What are the most common plumbing problems?
What are the most common boiler problems?
What are the most common problems with central heating?
These are all questions that are often typed into Google, so let’s see if we can help.
Plumbing and heating systems are not rocket science, but unless you have dealt with problems before, they can be quite tricky to diagnose. Here are a few common scenarios that we see each week, with the usual cause.
It’s always better for us to diagnose properly through asking you some further questions, so feel free to give us a call.
Why is hot water coming through, but then going cold?
If your heating seems fine, depending on the age of your boiler, it’s probably a faulty part on the boiler, such as a diverter motor or plate heat exchanger.
Why is my shower going cold half way through?
Unless it’s an electric shower, it’s likely to be a problem with your boiler, probably very similar to the answer shown above.
What is causing my tap to leak? And, should I fix my leaking tap myself?
It depends what the problem is and how confident you are with DIY. Changing a tap isn’t difficult or time consuming with the right tools and knowledge, but if you’ve never dealt with turning off the water supply, haven’t got a huge number of tools and don’t fancy risking accidentally flooding your property, it’s probably best to give us a call.
Maybe search for some videos on YouTube and see whether you’re confident with what it suggests. Just make sure the video is from a reputable source as there are a lot of prank videos on YouTube, created for comedy value, at the expense of the viewer.
Why does my water pressure keep dropping on my boiler?
Sometimes it can be due to water evaporating in the system over time, but if it’s happening regularly, it’s likely you have a water leak somewhere in your central heating system. Sometimes these can be located under the floor and are tricky to trace.
I have hot water, but why isn’t my heating working?
It sounds obvious, but first check the temperature control on your boiler. Sometimes they can be accidentally knocked. What is the thermostat showing?
Depending on the age of your boiler and system, it’s sometimes an easy fix.
If not maintained regularly the system can become full of silt, which can reduce performance significantly. A cost effective power flush can usually resolve this.
If you find that the radiators are only hot part way up, it could be that there’s air trapped in the top, which needs letting out so it can fill with hot water all the way up. This is known as ‘bleeding’ the radiator.
What’s causing the damp patch on my ceiling below the bathroom?
When showers or baths are installed, the gaps must be sealed correctly with silicone, otherwise, water will find its way through. Over time, the sealant can become loose on cheap plastic baths and shower trays, caused by movement when people stand in the bath or shower.
In all of these cases, it won’t be obvious from within the bathroom. It could even be caused by substandard plumbing or poor plumbing fittings under the bath or shower.
If left untreated, in the worst case scenarios, we’ve known the ceiling to collapse, causing a lot of damage in the home. We know the best way in which to diagnose the problem and put it right.
Why isn’t my toilet flushing very well?
This can be caused by a number of things. If the toilet has never flushed properly, it could be that it’s a badly designed, cheap toilet which will never flush well.
It could be that the cistern isn’t filling properly to provide enough water. A quick alteration of the ballcock will resolve this, but bear in mind this will increase your water use and push your bills up if your water is metered.
