REGULAR MAINTENANCE
Your plumbing system is a complex piece of engineering, with many components that need regular attention - just like a car.
You have your car serviced regularly - why not your plumbing system?? Unfortunately, most of us tend to assume the system will just go on working for ever, and it is only when something goes wrong that we worry - why wait until then??
Here is a common scenario - your hot water tap starts dripping - it probably just needs a new washer, and reseating - depending on tap type, about £35-£45 if you call a plumber. However, there is no service valve fitted underneath the pipe so the hot water has to be isolated at the cold feed to your hot water cylinder (typically a gate valve either in the loft of in the airing cupboard).
Unfortunately, this valve has never been eased since installation - it's very stiff, due to internal deposits and corrosion. It nearly shuts off, but not quite, so it is eased shut a bit more with a wrench. Tap washer changed and tap reseated. Then, one of two things will or have happened - either the stem of the valve sheared when it was tightened, or the stem shears when it is being opened. Sometimes, the valve is so stiff, the stem shears when you try to close it, leaving the water still on. Whichever, you now have a valve that needs replacing, which may require drain down of a cistern and part of the hot water cylinder. Final bill - £150-£200!! All for the sake of regularly opening and closing a valve to ensure satisfactory operation.
Regular maintenance of components should include gate valves, lever ball valves, ball-o-fix ball valves, float operated valves (on toilet cisterns, water cisterns, feed and expansion cisterns), external and internal stop cocks, taps (depending on type), central heating pump valves, radiator valves.
If you can't turn off valves in a hurry when required, you could be faced with a big bill ... do you even know where your main isolation valves are located???
To contact Gilmar Systems, call:
Mark Humphryes on 0778 654 1000 / 01892 653827