Master basic plumbing and central heating

298 Pages·2015·13.47 MB·English

by  Treloar

Master Basic Plumbing
and Central Heating
Roy Treloar
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This book is designed to provide information about some of
the basic principles and techniques of plumbing and central
heating. You are solely responsible for the way you view and
use the information in this book, and do so at your own risk.
The author and publisher are not responsible for any injuries to
person or damage to property that might occur due to using this
book or following the advice in it.
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Master Basic
Plumbing
and Central
Heating
Roy Treloar
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First published in Great Britain in 2008 by John Murray Learning. An Hachette UK
company.
Previously published as Teach Yourself Basic Plumbing and Central Heating.
First published in US in 2015 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
This edition published in 2015 by John Murray Learning
Copyright © Roy Treloar 2008, 2010, 2015
The right of Roy Treloar to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted
by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Database right Hodder & Stoughton (makers)
The Teach Yourself name is a registered trademark of Hachette UK.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
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of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, John Murray Learning, at the
address below.
You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose
this same condition on any acquirer.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data: a catalogue record for this title is
available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: on file.
Paperback ISBN 978 1 473 61162 7
eBook ISBN 978 1 444 12909 0
1
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referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However,
the publisher and the author have no responsibility for the websites and can make no
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Contents
Meet the author ix
Introduction xi
The ten most common plumbing problems
Your safety checklist
1 The plumbing in your home 1
Incoming cold water supply
Cold supply inside the dwelling
The storage cistern
The toilet-flushing cistern
Hard and soft water
Water softeners and water conditioners
The above-ground drainage system
The below-ground drainage system
The equipotential earth bond
2 Hot water in your home 41
Gas installations
Oil installations
Flues and ventilation for gas- and oil-burning appliances
The hot water supply
Hot water storage systems
Direct systems of hot water supply
Indirect systems of hot water supply
Instantaneous systems of hot water supply
Thermal storage systems
Choosing a new domestic hot water supply
3 Domestic central heating 73
Types of central heating system
Radiant heating
Central heating using radiators
Micro-bore systems
Radiators and heat emitters
Radiator valves
The boiler
Heating controls
Protecting heating systems
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4 Emergencies and contingency work 1 107
Turning off the water supply
Draining down the water supply
Draining down the central heating
A dripping tap
Water leaking from the body of a tap
Lack of water flow from a tap
Toilet will not flush
Water continuously discharges into the pan
Toilet or storage cistern overflowing
Toilet leaking when flushed
5 Emergencies and contingency work 2 147
Burst pipes
Noises from pipework
Hot water problems
Blockages in the waste-water pipework
Smell of gas or fumes
6 Plumbing processes 173
Corrosion
Pipework used for water supplies
Copper pipework and fittings
Bending copper tube
Plastic pipework and fittings
Specialist plumbing tools
Concealing your pipework
7 Ancillary works and maintenance 201
Employing a qualified professional
Gas or oil boiler maintenance
Gas fire maintenance
General plumbing maintenance
8 Undertaking small plumbing projects 213
Preparation and first principles
Installing a washing machine or dishwasher
Installing a water softener
Making a connection to the soil pipe
Installing an outside tap
Removing a radiator to decorate behind it
Repairing the water supply main
Replacing the water supply main
Installing a new storage cistern
Replacing a faulty immersion heater
vi
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Insulating pipes against freezing
Installing guttering and rainwater pipes
Installing a new WC suite
Installing new sink, basin or bath taps
Installing a new sink, basin or bath
Installing a shower cubicle
Replacing a shower booster pump
Appendix 1: Legislation 257
Work requiring notification under local building control
Work to which Gas Regulations apply
Work to which Water Regulations apply
The professional plumber
Appendix 2: Glossary 265
Appendix 3: Taking it further 275
Further reading
Plumbing trade and professional bodies
Index 277
Contents vii
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Meet the author
I was in the last generation of children to leave school at the age
of 15, in 1973. This makes me sound old, but no, I’m still in my
50s. When I started out as a plumber in the 1970s, things in the
plumbing world seemed to stay the same for many years and
any changes were a slow, steady progression. We had to learn to
make joints to lead and cast-iron pipes, and they were skills that
made you feel a real specialist in your craft.
Since I first started teaching full time in 1985, it seems that
the world of plumbing has gone through a ‘hyper leap’. Today
the traditional skills are no longer required and things are put
together with great speed, using plastic pipes with push-fit joints
for all kinds of installation, including central heating pipework.
Legislation today takes a much more prominent position than
it did when I was last trading as a practising plumber. In the
old days, you could, within reason, do as you pleased to make
a system work. You could undertake all kinds of gas work, put
in whatever boiler you liked and make all sorts of drainage
alterations, as you saw fit. But today gas engineers must be
registered and can only undertake work in the areas in which
they have been assessed. New boilers must be energy-efficient
and their installation must be registered with the local authority,
which will also wish to know where you have altered pipework
within a building, and whether you have an unvented hot-water
system installed. It does not stop there: every time you alter
plumbing or electrical installations, approval may be required in
order to comply with the law.
So, while in some ways plumbing has become easier, in another
it has become very much harder if you want to trade. Along
with this is the fact that modern boilers invariably have a
limited lifespan because they have become so much more
technical due to the need for efficiency. Boilers in the old days
easily ran for 20–40 years, but finding the right person to solve
a problem with a modern boiler is sometimes like trying to find
a needle in a haystack, so the boiler is all too often replaced
rather than repaired.
Meet the author ix
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