Iron pipe in plumbing systems

Where alterations or repairs are made to iron pipe, it is wise to adapt the immediate area of the existing plumbing system to either copper or plastic pipes. This avoids the difficult job of threading new pipework, which requires the use of stocks and dies. These are not easily obtained and need considerable skill to achieve a satisfactory result. When connecting copper pipes to galvanized iron, use a special fitting designed to prevent ‘electrolytic’ corrosion. Iron pipes and fittings have to be loosened with a pair of Stillson wrenches.

A great deal of pressure from the plumber is often required, especially when joints are rusty. If necessary, you can use heat or penetrating oil to free stubborn joints, using the hacksaw as a last resort. When undoing the fitting, use one wrench to hold the adjacent pipe as you apply pressure with the other. Several fittings are available to adapt iron pipe. These have compression or capillary fittings at one end, and usually female threads at the other. When connecting to iron pipe, either plumber’s hemp and jointing compound or the more modern ptfe tape must be wrapped around the threaded end of the pipe, to ensure a watertight join, before the nut is fitted and tightened. If you are using hemp, first smear the thread with jointing compound, and then ‘tease’ out a suitable length of hemp. Wind this tightly around the pipe in the direction of the thread usually clockwise, starting about one thread back from the end of the pipe.

Do not use too much hemp or it will be forced off the thread when the nut is tightened. Ptfe tape should be bound around the thread at least a couple of times, again in the direction of the thread and leaving the first thread or so clear.
The nut should now be engaged on the thread and tightened with an adjustable spanner to complete the joint.

There are few types of plastics are used for pipe work and it is important to know the correct type and size for the plumbing job in question. However, there are professional plumbers who would avoid using plastic pipes. Also there are some plumbing jobs when copper tubing, cast iron pipes, etc is required and plastic pipes are not suitable.

Plastic pipes are suitable for most water application in a plumbing or central heating system. Plastic pipes can be made of polythene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride (pvc) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (abs) and there are different types within some of the groups. Polythene (or polyethylene) pipes are available in two forms—low density polythene and high density polythene. The latter is more rigid and can be subjected to marginally higher temperatures, but neither is suitable for carrying hot water. Low density polythen pipes larger than 50mm (2in) in diameter must not be used below ground as their softness would result in the pipe being crushed by the surrounding earth.
Small diameter polythene pipe can be ­obtained in long coils which considerably reduces the number of joints required in any pipe run, ideal for underfloor heating.

Pvc (polyvinyl chloride) is used for the majority of soil pipes and drainage pipes as well
as some waste pipes and normal cold-water pipes. Again, two basic types are available­ rigid or unplasticized pvc (upvc) and flexible or plasticized pvc.

The former is generally used but neither type is really suitable for waste pipes that have to pass very hot water from washing machines and dishwashers. A special high temperature pvc has been developed, however, which is perfectly suited for hot water systems.
Abs (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and polypropylene are both plastics with a relatively high softening point and both can be used successfully for hot-water waste systems.

Boiler flue, Flue Boilers Ventilation

All gas engineers are required to inspect flue systems, to make sure the flue was installed correctly, and remains in good condition. Where a flue runs through a void behind a wall, ceiling or cupboard, or is boxed-in, it is clearly difficult for this inspection to take place, so the gas industry and the HSE have issued guidance regarding inspection hatches. This is not as onerous as it sounds. It requires a 300mm x 300mm (1ft x 1ft) access panel within 1.5m (5ft) of any concealed joint in a flue system.

Many installations will not need extra access hatches at all, and others might need only one, with the work to be completed by the end of 2012. However the usual bunch of cowboy builders and unscrupulous heating firms will no doubt use this minor requirement to frighten vulnerable elderly people into paying for expensive and unnecessary extra work, as they do every time new guidance is issued.

The full guidance can be found on www.gassaferegister.co.uk – under “Flues in Voids – Frequently Asked Questions”. Or call Gas Safe Register free on 0800 408 5500.

Carbon monoxide poisoning.

A plumber who botched fitting of boiler leading to carbon monoxide death of ‘dazzling’ millionaire’s daughter found guilty of manslaughter. Plumber Andrew Hartley failed to secure the boiler flue pipe during ‘rushed’ and ‘botched’ installation in December 2010.
Zoe Anderson, 24, died within 30 minutes of being exposed to the fumes

A gas fitter whose faulty boiler installation led to the carbon monoxide death of a millionaire’s daughter has been convicted of her manslaughter.

Andrew Hartley fitted the new boiler into Zoe Anderson’s Bath home less than two weeks before she was overcome by gas fumes.
The 37-year-old plumber had already admitted a charge of breaching gas safety regulations by failing to secure the boiler flue pipe with screws.

How Flue Boilers Ventilation works

Plain English – a boiler flue is made of two pipes. One pipe takes the air in, the other one takes takes the fumes ( CO2) out.

Building a Downstairs loo and cloakroom bathroom

Adding an extra cloakroom, bathroom, shower, WC or loo adds value and comfort to the property. Small corner basins, shower and toilets can be used.

Bathroom built under the staircase

Bathroom built under the staircase, fitted with a shower and small hand basin

If a shower is not needed or the space won’t allow for a shower to be installed, a simple cloakroom made of a WC toilet and a hand basin, could be the solution.

The WC – toilet, is normally installed under the lowest point under the staircase, as it requires less space.

Plumbers in Mill Hill

London Plumbers Robuild are accredited Gas Safe Engineers and cover Mill Hill and North West London area.

Gas fired central heating,Landlord gas safety inspections,Annual boiler servicing, Boiler fault finding and repair,Underfloor Heating,Central heating systems,Power flushing,Cold and Hot Water Tanks, Cylinders, Immersion heaters,Boilers,Leaks,Bathrooms,Showers, Kitchens.

We also offer electrical, building, carpentry,painting & decorating,refurbishments services in Mill Hill area.

Plumbers in Mill Hill, London

Gas fireplace installers in London

Fireplace installation and fitting

Gas fire installation and fitting

A Gas Safe Registered Plumber will inspect the existing gas supply to the fire place, if there is one in place – to make sure there are no Gas leaks. If the chimney stack is higher than 1 meter from the roof line, the Fireplace fitter might have to use a scaffolding. The Gas Fireplace Installers, will need access to the chimney stack in order to install a chimney pot. We can also install and fit Flueless Fireplaces.

If the room where the Fireplace will be installed has no ventilation, the Gas Fireplace fitters will have to install an air brick to ensure proper ventilation and comply with the Safety Regulations.

Most fireplaces consist of a surround, a fireback and grate, and a front hearth. The surround serves a purely decorative function while the fireback, grate and hearth ensure that the fire burns efficiently without risk of an accident. Because all of these features vary so much in their construction, it is important to understand how they are built before attempting to demolish,remove them and install new ones.

Tiled surround: A number of fireplaces, particularly UK ones built in the 1940s and 1950s, consist of a concrete surround and hearth which is then covered in decorative tiles. The surround is held in place by two metal plugs, bonded to the concrete backing and screwed firmly into the chimney breast or wall behind the fire.

Timber surround: Many fires have a wooden surround, usually with a stone or concrete front hearth protruding beneath the fire opening. The surround is screwed in position on top of a framework of wooden battens fixed to the chimney breast or wall.

Stone or brick surround: This type consists of a number of stone or brickwork courses built up from the hearth against the wall or chimney breast. The gap above the fire is often bridged by a ‘soldier’ arch of bricks placed on end, held up by a steel support underneath. Although stone or brickwork surrounds are usually built without being tied into the wall behind, occasionally steel wall ties—similar to those used in cavity wall construction—are inserted between courses to help strengthen the structure.

Cast-iron surround: These are held in place in a similar fashion to tiled surrounds: plugs bonded to the back of the cast-iron frame are held tight against the wall with screws. Most cast-iron surrounds also have an inner cast-iron grate frame fitted around the sides and top of the fireplace and held in position either with nuts and bolts or countersunk screws.

Front hearth: Some fires have a front hearth which protrudes into the room below the fireplace opening and is made of the same material as the surround. This is intended to reduce the risk of hot coals or sparks falling from the grate and accidentally damaging floorings.

Fireback: This is a shell-shaped backing made of fireclay which surrounds the grate and prevents the damage to the brickwork.

Electric Fireplace fitters and installers

London plumbers and plumbing services in London

Our London plumbers, are heating Engineers experts and they are professionally qualified and registered with Gas Safe, the the official body regulator for the industry and gas safety in United Kingdom.
We provide gas installation, plumbing, central heating, boiler installation and multi-trade services to domestic and commercial customers across London.

We cover:

Central London: (wc1, wc2, ec1, ec2, ec3, ec4)
Barbican, Clerkenwell, Monument, Shoreditch, West End, Gray’s Inn, Bloomsbury, Holborn, Soho, Moorgate, St Paul’s Cray, Tower Hill, St. Paul’s, Covent Garden, St Mary’s Cray, Belgravia, Building Company Central London, Home renovations Central London, Building Company Central London, Home Extensions Central London

North London: (n1, n2, n3, n4, n5, n6, n7, n8, n9, n10, n11, n12, n13, n14, n15, n16, n17, n18, n19, n20, n21, n22)
East Barnet, Archway, Finsbury, Alexandra Palace, Fortis Green, Barnet, Kentish Town, Canonbury, Crouch End, East Finchley, Enfield Park, Cockfosters, Enfield, Finsbury Park, Friern Barnet, Epping Forest, Hampstead Garden Suburb, Finchley Central, Islington, Barnsbury, Highbury, Highgate, Hornsey, Lower Edmonton, Tufnell Park, Manor House, New Southgate, Holloway, North Finchley, Hendon, Palmers Green, Pinner Green, Pinner, Ponders End, Muswell Hill, Potters Bar, Woodside Park, Seven Sisters, Winchmore Hill, Southgate, Totteridge, Upper Edmonton, Whetstone, Tottenham, Woodford Green, New Barnet, Stoke Newington,

West London: (w1, w2, w3, w4, w5, w6, w7, w8, w9, w10, w11, w12, w13, w14)
Isleworth, Acton, Eastcote, Bayswater, Charlton, Brook Green, Chiswick, Ealing, Uxbridge, Greenford, Hanger Lane, Hanwell, Hammersmith, Holland Park, Kensington, Elsham, Notting Hill, East Molesley, Ladbroke Grove, Marylebone, Mayfair, North Kensington, Warwick Avenue, Osterley, Paddington, Perivale, Shepherd’s Bush, Strand,Addlestone, West Brompton, Kensal Green, Queens Park, West Ealing,

Southwest London: (sw1, sw2, sw3, sw4, sw5, sw6, sw7, sw8, sw9, sw10, sw11, sw12, sw13, sw14, sw15, sw16, sw17, sw18, sw19, sw20)
Twickenham, Balham, Barnes, Beddington Corner, Earl’s Court, Epsom Downs, Beddington, Parson’s Green, Battersea, Ewell, Chelsea, Chertsey, East Sheen, Stockwell, Kew, Clapham Junction, Earlsfield, Brixton, Raynes Park, Streatham, Castelnau, Fulham, Mitcham, Morden, Kew Gardens, Tulse Hill, Kingston-upon-Thames, Merton, Mortlake, Putney, Kingston, Nine Elms, Wandsworth, Epsom, Esher, West Kensington, Teddington, Wimbledon, Claygate, Richmond, Southfields, Hook, South Wimbledon, Tooting, World’s End, Chessington, Streatham Hill, Weston Green, South Kensington, South Lambeth, Westminster, Woodmansterne, Pimlico, Clapham, Brompton, Carshalton, Brentford, Worcester Park

Northwest London: (nw1, nw2, nw3, nw4, nw5, nw6, nw7, nw8, nw9, nw10, nw11, nw12, nw13, nw14, nw15)
Neasden, Brent Cross, West Hampstead, Wembley, Camden Town, Northolt, Hampstead,Kilburn, Havering, Golders Green, Harrow, Temple Fortune, Cricklewood, Kingsbury, St John’s Wood, Greenhill, Harlesden, Colindale, Maida Vale, Mill Hill, Regent’s Park, Hampstead Heath, Harrow on the hill, Willesden, Sudbury, Swiss Cottage,

East London: (e1, e2, e3, e4, e5, e6, e7, e8, e9, e10, e11, e12, e13, e14, e15, e16, e17, e18)
Homerton, Aldgate, Bethnal Green, Forest Gate, Highams Park, Bow, Chigwell, Bexley, Canning Town, Clapton, Dalston, Bromley-by-Bow, Hackney, Buckhurst Hill, Grange Hill, South Woodford, Millwall, Isle of Dogs, West Ham, Whitechapel, Leyton, Stratford, East End, Upper Wandsworth, Bromley, Leytonstone, Barking, Becontree, North Woolwich, Stamford Hill, East Ham, Hainault, Manor Park, Plaistow, Redbridge, Dagenham, Chingford, Stepney,Walthamstow, Woodford Green, Poplar, Woodford, Upton Park,

Southeast London: (se1, se2, se3, se4, se5, se6, se7, se8, se9, se10, se11, se12, se13, se14, se15, se16, se17, se18, se19, se20, se21, se22, se23, se24, se25, se26, se27, se28)
Greenwich, Grove Park, Bellingham, Addington, Anerley, Blackheath, Chislehurst, Crofton Park, Cross, Deptford, Eltham, Lee, Lewisham, New Cross Gate, Dulwich, Elephant & Castle, Eltham Park, Foots Cray, Herne Hill, Crystal Palace, Plumstead, East Dulwich, Forest Hill, Hither Green, Sydenham, Walworth, Abbey Wood, Waterloo, Lambeth, Peckham, West Norwood, Beckenham, Rotherhithe, Penge, New Cross, Croydon, Shirley, North Woolwich, Sidcup, Honor Oak Park, Charlton, Upper Norwood, Southwark, Nunhead, Borough, Brockley, Camberwell, Catford, Westcombe Park, East Croydon, South Bermondsey

Low Water Supply Pumps for showers, bathrooms and kitchens

When you have low water pressure, you can boost the water flow and pressure by installing a Shower Pump. These pumps can be used for mixer showers, kitchens, standard baths, showers and basins, to boost hot and cold water. In London, the water pressure is a common problem in most buildings.

Contact us for shower pumps installation.

Old Central Heating, boilers plumbing and drains systems in London, UK

The Water Supply to a property

There are two ways the water supply is feeding a house or a flat in London.
1. The direct system – where all cold water in the house comes from the main street water supply.The direct system means that water from any tap is fresh water and drinkable.

In old properties, the water supply pipe is made of lead, and it should be changed to plastic pipes, for health and practical reasons. The new pipe colour code for water pipes is blue and will deliver a larger amount of water supply at higher pressure. If there is a water meter in the street, the pipe length that runs from the water meter into the dwelling, is the property of the homeowner.

2. The tank system, where only the kitchen tap is fed from the mains and the rest of the taps and appliances are fed from a storage tank, usually located in the loft. The tank can be made of plastic or metal.
Because the water is stored into the tank, only the water from the kitchen tap is potable (Safe to drink; drinkable)

An advantage for the tank system, especially if there is a low water pressure supply, is that you can flush the toilet, etc and have a constant water pressure supply.

StopCocks, Taps, Drain Cock and Valves

There should be two main water supply stop valves – or stopcocks in every property. One is located outside, in the street – front of the property and located in the pavement, with a metal or plastic cover. The second one is located inside the property, most of the time can be found in the kitchen, under the sink or under the staircase. These stopcocks are installed to allow a plumber or homeowner to turn off the water supply, when there is water leak or maintenance to be done to the plumbing system.

The cold water tank in the loft also has two valves. One valve for the cold water supply to the bathroom taps, garden taps, etc, except the kitchen sink and one valve for the hot water tank supply water pipe.

Drain cocks or Drain Valves, can be found at the bottom of the hot water tank. To empty a hot water tank you need a hosepipe, attached to the drain valve. To empty the Central Heating plumbing pipes and radiators, again,a hosepipe, attached to the drain valve which should be located at the lowest point in the plumbing system. To empty the cold water tank, turn off the mains and just open the cold water tap in the bathroom or garden tap.

To turn the water supply off for a kitchen sink, bathtub or bathroom basin, there should be two valves fitted on the supply pipes, one for the cold water and the other one for the hot water, located under the bathtub taps, basin,or sink.

Boilers and Central Heating System

PUMPED SYSTEM – The water is circulated by a pump, through the Central Heating system. From the boiler to the radiators and back. The same water is reheated by the boiler, pushed by the pump through the Central Heating pipes to the radiators and back to the boiler to be reheated. There is a pipe for safety reasons, called Open Safety Vent Pipe to let built up steam and pressure escape if the boiler overheats itself. Motorised valves and thermostats are are used to control the heat. In the loft, there is small Feed and Expansion cistern.

GRAVITY CIRCULATION SYSTEM – The grandmother of Central Heating, a very simple system than only very experienced and very Qualified plumbers should attempt to tackle. It works on the principle of physics, hot water is lighter and expanding than cold water when is heated by the boiler, thous it goes up the pipe work. Less mechanical parts than can break down, but larger pipes are needed instead of the 22mm and 15mm diameter pipes used as standard in Central Heating. There is also a saying among the plumbers : These types of boiler don’t like to be moved because the gravity system works better when the hot water tank ( cylinder ) is right on top of the boiler to work at its best.

SEALED SYSTEM CENTRAL HEATING AND UNVENTED SYSTEMS
This types of Central Heating is more modern, very unlikely to find them in older properties. Megaflo system is a very popular choice when a large amount of hot water is needed, dwellings with more than one bathroom, underfloor heating, etc.

Drains pipes, waste systems

There are two systems of drainage that you need to think about: ’foul‘ and ‘surface water’. In general, these two systems should be kept separate.

Each of these has above-ground and underground elements.

Foul drainage carries the used water from toilets, sinks, basins, baths, showers, bidets, dishwashers and washing machines. The above-ground pipework is referred to as sanitary pipework; the underground pipework is referred to as foul drains and foul sewers.

Surface water drainage carries rainwater (and melted snow and ice) from hard surfaces. The above-ground system of gutters and rainwater pipes is referred to as roof drainage; the underground pipework is referred to as surface water drains and surface water sewers.

Plumbers in Kensington and Chelsea, London

Robuild London Plumbers cover Kensington and Chelsea, Central and West London area. We also offer Building, Electrical, Painting & Decorating, Carpentry, Roofing and Refurbishments services in Kensington & Chelsea. Our Plumbers DO NOT charge by the hour or minute,for plumbing jobs, unless necessary. The plumbers are Gas Safe registered engineers and will always try and give a fixed price for the plumbing job, unlike other Plumbing and Central Heating companies.

Our plumbers run a Plumbing Merchant Shop, based in Acton, West London. This means that we can get plumbing materials and parts, faster and cheaper than most plumbers. From full bathroom suites, boilers, radiators, underfloor heating to designer bathroom fixtures.

Full Bathroom Refurbishments, Kitchen Refurbishments, Underfloor Heating, Showers, Wet Rooms, Wet Floors, Central Heating Problems, Cold water storage cistern repairs and replacement, Central Heating Installation, Central Heating Service and Repairs, Boiler Breakdowns, Gas Safety Inspections, New Boiler Installations, Boiler Upgrades, Megaflo Central Heating Systems, Hot water cylinder replacements, Combi Conversions,Immersion heater replacements, Radiators, Tanks,Thermostats, Unvented hot water system repairs, Fault Finding, Showers repaired or replaced, Shower pumps, Water Pumps, Water Softeners, Water Filters and other Plumbing Services.