Plumbing news January 2019 – From your plumber in Crystal Palace

We’ve had our usual busy time over the festive season, helping people with plumbing issues across the capital. Now it’s new year and we’d like to wish everyone we work with a really lovely 2019. If you need a cracking good plumber in Crystal Palace we’re at your service. In the meantime here’s the plumbing news for January 2019.

It’s important to protect your pipes in cold weather

There’s nothing worse than a burst pipe. With cold weather predicted, the guys at South East Water have asked people across Berkshire to protect their water pipes from freezing, recommending people lag their pipes against the bitter chill.

The thing is, a burst pipe is usually pretty nasty, a messy and inconvenient problem. And it’s usually your responsibility to repair since it’s inside the home. Luckily you can take some simple steps to protect vulnerable pipes and taps, and South East Water is providing free insulation kits and tap protectors via their website. You can also buy industry approved lagging from DIY outlets, of course, and it’s something we recommend you do if your pipework is currently un-lagged.

Here are some more tips to stay safe from frost.

• You should also identify your internal stop tap, and test it to make sure you can turn the water off the minute something leaks.
• We think it also makes sense to have the contact details of a reliable plumber at hand, written down somewhere sensible so you don’t have to rush around trying to find someone decent in an emergency.
• If you leave your home, keep the heating on minimum to keep frost and ice at bay.
• If you’re going to be away for a while and you think your pipework is vulnerable to frost, you might want to actually drain your system altogether.
• Mend those dripping taps!

If you run into trouble with frozen or burst piping, give us an emergency call and we’ll get back to you within 5 minutes.

Travis Perkins may sell their plumbing and heating division

Travis Perkins PLC is apparently thinking about selling its plumbing and heating division as part of a plan to simplify, cut costs and focus on more profitable business. They might also think about selling their Wickes home improvement business.

Dangerous loo plumbing in the USA

Howe old is your loo? What about the toilet plumbing, the bits and bobs hidden beneath the floor? Apparently poor toilet plumbing, especially in developed countries, is the biggest cause of the current fast-rising rates of Legionnaire’s disease and worse, and old plumbing in the USA is one of the biggest offenders of all.

When Ryan Julien, a project engineer in Michigan, carried out research into the age of the water in people’s homes, he got a shock. It looks like American loo tech has advanced in some ways, but not others. While people are using less water thanks to today’s short flush loos, most loo plumbing systems behind the scenes haven’t been updated for decades.

The average age of water in the pipes of US homes has increased, and the older the water the more toxic it tends to be. Plus there’s more time for the material the pipe is made from to erode into the water, which then flows back into the system to make it even more dangerous. Worst of all, though, are the many horrid pathogens that like to take advantage of insanitary conditions, monsters like Legionella, Mycobacterium and P. aeruginosa, all linked to deadly diseases like Legionnaire’s, tuberculosis, and even antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus and Streptococcus.

The research, which was recently presented at the USA’s Society for Risk Analysis, demands that regulators like the Food and Drug Administration do more to advise people about the risks presented by old city plumbing systems.

New loo, old plumbing? Call us!

If you have a lovely new loo but suspect the plumbing is old or dodgy, call us in and we’ll fit lovely new piping to keep your family safe and healthy.