Here are your Top 5 Summer Plumbing & Heating Tips from local company Plumbing & Gas Solutions Ltd!
Here are five top plumbing and heating tips from our friends at Plumbing & Gas Solutions Ltd, to help you out this summer. If you follow these tips, it could save you money and help you to avoid stress, both in the short-term and throughout the rest of the year!
- Turn your heating up once a week for 10 minutes
This is definitely a pro tip, because you wouldn’t think that there’d be any reason to turn your heating on when it’s hot outside, but there is a real benefit to simply turning it on for as little as 10 minutes each week!
By turning on your heating, you circulate water through the system – as hot water passing through your radiator is what warms your home/building up. Getting the water moving will prevent stagnant water from sitting in your pipes, tanks and radiators, which will reduce the likelihood of scale or sludge building up within the system!
One of the most common causes of problems in a domestic heating system is build-up of sediment in the bottom of radiators. Sludge in a radiator will make the system less efficient, while also leading to rust and corrosion if not treated!
- Test whether your toilet is leaking
Did you know that your toilet could be leaking constantly, and you’d never see it happening!?
It’s possible for your toilet to develop a minor leak, where water from the cistern can get into the bowl without flushing. You likely won’t be able to see as the toilet slowly and silently wastes gallons and gallons of water!
There are two tests to see if this is happening. The first way is to put a few drops of food colouring or dye into the toilet cistern. If the water in the bowl gradually changes colour, without you flushing, there’s a leak! The other way to test it is to place a dry piece of toilet paper on the back of the bowl, above the water level. If it gets visibly damp without flushing, that also means there’s a leak.
Naturally, if you do discover that you have one of these silent leaks, call 01908 103098 and we can stop your money getting flushed down the toilet!
- Tips for saving water:
Speaking of money leaking down the drain… Here are some other easy tips to save water this summer!
- Turn off the tap while you’re brushing your teeth. (This could save up to 4 gallons a minute!)
- Water your plants and garden in the morning or evening when it’s cooler (when it’s hot, some of the water will evaporate and you’ll have to water more often!)
- Harvest rainwater with a barrel or bucket (this can save you a lot of water when gardening – especially with our British summer weather!)
- Using a timer to ensure that you only heat the house when you need it. (This tip is useful all year round!)
When the people in your household are on a regular schedule, we highly recommend using the timer functionality on your heating. Modern thermostats allow you to set up really precise and customisable settings and schedules for your heating system.
Setting your heating to automatically turn on and off to match your schedule could drastically reduce the amount of wasted energy (and therefore money!). This tip is helpful year-round, but during summer, you certainly won’t want the heat on all day.
- Insulating your house (This tip is useful all year round!)
Have you ever had the heating turned on, but then had a window open, and one of your parents said something along the lines of “I’m not paying to heat the street!”?
They’re on to something! When your house is cold, you turn the heating on and the boiler will heat up the house until it reaches the temperature you’ve set your thermostat to. However, if your house isn’t properly insulated, it will face two problems. Firstly, it’ll take longer to heat up, and secondly it will require more energy to keep it warm.
In the summer, a well-insulated house will allow for you to even further reduce the need for heating your home.
The easiest ways to insulate your house are with double or triple-glazed windows, wall and loft insulation and draught-proof doors.
Who are Plumbing & Gas Solutions?
Plumbing & Gas Solutions Ltd has been supporting the people and businesses of Milton Keynes since 2010 with all their plumbing and heating requirements.
If you need any help with your plumbing or heating, call them on 01908 103098.
PGS are kindly offering 20% off to our listeners/readers when they mention MKFM on the phone! (First time customers only)
Plumbing & Gas Solutions are the sister company of MKFM partners Facilities Management Solutions, who sponsor our Meet of MK networking event on the last Thursday of every month.
