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Staying safe this winter


ith the summer months now over, we’re discussing the importance of keeping homes safe across the UK that have not yet taken


steps to assess their heating systems ahead of the coming winter. John Thompson, chief executive of the Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors (APHC) discusses what you should keep in mind during the coming months. We all know the importance of having a well-maintained


heating appliance and systems to ensure they are less likely to have problems in extreme temperatures Back in 2018, the notorious Beast from the East meant the National Gas


Fitting a


MagnaClean filter could cut up to 250kg of carbon


emissions per household every year


Emergency Service number received 40,000 calls in one day, putting it into perspective the largest call volume in one day, during 2017 was 9,000 calls. The largest concern from callers was boiler breakdowns, generally caused


by frozen condensate pipework. Even now, with most boiler breakdowns occurring during autumn and winter and more than half of the population skipping their annual boiler service, it’s vital to give homeowners a range of useful hints and tips to help prevent system breakdowns and appliance or component failure. Prevention is always better than cure. However, if the appliance of


Benchmark scheme that is in place to encourage best practice when it comes to the preparation, commissioning, and maintenance of domestic heating systems. Benchmark’s app-based registration system is now available for installers to input information into and puts more emphasis on including water treatment details during the process. Again, this gives installers further evidence to show customers that the work being carried out will improve the overall running of the heating system as well as complying with required standards.


Going for the flush


Whether you are installing a new boiler or servicing an older model, if you find sludge is present in the system, it is best practice to remove it to avoid it causing issues further down the line. Using a flushing system such as ADEY MagnaCleanse can remove virtually all the magnetite through a cleaning process, without the need to remove radiators. Opting for a system such as this one, in which water remains heated during the cleaning process, gives a faster and more effective clean, and the fact that it only needs a drain down to take place at the end, also saves water. For the homeowner, they can see the system cleaned in as little as two hours and with the result of improving the performance of their heating and hot water system. As most homeowners’ first point of call for maintaining and repairing their heating systems, installers are not only there to eliminate sludge when it becomes problematic. Whilst cleaning and power flushing a system to remove any sludge that has already built up will stop dirty debris from doing further damage, fitting a magnetic filter to keep freshly cleansed water clean is also vital. In doing so, customers can have peace of mind, knowing that their heating system has been safeguarded from the dangers of sludge and any costly repairs they may bring.


system does have an issue it is vital that the customer knows what to do, for example, do they have the contact details for your business? Do they know what to do if they smell gas and have the emergency number, 0800 111 999, to hand? Or for other issues ring a local Gas Safe Registered installer who will be able to explain the situation, rectify the problem and get the system working in no time. Plumbers are in high demand during the winter season, especially if the weather turns colder and finding a reputable plumber at short notice can be challenging. To avoid frantic calling around and trusting unreliable website searches, take some time to prepare emergency contact numbers; it’s easy to sigh with relief when the first plumber called is available but if you choose an unqualified tradesman it could leave to more problems and unexpected costs. As well as offering high levels of customer service and workmanship as


standard, APHC members are fully vetted with their work checked annually to uphold high standards of workmanship. We recommend homeowners to use APHC’s Find a Quality Plumber search facility at www.FindAQualityPlumber.co.uk to find a qualified and reliable plumbing and heating engineer local to them. www.aphc.co.uk


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