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| GBPlumber Charges and Rates ... |
GBPlumbers charges are 100% transparent, there are no hidden costs and we provide
a total breakdown of all work beforehand.
All work that has been carried out will be paid in full at the jobs completion
by either, cash or credit card. For larger projects, such as fitted bathrooms
and kitchens, all materials will need to be paid up front.
Minimum charge of 1 hour on all jobs with 30 minute sections there after,
unless fixed price has been agreed. Our hourly rate is set at £30.00
(7 days a week).
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| GBPlumber Customer Service Area ... |
We extend our services to a 50 mile radius of Gardenstown. As far east to Peterhead,
West to Fochabers and South to Inverurie.
If you live outwith this area, please contact
us for more details, a small delivery charge may apply. |
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| Tips and Tricks ... |
 Blocked
Taps. Make sure you turn the water off at source before attempting to
clear a blocked tap by taking it apart.
Blocked Sinks. If you are using a plunger, trying to unblock
a blocked sink, cover up the overflow holes with a damp cloth. This helps build
up the pressure.
Tips on Pipes. If you have a split pipe, instead of draining
down the whole system you can buy 'pipe freeze', (I know this product is available
in the UK but not sure about anywhere else), It comes with a jacket that you wrap
around the pipe and you spray something very cold into it and it freezes the pipe
for about 30-40 mins. Saving time and money.
Slow Draining Sinks. If your sink drains are chronically slow
and you live in an older house, the problem may be an accumulation of sludge in
the lines. No amount of plunging and chemicals is going to fix this. What's needed
is to climb up onto the roof of your house with a metal snake (preferably one
with a business end looking a bit like a ballpeen hammer) and ram that snake down
each of the drain lines, entering through the vent stacks, with a fair amount
of force. It may require 50 or 100 motions for each stack. A licensed plumber
is recommended for this, but you can venture it yourself. You should also snake
out any drain clean-outs you can find at ground level.
Toilets. If your toilet ball float is leaking and filling with
water here is a useful trick I learnt to tide you over until you can get a new
one. Take off the float (by unscrewing it), empty it, then screw it back on and
wrap it in a plastic bag.
Starting Threads on Pipes - When threading pipes it is sometimes
difficult to get started. You can make it easier by cutting slots in the end and
then cutting off the end later.
Leaky Toilets. If you think that your toilet might be leaking
slightly, check to see if the problem is not due to condensation before calling
out a plumber. If you have condensation problems they can be solved by improved
ventilation when bathing or showering.
Leaky Cistern - A clever way of checking to see if your cistern
is leaking is to put in some food coloring.
PTFE Tape. Remember to use PTFE tape when fixing a leak or making
joints. The tape should be wrapped around the thread of the pipe. Clockwise when
viewed from the end of the pipe is the correct way to put it on.
Good Practice - If you are installing tanks and fitting pipes
to them be sure to cover the ends of the pipes with tape to stop pieces of plastic
and swarf from dropping down them, the bits and pieces will block taps later on
and cause all kinds of problems.
Showers. If the water pressure is very poor in your shower it
may be due to lime-scale build up. If you live in a hard water area you should
clean your shower heads every three months or so. If the scale is too bad it may
be an idea to get either a new hose, or a new shower head.
Pipes
Water Hammer - If your water pipes sometimes make a loud "hammering
noise" after the toilet has been flushed or sink, etc. Ask at the hardware
store for something for "waterhammer". It's a fitting or somesuch thing
which is easily installed in the line. A common problem and not very expensive.
Ref 'hammering water pipes'. This is caused by a pressure build up of water in
the pipes. The simplest solution is to turn down your water pressure at the stop-cock.
Repairs to low pressure water pipes can be carried out while the water is held
back by stuffing bread up the pipe. It should remain in place long enough for
a repair to be made.
Frozen Pipes. I find that the best way to melt the ice in frozen
pipes is to put hot water bottles over them. I hear that using a hair-dryer is
good as well.
Split Pipes. If your water pipe has split, a temporary fix you
can do whilst waiting for a qualified plumber is to wrap torn strips of fabric
very tightly around the break. Keep a large saucepan or bucket underneath the
join to catch any drips.
Taps. If you are removing nice tap fittings (such as gold ones)
for maintenance reasons, use a thick cloth to protect it from the jaws of the
wrench, otherwise you'll get a load of scratches on them.
More good advice. When taking a tap apart, always keep the plug in, to prevent
anything useful falling down the plug hole.
Preventing frozen pipes
Insulate external pipes and any internal ones that are exposed to freezing, paying
attention to corners and elbows of pipework as these tend to be the most exposed.
Turn off any indoor valves on pipes leading to taps outside your home. Then open
the outside tap and leave it open to let any water drain. This will ensure there's
no water in the pipes to freeze. In cold weather, check all your taps in your
home from time to time. If little or no water flows there may be frozen water
in the pipes.
If you're away from home during the winter, ask someone to check your home - this
should help ensure burst pipes are spotted early and any damage is kept to a minimum.
Preventing water leaks
Know where to find your stopcock and use it to cut off the flow of water if a
pipe starts leaking. Home Insurance research shows that one in three homeowners
don't know where their stopcock is. Fix any dripping taps as soon as possible
to avoid a more a serious escape of water.
Home central heating
Have the central heating system in your home checked and serviced regularly. Try
to get your boiler serviced in the summer to ensure that it's working efficiently
before the winter comes. During the summer put the heating on for 15 minutes once
a month. This should help clear grit from the boiler pump and will give you a
chance to check that the system is working properly.
If you are away from home in the winter, set your central heating to come on for
a short period each day to prevent freezing. Don't be tempted to turn the heating
off while you're away.
Loft insulation in your home
A burst pipe in the loft could lead to serious water damage and the risk of a
collapsed ceiling, so making sure your loft is well insulated in preparation for
freezing temperatures is really worth the effort. Apply foam insulation to pipes
in your loft and make sure joints and bends are covered. Lay the foam on top of
the pipes and not beneath them.
Make sure your water storage tank is well insulated, particularly if you think
it's in a position where it may be at risk from freezing in very cold weather.
When the weather is particularly cold, open the loft hatch to allow warmer air
from the rest of your home to circulate in the loft.
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