Plumbing FAQs

You can determine the size of radiators required for each room in your house by measuring the room in cubic feet and applying the following factors to that figure:

• Lounges and dining rooms multiply by 5.
• Bedrooms multiply by 4.
• Common areas and kitchens multiply by 3.
• For rooms facing north add 15%.
• For French windows add 20%.
• For double glazing deduct 10%.

This will give you the output of any radiator in BTUs (British Thermal Units).

The total will give you the demand in BTUs for the whole house. Add 20% to the total for a hot water circulating tank and 10% for general losses. This will give you the boiler size you need for your house.

The most successful way of removing wall tiles is to use a hammer and bolster chisel. Start at the edge of the tiled section, prising and knocking off the old tiles. You must wear goggles and gloves to protect yourself from chips of flying tile. Once the tiles have been removed you will need to chisel off the remaining tile adhesive from the wall. This is likely to damage the wall, so you will need to spend some time filling and repairing the surface before decorating.

If you wish to re-tile over the area, only large holes need filling, as smaller dents will be filled with the new tile adhesive.

You can tile over the top of old tiles. You need to check that they are level and firmly attached. Any badly cracked or loose tiles should be replaced. Stagger the joins of the new tiles over the old ones.

If you are getting hot water through to your radiators then there is no problem with your boiler. If you have a motorised valve, it could be stuck. If so you can detach the motor head and renew it.

Additionally your system may need cleaning - FERNOX Central Heating Cleaner is an excellent product for the job. The cleaner is extremely effective, and the usage guidelines are very clear. After cleaning the system use FERNOX Protector to line the system.

Boilers usually only require replacing if they leak. If you do not have a service maintenance facility it is worthwhile to take one out. British gas has a 3 star service for maintenance and callout.

Removing the 'clip-on' adapter from the end of the tap can usually cure this problem. However you will need to buy a 3/4 inch hose washer and put it in the fitting. Screw the tap back on and this should resolve the problem.

There are various aspects of your central heating system that could be at fault. The following is a checklist that you will need to go through:

• Is the thermostat set to the current room temperature or above? Do not forget that an outside temperature of 15-20°C dictates that your room temperature should be set at approximately 25°C.
• Have you got thermostatic valves on your radiators? If so check that they are not sticking. To do this you will have to take the head off and make sure that the pin is moving freely.
• Is your pump working correctly?
• Has your central heating system been cleaned recently? If not sludge could have collected in some important areas and this causes a blockage.
• Have you tried bleeding the radiators? Air may have got into the system and have collected in all of the radiators.

Leading DIY stores all stock the products for cleaning and protecting your central heating system, Fernox products being excellent for this job.

Firstly you will need to turn off the water supply to the heater tank, which is usually in the roof-space of a house.

One of your radiators should be fitted with a drain valve on the supply pipe. Connect a hose to this pipe and then turn the small square head on the valve until the water starts to run out of the pipe. After 2-3 minutes open the air vent keys on all other radiators in the house.

When the water has completely drained replace the old valve with the new one. Tighten all the air vents and shut the drain valve. Turn on the water supply to the heater tank and vent the air from the radiators.

After your central heating system has been running for a few days you may need to vent the system again. Additionally you may also need to open or close the valve you have replaced to rebalance the system.

When refilling the system it is a good time to put in Fernox Corrosion Preventer to help prevent the rusting of your radiators.

I suspect the noise you're referring to is 'water hammer' in the feed pipe to your toilet. This can be reduced or perhaps even eliminated by fitting a ball valve in the pipe and adjusting it so that water pressure is reduced. The ball valve is normally sold as an isolating valve.

It may also be worth fitting a Fluidmaster entry valve in place of the conventional valve. These are American-made and are very effective in cutting down the noise in toilet systems.

You can follow these simple steps:

1. Turn off the heating.
2. Turn off the valves either side of the radiator.
3. Drain the radiator by slightly undoing the nut connecting the radiator to the valve and allow it to drain into a suitable container. When the container needs emptying, just retighten the nut and repeat until the radiator is empty.
4. Undo both valves and lift the radiator off the wall.