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Posts Tagged ‘hot<’
Posted in Electrical Work on Apr 02
Children and teenagers are tomorrow’s people. It is with their safety in mind that we present some straightforward safety tips in your bathroom and kitchen.
Caution: If you have any faulty electrical equipment or appliances, rather find an electrician to check for problems. Fiddling with gadgets ourselves is all fine and dandy, but just think about the consequences of getting it wrong. Electricians take several years to qualify, and there’s a good reason for this – they have to learn a lot, and then put their knowledge into practice throughout their working lives.
Child Safety
Be sure to dry your children thoroughly after bathing or showering, and before they approach anything electrical in the house. Water and electricity are a lethal combination. Teach your kids to keep drinks far away from any electrical appliances. It’s also a good habit to teach your youngsters to switch off appliances at the wall socket, whenever they are not in use.
Keep electrical appliance cords out of the reach of your children too, particularly for hot gadgets such as kettles, irons and hair dryers. And, never keep a charger plugged in without connecting to the actual appliance – kids love to explore and may regard a dangling cable as a tasty item to put in their mouths!
Kitchen Safety 
One recipe never to be followed is water and electricity…this combination will prove stunning, and may even turn out fatal. When you plan your new kitchen, ensure that sockets and switches are located a safe distance from water sources such as the sink. If you are thinking of a quote for electrical work, make sure the drawings include safe distances between water outlets and plugs or switches.
One of our London Electricians suggests you make sure your heavy-duty appliances such as washing machines or dishwashers connect through a fusible-link switch. This should be above the worktop surface, so that you can switch on or off quickly in emergencies.
Some Definite No-Goes
- Never use any electrical equipment or switch with wet hands.
- Don’t wrap power cables around an iron or a kettle while still warm or hot
- Always unplug an appliance from the wall socket when cleaning it.
- Unplug irons and kettles when filling them with water.
- If bread sticks in your toaster, don’t stick metal objects inside the toasting compartment to dislodge the bread. Switch off all kitchen appliances when not in use.
Tags: appliance, bathroom, children, cord, dishwahers, electrical safety, electricity, equipment, find an electrician, hot, kettle, kitchen, lethal, london electricians, power cable, quote for electrical work, safety, sink, switch, washing machines, water, wet
Posted in Electrical Work | Comments Off
Posted in Electrical Work on Jan 23
The last thing you need in any circuit is a dry joint, by which I mean two wires twisted round each other or even worse. In a home, this can cause the power to keep on tripping, while in the low voltage world the result is a random electronic fault.
 From time-to-time it’s necessary to get a soldering-iron out. Before you rush around looking for an Electrician Quote it might just be possible to do the job yourself.
• Preparation Clean both parts that you are planning to solder into a joint. Hardened, damaged wire is a recipe for disaster so make sure everything is shiny new by stripping off a fresh end. While at it, remove any vestiges of solder if you’re repairing an existing joint. That’s because solder does not stick to itself at all well when not fresh.
• Tinning Heat each surface in turn until it just melts a bead of solder. Work this back and forth until you see a little amber liquid appear. That’s the tinning that’s the meat in a good joint. It will be HOT. Allow the material  to cool down naturally before you touch it with your hands.
• Soldering Mount the larger of the pieces to be joined securely in a vice. Heat up its surface until solder melts instantly on it. Place the other tinned piece in the pool of solder, remove the soldering iron, and wait until the surface of the melted solder goes slightly dull. Allow the joint, which will be HOT to cool naturally.
If you have a soldering iron that’s in good order and you have the time, you don’t really need to Find an Electrician, do you? But beware one thing, and that’s a bad joint. A London Electrician I know tests his apprentices’ work by seeing whether he can pull it apart.
Tags: bead, circuit, clean, cool, dry, electric, electrician quote, electronic, find an electrician, flux, fresh, heat, hot, joint, london electrician, melt, preparation, remove, solder, solder iron, strip, tin, tinned, vice, wire
Posted in Electrical Work | Comments Off
The kitchen truly is at the heart of every home, and if you think about it the sink tap is at its core. First thing in the morning we use it to fill the kettle. Last thing at night we rinse the dirty dishes. Cook uses it at least a dozen times a day. The family gathers around it to do the washing up.
 There are some really handsome kitchen taps around these days. Why not Find a Plumber and spoil yourself with a new one. If you are thinking of doing it yourself, then here’s what’s involved.
1. Isolate the hot and cold water supply, making sure the flow stops completely. Position a bucket beneath the tap under the sink.
2. Loosen off the nut that holds the tap in place. London Plumbers always travel with a basin wrench – if the nut is hard to get at, you’ll know why.
3. Disconnect the flexible water lines connecting the tap to the water supply at the lower end. Be careful not to strain the piping. As you remove the couplings a little water will flow out. Make sure the bucket is in place before you do!
4. Remove the old tap complete with the flexible pipes attached. Clean the sink surface thoroughly where the old tap rested. Take your time to do this properly. Apply a  generous bead of plumbers putty around the hole in the surface of the sink, and gently bed the rubber gasket into it.
5. Insert the new tap assembly through the hole including the flexible water lines. Locate the fixing nut, position the tap, and tighten the nut firmly. Attach the pipes to the water supply remembering to be generous with plumber’s tape.
6. Re-tighten the nut that secures the tap as it will have bedded down. Remove the surplus putty that squeezed out and clean the sink top thoroughly. Turn on the water and test the tap. No leaks? You’ve earned a cup of tea and a biscuit too!
Sound’s easy, doesn’t it? But there are various things that could go wrong, resulting in water leaks that could ruin expensive kitchen cabinetry. Why not get a Plumber’s Quote on Mr-Skill instead? You’ll save pounds off normal rates, and could still enjoy that cup of tea and biscuit.
Tags: attach, basin, bucket, change, clean, cold, flexibly, flow, gasket, heart, home, hot, insert, isolate, kitchen, leak, line, loose, nit, pipe, putty, rubber, save pounds, sink, supply, surplus, tap, tape, test, tight, water, wrench
Posted in Plumbing, Heating & Gas | Comments Off
We’re all becoming a bit more green-minded these days, as energy prices soar and global warming starts to take effect. The devices that we use to heat our water are especially important, because the heat-exchange process is so energy-intensive. I’ve even heard of increasing sales in shops of de-scaling kits for electric kettles.  But how many of us spare a thought for our closed-circuit hot water systems, or consider getting Plumbing Quotes on Mr-Skill to descale them.
The root cause of the problem lies in the impurities in the water that we heat, and the damage caused by chemical contamination in different regions. In all cases there is a gradual build-up of harmful scale, as the by-products of calcium carbonate and black iron oxide begin to take effect.
The twin results of these two types of contamination are lowered thermal efficiency, and rust that corrodes the pressure tank until the system is no longer safe. This comes down to unnecessary expenditure of two kinds – higher electricity bills and eventually expensive hot water system replacements.
The same contaminated water finds its way through pipes to taps and sinks. As it does so, it gradually blocks the pipes the same way as cholesterol does to our arteries. Its final act of vengeance is when it  causes irreversible stains to expensive bathroom tiles and showers. By then of course the damage is largely done.
If you hear kettling noises in the roof space, spot scale build-up or find it necessary to turn up the boiler thermostat, then it’s definitely time to Find a London Plumbing Expert or someone nearer to advise. There are many techniques these days to repel the effects of scale, and the savings can be quite significant.
You can Find a Plumber on Mr-Skill that we’ve rated personally, and when they quote they’ll know that they’re being compared too. They’ll also know that in the unlikely case of problems you’ll be talking directly to us about them. Who said you can’t find quality anymore these days.
Tags: calcium, chemical, contamination, corrosion, cost, damage, descale, electricity, exchange, find a london plumbing expert, find a plumber, global warming, green, hot, impurity, oxide, pipe, plumbing quotes, rust, scale, shower, sink, tap, thermal, thermostat, tile, water
Posted in Plumbing, Heating & Gas | Comments Off
Posted in Handyman Services on May 24
Surprisingly enough, removing and replacing a bath is technically quite straightforward provided there are no added complications. If things go well for you, then you may not even  need to Find a Bath Fitter to do the work for you. Make sure you know what you are about though, because water does have a habit of flowing downstairs and ruining floors and carpets.
o Remove the inspection panel in front of the bath. If it un-clips then good luck to you. If it is made of brick you could well be faced with a lengthy and messy job. Once again think smart – is this the job for you?
o Obtain a replacement bath (and fittings) that exactly replicates the old one in terms of all dimensions. Your old bath is attached to the fabric of the house in three ways, namely on stands, with pipes and drains, and along the back and sides with grout and sealer. Work carefully in all three instances, and avoid problems down the line.
o Isolate the hot and cold water supply before you start, fitting in-line taps if necessary. Disconnect the pipes from the taps, or cut them off if they are inaccessible as they usually are.  My mate who specialises in Bath Fitting in London always says leave as much pipe over as you possibly can because you never know what can happen next. While you are at it, remove the drains too.
o If you wish to leave the tiles intact then clear the grout and silicone away with a sharp metal scriber until you have a clear gap. You will need at least a quarter-inch of clear space when you loosen out the bath, so remove a row of tiles if necessary instead of cracking them.
o Obtain a length of chain, pass it through the drain hole and hold it in position with a bolt. Have an assistant hold this steady while you pull gently upwards on the taps. With a little effort the bath should come loose and you can remove it carefully from the room. Clean up the mess and have a cup of tea because you surely do deserve it.
That was not all that hard, was it? With a little more experience some people might even imagine your spouse got Bath Fitting Quotes on Mr-Skill. Perhaps she should still though?
Tags: bath, bath fitter london, bath fitter quote, bath fitting london, bath fitting quote, bathroom fitter london, bathroom fitter quote, bathroom fitting london, bathroom fitting quote, brick, budge, carpet, cold, cut, disconnect, drain, find a bath fitter, find a bathroom fitter, fitting, floor, grout, hot, inspection, isolate, lift, loose, loosen, panel, pipe, remove, replace, replacement, ruin, scribe, silicone, stand, tap, tile, water
Posted in Handyman Services | Comments Off
Posted in Cleaning Services on Dec 24
Christmas is the most fantastic time of the year for many. Family and friends gather from near and far and the house is often filled with the happy sounds of three generations again. But when this happens do we think about the unfamiliar safety hazards that may pop and plan for them? Do so, and you celebrate Christmas safely too.
o Are the grand kids coming over? If so, then maybe you need to find a housekeeper LOL. Remember that little children are made to be curious and are quite capable of getting into trouble. Keep the pots on  the back rings of the hob, the safety net on the jacuzzi and the cat out of the cot and you have made a food start.
o Are the parents and in-laws coming to visit? If so, remember that their balance and eyesight may not be as good as yours, and that they could trip and fall where you would not have a problem. Play safe and do a check around the garden paths before they arrive.
o All the extra clutter in an overcrowded home can be a sure-fire recipe for tripping and injuries. Don’t spoil their fun, but do keep the place as tidy as you can.
o Watch those extra electric cables draped across the floor to Christmas Trees and other temporary electrical gadgets. Run them around the edge of the room rather – if this is not possible, cover them with a rug. Housekeepers London Incorporated even remove dangerous cables, although I personally think this is a little bit over the top.
o Be careful with decorative lights. Those with green colour coding on the box are suitable for indoor use  only, and may never be used on a Christmas Tree whose needles have begun falling out. Do not leave them switched on when unattended.
o Finally, never overload wall sockets with too many plugs. If a plug or cable is warm to the touch you are overloading your lil’ ol’ house, and could be risking an electrical fire. Unplug a few rather than risk damaging electronic appliances.
o Of the subject of the perils of over-eating I could probably write a book. The good news is it is Christmas Day tomorrow and you can have your fill.
Mr-Skill wishes you a happy and safety conscious Christmas Day. If you can’t face the mess the following morning, you could always get housekeeper quotes from us instead. Have a good one.
Tags: cable, christmas, cleaner quotes, cleaners london, clutter, fall, family, find a cleaner, find a housekeeper, friends, generations, grand kids, harm, heat, hot, housekeeper quotes, housekeepers london, indoor, injury, lights, overload, parents, plug, pots, safe, safely, safety, safety net, sockets, tree, trip
Posted in Cleaning Services | Comments Off
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