If you live in the UK and are looking for a builder, how can you ensure you employ a good builder who is competent and trustworthy? Finding builders or tradesmen is generally quite easy. You can find a number of trades and craftsmen like electricians, plumber's roofers in local papers or the yellow pages or on the internet. But a list of companies is just not enough. Because builders have a bad reputation it is important to find a company that isn't likely to turn up on one of the television programs exposed as a poor con artist. The trouble is, anyone can set them self up as a builder so finding a seasoned expert rather than an ex window cleaner should be foremost in your mind. You also want a company that can accommodate you budge and do a professional job.
Frozen Pipes: When water in pipes freeze they expand and may even burst the pipe. Close the main shutoff valve. If the pipe has not split yet, thaw it with hot water bottles from the end of the pipe nearest to the tap. Thawing must be gentle, never with a naked flame, to avoid thermal water expansion that too can split the pipe. As a preventive maintenance make sure your pipes are appropriately insulated against the cold months.
You should make sure to do preventative maintenance on all of your outside faucets to prevent a very cold, wet, and costly problem down the road. Paying to have a plumber replace a faulty valve will cost you significantly less than having to pay for water softener work when you have a pipe freeze and break in the middle of the night.
A Trustworthy plumber will answer all of your questions. Good plumbers will provide you with references, and tell you how long they have been a plumber, and the type of guarantee they provide for their work (warranty.) As well, a professional plumber will offer emergency service for nights and weekends. You should be able to make contact with him or her in a timely manner. A professional plumber will also have all of the appropriate insurance such as liability insurance so that you are protected in the event of an accident.
Third, if you dissemble things, do you know how to put it back and not cause further damage? This is something that commonly happens. Some people attempt to fix the problem and end up causing a lot more damage! Then they try to do something else, which causes even more problems and by the time they call the Local plumber, the problem is much worse and now, they not only have to pay for the service but may even to pay a higher amount for the double repair.
Shower and Tub Problems: One of the common problems that arise at every home is that the shower head gets clogged with minerals from water. When your tank is not cleaned properly, the water waste gets clogged and you do not get water flow. In this case, you need to remove the shower head and clean properly. Also, drains get clogged often with hair, dirt and other wastes. Water flows towards your feet when you shower. You need to check out and clean the drains.
Start off with disassembling the faucet head. Inspect each part to see which are still OK and which ones will need replacing. In some cases, you only have to replace a washer or two, which will save you a lot. However, if you have to replace the whole faucet, make sure that you are getting the same model so that you don't have to worry about compatibility and familiarizing yourself with how to use it.