UK Home Improvement Blog

Modern plumbing normally conjures images of sinks, tubs and drains. However, increasingly today’s fridges require plumbing attention as well. Due to the water filtration system included in American style fridges, homeowners need to add fridge plumbing to their checklist.

Thankfully, this checklist can incorporate do-it-yourself projects that aren’t too tough.

From installing a fridge water hose to replacing a water filter, you can learn how to do these items yourself in a few simple steps.

Installing Fridge Plumbing

Running a water line for the automatic ice maker and water dispenser can have your fridge’s plumbing ready to go. According to The Family Handyman, this project will require a tape measure, soldering torch and a tube cutter along with a copper tee, water supply stop valve, 1/2-inch copper pipe and 1/4-inch flexible copper tubing.

Running the copper tubing into the cold water pipe is the most difficult challenge. Locate a cold water source near the fridge and decide how much 1/4-inch copper tubing you’ll need. Six to eight additional feet of coiled tubing will be required for behind the fridge.

After you decide which water line connection options you’ll use, you can begin the process. Shut off the water, open the sink faucet and the lower-level faucet to drain the pipe and solder a copper tee after you cut out a small section of the cold water pipe. Solder copper pipe into the tee under the sink and close the valve and open the water main to check for leaks once it has cooled.

Next, plan a tubing route through all the cabinets, straightening coiled tubing as needed. Starting at the fridge, snake the tubing in backwards to leave the coiled portion remaining in place. Then, attach the 1/4-inch water line to the stop valve with a compression joint; attach tubing to the back of cabinets every two to four feet; then run the tubing to the floor near the water hookup. Clamp tubing to fridge.

Following the instruction manual, flush out the tubing before attaching it to the refrigerator. Cut the tubing to final length after giving yourself six to eight feet of tubing for behind the fridge.

Finally, cut the end of the tubing square, slide on the compression fittings and lubricate threads on the fitting with pipe compound and screw on the tubing. Tighten using a wrench. Open the stop valve and check the system for leaks.

Other Maintenance Tasks

Replace a Gasket – According to Plumbing Networks, washing gaskets with soapy water is sufficient for cleaning. To determine whether a gasket needs to be replaced, slide a piece of paper between the wall and the seal of the refrigerator. If it the seal isn’t tight enough, replace the gasket.

Replace a Water Filter – Follow instructions to replace a water filter. Removing the current filter according to design (i.e. push-button, housings, etc.) is an easy DIY task. Make sure you flush a few gallons of water through the new filter before installing it.

Clean a Drip Pan – Simply pull out the drip pan, located beneath the refrigerator, clean the item thoroughly and replace.

Home improvement and maintenance don’t have to be difficult. By paying attention to your owner’s manual, how refrigerators work and a few other items, you can turn perceived, tough repairs into relatively simple tasks. Save money and time by following some of these simple DIY repairs and maintenance.

Tags: Kitchens, Plumbing by UK Home Improvement Team
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• Firstly, lift/unscrew the plug itself (if possible) and use tweezers (or your fingers!) to remove the offending articles. It might be an off putting sight and smell the first time you do this, but repeating this regularly (perhaps once a fortnight, or once a week) will allow you to keep on top of the blocked plug problem.

• Hair removal cream for legs (scientific name – depilatory cream) – don’t spend too much but put a tube of hair removal cream down the plug hole and leave for 30 minutes to an hour. Some even suggest overnight. Then rinse, preferably with the power shower directed at the plug for maximum cleaning effectiveness! Your hair will have been dissolved and the water will wash it away.

• Bicarbonate soda, followed by white vinegar. A natural solution that uses nature’s own power, the soda will fizz when it hits the wet pipe, the vinegar then cuts through and encourages the blockage to move.

• Hot water and salt. Boil a kettle of water and then pour a small amount of salt down the plug. Allow to settle for about a minute and then wash down with hot water.

• Plughole chemicals – whilst there are many well-known brands, a number of plumbers and drainage experts actually warn against these solutions. Yes they work, and yes they are an affordable fail safe, but the chemicals within aren’t always suitable for your specific pipes. Whilst providing immediate relief, don’t become dependent on them and find that it causes further trouble down the line.

• Call in a pro. If you’ve tried a number of the ideas above, it may well be time to call in a pro. They’ll have the tools and know how to unblock everyday problems – they do this day in, day out after all. They may use a Plumbers snake, or some small rods to correct the drain blockage. Alternatively, a professional plumber may choose to use chemicals that only tradesmen have the experience to handle correctly.

Tags: Bathrooms, Plumbing by UK Home Improvement Team
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Imagine if stepping out of your shower every morning could make you feel like you are living in the fancy accommodations of a luxury spa or on holiday.

It can, when you pamper yourself and your family with a towel radiator. Heated towel racks deliver a fresh, warm towel into your hands after showers and baths.

Despite the feeling of pampering, towel radiators are in fact reasonably affordable and easy to install.

How A Towel Radiator Works

A towel radiator functions exactly the same as your regular radiators, with the added benefit of warming your towel as it waits for you outside the shower. They are suitable with all towels, you will not need to buy special towels.

The Benefits

Towel radiators are perfect if you are sensitive to cold, or if you have joint and muscle conditions that make exposure to cold especially uncomfortable.

Adding a towel heating device to your bathroom is a subtle way to increase the value of your bathroom. Aside from the benefit of warmth, towel radiators come in stylish designs – modern, and are available in a variety of shapes and finishes.

One highly popular design is a flat, ladder shaped rack, since it allows multiple towels to be hung whilst taking up the least amount of space. Other popular designs include racks which branch out in a carousel, making it easy for towels to be added, or taken off.

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Screwfix is the UK’s largest direct and online supplier of trade tools, accessories and hardware products. With over 30 years’ experience in the industry, we despatch tens of thousands of parcels every week for next day and weekend delivery to tradesmen, handymen and serious DIY enthusiasts all over the UK.

Tags: Bathrooms, Plumbing by UK Home Improvement Team
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If you find yourself in an emergency situation in which suddenly your kitchen gets flooded, the bathroom gets blocked or a pipe bursts, it is unfortunately the moment to start looking for a plumber.

A plumber should be brought in to your house as soon as possible to fix the trouble, the problem is that finding a good plumber in cities like London, Nottingham or Manchester can sometimes seem like an impossible task.

Although plumbing is nowadays one of the most successful trades, finding a good one is difficult as prices vary so much and that can really hit your pocket.

So here are 4 tips to help you set up an action plan for these circumstances and find a professional who will do the job right, and at a fair price:

1. Do some research

If you ask friends and neighbours you should be able to get a recommendation. Getting some referrals of what work they did with the average price and how long ago would be a good start. Reputation is everything when trying to find a tradesman and things like having a plumbers number already located with their contacts details on a fridge magnet will save your day in a crisis situation.

2. Explore your chosen plumbers a little more

Check the plumbers training and/or experience, if they are licensed and if they are members of any reputable trade organisations. You want to be at least partially assured they have solid experience and proper training.

3. Enquire thoroughly and closely

I would suggest you to enquire with the professional about your particular problem. Ask them to explain what they think is wrong and how they are going to fix it. Don’t be afraid to ask direct questions. A good plumber will happily answer and explain, and won’t be evasive about the work required.

4. The Price

Once the plumber is located first ask for a written estimate before work commences. This will give you some insights and guidance of the costs for the complete plumbing project.

And finally bear in mind two things, firstly, plumbing services are not cheap and most plumbers have a minimum time fee which doesn’t include the materials needed; plus an initial estimate is not a fixed price as it is possible that the final invoice could be different.

If you are not sure where you stand or want to know a little more about plumbing services or other maintenance repairs please contact AKE Electrical. We consistently provide the best plumbing services for our customers so call us for professional service delivered with courtesy.

Tags: Plumbing by UK Home Improvement Team
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With winter creeping up on us, keeping your heating in top condition is very important. Many people won’t even turn on their central heating until the winter, and there’s nothing pleasant about turning it on when you finally need it to discover your radiators aren’t working properly.

The typical culprit of a radiator not working correctly is trapped air. When air becomes trapped it means that the water is not circulating around the radiator correctly, resulting in the bottom heating up the top half of the radiator remaining cold. If this happens you will normally need to bleed the radiator to let the air escape.

So now you have 2 options, call in a plumber, or have a go yourself.

Bleeding a radiator is usually a very simple DIY task and the following steps will help you bleed your radiator correctly.

First you need to locate the bleed screws. These are typically positioned at the top of the radiator on each end, though they can be on the back as well.

These screws are unlocked with a special radiator bleed key, which is designed to fit the screws perfectly; radiator keys are normally made of soft metals to stop damage to the screws. If the screws are damaged and the key no longer fits (or you lose the key) most screws can be loosened with a spanner as well, but it is always best to use the key where possible.

Once you are ready ensure the central heating is turned off; if you don’t it can cause more air to be introduced into the system (Not to mention the fact the water and steam that can escape could be very hot!).

If you have a header tank ensure that the water supply is not isolated to it! If you have a boiler which requires manually topping up such as a combi-boiler, then top it up after and possibly during bleeding (depending on how much pressure there is left in the system). We will cover topping up a boiler in a subsequent article.

Open both of the valves at the bottom of the radiator, then use the radiator bleed key to open the bleed screws. Ensure you have a towel or cloth ready to catch any drips from the bleed screws and turn the key anti-clockwise; you don’t have to turn it much, about half a turn will suffice.

You should hear hissing as the air is forced from the radiator. As soon as water is squirted through the bleed screw, re-tighten it and ensure it is not leaking (making sure to catch the drips as radiator fluid is not pleasant). If all is well, you’ve just successfully bled your radiator and it will fill and circulate properly. Close the valves as required and if necessary move onto your next radiator.

It is important to note that the air could be in your pipes and not the radiator, this is easy to check as the radiator will be cold but so will the pipe going into it. Bleeding can solve this, but not always.

One option is to flush the central heating system by turning off all the other radiators apart from the one the affected pipe goes into. This will force the water into just this pipe and radiator and the pressure can sometimes disperse the air or push it into the radiator (then simply follow up with a bleed if it hasn’t dispersed).

Of course sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and call a plumber, but at least you have the option of trying it yourself.

Tags: Plumbing by UK Home Improvement Team
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