Check plumbing problems before onset of winter

Press, 8 May 1980, Page 14

Check plumbing problems before onset of winter

The likelihood of a household plumbing emergency occurring this winter will be greatly reduced if you make an annual maintenance check. Household plumbing rarely fails without warning. Heed warning signs and carry out the necessary maintenance and you will probably avoid a plumbing emergency. Know where to find the tap which controls your property’s main water supply. You will need to find it quickly should a pipe burst. If unable to locate it, the local authority will help you. Check the tap occasionally and keep it free of dirt. Follow this checklist: :: Fix dripping taps, they waste too much water. Wasting cold water is a nuisance, but hot water wastage is expensive. :: A common household emergency is the tap which will not turn off. Probably this will not have happened without warning — the tap needed attention when it took extra turns before the water supply shut off. The continual force of tightening the tap shows itself in a strain shaft, and then problems occur. :: Check the lagging on hot-water pipes. Replacement of old lagging will keep down the cost of hot-water bills. :: Pipes may be sufferfrom old age “furring”(Or

an obstruction), if when the water is turned on. there is a sudden rush followed by a gradually decreasing flow. Ideally, the pipe system should be overhauled by a plumber before the continuing build-up of deposit leads to a burst pipe.

:: Know where to find inter-wall and underground pipes, especially before starting any do-it-yourself project. Burst water pipes, though sometimes caused by old age, are often caused by home handymen and gardeners.

:: Clean out guttering, flushing plenty of water though the downpipe. Rust spots underneath indicate that it is time for their replacement. :: Blocked kitchen drains might be prevented with a little care. Fats should never be washed down the drain, as they clog when congregating in the bends. Tea leaves should only be washed down with plenty of water to sluice them completely 7 away. If waiting for the plumber to tend you rblocked drain, try to stop any more water from entering it. :: Call a plumber if something has been lost down the sink or handbasin. Small items, such as a ring or contact lens, might lodge in the S-bend or trap if the water flow is stopped immediately. .: Households use more hot water in winter than at any other time if, at the end of the day. the hot tap runs cold, it might be worth thinking about installing a more efficient hot water system. Many of these maintenance checks can be made by yourself. But for others you will need the services of a member of the Mas* ter Plumbers’ Association. And for new plumbing products, such as taps, guttering and hot-water system, visit a plumbers’ merchant