It’s ideal to know what happens within your plumbing system and how to fix things if they break. These top 5 tips will help you to become more aware and help you prevent any plumbing problems as well as offering advice if needs be!
Know Your Valves
Make sure you learn where your stopcock and valves are so you can turn them off in case of an emergency and it’s so much easier to do this when there’s no burst pipe spraying water in your face. Valves get used to seizing up if they haven’t been turned and twisted in a couple of years so make it a habit of doing that a couple of times a year.
If you don’t look after your boiler, then it won’t look after you. Ensure that is receives regular servicing each year so it can be properly looked over to see if there’s anything that needs doing. Make sure that the flame is blue, this indicates that it’s strong, whereas if the flame is yellow, this could be mean there is a problem and needs to be checked.
Check for Hard Water
If you’re living in an area that has hard water, then it’s likely that lime scale will build up around your taps and shower head. It’s essential to use a good lime scale remover to prevent the problem becoming worse over time. Also, if you can spare the change, fit a water softener, if not; consider vinegar as an alternative.
Outlets and Gullies
Make sure you check and clean your water pipes regularly in order for the water to flow freely at all times. Blockage can occur mainly from baths and showers from the hair so don’t leave it too late to clean them!
Guards for Pipes
Ensure that any pipework is properly lagged, especially if some pipes are outside and are exposed to the cold weather. This will make sure that they are fully functional, clean and no gases are being released into the atmosphere.