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19) Fixing things buried in walls POSTED BY CHRISR If you have something like a "flush mount" shower valve to fix into a wall, it can be awkward. There's the difficulty of getting an even recess, and then getting a fixing in what's left of your wall once you've been hammering it. The...

18 ) Why Is My Hot Water Not Hot Enough? There are a number of reasons why your domestic hot water is only lukewarm: COMBI SYSTEM 1) The domestic heat exchanger is all scaled up inside therefore reducing the amount of water being heated up as it flows through. The HE will need...

17) HOT WATER TANK OVERFLOWING You should first check for float valve failure and replace or renew washer if needed. If OK you need to check the plumbing to your shower or hot and cold mixer tap is correctly plumbed and the hot and cold supplies are balanced. Cold water at mains pressure...

16) HOW DO I UNBLOCK A SINK / BASIN? Some methods you can try: A) First thing to try is pouring pans of boiling hot water which should dissolve any grease and solids and move them along and out of the pipework. B) Using a sink plunger. You need to cover the overflow with a cloth and...

15) REMOVING AIR LOCKS An air lock is a pocket of air in the pipework which blocks the flow of water. Normally found on tank supplied hot or cold water pipework that is not under mains pressure. Try this remedy wherever you have a mixer with one supply working but not the other: 1)...

14) CHANGING FROM LEAD PIPE TO COPPER A post that has come up quite often is how to change an old stop tap on a leaded supply. You will need a fitting called a Lead Loc which is basically a compression adapter to go from lead to copper. There are a few different sizes so ensure...

13) LAYING PIPES IN CONCRETE Thanks to Seco Services You can lay them in a duct or in conduit as below . Lay them in Denso tape.

12) LIMESCALE REMOVAL As you may know limescale is particularly hard to remove from taps, basins etc. Here is a few things you may like to try. 1) You can try cotton wool soaked in vinegar on the offending areas, a video clip is HERE 2)The best limescale removing spray on the market...

11) HOW TO FIT A STONE SHOWER TRAY? Stone shower trays need to be raised on a timber platform to give clearance for the trap. You can use 4 x 2 or 6 x2 wood to make the platform depending on how high you wish to have the tray, Make the timber framework up with 4 lengths spaced at 300...

10 ) TOILET FLUSHING PROBLEMS 1) Your first check should be the water level in the cistern is at the correct level normally marked on the side. 2) Inspect the float valve is working correctly and cutting the water at the marked level. Also check the round float (if fitted ) is not...

26) CHEMICALS IN CENTRAL HEATING Posted by Mogget Corrosion Inhibitor: Common Brands - Sentinel X100, Fernox F1 & MB-1 Heating systems contain different metals - steel in the radiators, pipes made from copper etc. In the presence of water and oxygen an electrical current flows and this...

25) BOILERSTAT, ROOMSTAT, TRV AND YOUR GAS BILL Thanks to Bengasman C H controls will only work properly when the rads are large enough to heat the space where they are, and the draught is controlled to normal ventilation levels. If there is draught, or the radiator is too small for the...

24 ) CENTRAL HEATING PROTECTION In order to look after your CH system it is imperative that you protect it from corrosion. Inhibitor is a liquid chemical that you add to the circulating water. It stops the steel radiators from "rusting" away from the inside and clogging the boiler and...

23) AVOIDING BURST PIPES THANKS TO STEM When water freezes it expands and can burst pipes. There are only two solutions....... get rid of the water, or prevent it freezing. In an empty property turn off the water supply and drain everything down, including water tanks, water cylinder...

22 ) Vaillant Diverter Valve Failure symptoms Thanks to Agile SYMPTOMS:- Stuck on CH:- Gives CH as normal. On DHW heats radiators instead when a hot tap is turned on but the water stays cold! Stuck on DHW:- Gives DHW as normal. On CH does not give any CH but boiler fires up every...

21 ) Checking Flow through Heating pipes - The "BUCKET TEST" Thanks to Agile This test checks the flow through pipework on either radiator valves, or pump isolation valves. First, turn off both valves and undo the valve union connection (collect water contained between the valves)...

20 ) CHECKING A PUMP using " The Finger Test " Thanks to Agile This is a simple way to find out if a pump is working properly using just your finger! First remove the pump head but leave it wired up to the supply. It is important that an earth wire is connected to the pump and ideally...

9) FLUELESS FIRES- Do you fancy one? Flueless fires have been discussed on this site a few times and the resounding advice given from Gas Installers is to AVOID at all costs! These fires are attractive to consumers as they are 90% efficient as opposed others which are only about 70%...

8 ) CHANGING A CISTERN FLOAT VALVE IF one of your tanks in the loft is overflowing, it may be down to float valve failure. It could be just the washer needs replacing but for £5 you can change the whole valve. You should be able to do this yourself as it is fairly easy. You will need to...

7) REPLACING WC FLOAT VALVE If you undo the blue nut on the RHS, you can take the other parts off the stem and swap the new one for your old one. The old plastic ball float screws onto the end. After taking off the old and before fitting the new valve, turn the water on for a few...