DIY Plumbing

The location of a toilet in your home is restricted by the need to use a 100mm (4in) soil pipe which has sufficient fall to discharge into the stack. However, it is possible to install a small-bore waste system, often called an electric toilet. These have an electric pump and a shredder allowing waste to be discharged into a 22mm (3/4in) pipe up to a distance of 50m (55yd) from the soil stack. This means that they can be installed in small spaces (under the stairs or in cellars) because they can pump vertically up to a maximum of 4m […] Read More →

1 Construct a framework Unsightly plumbing can be hidden and storage space provided under the basin by boxing in. Access to the storage and plumbing is provided by doors hung on the front. Calculate the amount of timber required to make a framework. Note how it is strengthened at the base by a cross member. This also provides the support for the floor. On either side of the basin, but below the lip, there are timber members to support the top surface, which will be flush with the basin edge. 2 Clad the framework Using fibreboard of the required thickness, […] Read More →

Replacing an existing washbasin that is old, cracked or ugly is a simple procedure because you can utilize the existing plumbing and drainage. If you are installing a washbasin in a room that has never had one, then you’ll need to think about running new pipes. How the waste pipe runs to the vertical stack must also be taken into account: it must have a minimum fall or slope of 6mm (1/4in) for every 300mm (1ft) of pipe and should not be longer than 3m (10ft). In a straightforward replacement, there’s no need to worry, as you’ll be using the […] Read More →

Alterations or improvements to kitchens invariably start at the sink. Fashions and styles have played their part here over the years. Fine ‘Belfasts’ – deep, white glazed stoneware sinks were once seen as old-fashioned and were replaced in many homes by shiny new stainless steel all-in-one sinks and drainers. Now many have decided these are outdated: stainless and enamelled steel and plastic sinks in a huge range of styles and colours make for more contemporary kitchens, while other people are busy reclaiming and re-installing Belfasts to complete a country-cottage or period-style kitchen. One-piece sink tops are made to modular sizes […] Read More →

The Cold Water Tank Traditionally, cold water tanks (or cisterns) were made of galvanized steel. When these corrode beyond repair they are replaced with plastic versions. These are lightweight and come in standard 227 litre (50 gallon) capacities – although larger ones are available. Some plastic cisterns are ‘collapsible’ and they can be wound with rope making it easier to get them through small access hatches into the roof space. Before you buy a new tank, check the dimensions of the access and the amount of space in the roof so your new cistern can be installed easily. Because they […] Read More →

If a loft or roof space has been properly insulated, it will be a lot colder than it was before because the warmth is staying down below where you need it. That leaves a problem: the roof space can now become cold enough for pipes and cisterns to freeze in winter, even if the rest of the house is cosy and warm. If the water in your supply pipe freezes you’ll temporarily lose your supply, and since water expands when it freezes, it may burst the pipes. As long as no insulation is placed directly under any cisterns in the […] Read More →

Apart from a leak caused by a split or hole in a cistern, the most common problems in cisterns are caused by faulty valves. The float valve in the storage cistern in the loft or roof space operates in the same way as the one in a WC cistern. Most modern WCs are washed down with a direct flushing cistern. Water is supplied to and fills the empty cistern through the action of the float or ball attached to the arm. As the water rises, the ball floats up and eventually closes the valve to shut off the supply. In […] Read More →

Domestic cold water storage cisterns are normally located in the roof space, where the noise of them re-filling is less apparent and their high point creates a static head of pressure needed to ensure a strong flow at outlets. This cistern supplies all the cold taps in the house except for the one used for drinking water in the kitchen (which is supplied by the rising main) and water to the hot water cylinder. Cisterns provide a reservoir of water which equalizes the ‘pull’ on the mains, and provides against any reduction or shut down of the main supply. Old […] Read More →

The majority of kitchen sinks, bath tubs and bathroom basins are fitted with individual taps for hot and cold water. Wall-mounted taps are known as bib tabs, but those mounted directly onto the sink, basin or tub are called pillar taps. There are also mixer taps, which have a hot and cold valve linked to a common spout. Water regulations require that mains water and stored water cannot be mixed in a system, so a sink mixer has separate waterways to isolate mains-supplied cold drinking water from storage cylinder-supplied hot water. Tap Design In recent years there have been many […] Read More →

Water overflowing from a manhole or gully is a sign of a blocked drain. Gullies can be cleared by hand or you can hire a power hose. If it still does not drain away smoothly, locate the blockage by raising the drain manhole covers. If you can see the blockage, remove it; otherwise, you’ll need to hire a set of drain rods. Screw two or three together and insert the end into the flooded manhole. Feel for the half channel at the base and push the rod into the drain, turning it clockwise at the same time, in the direction […] Read More →