Basic plumbing tips
With most domestic plumbing systems, the parts that go wrong are usually those, such as taps, that receive the most use. Washers, for instance, don’t last for ever and a dripping tap is an indication that a new washer is needed. Many modern taps don’t have washers, so this chapter just looks at conventional-style taps found on basins and baths.
Sometimes, of course, disaster can strike, In cold weather, pipes can freeze up and even burst, but if you act quickly you can minimize the damage before calling in a plumber to make any necessary permanent repairs.
KNOW YOUR WATER SYSTEM
A household’s water system basically starts at the rising main -the pipe which supplies water to the house. From this point, there are two basic domestic plumbing systems - indirect and direct. An indirect system means that the rising main feeds a cold water storage cistern which then supplies water to most of the house. There are usually two pipes taking water out of the storage cistern: one feeds cold taps and toilets; the other feeds a hot water cylinder which in turn supplies the hot taps.
However, at least one cold tap (usually in the kitchen) is fed direct from the mains to provide pure drinking water.
A direct system (more common in older houses) means that the rising main feeds all cold taps and toilets. The storage cistern feeds only a hot water cylinder,
TURNING THE WATER OFF
To rewasher a tap or stop a leak, you need to be able to isolate and drain different parts of the plumbing system. In an emergency, the most important tap is the stopcock (or stop tap) on the rising main - turning it off means that no more water can enter the house. To locate the mains stopcock, try tracing’ the pipe leading from the kitchen cold tap - often it’s right under the sink or it may be under the stairs or in a cellar. If there isn’t one, you have to rely on the water authority’s stopcock outside the house - this can be hard to locate and it’s a good idea to have an indoor one fitted. You may also find mini-stopcocks on pipes to garden taps, for example.
Additional gate valves on the pipes leading from the cold water storage cistern enable supplies to the cold water system and to the hot water cylinder to be turned off independently. These valves usually have a wheel-type handle, If you can’t find them, the simplest way of emptying the storage cistern is to turn off the mains stopcock (or tie up the ball float arm in the cistern so that no more water can enter), turn on bathroom cold taps and, keep flushing the toilets.
Know where the stopcocks and valves are, and regularly turn them on and off to keep them from seizing up. If jammed, apply penetrating oil to free them.
TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
The two main places for buying plumbing goods are plumbers’ merchants and large DIY centres, A more limited range is sold by hardware and DIY shops.
An adjustable spanner for dealing with the different sizes of nuts found on taps — an open-ended spanner will do provided it’s the right size. A second spanner (or wrench) is useful if fittings are stiff.
Screwdrivers. You’ll need a small one for the tiny grub screws on taps; you may also need a cross-head screwdriver.
Tap washers so that you can fix a dripping tap. They are usually I 2mm for basin taps, 19mm for bath ones, and suitable for hot or cold water taps — check when you buy. You can also buy washers complete with jumpers (old washers are sometimes impossible to remove), You need special jumper-washer units for Supataps.
A washer-seating set can be used in conventional taps (not Supataps) when the washer seating is worn - there is one size for basins, another for baths. PTFE tape can be used instead of wool to replace the gland packing in old-style taps - it comes in a roll rather like sticking plaster. Newer taps use rubber O-ring seals instead.
A proprietary pipe repair kit for mending burst pipes - a two-part epoxy resin plastic putty, for example, or a waterproof sticky tape system.
