Winter is here....

At the Plumbing College we are well aware that winter is here and the freezing temperatures are not too far away! For this reason it is important that you prepare your home for the colder weather, especially your plumbing.

If you leave your water pipes unprotected, you run the risk of them freezing when the temperatures inevitably drop.  Imagine waking up on a frosty, cold morning and having no hot water - not exactly an ideal situation for anyone. 

Not only would you have to deal with this inconvenience but neglecting your plumbing in the winter can also lead to a variety of unwanted costs - costs that can easily be avoided by taking some simple precautions. 

If you spend a little money now, before your pipes freeze, you can help avoid the problems and the potential bill. Insulate exposed pipes with some suitable foam insulation and replace all old style felt lagging checking that all joints and bends are covered too.

You could also get into the habit of checking all your taps, washers and cisterns and if you have the know-how, fix dripping taps and any faulty ball floats in your toilet cistern. 

If these measures are not taken and a pipe bursts, the cost can be much more than you ever expected.  Cleanup costs from water damage can run into thousands of pounds.  Also, if you are unlucky enough to have a pipe burst while you are not home, there is a good chance you will have significant damage from flooding.

During their studies, students enrolled on one of our plumbing courses will be taught general plumbing maintenance to help avoid these situations arising.  Should you require any more information on any of plumbing courses we offer then please contact our Student Support team on 0800 032 2452 or email info@plumbingcourse.org.uk

Preparation is the key to a warm winter - Part 4….

With the dark nights already here and temperatures starting to fall the Plumbing College feel it’s a perfect time to provide you with another ‘winter tip’! 

Are you leaving your home unattended at all this winter?  If you do it would probably be advisable to turn the main stopcock off but keep your heating system on as though your home is occupied, just turn down the thermostat to around 15ºc. This will ensure that in the event of freezing conditions the heating will come on low and stop the water trapped in your pipes from freezing and bursting the pipes which could cause a major flood when the temperature rises again.

However, if you are going to be away from home for an extended period during the winter months you might want to consider draining down your plumbing and heating system, but do so with professional advice. Make sure pipes and the loft, if you have one, are insulated. This will help stop pipes freezing and bursting and will help prevent joints from leaking. Have someone keep an eye on your home and look out for leaks. Let them know where the stopcock is in case they have to turn off the mains water supply in a hurry.

After successfully completing one of our plumbing courses and subsequently entering into the plumbing industry it’s likely you will find the winter period a very busy and lucrative time of year with the demand for repairs due to winter disasters being very high!

If you would like more information about the plumbing courses we offer please contact our Student Support team on 0800 032 2452 or email info@plumbingcourse.org.uk

Preparation is the key to a warm winter - Part 3….

With winter fast approaching the Plumbing College wanted to give you another tip to help you prevent any nasty surprises during the cold spell.

You can carry out minor jobs like bleeding radiators yourself.  If your radiators are hot at the bottom and cold at the top they probably need bleeding.  It’s easy when you know how and all you need is a radiator key and a cloth to wipe any water that leaks out.

First turn off the heat, then find the square-shaped bleed valve (usually near the top of the radiator) and hold the cloth underneath to catch the water.  Gently release the valve with the radiator key and keep it open until the hissing of escaping air stops and water starts flowing.  Tighten the valve and move onto the next radiator.

If you have a combi boiler you will need to check the system pressure after bleeding a radiator to make sure it’s within the right limits (ask your plumber what they are when you have your boiler’s annual service).

During their studies, students enrolled on one of our plumbing courses will learn how to ‘hang’ radiators and connect the water pipework to them during their practical session 2.  If you would like to learn know more about our plumbing courses on offer and available practical sessions then please contact our Student Support team on 0800 032 2452 or email info@plumbingcourse.org.uk

Preparation is the key to a warm winter - Part 2....

Another tip from the Plumbing College to help prevent any winter disasters is to avoid frozen and subsequently burst pipes. 

There are simple ways to protect your pipes and tanks from extreme weather.  Lag all external pipes along with any internal ones that are exposed to extreme cold as well as your storage tank if it’s in a particularly cold part of the house.

Do you have a loft?  If so, take a look at the water pipes and water storage tanks inside it and ask yourself whether the loft insulation is good enough to protect them from severe cold.  Replace all old style felt lagging on pipes with suitable foam insulation, checking that all joints and bends are covered too.  One easy way to keep your loft warm in very cold weather is to open the loft hatch to let the warm air from your house circulate inside it.

You could also get into the habit of checking all your taps, washers and cisterns and if you have the know-how, fix dripping taps and any faulty ball floats in your toilet cistern.  During their studies, students enrolled on one of our plumbing courses will be taught the maintenance of such items on practical session 3, giving them the skills required to carry out repairs whether at customers homes or in their own house.

However, it’s important to know your DIY limits, replacing a ball float might seem easy enough in theory, but if you’re not sure you should call a plumber! 

Preparation is the key to a warm winter - Part 1....

Here at the Plumbing College we cannot believe how quickly the summer holiday is flying by, we have all been very busy enrolling new students onto plumbing courses and are looking forward to them all making successful starts with their studies. Time is passing so quickly that the next thing we know it will be cold, dark and nearly Christmas! 

So, with winter fast approaching, it is a perfect time of year for home owners to start preparing for the forthcoming cold season. Over the next few weeks the Plumbing College will be giving you a few basic tips on how you can protect your home from those unwanted winter disasters as ‘prevention is much better than cure!’

One of the major ‘must do’s’ is to give your boiler its annual MOT!  Although it may seem premature to have your boiler serviced in the summer this will give you enough time to have any work done before the cold sets in.  Don’t wait until you need the heating on or you could be in for a long wait, October tends to be the most common month for heating systems to break down. 

Also just like our cars, boilers and central heating systems don’t like to be out of action for months at a time so by putting your heating on once a month for around 15 minutes even in the summer it will clear the boiler pump of any grit that’s gathered.

LOGIC Certification and WRAS

One of the major benefits of studying a plumbing course with the Plumbing College is that after successful completion of the course students will receive their Logic Certification WRAS qualification along with other industry recognised qualifications.

The Water Regulation qualification helps to prove a workman’s competence and have been designed for Plumbers, Heating Engineers, Gas Installers and for anyone else who installs, maintains or modifies domestic plumbing systems.

Logic Certification is one of the UK Building Services Engineering industries foremost certification bodies, offering training and assessment packages through their network of over 170 approved assessment centres throughout the UK. On the 12th May 2011 Logic Certification Ltd was recognised by the qualification regulators; Ofqual, DCELLS and CCEA as an Awarding Organisation able to offer QCF qualifications within England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

During your plumbing course you will learn about the following which need to be covered to sit the Logic Certification and WRAS exams: 

• Water fittings requirements
• Water system design and installation
• Commissioning
• Backflow prevention
• Cold water services
• Hot water services
• WC’s, flushing devices and urinals

Should you wish to find out any more details about the qualifications or the plumbing courses we offer please contact the Student Support Team on 0800 032 2452 or email info@plumbingcourse.org.uk

Have you got what it takes to succeed in the plumbing industry?

At the Plumbing College we meet a vast array of potential students who are all keen to study and ultimately start a career in the plumbing industry.  It is important for people to understand that a career in plumbing isn’t for everybody but by having certain characteristics the chances of success are heightened.

Many students who have gone on to successfully complete their practical and theory studies have shown many similar characteristics.  For instance, being your own boss requires someone who gets on well with just about everybody, it is also very important that you represent your business with care and commitment at all times as courtesy can go a very long way too.

Another key quality that will help towards being your own boss is flexibility; can you work hours to suit your customers not hours that suit you? Working on projects in a timely manner and evaluating the effects of your work after the job is completed?

So the question is, will the plumbing industry suit you?

A big advantage of enrolling on one of our plumbing courses is being able to study the theory side of the course in your own time and in the comfort of your own home with no set deadlines from the college and the practical sessions are mainly scheduled for weekends making it possible for students to attend who are in full time employment or have other day to day commitments.

If you feel that you could be your own boss or would prosper in the plumbing trade then maybe you should embark on one of our plumbing courses!  We still have a few places left for the new academic year starting in September so please feel free to contact us on 0800 032 2452 or email info@plumbingcourse.org.uk