I've added and removed enough rads over the years and fit valves before, however I can't seem to buy any TRVs and Lockshield that have the normal hand turning lockshield in chrome; they all seem to just have this cap?
Are we saying I need a tool (bigger than any hex I currently own) to operate the lockshield each time?
Any explanation is helpful because I could just be a dunce...
Ripping out my kitchen and wondering what this device above the stop valve is. It's before anything else in the house - pressure reduction maybe?
Beneath dishwasher/kitchen sink. Quite wiggly moving away from the camera.
1970s house, pictures in void under ground floor and pipe connected to WC above. 125mm O/D. Pitch Fibre maybe?
If so, what’s the best way to connect 110mm plastic. Would replace up to pan connection so that a new branch tee can be added. Also wondering how the vertical pipe was fitted into the 90degree at the base?
I put a post on here this morning trying to identify some bath taps/shower mixer in order to replace a diverter valve and although no one seemed to recognise them I got a lot of views so I’m sharing my story incase it helps anyone else.
I’d bought a new set as recommended by a plumber only to find I had a trickle for a shower. I have a gravity fed system with low pressure on the hot water and I discovered my new taps needed a min of 1 bar pressure. Brilliant. I should have known this but I’d had the old taps for about 25 years. (And I’m a woman dare I use the excuse🧐) I had an okay shower with them but the diverter valve was broken and I couldn’t identify the make so hence the post on here this morning, trying to avoid having to fork out for yet another set of taps, the low pressure ones are expensive too.
Anyway after a lot of brainstorming with the plumber (and grumbling about it too) we discussed shower pumps and new taps. Then we had a lightbulb moment. We decided to change the new tap handles with the old tap handles in the vain hope that they might fit. A tense moment. Fortunately they did and bisto! The pressure came back to what it was when I had my old fittings on. 🙏😄 Something to do with the cartridge inside the tap handle, I’m so happy I can’t remember what it is. 👍👍
Hi,
My toilet continually fills into the overflow pipe. I've tried adjusting the float clip (see picture) to stop the flow, but it doesn't matter if the clip is right at the bottom or the top, water will always continue to drip into the overflow pipe once the cistern is full.
The valve mechanism on the float is working because if I pull it up by hand, the cistern stops filling.
How straightforward is this to fix? How can I be sure I'm ordering the right replacement parts online?
Looking for some advice please. 1970s 3 bed semi with one bathroom. Only other water source apart from bathroom is the kitchen sink. I have a 2.0 bar pump on the hot water only currently. This existing hot pump is for the whole system not just isolated to the bathroom. Cold water is just gravity fed. I have a mixer shower and due to the pump being on hot water only the pressure is terrible so want to get a 2.0 bar dual pump on both hot and cold. To avoid cutting through ceilings and floors I want to remove existing single pump with a dual booster, that like the hot pump applies to the whole house not just isolated to bathroom. Would this be possible? Would there be any reason a plumber would refuse to apply this to whole system and not just the shower in isolation please?
Hi all,
I've been roped into trying to help with what seems like a dying shower.
It struggles to draw water after there was a bit of a blockage in the system (the toilet was also struggling but now its fine).
Is this more likely a solenoid issue ? Or something else with the unit or the water itself ?
I've already left it on for a while to try. Both the sink and toilet have water flow
Cheers
Dan
I’ve just bought this house and need to remove this radiator and cap off the pipes under the floor as no longer needed. It’s a non pressurised 1970s system and was wondering what pipe size was used then, 8mm, 10mm?
I’d also like advice on whether we should keep the wallpaper…..
EDIT - All went well, slightly wet as did it live, but both valves work and it was, drum roll………. 8mm. Thank you all for advice.
I've moved into a new place and want to replace the current washing machine with my own one. The existing machine waste water pipe is connected to a y-shaped pipe it shares with a dishwasher (main photo), but my washing machine has the kind of tuck-it-in end in the inset picture. It I want to attach my washer to the setup pictured here do I cut off the end of the pipe to make it fit the above set up or can I just fit it into the above setup as it is?
I realise I could just try it and see, but I'm reluctant to do that without first asking advice, in case I mess it up and make things worse. Cheers.
Hi there,
Might be a daft question but I just want to check I’m connecting these correctly. I’m installing a Triton under counter water heater.
I have 1/2” to 15 mm brass coupler to connect onto the plastic dielectric junctions that sit on top of the unit.
My main question is do these require a washer or just ptfe/paste?
When fitting dry they just screw down all the way and it seems the thread isn’t long enough even with one of the washers that came with the unit they still don’t seem long enough will attach photos
Any advice appreciated wanted to double check I have all the correct bits before I start
Thanks
Hi
We just recently, had two bathrooms completely re-modeled, and replaced and a downstairs toilet where the old basin was removed and replaced with a toilet/basin all in one (the basin is ontop, where the cistern would be)
We have a "Worcester Bosch Greenstar 8000 Life" condensing boiler that was installed about 2 years ago ... what happens now is...
all the above it never did this before, we had the work done.
Thank fully (as far as I'm aware) the washing machine & dishwasher (cold fed) do not trigger the boiler to fire up when in operation.
There maybe "Deadlegs" (I don't know if they are still connected)in the downstairs toilet where the old sink was but they are capped off pipes in the wall that have since been plastered over.
I did not choose the installer, the Mrs did based on word of mouth recommendations. And when I spoke to him about this, halfway through the install.. he waffled on about how the boiler installers should have put an expansion tank in when installing the boiler and then said (when the job has was finished) that it will eventually settle down.
I do recall, that before we started the installation's that in the old ensuite that sometimes using the cold tap in the sink would trigger the boiler to come on, but not all the time. So it may not be a recent development, just the situation has got worse with the works done..
Nothing is plumbed in incorrectly IE the cold taps run cold, and the hot runs hot
Is is something that can be easily sorted because my OCD knows this is not right
Thanks in advance
My boiler pressure has dropped and I am now getting an F1 warning light on my ideal independent C35 boiler, is this the filling loop? It says online turn it to repressure the boiler, but I can’t get it to move at all and don’t want to break it.
Hello,
Has anyone else experienced recurring ignition faults with a Glow-Worm boiler? What was the solution? I have included as much information as possible below.
New boiler (Glow-Worm Ultimate3 30kW) installed in December, 2025 by a previously used, trusted Gas Safe Engineer. The boiler is in the loft. The condensate pipe was identified as being totally inadequate and not to regulation but the Gas Engineer did not replace it because of time constraints (the install was squeezed in the week before Christmas), which I was OK with. We have a toddler and I just wanted the old, broken boiler replaced before Christmas.
Boiler under a 10 year warranty from Vaillant.
(The condensate pipe was as bad as it gets. Total run length about 5-6 metres. 22 mm OD pipe. Various twists and turns and even a couple of short horizontal sections, one of which was almost going uphill. You don't have to be a Gas Engineer to see it was prone to freezing or backing up).
January 2026: Condensate pipe froze outside in the cold weather, causing F.28 ignition fault error. Boiler working again after defrosting and reset.
February 2026: F.28 error again. No obvious leaks, drop in pressure or cold weather causing freezing. Boiler working again after a reset.
Glow-Worm Engineer called out. Couldn't identify any issues with the boiler but said the condensate pipe needed replacing. I already knew this but life with a Toddler means these things don't get booked in. Glow-Worm Engineer replaced an electrode so that I would not get charged under the warranty scheme for a non-boiler component being the problem.
February 2026: Condensate pipe replaced by Gas Safe Engineer. Entire length of pipe is now 32 mm OD. Entire length of pipe is lagged with waterproof insulation. Total run length is now as short as reasonably possible, probably 2.5 m internal and 1 m external. The pipe terminates into the soil stack with a pipe boss connector, and has minimal changes of direction. There is a short horizontal section at the end going into the soil stack.
March 2026 - May 2026: Several more F.28 errors, once every fortnight I'd say. Each time they have been fixed by a reset. On one occasion the resting pressure had dropped to 0.9 bar but no obvious leaks and otherwise the pressure is maintained OK. I topped it up to ~ 1.4 bar.
Glow-Worm Engineer called out in March. Explained everything. He was more thorough that the Engineer who came out in February 2026. He couldn't identify anything wrong with the boiler after what seemed like a very thorough examination for 40 minutes, but he did notice excess grease from the installers etc - which he removed - and did replace the fan if I recall correctly as it can be a likely culprit. Despite his work, we've had more errors since.
What is going on? Is the boiler itself just faulty? Does the circuit board need replaced? Yes, I have 10 years of free Glow-Worm repairs but I just want it to work without error rather than call an Engineer out every month.
Thank you in advance.
We are changing all radiators. The feeds were microbores but now they are replaced with standard 15mm pipes, but before the feed it's still 8mm microbores. Are we fooling ourselves?
All we want is to have a working, efficient heating system. And for me that means the boiler can run on the condensing mode. Is this fine?
This is a 1960s house and it's microbores all the way from the boiler. Would it cost a lot to change all the pipes? We are doing a renovation now and floor boards are already up. Should we change the pipes? Need you advices 🙏
Edit: thanks for the replies! Now we know it's fine like this and we probably just need to flush the system and put money on insulation. Cheers!
I recently purchased a new washing machine in my new flat. When the engineers came to deliver and install the machine, they were unable to due to the cold water tap being closed off (see pic). As a temporary measure, it's connected to the hot water pipe and functioning as normal (I make sure to switch the boiler off before any washing)
I do want to get it connected to the cold water pipe, is this something easy I can do myself with the right tools or have to call in a plumber for it?
I don't have much experience in plumbing but if it only unscrewing the cap and connecting the hose, should be fairly simple?
Thanks
Any advise would be appreciated. Trying to fix my dripping kitchen mixer tap but cartridge firmly stuck - tried turning multiple times with spanner but no luck.
Hi all....quick question if you don't mind. This is a waste pipe connection to a soil pipe boss. The waste pipe has been connected with a push in rubber bung which has worked loose and dripping. My question is, why would that come loose? Should they not normally be fitted with adhesive? Are they generally considered crap? Is there a better way of doing it? Many thanks.
Hi all, I have a old polypipe underfloor system in my house and it seems to blow the fuse whenever I try to put the heating on. I have a feeling my grundfos pump has now gone and needs replacing which also looks old. Really newbie question but can I swap the old grundfos pump ups 25-60 130 with a new grundfos pump ups4 go or ups3? And can it just be the header or do I need to disconnect it from the plumbing system?
If you don’t think that’s the reason for it blowing the fuse, any other wisdom would be appreciated from a family with currently no heating and relatively good at diy so trying to save money! :)
Photos for reference
Just had a plumber round to unblock my drains. He was here for about 4hrs and originally tried to charge £1200... He knocked off 200 making it 1000 and I can't help but feel like I've been shafted although I could be wrong.
He used his rods in the manhole and went into my loft to push down, he also cleaned the pipes.
Used the camera rod thing to make sure the blockage was gone.
All I wanted was the drain to be unblocked. Is this all normal practise and is the price fair?
EDIT: Turns out they didn't fix the blockage and there was a fine print that said if they don't fix the problem then all I pay for is the call out fee.
Dyno rod are coming today for £250. So in short, yes I was being shafted.
