TOP TIPS & FIXES (Bending. Soldering, Repairs etc)

16) HOW DO I UNBLOCK A SINK / BASIN?

Some methods you can try:

A) First thing to try is pouring pans of boiling hot water which should dissolve any grease and solids and move them along and out of the pipework.

B) Using a sink plunger. You need to cover the overflow with a cloth and then place the plunger over the sink hole and "work" the plunger vigorously. The plunger action creates pressure and sometimes is enough to unblock it.

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C) A Chemical unblocker such as Sulphuric Acid or Mr Muscle (you can buy a powerful one from a plumbers merchants for around £10). PLEASE REMEMBER TO WEAR SAFETY EQUIPMENT.

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D) You can remove the trap under the sink and clean out with wire. Take the opportunity to clean the sink hole from underneath.

Good idea to remove the flexi hose that attaches to the sink overflow and flush out by attaching to a tap. You will be amazed at what gunk flies out!
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E) With the trap removed (and cleaned) you can use a drain snake (or curtain wire) into the open waste pipe to see if you can dislodge any debris.

F) If possible dismantle ALL the waste pipework and renew or clean out.

G) If you have tried all of the above and are still having problems, you will need to look at your underground drainage. You should look for a manhole and try rodding the drains.
 
17) HOT WATER TANK OVERFLOWING

You should first check for float valve failure and replace or renew washer if needed.

If OK you need to check the plumbing to your shower or hot and cold mixer tap is correctly plumbed and the hot and cold supplies are balanced. Cold water at mains pressure will overpower hot water at low pressure (cylinder supplied) and find its way back into the cylinder and tank.

To check you turn off the cold mains and observe the effect on the cistern. The overflow will stop within a few minutes to confirm the diagnosis. To rectify you should repipe and take the cold supply directly off the tank (below the hot water feed) which will balance both the supplies to low pressure.

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Water Regs require that all mixer supplies are fitted with non-return valves.
 
18 ) Why Is My Hot Water Not Hot Enough?

There are a number of reasons why your domestic hot water is only lukewarm:

COMBI SYSTEM

1) The domestic heat exchanger is all scaled up inside therefore reducing the amount of water being heated up as it flows through. The HE will need replacing or chemically cleaning.

2) The boiler could have an undersized gas supply to it i.e. it could be being fed with 15 mm when it should be 22 mm or even 28 mm pipe. There are minimum flow rates which are worked out according to length of pipe runs and how many elbow joints etc.

3) Diverter valve is passing and needs replacing.

4) You have too much flow of water passing through the boiler to be heated. This can be because the hot water supply is piped in 22 mm copper when 15 mm is better for a combi system.

Turning the tap down to reduce flow will result in hotter water.

5) Could be something as simple as turning the hot water knob up a bit on the boiler :D .

CYLINDER HOT WATER

1) Try turning up the cylinder stat which should be set at 60 degrees. Replace if not bringing the water up to temp.

2) If immersion heated, the heating element may be scaled up and needs replacing.

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19) Fixing things buried in walls POSTED BY CHRISR

If you have something like a "flush mount" shower valve to fix into a wall, it can be awkward. There's the difficulty of getting an even recess, and then getting a fixing in what's left of your wall once you've been hammering it.
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The sketch shows a few ideas you might be able to use.
Car body filler (sets in 10 minutes) as the green pad,
a piece of plywood to provide a flat base,
roofbolts, which have a shallow head, a square section then a thread you can put a nut on,
using long bolts with extra nuts and a temporary sheet, again perhaps plywood (blue) to set the depth and angle of the fitting. Temporary pieces of studding can be joined to the end of the bolts, inside a nut.

Which you use, will depend on your application.
Using the ply at the base means you can easily remove the fitting.
Once it's fixed, you can use builders' foam to fill to the surface. It's waterproof, easy to cut, sticks very well, and fine for tiling over .
 
A very quick, effective, inexpensive and non-toxic way to remove lime scale from anything (especially good in kettles) is lemon juice. Also if you buy a whole lemon, cut it in half and you can use it like a scouring pad on stubborn and difficult areas such as taps shower heads etc

In a kettle I use a few ounces of lemon juice and keep swishing it around, after 10-20 mins the kettle is as new and one quick rinse and your ready to make a cuppa!
 
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