Guides
Hiring a plumber, explained
What the trade actually does, what things should cost, what a quote ought to contain, and how to check somebody is who they say they are.
Plumber or heating engineer: what each one does
A plumber moves water. A heating engineer works on the boiler and the system that heats it. Gas work needs Gas Safe registration, and that is the line that matters.
Gas Safe register: how to check a plumber
Gas Safe registration is the legal requirement for gas work in the UK. It takes a minute to check, it is free, and the card lists which appliances the engineer is signed off for.
Plumber hourly rates and call-out charges
A plumber charges £40 to £100 an hour depending on region and on the work, with a first hour or call-out charge on top for emergencies. Out of hours roughly doubles it.
How long common plumbing jobs take
A tap change is an hour. A boiler swap is a day. A bathroom is two weeks. Knowing which of those you are booking changes how you plan around it.
Combi, system or regular: which boiler suits your house
The answer is decided by your mains water flow rate and how many bathrooms run at once, not by the size of the house or the price of the boiler.
Questions to ask a plumber before you hire
A handful of questions that show how a plumber has thought through your particular job. None of them are difficult, and all of them can be answered on the phone.
Plumbing qualifications and accreditation in the UK
One credential is a legal requirement and the rest are voluntary. Knowing which is which helps you read the logos on a van.
Plumbing quote: what it should include
A quote you can compare names the parts, the labour, the exclusions and the paperwork. A number in a text message is a price, not a quote.
How to find a good plumber
The reliable signals are a checkable registration, a plumber who asks questions before quoting, and a local address. Position in a search tells you much less.
How to bleed a radiator, step by step
Turn the heating off and let it cool, open the bleed valve a quarter turn with a radiator key until water follows the air, close it, then check the boiler pressure. Once a year is usually enough.
Boiler losing pressure? The causes and the fixes
A boiler should read 1 to 1.5 bar when cold. If it keeps falling, water is leaving the system: a leak, a pressure relief valve that is not closing fully, or a failed expansion vessel. Topping up once is fine; every week is a fault.
Radiator cold at the bottom? Causes and the fix
Warm at the top and cold at the bottom means sludge: iron oxide that has settled where the water moves slowest. Bleeding will not shift it. One radiator can be flushed off the wall; several mean the system needs cleaning.
Toilet keeps running? How to find the fault
Lift the cistern lid. If the water is up at the overflow, the fill valve is not shutting off; if it is below and water trickles into the pan, the flush valve seal is worn. Both are cheap parts.
Hot water but no heating? The checks to run first
If the taps run hot, the boiler is firing, so the fault usually sits between it and the radiators: the programmer, the thermostat, a stuck diverter valve on a combi, or a motorised valve on a system boiler.
How long does a boiler last? When to replace one
Most boilers last 10 to 15 years. Age alone is not a reason to replace one: a failed heat exchanger, parts no longer made, or a repair costing more than about a third of a new boiler are.
Power flush: what it costs and when it is worth it
A power flush costs £350 to £700 for a typical house, priced by the number of radiators. It is worth paying for when radiators are cold at the bottom or the water runs black, and not on a system that is already clean.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme: who qualifies and how to apply
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme takes £7,500 off an air source or ground source heat pump in England and Wales. You must own the property and be replacing fossil fuel heating, and an MCS certified installer applies for you.
What size radiator do I need? BTU and watts
A radiator is chosen by heat output, not by its dimensions. Work out what the room needs in watts, convert to BTU if the listing uses them (1 watt is 3.41 BTU an hour), and check the output at your system's temperature.
Smell gas? What to do, in order, and who to call
Get everyone out, turning the gas off at the meter on the way if you can. Open doors and windows, touch no switches or flames, and call the free gas emergency line from outside. The numbers are the first thing below.