If for any reason, you will need to work on the supply pipe to your cistern, and then shut off the water supply coming from the storage cistern in the loft (as above).

Draining hot water taps:

1. Turn off the central heating boiler and your immersion heater.
2. Shut off your supply of water coming from the storage cistern in the loft to the hot water pipe.
3. Run out the leftover water from the hot taps. For draining the hot water cylinder; attach a hose to the drain cock which is at the base of the cylinder. Should the cylinder contain a heat exchanger which is fed from the boiler, can only be emptied through the boiler drain cock. You can save time and water when you need to drain pipes for minor repairs / servicing by installing extra valves which divide the system into sections to isolate each individual fitting and appliance.

Fitting extra valves:

Step 1: Firstly, fit gate valves onto the cold feed pipes running from the storage cistern. Doing this will save you from having to drain any stored water when you are servicing the low pressure side of your system. If you fit a 2nd stopcock onto the in feed pipe, you can then drain the cistern but without turning off the rising main.

Step 2: Fit your isolator valves into the supply pipes feeding taps and appliances. This will then enable you to isolate individual fittings for servicing.

Draining cold water taps in the bathroom to drain your cistern:

1. If you can’t find an isolating valve try shutting off the supply of water going to the cistern tying the arm of the floating valve to a thick stick or batten placed across the top.

2. Run the taps on full until they drain the cistern. Also use this method if you need to work on the cistern itself.

3 – If you are draining your system In order to repair a leak, or run new pipes or even service a toilet cistern, it is also necessary to be able to drain certain parts of the system.
Water is actually supplied to a house through relatively high mains pressure. In most houses you will find that it is directed via a rising main pipe attached to a cold water storage cistern up in the loft. A pipe which is connected to the rising main will feed drinking water directly to the kitchen sink. The other taps and fittings which include the hot water storage cylinder, are indirectly supplied by a low pressure gravity fed system from a storage cistern.

If you need to drain the cold water kitchen tap and pipe:

1. Close off the stopcock on the rising main
2. Open up the taps to empty the short length of pipe.
3. Shut off the cold feed valve which runs from the storage cistern in the loft.
4. Run the bathroom taps on full and drain the toilet cistern
5. Tie up the float valve arm to a batten at the top.
6. Flush the toilet fully.

Firstly, it does help to have some metalworking experience.

Take extra care when working with a blowtorch particularly in loft spaces. Remember that pipes take time to cool down after exposure to a blowtorch flame. If you are able to undertake the basic work yourself, you save yourself bags of money and the complete inconvenience of trying to get (they are like gold dust) and waiting for a plumber. A basic plumbing repair doesn’t need to be a daunting task all you need are a few essential tools, a decent working knowledge of your plumbing system and a logical ability in identify problems.

Preparation

Step 1: Start by familiarising yourself with the current layout of your own plumbing, this will enable you to quickly identify the causes of basic problems.

Step 2: A priority is to locate your stopcock on the rising main, this is the pipe that brings fresh water into your house. A stopcock controls the flow of water and needs to be shut off to cancel the entire supply to your home in an emergency. In many cases, the stopcock can be found underneath the kitchen sink or beneath the stairs, other common places are the cellar or basement.

Step 3: Check for isolating valves on low pressure pipes to taps the toilet cisterns and other household appliances - their valves enable the servicing to be carried out without having to turn off the mains. You will normally find the valves next to the storage cistern in your loft.
Start a kit of the basic plumbing tools including a set of spare washers for fitting the taps and valves around the home. Do keep your plumber’s telephone number handy because you never known when you are going to be faced with a serious plumbing problem which you shouldn’t tackle yourself.

Having a homely, organized and modern kitchen is important to most of us. Although, old kitchens are still out there, the new, modern elements that part of a modern kitchen suite provide that added bit of luxury, class and convenience to a busy family. Kitchens have changed along with our own lifestyles and we have more demands on our time so most of us have less of it to spend cooking.

Firstly, consider your options and requirements when you look at remodeling a kitchen. Kitchen equipment needs are first priority. Ask yourself; what do you need in your kitchen? Are you planning state of the art appliances or just ordinary models? Do you need 2 ovens as opposed to one? Is there room for a dishwasher? How big does your refrigerator need to be and where is it best going to maximize the space you have? Most importantly you will need a good amount of work surface.

If your room is big enough a centre island would provide extra surface room for preparation and they can look stunning.

Once you have your basic kitchen needs and appliances in place for your new kitchen design, consider the style and colour scheme. Some people like country kitchens and adding rustic items would add charm as would a big farmers table and chairs.

When you are replacing an existing floor within your home you have many options open to you. There is always the standard choice of carpet throughout your home or the more fashionable favourite of laminated and wooden flooring both of which are hard wearing and easy to look after within the modern household.

Carpet has just not been so popular in recent years, the increasing consumers demand over the past few years for cheaper products drove the quality of carpets down to such a level people have moved away from carpets to other types of cheaper and hard wearing products such as laminates.
Ten to fifteen years earlier, when laminate flooring first became popular it became the ‘must have’ flooring for everyone’s home. DIY superstores stocked every imaginable shade of wood as a laminate floor covering although eventually, as is the way in the market another price war broke out and it forced the product’s quality to suffer as the market had to price them cheaper and cheaper.
During recent years whilst the carpet market has suffered, the laminate flooring market has also seen a drop in consumer business at the market’s cheaper end of the scale but a steady rise in the higher quality product end of the market.

Now, floor tiles are an extremely popular option for certain rooms of the house, although floor tiles are not for every room they do lend themselves particularly well to rooms where water may be present such as bathrooms, WC and kitchens.

Floor tiles years ago would be extremely cold to the touch and no one likes cold feet especially first thing in the morning so linoleum offered a warmer feel to the foot and a more cost effective alternative to floor tiles. Shortly after that fashion changed to fit cork floor tiles in kitchens but they proved difficult to keep clean so this fad did not last long. In the 90 ’s under floor heating was becoming more cost effective and offered people another option in replacing vinyl or wooden flooring with original or modern floor tiles which sat on top of the under flooring heat system.
These days the main trend is for safety flooring in higher quality laminates and wooden flooring.

Here are a few simple tips from energy specialists regarding the usage of less fuel, saving on energy bills and all whilst increasing your carbon footprint. Most of these simple things you know already it’s just that not many of us actually do them.

TURN THE THERMOSTAT DOWN
We all know that turning our thermostats down just one slight degree can cut 10% off our energy bills, so we ought to start doing it.

TURN OFF THE AIR-CON
No matter how humid the summer is you don’t need to blast your house with cold air. HFCs (hydrochloroflurocarbons) which keep our air-con units cool will start to be phased out of our cars after 2011 by the EU legislation, although no such plans are made for home or offices yet.
HFCs don’t deplete the ozone, but they are potent greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, ammonia and hydrocarbons) that exasperate global warming. Luckily, there are also alternatives air cons that use natural refrigerants with occurring gases to cool your home. HVAC specialists such as Daikin Industries are constantly inventing and developing more energy efficient air conditioning units.

CHANGE YOUR LIGHT BULBS
The E.S.T says lighting your home accounts for nearly 15% of your electricity bill. However, by switching to energy saving light bulbs, you can save nearly 80% on electricity bills per bulb.

DRAFT PROOF THE WINDOWS
Putting in double-glazed windows can save you somewhere near £110 a year.

Almost 16 million people in the UK will face a dramatic £250 increase in energy bills this year – however, these tips, will help to keep your costs lower whilst preparing for what may be a very cold winter this year. Some tips in the next few articles come straight from the energy specialists on how to reduce your individual consumption whilst going green in the process.

British Gas’s is planning to raise fuel bills by 35% which is a total increase in a huge rise of 45% over the whole year this is going to turn average household ‘dual’ fuel bills into a hugely expensive £1,322.

Just but by taking a small number of simple steps inside your own home you could cut your yearly bills by £300. For those families who are wondering if they’ll have enough money to heat the house and feed the kids in December, help is at hand and is cost effective and eco friendly, too.
Plus the UK Government is funding families who are aiming to go green by giving up to £2,700 to households on certain types of benefits. The scheme in England is Warm Front, Northern Ireland its Warm Homes and in Scotland is Warm Deal.

Nearly half of our emissions in the UK are from buildings, and 27% of that are from domestic buildings, so we need to heat and cool our properties in a different way.

GIVE YOUR HOUSE A HAT

Just as we lose most of our body heat through the top of our head well the same can be said for our houses. 15% of a home’s heating is lost through the roof.

A simple solution to this is to insulate your loft with a minimum of 270mm of insulation materials, this can save you £150 off your heating bills straight away, according to government agency, The Energy Saving Trust.

Good stepladders are a must. You should look for a lightweight aluminium type with at least 5 treads, a flat top platform for placing tools as you work (not for standing on) and a top handrail. Make sure the ladders lock and are engaged when open. Buy 2 identical stepladders plus an (8 ft) scaffold board and you have a platform ideal for painting walls or ceilings.

When using your step ladders:

• Set the ladders so that they stand square, level and solid
• If you need to stretch sideways from the ladders, keep your hips within the step sides and
keep both feet on the ladder treads at all times
• Don’t lean out too far sideways, or you could topple over
• Take care when stepping off so that you don’t trip on power tool flexes or put your foot in the bucket of paste. Let’s be reasonable - we’ve all done it!

Ladders

The only place indoors, or more likely, at least one section of an extension ladder - is if you’re painting a stairwell. Stand the ladder on a tread which faces the opposite way to the stairs, in order to reach the walls above them. If you need the ladder facing the other way then nail a piece of wood to the tread it’s standing on which will prevent it slipping as you climb.

It may seem a little like you are being preached to and you don’t need safety precautions but you really do. The number of recorded DIY accidents (some of which ended up in hospital stays) is higher than ever. So even if you don’t think you need it. Think again!

First of all some simple tips that can be applied to any working conditions for long periods of time:

1. Take plenty of breaks, try to have a break every 45 minutes to and hour so you don’t over-exert yourself.
2. Keep hydrated, consider using cheap water coolers if it is a large-scale project. Water coolers are hygienic and ensure an easy and steady supply of water.

Now for the DIY-specific tips.

1. Always wear protective clothing which includes safety goggles, dust mask and gloves when you are working with hazardous or potentially hazardous materials e.g. glass or spray paint. It is also very advisable to wear a mask if working in a dusty environment e.g. brick work, sawing wood or MDF.
2. When you are painting, or using any material that will generate toxic fumes or even dust, keep the room totally ventilated. Do not smoke whilst painting or even standing close to a newly painted area.
3. Use the correct tools for your job. It is well worth investing in higher quality equipment and not only is this safer it will do the job quicker.
4. Store tools safely and out of the way of children and pets.
5. If using knives, make sure you cut away from you. Always use a ruler or baton as a guide, running a sharp knife along the edge.
6. For fixing and checking electrical appliances and connections, switch off the power and remove either the fuse or circuit breaker. If you are fixing an electrical appliance, switch the appliance off at the socket, pulling out the plug. Always wear rubber soled shoes when you are working on electrics.
7. Keep a chemical fire extinguisher in your house. Never, never, use water to put out a fire from an electrical appliance.
8. When needing a power drill try and choose a model with a plastic non-conducting body. Always unplug the drill before you fit parts removing the chuck key before switching it on. Don’t wear loose clothing or jewellery.

Ever wondered what tools you should have in your tool box that would cover any DIY job without lots of random rusty hammers? Here is a list of recommendations on the most helpful basic tool kit..

These are the basics:

• 5m tape measure
• Stanley knife
• Claw hammer
• Set of screwdrivers
• Small adjustable spanner
• Electrical test screw driver
• Junior hacksaw
• Spirit level
• Insulated pliers

The cost of this little lot should not be more than £60.

If you have a little more budget and could afford an extra £45 to £55, the following items will always come in handy around the house:

• Stud detector
• Large adjustable spanner
• Roller and tray with three removable roller heads
• Set of five paint brushes: 1in, 1.5in, 2in, 2.5in, 3in

Emergency DIY

An emergency DIY project is never planned. The key to a quick and efficient solution is to ensure you own a certain number of essential items and store them in logical locations in the home. The following is recommended:

1. Keep small tools such as a bleed key for your radiators, electrical screwdriver, pliers or fuse wire in a small kitchen drawer. This will save so much time than finding your tool box for these small jobs especially when a fuse blows.

2. Keep a selection of fuses (3, 5 and 13 amp), double and single curtain hooks and a roll of insulation tape and also keep these in the kitchen draw. (These items are some of the common items used in every home).

3. Big tip: Always keep a torch by your fuse board with at least one packet of spare batteries so if the lights do go out and you have to go to your fuse board you will know where to find the torch and hence some light.