Drains & Plumbing Advice

Expert drains & plumbing boiler and heating guides from our Gas Safe registered engineers in Milton Keynes.

33 articles in this category.

How to Remove a Radiator for Decorating

Taking a radiator off the wall is a half-hour job if you close both valves properly first. Here's the sequence, and the mistake that floods a carpet.

August 27, 2026

7 min read

Drains & Plumbing

How to Bleed a Towel Radiator

Towel rails trap air more than any other radiator because of their shape. Here's how to bleed one properly, and what to do when it still stays cold.

August 27, 2026

6 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Radiator Valve Types Explained: TRV, Lockshield, Manual, Smart

Thermostatic, lockshield, manual and smart radiator valves all do different jobs. What each one is for, which end it goes on, what the TRV numbers mean, and how to free a seized pin.

August 27, 2026

7 min read

Drains & Plumbing

How to Drain a Central Heating System

Draining down is straightforward if you do it in the right order. Here's the full sequence, plus how to refill without airlocking every radiator.

August 27, 2026

7 min read

Drains & Plumbing

What Size Radiator Do I Need? BTU Guide

Radiator sizing comes down to room volume, heat loss and how the room is used. Here's how to work out the BTU you need without guessing.

August 27, 2026

7 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Why Is My Radiator Leaking? Causes and Fixes

A leaking radiator is usually the valve union, the spindle, the bleed point or a corroded panel. How to find which in ten minutes, fix the ones you can, and stop the damage meanwhile.

August 27, 2026

7 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Hot Water Cylinder Replacement: Signs, Vented vs Unvented, Rules

When a hot water cylinder needs replacing, what vented and unvented really mean for your showers, what the quote is made of, and the rules that apply to each.

August 27, 2026

7 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Water Hammer: Why Your Pipes Bang

That bang when a tap shuts off is a pressure shockwave, and it damages joints over time. Here's what causes it and the fixes that actually work.

August 27, 2026

6 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Low Water Pressure in Your Shower?

A weak shower is usually a blocked head, a partly closed valve, or a system that was never going to deliver much. Here's how to tell which.

August 26, 2026

7 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Cold Water Tank in the Loft Explained

What the tank in your loft actually does, why some homes have one and others don't, and the maintenance that stops it becoming a problem.

August 26, 2026

7 min read

Drains & Plumbing

How to Fit an Outside Tap

Fitting an outside tap is a half-day job, but it must include a double check valve to meet the water regulations. Here's the full sequence.

August 26, 2026

7 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Where Is My Stopcock? How to Find It and Turn Off the Water

If water is coming through a ceiling you need the stopcock in seconds. Where it hides, how to turn the water off at the mains, what to do if it is seized, and how your meter finds a hidden leak.

August 26, 2026

8 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Immersion Heater Not Working? Fixes

No hot water from the immersion usually means a tripped cut-out, a failed element or a supply fault. Here's how to check each one safely.

August 26, 2026

6 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Shower Pump Not Working? Causes & Fixes

A shower pump that hums, cuts out or will not start is usually airlocked, jammed with scale or has a failed flow switch. Here's how to tell which.

August 26, 2026

6 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Shower Tray Leaking? How to Find It

Water appearing outside a shower is usually failed sealant, a leaking waste or a tray that flexes. Here's how to test each one and find the real source.

August 26, 2026

6 min read

Drains & Plumbing

How to Find a Water Leak at Home

A leak with no visible source can be traced with the water meter and a few isolation valves. Here's the method that narrows it fastest.

August 26, 2026

7 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Dripping Tap? How to Fix It in an Hour

A dripping tap is nearly always a worn washer or cartridge. Here's how to identify which type of tap you have and fix it properly, in under an hour.

August 25, 2026

7 min read

Drains & Plumbing

How to Change a Tap Washer: Full Guide

Changing a tap washer is a twenty-minute job with basic tools. Here's the full sequence, the sizes to buy, and what to do when the seat underneath is worn too.

August 25, 2026

6 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Leaking Toilet Cistern: Causes and Fixes

Water pooling behind the toilet usually means a perished doughnut washer, a failed inlet connection or a hairline crack. Here's how to find which.

August 25, 2026

6 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Bathroom Installation Cost: What You Are Paying For

What a bathroom installation quote is made of, why two quotes for the same room can differ so much, and which jobs usually sit outside the headline figure.

August 25, 2026

7 min read

Drains & Plumbing

How to Fix a Running Toilet: Find the Fault, Then Repair It

A two-minute test tells you whether the fill valve or the flush valve is passing water. Then follow the repair for that part: float, fill valve, flush seal or dual-flush button.

August 25, 2026

8 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Shower Installation Cost: What Decides the Price

Why shower quotes vary so much: the four different jobs the phrase covers, what your water system allows, and the hidden costs (circuits, chasing, tanking) that decide the final figure.

August 25, 2026

6 min read

Drains & Plumbing

How to Fit a Toilet: Step-by-Step Guide

Fitting a toilet is a half-day job if the soil pipe lines up. The full sequence, choosing the pan connector, fitting the seat, and avoiding the leaks that show up a week later.

August 25, 2026

6 min read

Drains & Plumbing

How to Unblock a Toilet: 6 Methods That Work

A blocked toilet can usually be cleared in ten minutes without a plumber. Here are six methods that actually work, in the order a professional would try them, plus the warning signs that mean you should stop.

August 24, 2026

8 min read

Drains & Plumbing

How to Unblock a Sink Without Chemicals

Most blocked sinks are caused by fat and food waste in the U-bend, and clear without chemicals. Here is the order to try things in, and how to clean the trap properly in under fifteen minutes.

August 24, 2026

7 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Washing Machine Not Draining? Causes & Fixes

A washing machine full of water usually means a blocked filter, a kinked hose or a blocked standpipe. Here is how to work through the causes safely, and which ones are a plumbing problem rather than an appliance fault.

August 24, 2026

7 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Blocked Outside Drain: How to Clear It

An overflowing outside drain usually means a blockage between your property and the sewer. Here is how to lift the cover safely, use drain rods properly, and work out whether the blockage is yours to fix or the water company's.

August 24, 2026

8 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Smelly Drains: Causes and How to Stop Them

A drain that smells of sewage usually means a dried-out trap, a build-up of waste in the pipe, or a failed seal - not a blockage. Here is how to identify which one you have and fix it properly.

August 24, 2026

7 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Toilet Not Flushing Properly? Here's Why

A weak or incomplete flush is nearly always a cistern problem, not a blockage. Here is how to check the water level, flush valve and siphon, and fix the most common causes yourself.

August 24, 2026

7 min read

Drains & Plumbing

How to Unblock a Bath: Step-by-Step

A slow-draining bath is almost always hair and soap in the trap or waste. Here is how to clear it properly, including the overflow trick that makes plunging actually work.

August 24, 2026

6 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Airlock in Your Pipes? How to Clear It

Spluttering taps, banging pipes and no flow from one outlet usually mean trapped air. Here is how to identify an airlock and clear it, including the hose method that works when nothing else does.

August 24, 2026

6 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Why Is My Water Brown? What It Means

Brown or orange tap water is usually iron from disturbed mains sediment or corroding pipework. Here is how to tell which, whether it is safe, and what to do about it.

August 24, 2026

6 min read

Drains & Plumbing

Waste Pipe Leaking Under the Sink? Fix It

A drip under the kitchen sink is usually a loose collar or a twisted washer, not a cracked pipe. Here is how to find the exact source and fix it, and when the leak means something more serious.

August 24, 2026

6 min read

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