What is the most important factor to being a great plumber?

I quite often get asked by customers who have young nephews or a son what do you need to be a plumber?  There are the obvious answers such as: willing to get your hands dirty, work with sewerage and be prepared to do a 4-year apprenticeship.  BUT what I have found throughout my life as a plumber which has served me well is a huge amount of patience!

There are many fiddly little tasks that you can be asked to attempt when you come to someone’s home to fix a plumbing problem.  Tasks like replacing a kitchen mixer tap to an existing sink, you have to get on your back and reach up into the back of the old mixer taps fixing point, in most cases the nut will be corroded and you will endless amounts of in the most awkward positions trying to get the old tap out.

Other things such as fault finding hot water systems, unblocking really stubborn drains, finding gas leaks and chasing roof leaks.  I’m sure other plumbers could create a list much longer than the one I have just talked about but regardless patience is a key point.

I can remember doing my apprenticeship and seeing other tradesman frequently losing their temper and throwing things and of course saying an obscene amount of swear words in the process, this is not the type of behavior you want to display to your customers in their home.

I would like to hear from you about your key skills which you believe are needed to be a good plumber??

Do liquid drain cleaners really work?

Its everyone's solution to a "BLOCKED DRAIN", just tip some sort of liquid drain cleaner down the pipes and the blockage will sort itself out, simple as that!

Is this correct?  Yes it may well be the case depending on the type of blocked drain you are experiencing, but in majority of the cases it will not help long term and if it does short term it will be a band aid to a much more under lying the problem.

In this blog we dissect what will and wont help you get that pesky blocked sewer resolved quickly and of course easy on the back pocket.

Okay so you manage a hotel, pub, shopping centre or some form of commercial operation?  The chances are that in the gents washrooms there is at a minimum one urinal?  And every now and again it becomes slow to drain and then all of a sudden its blocked (no flow)?!!

So this will be the only situation where a liquid drain cleaner will truly works its magic properly and should only be performed by a licensed plumber.  At Mayfair Plumbing and Gasfitting we use a product called hydrochloric acid (this should only ever be used by a licensed plumber).  We firstly dry the urinal trap out of any water or urine and fill the trap with the hydrochloric acid.  The room must be well ventilated and the correct Safety Equipment must always be used (gloves, overalls, masks and safety glasses).  We would typically let the initial dose of acid sit for 5 minutes and then flush with hot water if possible otherwise cold is fine.  Depending on the severity of the blockage 2 to 4 doses of acid can be needed (and the time in which the acid sits for will vary depending once again on the severity of the blockage) in order to get the desired flow back into the urinal drain lines.

Your other typical type of blockages that people will contact us about after they have attempted the use of a liquid drain cleaner are: Hand Basin not draining properly, kitchen sink slow to drain away and shower gurgling after 3 minutes of use.

All these fixtures have traps installed to them to stop the rise of sewer gases into the property. When you tip an off the shelf liquid drain cleaner into these fixtures the crystals etc just end up staying in the trap itself and not helping at all.  In most of the cases the actual blockages lie further than just the trap itself and the liquid drain cleaner is either not strong enough or never ends up reaching the blockage to actually resole the problem.

When we are addressing blockages which are within the above locations of your home or office it will be one of the following things causing the blockage:  tree roots, hair, grease, fat and collapsed drainage pipes.  All of these mentioned blockages require some form mechanical intervention in order to properly have the flow established again inside the drain pipes.  These forms of blockages are very intense and a liquid drain cleaner may start to slightly desolve the problem but it is inevitable that one day you will need a hydro jet drain cleaning machine out to your plot and have the invasion removed.

If you do have a very minor blockage for example in the kitchen it could be that there is some small amounts of grease and fat stuck inside of the trap below your bowl, in this example a liquid drain cleaner could assist, but it is most likely that with such a minor blockage you would not even be noticing the resistance in flow to start with so the need for a liquid drain cleaner would most likely not even come into play.

If there is something in this blog which we can help you with further please dont hesitate in contacting us further on 0429 361 819 or email: plumbers@mayfairplumbing.com.au

Anti hammer tap washers - do they work??

Depending on your situation anti hammer tap washers can work, but they are not a fix for every situation.

For an anti hammer tap washer to work correctly the face or seat which the actual washer seals against inside the wall or tap body needs to be immaculate so very old seats are not likely to seal properly due to imperfections in the brass housing.  To achieve the perfect seat a re-seating tool must be used (we always recommend that a licensed plumber perform this task).

As a guide if your are experiencing very dramatic water hammer throughout your home there are probably other things which will need to be done as well as anti hammer washers such as anti hammer arrestors installed on the actual pipe work and maybe even a pressure reducing valve at the boundary connection to the street mains.

Typically the most common location we install anti hammer tap washers for our customers is in the shower and hand basin, this is where the most adjustment of the water temperature takes place and there fore slight or large amounts of water hammer can be heard.

When it comes too selecting an "anti hammer tap washer" your local plumber will most likely have a brand of choice which he or she like to always use, but if your attempting this yourself we recommend hydro seal anti hammer washers, there are other brands on the market such as fix a tap, doust, enduraseal, ramjet, kinetic and performa it will just depend on your local suppliers stock.  As a guide on costs a packet of 2 is some where under the $20au mark, they are a lot more expensive then your run of the mill tap washer but they are specifically designed to perform a task.

So to answer the question, do anti hammer tap washers work?  Yes, but its best that your local plumbing company advise on what will work best in your situation.  For more information and questions please feel free to visit us at https://www.facebook.com/Mayfair-Plumbing-Gasfitting-814447295232681/ or call us on the plumbing direct line 0429 361 819

Anti hammer tap washers used by Mayfair Plumbing

How you can change to instant/continuous flow gas hot water in Adelaide, South Australia

If your looking to convert your old hot water tank to instantaneous gas fired hot water then there's a few things you'll need to have checked out first by a licensed gas plumber in Adelaide, South Australia.

• Do you currently have gas at the property?
• Can you get gas to the property?  Will it be natural gas or bottled lpg?
• Is the gas supply pipe work large enough to provide the right amount of gas to the new hot water system.
• What is the gas supply pressure going to be to the new location high or low pressure?
• Will the location of the instantaneous/continuous flow hot water service comply with Australian Standards?
• Is there access to an external weather proof power point?  Within 1 metre of the new location?
• Is there excessive water pressure on site and will a pressure limiting device be needed?
• Is the plumbing firm licensed to install gas hot water service's and will they be performing the electrical for you as well?  Or will you need to engage an electrician separately and at what cost?

Some of these factors are rather minor and can add small amounts to the total such as $200 to the total cost of the job but others such as getting a complete new gas main installed or enlarging section's of the gas pipe work can add thousands of dollars to the whole job, quite the investment.

The location of the gas pipe work on the property can also reflect the cost of the job.  If the pipe work is in the ground there will be extensive digging involved and if the pipe work is in a roof or cavity access can be quite tricky and will often require at least two tradesman to perform the task, once again adding substantial costs to the project.

If you did previously have a gas storage hot water system in place the likely hood of the gas supply now being large enough to supply sufficient gas to your new continuous flow gas hot water system is very slim.  The reason behind this is that gas fired storage hot water tanks are a slow burning furnace which heats a tank of 135L in approx 60 minutes, where is a continuous flow gas hot water system like the name suggests it is often referred to as instant and needs a large amount of power (gas) to deliver this result instantly and allow the hot water service to work to its maximum efficiency.

If you are not considering staying at the property for a long period of time then the investment may not be worth it and instead a newer version of your old system (which most likely could be 3 star rated) could be considered such as a Rheem Stellar 5 star rated hot water service.  The difference in gas consumption between a 3 star rated unit and a new 5 star rated unit is approx 4,000 mega joules annually, so as you can see from this information you will already be financially in front as far as gas consumption annually (per year).

However if you are thinking of investing in the future and seriously considering up grading to instant gas hot water there are many different things to look at and think about.  What brand will you select?  Bosch, Rheem, DUX, Rinnai, Kelvinator, Thermann, Raypak and Quantum.  How many litres per minute do you require?  16 litres or maybe perhaps even 32 litres per minute, these factors will all depend on how many bathrooms you have and the size of the water supply to the new hot water service.  Majority of houses have a small 15mm (half inch 1/2") cold water feed to the existing water service so there is no real gain in putting in a large continuous flow hot water service such as a Bosch 26e as the unit will only produce what it is delivered.

If you would like to talk to a plumber about your gas hot water service requirements why not visit us at http://mayfairplumbing.com.au/services/hot-water/ we would love to hear from you and discuss your next hot water project.  Remember we also work in a close relationship with Certegy Ezy Pay to give you 12 or 24 months interest free on your hot water upgrades in Adelaide, South Australia 5000.

New Installation of a Gas Instant Hot Water Service, replacing an old storage gas hot water system.

The Bosch 17L continuous flow hot water system.  6 star rated energy efficiency.

The Rinnai B16 model of continuous flow hot water services can deliver up to 60 degrees of hot water direct to any tap in the home or office while maintaining a huge 5 star energy rating a true leader in its class.

How often should you test your pressure relief valves on your hot water boiler?

Do you own a storage type boiler hot water cylinder?  Then you will have a minimum of 2 pressure blow off valves installed (that's providing your plumbing contractor has done the right thing).

The manufacturer of these blow off valves will recommend that some where between every 3 to 6 months someone should relief these and ensure that they are doing what they are designed for and that is release water from both the hot water cylinder and the cold water mains to the properties.

Majority of manufacturers these days will supply a HTPRV with each tank sold (High Temperature Pressure Relief Valve).  This is typically located towards the top of the tank where the water is at its highest temperature and has a short probe which enters the tank.  If the temperature of the water in the boiler ever exceeds a safe zone the probe will swell and cause the tank to release itself via this valve rather than blowing the cylinder up itself.  The idea is that regular checking of water release will ensure that the blow off device is working or not and the required maintenance can then be ordered if required.

The other type of pressure relief valve which I want to talk about today is known as the CWPRV (Cold Water Pressure Relief Valve).  This valve is not supplied with the new boiler, BUT the manufacturer recommends that the plumber provide and install one to comply with the manufacturers warranty, why they don't supply these?  Great question.  Anyway that's a story for another day, as long as your plumbing contractor is doing the right thing he or she will supply and install one of these with every new install they perform.  Once again these are designed to protect the tank from becoming a ticking time bomb, this time these valves will relief due to a spike in the street mains and blow off water to protect the tank from catastrophic damage.

Hot Water is great when its working, but when its on the fritz no one likes a cold shower, if your experiencing some kind of hot water problem why not visit our technicians at http://mayfairplumbing.com.au/services/hot-water/ and get the right solution to your hot water problems today.

How to make your Hot Water Service live for longer

Do you own a storage hot water tank?  Are you interested in knowing how to make the tank live a longer life and avoid fast corrosion?

Most manufacturers these days provide a warranty on the tank of between 7 to 10 years and even longer if you upgrade to a stainless steel tank.

Inside the hot water tank is a metal rod called the sacrificial anode, it has a 3/4" male thread which screws into the center of the top of the hot water tank (as seen in the image below). The sacrificial anode is approximately 1000 millimeters in length and over the life of the hot water tank it slowly sacrifices itself in place of the hot water tank being sacrificed to corrosion.  Not many home owners know that this device should be replaced at various intervals during the hot water systems life depending on water quality delivered from your source.  You will find that if the sacrificial anode is replaced at the right intervals it can truly extend the life of your hot water boiler significantly, your local plumbing contractor will be able to advise the correct schedule to suit your circumstances.

The cost of a sacrificial anode will vary from country to country but typically they are under $100 and then it is just the plumbers labour costs on top of this. When you put this into perspective the cost of a replacing a hot water boiler can be well into the many thousands of dollars so for the sake of a few hundred dollars the financial impact is far less and if it extends the life of your hot water tank well beyond the manufacturers warranty the savings are great.

If you have any questions about your hot water boiler why not contact Adelaide's trusted hot water repairers.

You won't need your GPS when you have this map of Adelaide Plumbers

Usually without a GPS you would be lost, but with our latest map below your in safe hands.  Its the latest digital technology money can buy a map of the best plumbers for the best price.
North, South, East, West, Yorke Peninsula, Fleurieu Peninsula, River Land and even the Adelaide Hills is where you will find these plumbers anywhere in South Australia.
What tasks can can these plumbers and gas fitters perform for you:

• Hot Water Repairs
• Hot Water Installations
• Gas Installations
• Gas Leak Locating
• Gas Repairs
• Leaking Toilets
• Leaky Taps
• Bathroom Renovations
• Kitchen Renovations
• Blocked Drains
• Hydro Jet Cleaning
• Backflow Valve Testing
• Backflow Valve Installations
• Emergency Plumbing Services
• 24 Hour Plumbers
• Water Main Installations
• Domestic and Commercial Maintenance

If it involves water, gas, sewer or storm water these plumbers are the right choice for your next plumbing project, be sure to check it out now today!!!