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Boiler service in St Albans and across Hertfordshire

At Olive Plumbing & Heating Ltd, we offer a range of boiler services to customers in St Albans and throughout Hertfordshire. 
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How to care for your boiler in the summer

Your heating system should be left on constantly, and the room stat needs to be turned down to 10 degrees. If the weather becomes cold, your house will maintain a minimum temperature. All radiator valves must be left open. Remember that a TRV (Thermostatic Radiator Valve) which has been switched off for six months may become stuck and result in the radiator not working efficiently when the heating turned back on.

If you have an old boiler it is necessary to let the boiler circulate once a week, at the least. This is done to let the pump run and make sure that it does not seize up. Contact us should you require boiler repairs or servicing.
Emergency plumbing 

Plumbing emergencies and how to prevent leaks and floods

If hot or cold water starts leaking  and flooding begins, turn off your stopcock immediately (clockwise).

The stopcock won’t instantly prevent the leak. The leak is usually fed by a cold-water tank, located in the loft or from a hot water cylinder installed in your airing cupboard. You'll need to look out for other stopcocks or valves which are near the bottom of the tank or at the top of the cylinder. Try to turn these valves off. You'll need to remember which valves you have turned off so that you can turn them on later.
Other common valves are the gate valve, lever valve and the ballafix.

Gate valves turn off when they are moved in the clockwise direction. It takes many turns, but you need to be careful as the wheel may tear off, if it is treated roughly. Lever valves can be turned off by twisting the lever to 90º. Ballafixes are usually turned off using a screwdriver. You can rotate the screw on the front to 90º. 

Toilets and basins have their own valves and you won’t need to turn off the water supply for the whole building. If the ceiling begins to bulge, put a hole in it with a broom handle and collect the water in a bucket.

If your tank needs to be emptied in a hurry, turn off the mains water and run your bath taps. Bath taps have the thickest pipes. If you can’t find the main stopcock, go into your loft and wedge the ballcock arm up either by using a stick or a piece of string. This should stop any water from entering the tank. Never drain the tank using the cold tap in the kitchen sink. This tap is normally connected to the mains and not fed by the tank in the loft.

Preventing plumbing emergencies

Label the stopcock in case you need to find it in an emergency. They tend to seize up if they are left untouched for a long time. You can turn it off and on again every six months to prevent it from seizing up. If it doesn’t turn off (clockwise), the use of pliers will give you additional leverage. Don’t force the stopcocks too hard as they can shear off and cause a flood. If you have a plumber in the house for plumbing repairs, ask which other valves isolate any hot or cold water and label these valves too.

If you are unable to find a stopcock inside your house, there should be one outside the house. These stopcocks are found under a little trapdoor on the pavement. They could be stiff to turn or buried deep under earth. Contact your local water authority if you are unable to turn the stopcock. It is better to do this before an emergency arises!

For fitted kitchen or bathrooms, your plumber needs to fit isolation valves to all appliances. Leave easy access to replaceable parts so that you can get to them in an emergency without breaking through tiles.
Showers, flow and control 

Every consumer needs to recognise which type of hot and cold system is in the property and where the shower can be installed.

There are two hot and cold systems:

Low-pressure systems

They are recognised usually by a cold water storage tank in the loft. This feeds both the cold and hot water. As the cold water storage tank is usually located only one metre from the top of the shower-head, any water pressure and flow-rate is poor.

A basic shower pump gives a pressure of one bar. This is equivalent to having your cold water storage tank about ten metres above the shower-head. This thermostatic shower valve is suited to a pumped-type shower. This makes the water pressure in your shower more powerful.

High-pressure systems

They are fed directly from the water main in the street. Hot water is supplied by a combination boiler or instantaneous water heater. Although the system is high pressure, you must consider the fact that your water pressure and flow-rate depend on what amount the water supplier is providing to the property. If you need to install a shower-valve, ensure that you have the required mains pressure from the street. All manufacturers usually provide this information for each of their valves.
How to replace a tap washer

Turn off any water supply to the tap and open the tap to drain the excess water. Put the plug in the waste. This will prevent any vital parts from literally going down the drain! You need to remove the handle of the tap and you might need a small screwdriver to even remove the grub screw.

Sometimes this is found under a small blue or red bit of plastic in the top. Once the handle has been removed, you'll need some grips to remove the tap cover. Wrap an electrical tape around this and it will reduce the chances of it being scratched. When doing this don’t let the tap move, hold it in position.

Now you'll find a hexagonal nut. Twist this with a spanner and be careful not to move the base. Pull out the hexagonal nut and you will find your tap washer underneath this. You can now replace the washer with a new one.

Tips

If you have brought the wrong washer, you can turn the washer over. This will not last long but could stop the dripping for the time being. If you get a plumber to do this ensure he leaves the old washer. Also make sure the seating for the washer is free of any debris and is clean.
Preparing for winter 

Be aware that your home’s plumbing system will be running overtime during Christmas and the New Year to handle the extra cooking, flushing, showering, and washing. Ensure that the plumbing system in your home is geared up for the holidays.

Secure outdoor lines

Disconnect hoses and sprinkler systems in the fall. Isolate your garden tap inside the house and leave the tap open to drain out the water. Ensure that all outdoor spigots and fixtures are clear of leaks. Fix any problems before the weather turns cold. It is important to insulate all exposed pipes, outside or in the loft using sleeves or wrapping. This also includes the pipes in your garage or crawl space. Affordable plastic foam insulation is available at any DIY shop.

Clear your gutters

Make sure that rain water has unrestricted flow and that it doesn’t collect on your roof or in the gutters. You will need to regularly clear out leaves from your gutter, as they accumulate throughout the fall.

Prep your bathroom

Spread out your showers throughout the day. You could clear your shower head of any mineral deposits using a store-bought limescale remover treatment.

Prep your kitchen

Avoid pouring cooking oil down your kitchen sink. Prevent blocking your waste disposal with any stringy foods or fruit pips. If water pressure is the issue, you could  to run the dishwasher overnight and preserve it when your guests might want to wash.

Inspect your boiler or water heater regularly

A thorough inspection ensures that your water heater lasts through the winter season. Also consider an inspection of the sewage, furnace and septic systems in and around your house.

Regular servicing 

Hire a Gas Safe-registered engineer to service your boiler at least once a year. This will help identify any potential faults and fix them.

Insulate pipework

To avoid boiler malfunction you'll need to insulate any pipework that’s exposed, including the loft space. Insulate the condensate drain, and the cold or hot water pipes. Ensure that the water tanks in the loft area are covered with close-fitting insulation.

Check your radiators

While your heating is off, bleed all radiators on your property. This will avoid any cold spots and air locks, making your heating more efficient. Carry a clean rag and a small tray to catch any run-off. When the system is on, ensure that the heat is being distributed evenly across the surface area of the radiator. If it isn’t, power flushing the system will help.


Efficient running

Fit a programmable room thermostat that helps you operate the system effectively.


Take advantage of the sun

Open the curtains on your south-facing windows to allow sunlight and natural heat into your home. Close the curtains at night to reduce any drafts. Install plastic-sheet-based double-glazing around your window frames during the colder months. Ensure a close fit all around the window frame.

Other leaks you can look out for

Seal any gaps where utility pipes usually run through cut-outs in the walls. You could use an air bag to close any chimneys that aren’t being used.

Lower the temperature

When you are at home, keep your thermostat setting as low as possible but comfortable. But when you’re asleep or out, turn your thermostat back 10° to 15° for eight hours. You can also lower the set temperature for your DHW (Domestic Hot Water) and save some money.

Fireplace and chimney care

Check the seal on the fireplace damper and make it fit snugly. If you use a fireplace, you can reduce heat loss by opening dampers that are in the bottom of the firebox or open the nearest window slightly.

Less rooms is more

If you have rooms you don’t use, turn off the heating in them. In the bedroom, change your duvet from a thinner one to a thicker one. In the dressing room, keep the winter clothing ready to wear. In the kitchen or any utility room, if you have a second fridge, you can stop using it and use the garage or garden in winter instead.
Flow and pressure 

Good pressure may not mean good flow. Good flow may not mean good pressure.

Static and dynamic pressures:

Static pressure is when no taps are turned on and therefore no flow is occurring.
Dynamic pressure is when some taps are turned on and the pressure becomes progressively lower as the flow passes. 

Every metre of a water pipe adds a “frictional” resistance to flow. Lower resistance means less dynamic pressure reduction and greater flow. Greater resistance means less flow. It is recommended that the design flow rate for the valve or fitting be such that it automatically falls in the part of a flow.
Boiler problems – what to look out for and when exactly to contact a plumber 

Your boiler needs to be serviced every year by a qualified Gas Safe engineer. Look out for small puddles of water around radiators or under the sinks. If you notice puddles, call your plumber out or at least give him a ring and have this problem fixed.
Flushing your heating system 

The system can also be power flushed. Special chemicals are used and the radiators are vibrated, to loosen the rust. This process is then done to each of the radiators until all the floating debris is removed.
How to stop cold spots in your radiators

Cold spots can be reduced with continued maintenance. Keep your radiators vented and put special chemicals in the central heating side of your system. A Magnaclean pulls out any rust in the system. Every year when the boiler is serviced, the engineer needs to clean the Magnaclean out.

The system is also power flushed. Harsh chemicals are added and the radiators vibrated to loosen the rust. This process is then repeated with all radiators until the whole system is cleaned out.
How to look after your home central heating

It is important to vent the radiators and ensure that no air has entered the system. You need to keep an eye on the pressure. Ideally this should be in the green of your pressure gauge or around 1.2 bar. At the end of every winter you could go around the thermostatic radiator valves and turn on all of them. This allows you to control the heating if needed, from the main room thermostat. This means that during the next winter season none of the valves will stick.
How to bleed a radiator

Open all the thermostatic radiator valves and turn up the heat. You can run the central heating for ten minutes, and then turn it off. After this, check each radiator individually to ensure they’re heating up.

If you find a cool spot on any radiator, it may mean that trapped gas is preventing the radiator from operating at full efficiency. This could be resolved by bleeding the radiator.

Bleeding the radiator

Important: Make sure your central heating is switched off.

Old radiators may need a specialised radiator key. Newer ones can be opened with a flat screwdriver. Release air from the radiator by inserting the key or screwdriver into the bleed valve and turn it counter-clockwise.

The air escapes making a hissing noise. If water begins to drip from the valve it means all the air has been bled from the radiator. Turn the key clockwise to tighten and close the bleed valve. Use a simple cloth or tea towel to absorb the hot water leaking from the radiator.

Follow-up steps

This process needs to be repeated for each and every radiator in your home or office. Once this step is done, turn the central heating back on and ensure that none of the valves are leaking. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this all by yourself, don’t! Contact our experts today. Check your home insurance before doing any DIY work. Bleeding a radiator is fairly simple, but it’s always better to let a professional engineer handle it.
How to stop a dripping tap

Here’s how you can put a stop to the wastage of water from that leaking tap.

Causes of a dripping tap

A common cause for a leaky tap is its worn-out parts. Conventional taps leak when the washers get old and become loose. Other causes include loose nuts or fixtures around the handles.

Repairing a dripping tap

To replace a washer,  turn off the main water supply. Next, you can loosen the packing nut on the tap. Once the packing nut is loose, you will need to pull the entire valve unit, using the tap handle stem.

The washer will be at the bottom of the valve unit. Remove the screw holding the washer in place and replace the old washer with a new one of the same size; ensure you get the correct size. Clean out any grime or sediment that’s built up in valve. After all  this you can replace the screw, put the valve back in the tap and tighten the packing nut. Turn on the water supply, if there’s no dripping water, you’ve succeeded.
For a boiler service, contact our gas engineers at Olive Plumbing & Heating Ltd on
020 8207 1717
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