Latest News

Its been a long time since my last post. The main reason for this is I’ve been busy repairing boilers and heating systems and replacing boilers over these last few weeks. If you have a non – condensing boiler, specially if your boiler was installed before the year 2000 then its likely that the boiler is coming to the end of its life cycle. The average life cycle of a boiler is 15yrs.  If you have had your boiler serviced every year and the manufacturer of the boiler is a reputable one then your boiler could still be running fine, and it could last for up to 25yrs. However if the boiler has not been well maintained and it is a lesser known manufacturer then I would recommend saving for a replacement boiler. In 2005 it was made compulsory to install only condensing boilers due to them being a lot more efficient. This means it was not possible to buy an non – condensing boiler after 2005.

How do I know if I have a non – condensing boiler?

The main reason why condensing boilers are more efficient is because they extract more energy / heat out of the fumes that leave the boiler through the flue (chimney if you like) of the boiler. Due to more heat being taken out of the fumes condensing boilers have a plastic internal tube, which is fine because the fumes are not hot enough to melt plastic. A non – condensing boiler must have an all metal flue because the fumes are a lot hotter.

Here are a couple of pictures of old non – condensing, less efficient boilers.

Old boiler flue

Old Boiler balanced flue

Below is a picture of a more efficient condensing boiler

If you are still uncertain if you have a condensing boiler or not, or you would like a boiler service would like a more efficient boiler then get in touch to arrange an appointment.

If you are thinking about renovating your property then I would strongly recommend installing underfloor heating because it is much cheaper to run and provides a much better performance. Due to the source of heat coming from the ground, the temperature of the water running through the underfloor heating pipes is much lower than the water temperature in radiators. Lower water temperature means your boiler works less which means lower bills. Have a look at the YouTube video below for more information on why underfloor heating is better than radiators. Pavlou Plumbers are BPEC qualified underfloor heating installers so please get in touch for more info or to book a review.

[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaPo7x0KlKg[/youtube]

A very happy customer in Ewloe wanted to sell their property however their bathroom and downstairs W/C had seen better days, so they invested in having a new bathroom and downstairs WC installed. A wise move in my opinion. The painting and flooring was arranged by the customer in the pictures below.

New basin and toilet fitted in Ewloe

New bath installed in Ewloe

Shower cubicle installation in Ewloe

Downstairs loo replaced

I supplied and fitted an electric shower in Chester yesterday. The tenant was very happy to have a working shower again.

Electric Shower in Chester

The leading brand is called Insinkerator. Prices range from £99 upwards. The more expensive units can take tougher food waste such as bones.

[youtube height=”” width=””]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is2gy8PMza8[/youtube]

There are a few different filters on the market that look similar to this:

These are relatively cheap and usually means drilling a hole into a stainless steel sink or in through a kitchen work top.
Alternatively, if you wanted to spend a bit more money you can get a 3 way kitchen mixer tap which will look similar to this:

with this underneath your sink

Booster pumps can be used to increase your water pressure for your whole house or just your shower. The 2 main leading brands are SALAMANDER and STUART TURNER. Care must be taken when choosing the right pump for your water system. This link from the Stuart Turner website gives a description on which pump would be suitable to boost your shower.

If you do not have a cold water tank then your only option would be the pump in this youtube clip.

[youtube height=”” width=””]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KamDatuI-eo[/youtube]

You also need to be aware not all showers are designed for high water pressure, therefore your shower may also need replacing if you install a high pressure booster pump.

You can also by power showers where the pump is in the shower unit, which means you have what looks like a large electric shower like the picture below. Installing this type of power shower on a stud wall is not advised due to the noise created when the pump is running.

There are 2 leading manufactures in the shower industry, and they are Triton and Mira.

What is a mixer shower

[youtube height=”” width=”=”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApnWZU6qmYo[/youtube]

Choosing a mixer shower

[youtube height=”” width=”=”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8ukWz7e0vI[/youtube]

What is a Thermostatic shower

[youtube height=”” width=”=”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYtdq20F-9c[/youtube]

Electric Showers

[youtube height=”” width=”=”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjNT6-_I784[/youtube]

If you want a bath with the taps in the centre to the bath as shown here, then you need Bath Mixer Fixing Kit.

Sooner or late the tap will need maintaining, if this fixing kit is not installed the plumber will have no choice other that moving the whole bath out of position which usually means disturbing the tiles.

Buying a new radiator

When choosing a radiator for a room it is important to make sure the heat output is enough to heat the room. The heat output on each radiator will be shown as BTU. To find out how many BTUs a specific room needs to heat up measure the length, width and the height of the room and then go to this link.

[youtube height=”” width=””]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCP-io2mkMc[/youtube]

[youtube height=”” width=””]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL4ot-MNYfE[/youtube]

[youtube height=”” width=””]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUsBw1ZpiKY[/youtube]

[youtube height=”” width=””]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_Jz6NrlsvE[/youtube]

[youtube height=”” width=””]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_Jz6NrlsvE[/youtube]

The videos above have been made by  Worcester Bosh

[youtube height=”” width=””]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNrRDd_w6Fg[/youtube]

[youtube height=”” width=””]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IxwrI3K74o[/youtube]

[youtube height=”” width=””]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dtwza-Azr0[/youtube]

[youtube height=”” width=””]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5okWefImvo[/youtube]