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Posts Tagged ‘pipe<’
Mr-Skill tells us that his mother got him started on odd jobs around their home from a very early age. He’s not complaining because, as you can see, he went on to great things when it came to introducing tradespeople with skills to customers with needs! One job you can consider doing yourself is the straightforward matter of changing a showerhead. Of course, it may not be that easy if you are unsure of your way around bathroom fittings, so if this describes you, rather find a bathroom fitter right here.
Have these Handy: 
- Plumber’s tape or thread
- Decent wrench or large pliers
- New showerhead
It’s as Easy as 1, 2, 3…
There are many showerheads to select from, and replacing the old one should not take more than a few minutes. Using the wrench or pliers, remove the old unit by twisting it counter-clockwise until it detaches from the feed pipe. Now, apply two layers of plumber’s tape to the screw thread you are about to attach your new unit to.
Interlude – if the above manoeuvre has left you somewhat perplexed, search right here on Mr-Skill and get a bathroom fitting quote.
Nearly there…
Installing your new unit is the exact reverse of removing the old one. First, apply some masking tape around the tightening flange of the shiny new showerhead. This will prevent any scratches or damage as you tighten up. Turn the new head clockwise, first by hand and then finally tighten with the wrench or pliers. It should be a tight fit to prevent leaks, but don’t make the mistake of over-tightening or you may end up stripping the thread!
Spare a Thought 
One of Mr-Skill’s many London bathroom fitters says that bathing is still quite popular in our climate. And you’ll be spoiled for choices because these days you can install anything from high-powered jet sprays to multi units, and even massaging heads – they are available for both bath and shower too. Don’t forget that hot cuppa tea to celebrate your success on the job!
Tags: bath, bathroom fitting quote, celebrate, cup of tea, find a bathroom fitter, fitter, jet spray, jets, london bathroom fitter, massage, pipe, pliers, plumber, plumbers tape, screw, shower, showerhead, tighten, twisting, wrench
Posted in Plumbing, Heating & Gas | Comments Off
Alan – he’s one of our regular London plumbers here at Mr-Skill – tells us that he gets several desperate calls from customers faced with sudden large water bills. Invariably, the problem traces back to a leak in the system somewhere in the property, or in the house, and more often than not invisible to the eye. A simple leak-detection service from one of Mr-Skill’s pre-screened members will quickly identify the problem area, and alert your plumber to what needs fixing.
Check the Obvious 
Unless you are a trained plumber, chasing and fixing water leaks is not something you should consider taking on yourself. That said, there are a couple of quick checks you could conduct to confirm that you do in fact have a leak. The first indication is usually an abnormally high water bill. Perhaps you have been watering the garden excessively over the last month – or maybe someone else in the household has?
Find and turn off your water-main. This is usually located near the front door or at the point-of-entry to your property. Now, turn off any other isolator switches you know about, the hot water cylinder for example. Remember to play safe with gas-fired water heaters before isolating the water supply to them too.
Time to open all the taps in the house both hot and cold supply. Allow the water in the system to drain down – your water supply should reduce first to a trickle, and then just a drip or two. Return to the water meter and check that the dial or digital counter has ceased clocking. If it is static, it is reasonable to assume that you have no water leaks, and that your consumption has simply been higher than usual. If the meter continues to clock though, you most certainly have a leak, and this needs urgent attention. 
Once you have confirmed the presence of a water leak, you can get a plumbing quotation right here on Mr-Skill. Then you can just sit back and relax, knowing that your high water bills will soon be a thing of the past.
Plumbers Know Best
Plumbers spend a long time gaining qualifications. They have to learn all the ropes under supervision, and then prove themselves in terms of theory too. So, when it comes to water leaks, you can be sure that any one of the professional members here on Mr-Skill has received the necessary training, and is ready to assist you. Find a plumber right here, and you could be in line for one of the many special offers on tap now.
Tags: boiler, cold water supply, excessive bill, find a plumber, gas boiler, high water consumption, hot water supply, leak, leak checks, leak detection, london plumber, mains, meter, pipe, plumber, Plumbing, plumbing quote, special offer, water drips, water leak, water mains
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This article follows on from the previous one covering the preparation of laminate flooring. Be sure to read that part first. Don’t forget that Mr-Skill has a number of specialists on board, should you decide that you would prefer to find a carpenter or joiner. Click on Mr-Skill and get your carpentry quote right away.
 Steps for Laying Laminate Flooring
Lay out the plastic underlay on the floor. Then staple or pin it down on all the edges to prevent it “walking”.
Place plastic spacers every two feet against the longest wall, to allow for expansion. Begin by laying the first row of laminate boards from either corner, with the groove facing the wall.
Lay the boards in the same direction as you continue. Start the next row using the piece cut off from the end of the first run so you stagger joints. Tap the ends of the boards together using a rubber mallet and wooden block.
When you reach the door, you may need to trim the bottom of it to allow for the laminate thickness.  Drill a neat series of holes in the laminate to accommodate gas or plumbing pipes. If you calculate this accurately, you can use the small off-cuts to plug the gap around the back of the pipe.
You may need to trim the last row of laminate boards in the length to fit the remaining space. Don’t forget to allow for the expansion gap! The last word on the subject is never to neglect your safety. You are now ready to reinstate the skirting boards.
This job should take no more than a weekend, depending on the total area to be covered. Laminate flooring is ideal for any flat or home. If that all sounds too hard for you to do, then why not contact one of our London Carpenters or Joinery Experts to do the job for you instead.
Tags: barrier, boards, carpenter quote, doors, find a carpenter or joiner, fitting, fixtures, gas, groove, laminate, london carpenter, pipe, plumbing.joints, spacers, staggered, tongue, tools, underlay, wooden block
Posted in Carpentry & Joinery, Project Advice | Comments Off
There’s nothing quite as irritating as water hammering in pipes, especially when you’re trying to sleep and someone gets up to use the loo. Unfortunately water is one of those things that has its own mind. There are however ways that you can control it,  and you may not even need to Find a Plumber if you read further.
When you turn off a water tap that’s under pressure (usually the cold one), the water suddenly stops flowing as it comes up against the valve. It pushes back against the water that’s still on its way. The result’s a slight collision between opposing forces.
The energy that’s released transmits to the pipes themselves, which respond by reverberating. Normally, you don’t hear the slight sound that results. However, when the pipes are hanging loose they bang about, and that’s the noise we call a water hammer. There are two ways to sort the problem out. Fix it completely, or manage it.
- Solve the problem at its source – Obtain a Plumbing Quote on Mr-Skill to install a water
 hammer arrestor. This is in effect a shock-absorber that absorbs the impact and eliminates the root cause. The picture above is of arrestors attached to dish-washer inlet pipes. London Plumbers often install these in older homes, where loose pipes are bricked up behind rendering.
- Eliminate the consequences – Take a look at the picture opposite. It’s typical of what you might find when you look. Can you see how many pipes are hanging loose? What an opportunity for a water hammer. Your most likely culprit though is an unsupported run of pipe across the ceiling. Find it, secure it, solve the problem.
These water hammer solutions come to you with the compliments of Mr-Skill, the website where you find the perfect solution to every home repair. Don’t take a chance and hire an unknown trades person off the street. We personally investigate the ones we recommend.
Tags: arrestor, bang, control, find, find a plumber, fix, hammer, knock, london plumbers, loose, pipe, plumbing quote, pressure, reverberate, secure, solve, transmit, water, water hammer
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Posted in Handyman Services on Feb 20
It’s surprising how many enquiries we receive about attaching things to walls. While this is the perfect job for a Handyman, it’s quite simple to do yourself. That’s provided you have the right equipment and safety gear. Should you decide to have a go, then these are the seven main things to watch out for.
Safety Tip
 A London Handyman will always have a strong ladder, an assistant and a modern electric drill to help him do his work. If you don’t have the same, please don’t even try to do the job.
- Always use a sharp masonry drill bit that’s slightly undersized for the wall plug you’re installing. You can always make it larger afterwards, but you cannot make it smaller.
- Before you drill, consider what might lurk inside the wall. Never drill directly opposite an electric box, or in line with a water pipe. Remember to check outside the house too.
- Re-check your measurements carefully before you drill. If the item you are fitting has more than one attaching point, fit a single one initially. Then you can level it and mark the other points.
- Make sure the drill is at right angles to the wall before you press the switch. Are you wearing safety goggles? Drill bits occasionally do snap.
 Have a friend hold a vacuum cleaner extension pipe in position to suck the dust up before it covers everything.
- Drill through the plaster on the standard setting before you switch to impact. Never force an electric tool. Use it in ten second bursts and do not let it overheat.
- When you are finished, lay the drill down somewhere safe, and unplug it from the wall.
Do you think that you could do the job yourself and avoid the cost of Handyman Quotes? Many people do.
Many others prefer to Find a Handyman on Mr-Skill instead, and get on with other more important things in their lives.
Tags: accessory, assistant, attach, bit, brick, careful, check, drill, dust, electric, equipment, find a handyman, glasses, goggle, handyman quotes, impact, ladder, level, london handyman, masonry, pipe, plaster, plug, right angle, safety, shelf, switch, television, vacuum, wall
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Posted in General Building on Feb 20
Before you even think about removing an interior brick wall, you first need to determine whether or not it’s load bearing. This is especially important when working with an older building. Sometimes homes were extended in the past, in a way that outside walls ended up inside houses.
 The only way to determine this is to get up in the ceiling and determine what is resting on the wall. Sometimes you’ll find rafters pressing down, and at other times planks supporting boilers. If you can’t run your finger all the way along the wall you must arrange a survey before proceeding.
While you’re up there, check for water pipes and electricity cables entering the wall through the ceiling, as these may travel a distance to reach their destination. Have an electrician isolate and terminate these (and any others that may reach a wall-switch from the floor below. You may legally disconnect a water supply pipe yourself.
Perhaps at this stage you have already decided that you need to Find a London Building Firm instead? No worries, simply click on this link to receive a Builder’s Quote. Here’s what you still need to do, to prepare in advance for the day the builder arrives.
 Remove everything from the surplus wall that you might conceivably use again
- Barricade off the immediate area with sheets of plastic
- Clear everything from inside the space, including semi-fixtures like draperies and light fittings.
- Invest in a heavy-duty drop-sheet to protect the floor.
- Resolve to be reasonable about the dust and dirt about to disturb you.
While any London Building Firm on Mr-Skill will do their best to contain the mess, the bottom line is that demolition is a dirty business. Ask yourself a simple question before you let the builders in – “Is this really necessary in the first place?” On the other hand, the results may be well worthwhile.
Tags: barricade, boiler, brick, builder’s quote, ceiling, demolish, dirt, disconnect, dropsheet, dust, electrician, electricity, find a builder, inside, interior, internal, isolate, load, load bearing, london building, masonry, mess, pipe, plank, plastic, rafter, remove, rest, sheet, solid, Survey, switch, truss, wall, water, waterpipe
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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
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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
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The last components that are fitted when assembling modern baths are the front panels themselves. These clip easily into place, and clip out easily too in order to provide access to drains and pipes. Because bath sizes are standardised these days, it follows that it is equally easy to replace an existing panel on a modern bath.
 This represents a superbly simple way to add new panache and style and colour to existing bathrooms for a fraction of the cost of refits, and you don’t necessarily require Bathroom Fitting Quotes before you start. In fact, the biggest task is often selecting the right bath panel from the range of options.
We recommend that you resist the urge to install anything that is capable of absorbing water, whether this spills over the bath-rim, or is present in the form of humidity or steam. This puts paid to romantic ideas of natural wood unfortunately. Speak to any London Bathroom Fitter and you should always receive the same consistent message – stick to fibreglass or plastic, or there is no guarantee.
Fortunately these modern materials come in all kinds of finishes and colours, and being mouldable are available in different profiles too. You will have to shop around if buying directly from the manufacturers though.  Moulds are expensive meaning that each factory offers a strictly limited range.
As you shop around you are bound to be impressed by the huge variety of designs available, especially if searching on the internet. Mr-Skill’s advice is to keep things simple unless you have a farmhouse bathroom. Light colours and less intrusive designs work best in smaller spaces.
Although is possible to replace a bath panel yourself, you may prefer to Find a Bathroom Fitter on Mr-Skill instead. That’s because you could find it difficult working on your knees in cramped spaces, and you could also end up damaging the material as well. If you choose your panel wisely though, then you should inevitably be enthralled by the stunningly refreshed effect. Isn’t it nice to know that some home improvement projects are so easy?
Tags: absorb, access, bath, bathroom, bathroom fitting quotes, clip, colour, component, cost, cramp, damage, design, drain, fibreglass, find a bathroom fitter, finish, fit, guarantee, humidity, install, intrusive, light, london bathroom fitter, material, mould, option, panel, pipe, plastic, refit, replace, simple, size, spill, steam, style, variety, water, wood
Posted in Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
These days an amazing variety of different power drills are available for different jobs, and homeowners often wonder about the necessity of getting Plumber Quotes at all. Trust me,  one burst pipe above the bedroom ceiling on Christmas Eve cured me of any further desire to tackle advanced plumbing jobs again – and then I still had to endure criticism and Find a Plumber too.
This is not to say that small plumbing jobs are beyond the reach of the average home handy girl or handy man. I’m thinking here of plumbing-in a washing machine or extending a garden tap. Both will inevitably involve making holes through which pipes will pass, or where screws will hold things down. The question is, which electric drill is best?
Plug-in drills are available in a wide variety of power ratings and their price varies accordingly. I don’t see much point in buying down, and I have left a few worked-out drills behind me to prove the point. So buy something decent in the 600W power range with a name that you can trust, and that’s not made in an obscure country either.
I dislike the clutchless drills so popular these days. True, there is no chuck key to lose, but equally there is a fair chance of chucks locking up or not tightening  properly. A sales clerk once thoughtlessly remarked that my hands were getting old. My response included buying elsewhere and never shopping there again.
A cordless drill with re-chargeable battery is a handy tool to have around the house, and I would personally not be without one. What they may lack in power is compensated for by their convenience. However please forget about drilling into brick or concrete using one. I have yet to see a professional Plumber in London using one either, which says a lot in itself.
Before choosing an electric drill I recommend you first hold it in your hand. Is it well-balanced? Does it feel right? Does the chuck work easily? Finally, make sure that the motor speed is both variable, and reversible (for stuck bits) and that there is an impact option too. A power drill should be a reliable friend for life – choose yours carefully.
Tags: battery, brick, burst, charge, choice, chuck, clutch, concrete, cord, cordless, different, electric drill, find a plumber, Garden, hole, impact, job, key, kind, lock, motor, pipe, plug, plumber london, Plumbing, plumbing quote, power, power drill, range, recharge, reverse, reversible, screw, tap, tight, type, variable, variety, vary, washing machine
Posted in Plumbing, Heating & Gas | Comments Off
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