taps, fixing burst pipes, emergency plumbing call-outs in the UK, gas appliance fitting, bathroom suite fitting, bathroom tiling, gas hobs and ovens fitted, heating system maintenance tests, Gas Safe certficates in the UK, powerflushing, power shower installations in the UK, replacing and relocating radiators, residential plumbing, bleeding radiators in the UK, the installation of water softeners, hot tub installation, the installation of Saniflo systems, exchanging leaking taps in the UK, gas appliance servicing in the UK, and plenty of other plumbing related tasks in the UK. Local UK plumbers will likely have the postcode UK and the telephone code 044.

Questions You Should Ask Before Selecting a Plumber

• Can you provide references from previous clients?
• When do you need payment?
• Is all work guaranteed?
• Is this the total cost for the job?
• Are you a member of a trade association?
• For how long have you been trading?
• Have you got adequate public liability insurance?
• Can I look at images of similar work accomplished?
• Who will be doing the work?

Eight Ways to Locate a Trusted Plumber in the UK

• Check local and national business directories
• Ask respected tradesman for personal references
• Perform a search on the APHC website
• Use one of the online trade directories like Rated People or My Builder
• Have a look at web based review sites like Trustpilot
• Visit the government financed Trustmark
• Word of mouth - Ask friends and relations to recommend someone
• Check Trading Standards for approved local tradesmen

Plumbing Books

List of suggested reading: Plumbing by Steve Muscroft, Collins Complete Plumbing & Central Heating by Albert Jackson and David Day, Plumbing a House, Plumbing Encyclopaedia (Roy Treloar), Pipefitters Handbook, Modern Plumbing by E Blankenbake, Level 2 Technical Certificate in Plumbing (6035) by Anthony Griffith and Mike Maskrey, Residential Construction Academy: Plumbing.