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Posts Tagged ‘water pipes<’
A water heater, whether powered by gas or electricity can add significantly to the energy cost of running a modern home. Even if you cannot afford to buy the latest one (or install solar heating), there are still a number of things that you could do easily and simply to save money.
 Insulation Matters
o Water Heater Blanket – If your water heater feels warm to the touch then its insulation is inadequate, and it will reward you with a saving of between 5% and 9% when you tuck it up nicely for the winter. Make sure to leave cut-outs for access panels, manufacturer’s instructions, thermostats and safety information.
o Insulated Water Pipes – You will be surprised at how much hotter the water is in the taps when you do this simple job. You will achieve the greatest benefit by wrapping the first 10 feet of pipe (if you can reach that far) Use cable ties to attach the insulation to the pipes.
Demand-Side Management
o Fix Leaking Taps – Think about it. Why pay money to heat gallons of water that you throw away. Replacing tap washers is so easy you won’t even need to find a plumber to do the job for you.
o Install a Low-Flow Shower Head – Save up to 75% hot water while still enjoying a satisfactory shower. You will not even need a spanner, but you might need some plumber’s tape.
o Replace Water-Guzzling Appliances – Reduce hot water consumption by up to 50% by installing star-rated appliances. The modern ones are so quiet you can hardly hear them work. Need a tradesman to do the water connections for you – get plumber quotes on Mr-Skill.
Most of these alterations are so simple that you could do them in a single weekend. You are too busy for this because you work in the City? You can find plumbers in London on Mr-Skill too.
Tags: access panel, appliances, dripping tap, electricity, find a plumber, gas, geyser, install, insulate, Insulation, leaking tap, low-flow, Plumber Quotes, plumbers london, safety, shower, solar, star-rated, tap, thermostat, water heater, water heater blanket, water pipes
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 If you are a long suffering parent, trying to get your kids to shower frequently (girls as well as boys in our experience!), you might find a solution to your problem amongst our inspirational shower options. Although many may look like you need an advanced physics degree in order to get your hair wet, these showers offer the ultimate in comfort, style and hygiene.
Modern shower cabins may closely resemble the appearance of the space shuttle, but for a healthy and luxurious “vertical bathing experience” there is nothing that comes close in personal hygiene. Many of these cabins double up as saunas with a high temperature steam generation facility to expedite blood circulation.
 Saunas also help to relax your body, improve blood circulation, eliminate fatigue and recover physical strength. For anybody who has breathing difficulties in your family, the shower cabin steam facility has a curative effect on asthma and bronchitis as well as easing rheumatism, rheumatic arthritis, and back pain. It helps you lose weight too!
The more advanced models have computerised LCD control panels to control the flow of water in the “rainfall” ceiling shower, production of steam, lighting, massaging jets, foot massager, ozone sterilisation system, sound system, telephone and the Whirlpool 96 model (pictured right) has an 8.4 inch television and four litre fridge!
 And it is not just shower cabins that can provide the ultimate showering experience. This exceptional shower from German manufacturer Kuhler (pictured right) is built into the entrance of an en-suite bathroom, so there is no excuse for forgetting to have that shower in the morning yourself – it is barely something you can walk past and ignore!
We have added a few more inspirational designs below to encourage your children to step into a world they may have never experienced before (a shower cabin – not a wash!). At around three grand per installation, you are going to spend a lot of money keeping your kids clean, but surely the little darlings are worth it?
For something a little more modest, you might like to try your hand at fitting your own shower units. We have a four part guide in our Project Advice section which covers how to install the drainage, how to connect the water supply, how to fit the shower tray and how to install the shower enclosure. If you do not fancy doing it yourself, why not ask one of the highly rated tradesmen in our Tradesmen´s Directory to email you with some tradesmen´s quotes. London is also the home for many good plumbers, builders, electricians and handymen, and you can alert them to your need for a new shower installation in our “Post-a-Job” facility at the top of each page.
Tags: Bath and Heating, bathroom, body jet shower, Building Regulations Part H, Building Regulations Part P, Central Heating, Electrical Work, Find a Builder in London, Find a Plumber in London, Find a Tiler in London, Find an Electrician in London, Handyman Services, Part P Approval, Plumbing, shower cabins, shower enclosure, shower tray, showers, water pipes, water pressure, water pump
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 To install a shower in your bathroom requires four stages – the waste pipes and trap, the water supply for your shower, the installation of a shower tray and fitting the shower enclosure. For the first two elements, you may need the services of a plumber in London or, for the latter two, a local handyman to help with the installation. Also, if you are going to be including a direct heat water boiler in your shower installation (rather than run it from your existing central heating supply) or a new shower pump, you will need to have your electrical work checked by a London electrician to ensure that it complies with the Building Regulations Part P.
Please note that if you are considering a body jet shower, direct heat water boilers do not have the power capacity for delivering a sufficient volume of water.
Stage4 – Fitting the Shower Enclosure
If you have not yet bought your shower enclosure, you might just want to take a look at our “Inspirations” feature about body jet showers and shower cabins. There are many different types of shower enclosures you can choose from and many of them will come with their own fitting instructions, but as a rule they follow the procedures below.
Note: With any enclosure it is vital that the wall and tray are fully waterproof, and that the uprights of the frame are vertical.
Start by laying the two fixed side panels flat, and putting a bead of anti-fungal silicone sealant into the channels at the top and bottom. Then gently attach the head and sill rails (there are normally screws provided) and slide on the plastic guide tracks. If the tracks are too long, use a hacksaw to trim them to the required length.
Push two of doorstops into the guide tracks and move them into the middle but do not tighten them up yet.
Stand the shower enclosure upright and slide the curved sliding doors into the head and sill rails, ensuring that the doors are the right way round! Then insert another doorstop into both the head and sill rails. Again, do not tighten them up yet.
Attach the wall channels to each side of the shower enclosure and stand it up on the shower tray – double checking that it is vertical. From the inside of the shower enclosure, use a wipe-dry marker pen to mark the positions for the fixing holes on the wall through the pre-drilled holes in the wall channels.
Take the shower enclosure away from the shower tray and check for hidden pipes and cables behind the fixing positions you have just made on the wall with an electronic detector. If all is clear then drill the fixing holes in the marked positions. Push rawlplugs into the holes, making sure they go in beyond the depth of the tile.
Run a generous bead of anti-fungal silicone sealant down both wall channels. Put the enclosure back onto the shower tray, screw in the fixing screws and remove any excess sealant with a wet sponge.
From inside the shower enclosure, drill holes in the wall channels and into the frame. Secure with the screws that are normally provided and cover the heads with screw caps (usually also normally provided). Drill through the plastic guide track and inner head channel, and now you can screw the doorstops into position.
If you have not already done so, seal the join between the tray and the tiled wall with a continuous bead of sanitary silicone sealant and continue around the outside edges of the enclosure.
If you have difficulty with fitting the shower enclosure, or with any stage of installing a new shower, you may wish to take advantage of some of the services available from tradesmen in London to help you finish the job
A tiler in London if your bathroom or shower room requires tiling or you have recessed the pipework into a wall. This is best done before completing the installation of your new shower.
A London plumber will also be able to help connect the waste pipe from your new shower to an existing waste water escape and assist with construction of the pipework for a new installation.
Local electricians in London will be required if you are installing an electric water heater or pump for your shower. Even if you are confident of doing this part of the job by yourself, your finished installation still requires “approval” under Part P of the Building Regulations
For other stages of “How to Install a Shower”, please see:-
Stage 1 – Drainage
Stage 2 – The Water Supply
Stage 3 – The Shower Tray
Tags: anti-fungal, Bath and Heating, bathroom, body jet shower, Building Regulations Part H, Building Regulations Part P, Central Heating, drainage system, drainpipe, Electrical Work, Find a Builder in London, Find a Plumber in London, Find a Tiler in London, Find an Electrician in London, Handyman Services, Part P Approval, Plumbing, shower enclosure, shower tray, showers, silicone sealant, waste pipes, water pipes, water pressure, water pump, water trap
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 To install a shower in your bathroom requires four stages – the waste pipes and trap, the water supply for your shower, the installation of a shower tray and fitting the shower enclosure. For the first two elements, you may need the services of a plumber in London or, for the latter two, a local handyman to help with the installation. Also, if you are going to be including a direct heat water boiler in your shower installation (rather than run it from your existing central heating supply) or a new shower pump, you will need to have your electrical work checked by a London electrician to ensure that it complies with the Building Regulations Part P.
Please note that if you are considering a body jet shower, direct heat water boilers do not have the power capacity for delivering a sufficient volume of water.
Stage 3 – Installing a Shower Tray
Once the waste drainage is prepared and water supply connected, you are ready to install the shower tray and connect its waste outlet to the trap. Read any manufacturer’s installation instructions that come with the shower tray, since different designs may be fitted in slightly different ways.
First, hold the shower tray on its side and run a bead of anti-fungal silicone sealant around the waste hole. Ideally you want to use a sanitary sealant for use in wet and humid areas. A local handyman in London should be able to provide you with a tube and a mastic gun.
Insert the waste outlet into the exit hole of the shower tray, so that it sits into the sealant. Make sure that you have fitted any washers supplied with the shower tray, and screw on the locking nut using an adjustable spanner. Fit the trap to the waste outlet.
Mix some mortar and using a trowel, lay a thin bed of mortar on the floor where the shower tray will be positioned. Rest the tray in place, bed it into the mortar and level it up with a spirit level. Tidy around the base of the shower tray, using a wet sponge to remove any excess and prevent scratches.
Open the floor hatch which gives access to the waste pipe and connect the water trap leading from the shower tray.
If you experience any difficulty with this project, or with any stage of installing a shower, you may wish to take advantage of some of the services available from tradesmen in London to help you finish the job
A tiler in London if your bathroom or shower room requires tiling or you have recessed the pipework into a wall. This is best done before completing the installation of your new shower.
A London plumber will also be able to help connect the waste pipe from your new shower to an existing waste water escape and assist with construction of the pipework for a new installation.
Local electricians in London will be required if you are installing an electric water heater or pump for your shower. Even if you are confident of doing this part of the job by yourself, your finished installation still requires “approval” under Part P of the Building Regulations
For other stages of “How to Install a Shower”, please see:-
Stage 1 – Drainage
Stage 2 – The Water Supply
Stage 4 – The Shower Enclosure
Tags: anti-fungal, Bath and Heating, bathroom, body jet shower, Building Regulations Part H, Building Regulations Part P, Central Heating, drainage system, drainpipe, Electrical Work, Find a Builder in London, Find a Plumber in London, Find a Tiler in London, Find an Electrician in London, Handyman Services, Part P Approval, Plumbing, shower enclosure, shower tray, showers, silicone sealant, waste pipes, water pipes, water pressure, water pump, water trap
Posted in Plumbing, Heating & Gas | Comments Off
 To install a shower in your bathroom requires four stages – the waste pipes and trap, the water supply to your shower, the installation of a shower tray and fitting the shower enclosure. For the first two elements, you may need the services of a plumber in London or, for the latter two, a local handyman to help with the installation. Also, if you are going to be including a direct heat water boiler in your shower installation (rather than run it from your existing central heating supply) or a new shower pump, you will need to have your electrical work checked by a London electrician to ensure that it complies with the Building Regulations Part P.
Please note that if you are considering a body jet shower, direct heat water boilers do not have the power capacity for delivering a sufficient volume of water.
Stage 2 – The Water Supply
When thinking about installing a new shower, you have to consider where the water supply is going to come from and whether you are going to require a water pump for your shower. Most modern shower heads are designed to operate with a tenth of a bar of pressure, but that would barely be enough to get you wet – let alone have an invigorating power shower! The way to establish whether you need a pump or not is to calculate what the “unpressurised” (without a pump) pressure would be if you connected you shower to the cold water tank and relied on gravity to supply water to your shower.
The pressure rating is calculated by measuring the vertical distance between the bottom of the cold water tank and the head of the shower. So, if your cold water tank is in the attic of a three storey house and your new shower is on the ground floor, the distance between the two could be as much as 8 metres or 0.8 bar – which is a reasonable level of pressure. However, please note that if the pipes between the cold water tank and the shower head have a lot of bends or long horizontal runs, the pressure will be reduced accordingly. Including a water pump into the equation can increase the water pressure to 2 or 3 bar, but you will also need to fit a pressure reducing valve and, as with all shower installations, an isolation valve is recommended.
Power showers and body jet showers have their own integral pumps and should only be supplied directly from the cold water mains water.
To work efficiently, showers using mixer taps require their own dedicated water feeds direct from the hot and cold storage tanks. It is recommended by plumbers in London that you should use 22mm pipes to give a better flow of water and obtaining your water supply from the kitchen (which probably only uses 15mm pipes) is definitely not a good idea. A dedicated cold water feed also means that if somebody flushes the loo while you are in the shower you will not get scalded while the cold water diverts to filling up the cistern, or have to wait until it has finished to rinse off soap! Hot water can be taken from a branch pipe, but if water is drawn from the source for another purpose (i.e. filling up a sink) the water in your shower may run cold. If the hot supply is to be taken from the cylinder distribution pipe the connection point should ideally be made above the height of the cylinder top.
If it is a thermostatic shower is being installed, then the hot and cold water supplies can be taken from any source, as the water temperature is self-controlled by the built-in stabiliser. You still may experience period of temporary low water pressure if those other sources are in use, but at least you will enjoy a constant temperature. Shower cabins and body jet showers, usually use mixer taps to control the temperature and power of water, but check the manufacturer’s instructions just to be certain.
If you have difficulty with putting together the pipework, or have chosen to recess it into the bathroom wall, you may wish to take advantage of some of the services available from tradesmen in London to help you finish the job
A tiler in London if your bathroom or shower room requires tiling or you have recessed the pipework into a wall. This is best done before completing the installation of your new shower.
A London plumber will also be able to help connect the waste pipe from your new shower to an existing waste water escape and assist with construction of the pipework for a new installation.
Local electricians in London will be required if you are installing an electric water heater or pump for your shower. Even if you are confident of doing this part of the job by yourself, your finished installation still requires “approval” under Part P of the Building Regulations
For other stages of “How to Install a Shower”, please see:-
Stage 1 – Drainage
Stage 3 – The Shower Tray
Stage 4 – The Shower Enclosure
Tags: anti-fungal, Bath and Heating, bathroom, body jet shower, Building Regulations Part H, Building Regulations Part P, Central Heating, drainage system, drainpipe, Electrical Work, Find a Builder in London, Find a Plumber in London, Find a Tiler in London, Find an Electrician in London, Handyman Services, Part P Approval, Plumbing, shower enclosure, shower tray, showers, silicone sealant, waste pipes, water pipes, water pressure, water pump, water trap
Posted in Plumbing, Heating & Gas | Comments Off
 To install a shower in your bathroom requires four stages – the waste pipes and trap, the water supply for your shower, the installation of a shower tray and fitting the shower enclosure. For the first two elements, you may need the services of a plumber in London or, for the latter two, a local handyman to help with the installation. Also, if you are going to be including a direct heat water boiler in your shower installation (rather than run it from your existing central heating supply) or a new shower pump, you will need to have your electrical work checked by a London electrician to ensure that it complies with the Building Regulations Part P.
Please note that if you are considering a body jet shower, direct heat water boilers do not have the power capacity for delivering a sufficient volume of water.
Stage 1 – Drainage
How you deal with the drainage from your shower may influence the type of shower enclosure you are able to install, so it is best to get this stage dealt with first. If your new shower is replacing an existing installation, waste pipes will already be in place. If it is a completely new installation, you will have to create an escape route for the waste water and connect it to an existing waste pipe – a nearby sink or toilet.
Dealing with the drainage when you are replacing an old shower unit with a new one is quite easy. The new shower tray will include the fittings to attach it to your existing waste pipe and there is no need to make any further adjustments in respect of the drainage of waste water from your new shower.
If it is a new shower installation, you should be able to cut a hole in the floor to install the waste pipe and water trap. You may need to have access to the water trap at some later date so extend the hole for the waste trap beyond where the outside edge of the shower tray will be or make a separate hatch nearby. If the floor is solid or there is not enough space beneath the shower for the pipework and water trap, you could consider installing the shower on a plinth (in which case you will need to reconsider the height of the faucet and shower enclosure) or purchasing a shower enclosure which accommodates a step up to the tray.
You also need to work out how you are going to run the drainage pipes from the shower and check how much space there is for the pipework beneath the proposed location for the shower tray. The waste shower water has to be connected via a 40mm diameter waste pipe to an existing drainage installation, and can travel no further than 3 metres before entering the soil stack or discharge gulley.
Building Regulations (Part H) has different guidelines for the depth of the water trap that has to be installed on the ground floor (38mm) or a higher floor (75mm) and if you are in any doubt about how to connect your shower drainage to an existing drainage installation, please consult with a London builder.
Other tradesmen in London that you may also need the services of include:-
A tiler in London if your bathroom or shower room requires tiling or you have recessed the pipework into a wall. This is best done before completing the installation of your new shower.
A London plumber will also be able to help connect the waste pipe from your new shower to an existing waste water escape and assist with construction of the pipework for a new installation.
Local electricians in London will be required if you are installing an electric water heater or pump for your shower. Even if you are confident of doing this part of the job by yourself, your finished installation still requires “approval” under Part P of the Building Regulations.
For further stages of “How to Install a Shower”, please see:-
Stage 2 – The Water Supply
Stage 3 – The Shower Tray
Stage 4 – The Shower Enclosure
Tags: anti-fungal, Bath and Heating, bathroom, body jet shower, Building Regulations Part H, Building Regulations Part P, Central Heating, drainage system, drainpipe, Electrical Work, Find a Builder in London, Find a Plumber in London, Find a Tiler in London, Find an Electrician in London, Handyman Services, Part P Approval, Plumbing, shower enclosure, shower tray, showers, silicone sealant, waste pipes, water pipes, water pressure, water pump, water trap
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 Most domestic appliances which use water (washing machine, dishwasher, showers etc) are designed to work within a certain range of water pressure, and in the UK mains water pressure is fairly standard (1 – 10 bar) except for times of very heavy usage when it may fall occasionally. Some types of central heating boilers and water pumps however operate better when the incoming water supply is more regulated (< 3 bar) and to maximise their efficiency it is recommended by local plumbers in London that a pressure reducing valve is introduced into the water supply.
The name “pressure reducing valve” is slightly incorrect, as what the valve actually does is cap the pressure at a set limit. So if the variable incoming water supply is above (say) 3 bar, the pressure reducing valve will limit the outgoing pressure to just 3 bar. If the incoming water pressure falls below 3 bar, the valve will have no impact on the outgoing pressure at all.
Pressure reducing valve should be mounted horizontally on pipework, taking care to install it in the right direction (there is normally an arrow indicating the direction of the water) and with the mechanism at the top and reservoir bowl at the bottom. Pressure reducing valves frequently come with a pressure gauge which fit into the top of the mechanism.
Turn off the mains stopcock and then turn on a cold tap to drain the water in the pipe as much as possible. Then make two cuts in the pipe to correspond with the size of the pressure reducing valve. Pipes are usually 15mm or 22mm in width, and you can buy reducing collars to fit a 22mm valve onto 15mm pipes if necessary
Wrap some PTFE tape around the ends of the pipe and attached the stabilising fittings that come with the pressure reducing valve. The valve can now be inserted into the gap cut for it and the nuts tightened with a wrench. There is normally a cap covering the gauge fitting which should be removed and the gauge screwed in.
Once the water supply is reconnected, the pressure can be set to the correct output by adjusting the screw at the top of the pressure reducing valve.
If you would like to find out whether installing a pressure reducing valve in your water supply would enhance the performance of some of your domestic appliances, or feel that this is a job for which you could use some professional assistance, please request some quotes from plumbers in London using our “Post-a-Job” facility at the top of the page.
Tags: boilers, Central Heating, disherwasher, domestic appliances, Find a Plumber in London, plumber, pressure gauge, pressure reducing valve, showers, washing machine, water pipes, water pressure
Posted in Handyman Services, Plumbing, Heating & Gas | Comments Off
Posted in Kitchen Fitting on Aug 24
The Kitchen is the most important part of any home, because that is where the family gathers in the afternoon after returning from work or school. For that reason a good kitchen is more than just a well-planned cooking center – it also needs to be a place where families meet and interact as well.
The first place to start is to find a kitchen fitter, who can advise you on how your services currently run. Some things like electricity points and water pipes can be fairly cheap to move – others for example drainage points may be fixtures. When you know what is possible, here is how you should plan your kitchen:
o Cook’s Zone
The cook is king or queen of the kitchen, and should have the best view of the television and the garden outside. Create the central preparation area in the lightest, brightest area in the room – after all, why should the cook settle for anything less?
If you are living in the city and are having difficulty finding kitchen fitters, London is an area where Mr-Skill specialises. A good kitchen trades person will understand the work flow between storage / preparation, cooking / serving and wash-up / garbage disposal areas, and advise what is best for you in terms of what you have to work with.
o Family Zone
The most efficient thing to do is to combine the breakfast nook with a family zone. This means making sure that the kids can do their homework there, and your partner can enjoy a welcome drink when they come home. That way the cook can share the news and action, and the family help to prepare the meal.
When you have decided what you want to do with your kitchen area, it is time to get several kitchen fitter quotes to make sure that what you pay is reasonable. A website like Mr-Skill knows the good ones in your area, so you can choose from several recommended ones there, who are not strangers.
Tags: breakfast nook, choose, cooking area, cooking center, cooks zone, drainage points, drains, electricity points, family, family zone, find, find a kitchen fitter, good kitchen., home kitchen, kitchen fitter quotes, kitchen fitters london, plan a new kitchen, plan kitchen, services, water pipes
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