Emergency Plumbers Reading

One of the most Annoying plumbing problems for home owners in Reading and Newbury, is to have is a blocked toilet. The most common reason a toilet may get blocked in Reading, is usually caused by toilet paper clogging up the bend in the pan. The plunger is an excellent tool, and cheap to buy. If you don’t have a plunger to hand, you can always use an old mop. Place a plastic bag over the mop head and secure it with an elastic band. If you are unable to unclog the toilet, you are welcome to give our Reading plumber a call. If it’s out of hours and you require an emergency plumber, please contact us by mobile phone. Most emergency plumbers will tell you, arguably, the toilet is the most important plumbing fixture in the home. A bad choice of toilet can be an embarrassment, if the toilet it breaks down. 

Earley, Woodley, Newbury, Tilehurst, Caversham, Emmer Green, Woodley, Lower Early, Bracknell, Sonning, Lower Early, Basingstoke, Reading, Winnersh, Twyford,, Henley-on-Thames, Basingstoke, Calcot, Tilehurst, Purley; Kennet, Whitley Wood, Lower Earley, Woodley; Chiltern, Caversham Heights, Emmer Green and Caversham Park Village.

Air trapped in the plumbing system can be irritating to say the least. Air traps causes the tap splutter or fail  completely. By forcing the air out of the system, will realise pressure. Attach a section of hose pipe between the offending tap and the cold water tap over the sink. (Any cold water tap on a direct system.) Leave the hot and cold water taps open. open both taps for a short while. If unsuccessful,  repeat the procedure until I water flows freely into the sink. If you have to use a long hose, it will contain a lot of water so drain it into the kitchen sink before you move it. Noisy taps are usually classed as a non emergency. For more information on leaking or noisy taps, give our Reading plumber a call.

Lower Eaely, Earley, Tilehurst, Woodley, Newbury, Tilehurst, Caversham, Newbury, Emmer Green, Woodley, Lower Early, Bracknell, Caversham, Sonning, Lower Early, Basingstoke, Reading, Winnersh, Winnerrsh Twyford,, Henley-on-Thames, Early, Basingstoke, Woodley, Calcot, Tilehurst, Purley; Kennet, Whitley Wood, Lower Earley, Woodley, Caversham, Bracknell, Chiltern, Sonning, Tilehurst, Caversham Heights, Emmer Green and Caversham Park Village.

An outside tap can be a wonderful plumbing addition. It’s usages can include watering the plants, jet washing the patio and cleaning the car. In some larger homes a tap is fitted near the greenhouse. Fitting an outside tap is relatively easy to install, but having an outside tap may affect your water bill if you have a water a meter fitted. For help on fitting an outside tap, call us. our local Reading plumber is here to help. 

There are three major types of tap: bib-cocks are used over sinks that don’t have a draining board with holes for the taps; individual taps are fitted to wash basins or to units with only cold water- mixer taps are fitted to baths and sinks.

Earley, Woodley, Lower Ealey, Winnersh, Twyford, Newbury, Caversham, and Henley-on-Thames.

The bathroom without a shower can be described as unfashionable or really dated. No longer is a shower expensive to buy and fit, nor is it considered a luxury. Indeed, in this day-and-age when economy is one of our main concerns, it is cheaper and quicker to take shower than taking a bath. A shower is hygienic more convenient bath, and uses considerably less water than a bath. If you are considering of fitting a new shower, our local Reading plumbers are here to help on emergency and non-emergency work.

No Mop or Plunger to Hand?

If you don’t have an old mop to hand, use an old-fashioned wire coat hanger. Bend the wire end, making a hook shape, then bend the wire into the shape of the toilet trap. Insert the wire down the toilet trap bend. Push back and forth, and at the same twisting the wire hanger. Take care not damage or scratch the toilet pan.

Lower Earley, Woodley, Tilehurst, Caversham, Emmer Green, Sonning, Reading, Winnersh, Twyford,, Henley-on-Thames, Calcot, Tilehurst, Purley; Kennet, Whitley, Chiltern, Caversham Heights, Emmer Green and Caversham Park Village.

If you’re dealing with a toilet cistern, simply flush the toilet. If you’re dealing with a main cistern open up all the cold water taps in your house till the cistern is half-empty. In both cases, pull the float arm up as high as it will go, and Water should stop coming in. If any water even a slow drip, continues coming in you will need to deal with the valve itself. If the water stops coming in completely as you raise the float arm, then you will need to bend this float arm a little so that the ball sits lower. The float arm is made of soft metal, and will bend fairly easily Let the cistern fill again, and check that the new water level is below the opening to I the overflow.

Usually it is only the washer that will need replacing. Start by turning off your water system Have a good look at the valve which is the brass fitting at the side of the tank at the end of the float arm. There are three types: the Portsmouth, the Croydon and the Diaphragm

How our Reading Emergency Plumbers Unblock a Waste Pipe

If working a rubber plunger over the outlet does not free the blockage, clear out the waste trap, as this is where the blockage is most likely to be. Place a basin or bucket under the trap ready to catch the contents. Traps vary in design. Old-style traps have a drain plug, which you take off to remove debris. More modem traps especially those made of plastic, may not have a drain plug. There may be several sections which unscrew for cleaning, or the whole base may unscrew. Use a length of wire to clear the trap. If cleaning the trap fails to cure the blockage clear the pipes on either side with a length of wire. Pull out the thing that is blocking the pipe so that it does not block the pipe further along.

Clearing the U-Bend Trap

1, Holding the trap steady with a piece of wood, unscrew the drain plug-if it has a square head, you should use a scanner, if there are two protrusions, these are turned with a steel bar.

2, If you cannot pull out the debris with hooked win, use an adjustable wrench to remove the whole trap and clean it thoroughly, pulling out any debris in the pipes.

Clearing a Plastic Trap.

1, Unscrew sections o/ the plastic trap, using bucket to catch the debris that will fall out It should be possible to unscrew the trap by hand.

2, Probe the pipes with a piece 0/ wire i/ you find that there is still a blockage, pulling out anything which may be obstructing the pipe.

For further help on cleaning a blocked Waste Pipe, give our emergency plumber Reading a call.

Earley, Woodley, Bracknell, Woodley, Lower Early, Newbury, Caversham, Sonning, Winnersh, Basingstoke, Henley-on-Thames, Basingstoke, Winnersh, Twyford, Newbury, Caversham, Lower Early, and Henley-on-Thames.Dealing with Blocked Sinks in Reading, Emmer Green, Woodley, Newbury, Caversham, Woodley.

Restore the water supply with the tap running to prevent airlocks.

Action-shrouded head tap.

This type of tap is a more modern design than the previous taps, but procedure tor rewashering and reseating is similar. The biggest problem is in deciding how to remove the shrouded head itself.

Turn off the water supply to the tap. Prise off the Hot or cold indicator cap to reveal the retaining screw. Undo the screw and remove the shrouded head (Alternatively, the retaining screw may be on the side of the head, or the head may just pull off.

At some point, it may be necessary to remove the radiator for one reason or other.

Here are some tools you will need.
A container or a rolling tray to catch water
Paper towels to dry excess moisture
Adjustable wrench
Plyers or grips

Here, our Reading emergency plumber will explain why sometimes radiators leak. Radiators sometimes leak along the bottom seam. If this is happening rust or corrosion has probably taken hold inside the radiator, and you should replace it. To remove the old radiator, start by closing both the valves and disconnecting the radiator at both ends then lift the radiator off its brackets. You should remove its fittings which may also be corroded. Replace the radiator with one of the same capacity. Do not attempt to fit a larger capacity radiator, as your boiler may not be powerful enough to cope. Use as many turns of the spanner to open the lockshield, as it took to close it, or the system may heat unevenly. As the radiator fills, air will escape from the bleed valve- close. This valve when water starts to escape from it. For radiators replacement, give our emergency plumber a call, we cover all of Reading and the surronding areas. If you need help with radiater, please let our plubmer know. We also provide services to the following areas.

Woodley, sonning, Calcut, Lower Early, Winnersh, Reading.

Most washing machines must be connected to hot and cold supply pipes- They need control valves, incorporating integral check (non-return) valves. If the control valve does not have an integral check valve, fit a double-check valve into the supply pipe by the control valve. Take short lengths of 3/5in (15mm) pipe from the Tee-connectors in the supply pipes to the washing machine’s control valves. The flexible supply pipes of the washing machine are connected to the outlets of these valves with hose union nuts. The waste can discharge directly through the wall above a gulley, it can be connected to the kitchen waste by a “swept-Tee” fitting or it can be connected directly to a single-stack drainage system. For help on plumbing-in a washing machines, give our Reading plumber a call.  

Even if you prefer to leave plumbing work to the expert plumber in Reading. It is well worth having a small tool-kit to hand so you can cope with plumbing emergencies. Your kit should include the following tools: an adjustable spanner; a self-grip wrench (which will do double duty as a second spanner); a pair of pliers- a junior hacksaw a file couple of screwdrivers* and a plunger. Add to these one or two compression fittings in 15. 22 and 28mm sizes, plus a few short lengths of pipe and spare olives in these sizes so you can replace leaky pipes. It’s also worth keeping a selection of spare tap washers and O-rings for re-tape and some penetrating oil too. For emergency repairs to burst pipes, include a proprietary pipe clamp or a pack of two-part epoxy repair putty. for more info, call our emergency plumber in Reading.

Our Reading plumber explains how to fit a kitchen sink the easy way. Kitchen sinks come in two basic types lay-on and inset and in many different shapes and sizes. The lay-on sink sits on top of a standard double- or triple-base unit while an inset sink is set into a hole cut in a work-top. Both types may have one or two bowls, with one of the bowls often half-sized and ideal for use with a waste-disposal unit, and an integral drainer to the left or right of the bowls. Both can be fitted with spiral pillar taps or various types of kitchen mixer. The water supplies to the sink are con’ main supplying cold water and hot water coming from the hot cylinder or a water heater. Waste connections can be more complex depending on how many bowls the sink has and whether connections required at the trap for a washing machine or dishwasher. If you plan to have a waste disposal unit, make sure one bowl has a 90mm outlet. For competitive prices on fitting a kitchen sink, give us a call and speak to our friendly plumber in Reading. 

Lower Early, Winnersh, Berkshire, Twyford, Woodley, Newbury, Twyford, Caversham, Basingstoke

With a jammed stopcock in an emergency situation, the first method to try is trickling some penetrating oil down the tap spindle; leave it for a few minutes then try to operate the tap. If this fails try improving your leverage using a wrench on the tap handle. However, this can be dangerous* do not apply too much force or you might shear the handle off completely. Method three is to apply heat to the tap or valve body using a blowlamp or hot air gun- the resulting expansion of the metal parts may free them. Remember to let the tap body cool down before trying to operate the handle. If all else fails to shift a jammed stopcock, turn off the outside stopcock and then replace the jammed tap. On low pressure pipework, drain the pipe run concerned and fit a new gate valve. Water supply to it and remove it so you can clean or replace it. If you need a plumber to free your stopcock, give our emergency plumber a call. We cover all of Reading.

For leaking copper tube, treat it with electrical tape. Capillary fittings. For leaking lead pipe, you can try electrical tape, but usually the surface of the pipe is not smooth enough for that to work- For minor holes, you might try tapping the lead around the hole with a hammer, as though you were pushing the lead towards the hole with each blow. For long-term repairs the section of copper or lead which is leaking must be replaced. Replacing copper tubing is something you can do yourself. The replacement of lead pipe is more of a problem. When you start getting leaks, it is usually the beginning of the end. It is a sign that the whole lead pipe is rotten, and requires replacement. Give our friendly plumber a call, and let us deal with all your emergency plumbing. 

The helpless feeling of water pouring through your ceiling, due to a burst water pipe can be daunting. What should you do? The first thing you should do, is to call an emergency plumber in Reading, then find the stopcock and turn it off. The stopcock is a valve that shuts off the water feeding your pipes. Where water is backed-up above the ceiling, the ceiling may often bulge and sag. If this happens, it is recommended to pierce the bulge at the lowest point, thereby freeing the water, which can then be caught in a large bucket or large kitchen bin. Failure to do this may eventually lead to large sections of the ceiling collapsing, and causing additional water damage to your home and electrics. For more help with burst pipes in Reading, pick up the phone and call us, our emergency plumber is ready to help.

Woodley, Lower Early, Emmer Green, Henley-on-Thames and Reading

A build-up of grease and food particles within the waste pipe and traps, is a sure recipe for sink blockages and an emergency plumber. There are several methods used by our emergency Reading plumbers, that can un block the sink fast. One tool our Reading plumber will use, is The plumbers friend. The plumbers friend usually has a big rubber suction cup, with a wooded handle, but today the plumbers friend comes in all shapes and sizes. The plumbers friend is a handy tool to have in an emergency situation. Place the plumbers friend firmly over the plughole, push up and down with pressure. The force of water and air should free the blockage. The plumbers friend can be bought from you local DIY store in Reading.

If the sink still fails to drain, the blockage may be somewhere along a branch pipe. Before you attempt to locate the blockage, try forcing it out of the pipe with the plumbers friend. Smear the rim of the rubber cup with petroleum jelly, then lower it into the blocked basin to cover plug hole. Be sure there is enough water, to cover the rubber cup. Hold a wet cloth in the overflow with one hand while you pump the plumbers friend viciously with the other hand. The waste pipe may not clear immediately. If the blockage is merely forced further along the pipe, so repeat the process until the water drains away. If it will not clear after your first try, try again. If still, you cant the shift the blockage, it might be worth calling an emergency plumber from Reading.

Earley, Woodley, Lower Early, Sonning, Newbury, Burghfield, Caversham, Woodley, Twyford, Bracknell, Basingstoke, Winnersh, Twyford, Newbury, Tilehurst, Caversham, Lower Early, and Henley-on-Thames.

Reasons You Should Service Your Boiler. Boilers should be serviced at least ones or twice a year by a qualified plumber. Regular servicing will increase the boilers lifespan and performance. Most boiler manufactures, will invalidate your warranty if you fail to service your boiler on time. A regular serviced boiler will also run more efficiently, and in the long-term saving you money on fuel bills.

Lower Early, Twyford, Woodley, Twyford, Caversham, Basingstoke

How to Take Care of Your Boiler

Your boiler plays an essential role in your property, allowing you to warm your home or heat your water at the flick of a switch. If your boiler were to break down, it would cause you major problems at home but there are some simple steps you can take to prolong the life of your boiler and keep it working as it should. Here are some simple steps you can take to help you maintain your boiler good working order.

Regular Servicing By a Registered Plumber Reading 

Firstly, it’s important to get your boiler serviced every year. Far from a waste of money, it can help keep your boiler working safely, so you’re not left footing the bill for major repairs in the future. What’s more, if your boiler is working well, it should be saving you money on heating costs as it will be working in the most efficient way to provide heat and hot water for your home. Only use a qualified gas boiler engineer or emergency plumber when having your boiler serviced. For gas boiler, use a Gas Safe registered plumber or engineer and for oil boilers ensure that they’re registered with OFTEC. Be sure to check their credentials for yourself.

When is the Best Time for a Plumber to Service a Boiler?

The best time for a plumber to carry out boiler maintenance work is in the autumn, when statistics show that most boilers break down. This is because your boiler has most likely been neglected over the summer months. So save yourself a shock when you come to turn your heating on after a long break – run your heating for a short time regularly during the summer months. Give your boiler a workout by switching it on for 15 minutes once a month even when it’s warm, to keep it running smoothly and prevent dirt from accumulating in the system.

Simple Boiler Maintenance 

Ensure that your boiler doesn’t overheat by making sure that there’s nothing obstructing the ventilation grilles or air vents. Check the outside flues and air bricks aren’t blocked and make sure that you never cover your boiler.

Make sure that you clean your boiler regularly but never take off the boiler’s cover yourself, always use a qualified engineer or an emergency plumber in Reading for repairs. When you have your boiler serviced, the engineer will give it a good cleaning inside too. Dirt and dust can clog up the boiler fan and make it overheat, causing your heating bills to rise as your boiler won’t be working very efficiently. Keep the area around your boiler free from dust by sweeping the area regularly yourself. Give it a wipe down with a damp cloth, drying it off afterwards to stop dirt from getting inside the boiler.

Check your boiler’s pressure gauge and make sure it’s working properly. The water pressure in your boiler should be kept at a constant level for the best results. If you find that the pressure is too high, reduce the pressure by turning the release valve. If your boiler pressure is too low, it could be due to leaks. You should check around you boiler for leaks regularly. The pressure in your boiler should be between 1 and 1.5, so if it isn’t you should contact an expert. If you have any concerns about your boiler’s pressure and you can’t adjust it yourself, contact a qualified  Emergency plumber in Reading immediately.

 If the pilot light isn’t on, there may be serious problems with your boiler. This could be due to dust that has worked its way into the system or it could be a more serious problem. You should contact a plumber who will inspect your boiler for you.

Signs of Trouble With Your Boiler

It only takes a few simple checks to keep your boiler working well but sometimes boiler faults can be hard to identify as leaks can often dry out quickly and it can be hard to tell if the pilot light is on, particularly in new boilers. Signs to look out for are knocking noises or water that doesn’t remain hot. If you have any concerns about your boiler, contact a qualified engineer or emergency plumber. in Reading

Finally, to be on the safe side if you have a gas boiler, you should always install a carbon monoxide detector so you’ll know if your boiler develops any harmful leaks.

G-force emergency Plumbers Reading can provide boiler care and a range of plumbing services to keep your property in top working order. We are a team of qualified plumbers who provide affordable repairs and maintenance work for homes and businesses.

Call G-force Reading and speak to a qualified emergency plumber today on

General Plumbing & Emergencies in Reading

Boiler breakdowns and blocked toilets are some common problems our emergency plumbers face in Reading.

Other call outs include dripping pipes and blocked drains. The most common problems our emergency plumbers have to deal with, are Burst pipes. If you need a plumber in Reading, We can help. Our emergency team are prepared for all types of plumbing problem. We also deal with many other plumbing problems as well, such as radiator removals and re positioning or rodding a drain. We don’t just deal with emergencies, we also quote for non-emergency works. Our rates are extremely competitive. So, if you have a plumbing problem, Pick up the phone and talk to our reading plumber for free help and advice.

When it’s Time to Call an Emergency Plumber in Reading

When you have a burst pipe or boiler breakdown, it can be nerve-wracking. A burst pipe for example can cause major damage to your property, belongings and most importantly your electrics. The first thing you should do is call an emergency plumber in Reading. You will need to act fast in order to minimise any further water damage.

We know it’s an Easy thing to say, Don’t Panic!

There is no point in panicking when you’re dealing with an emergency, try to keep calm. After calling the emergency plumber the next thing you should do, is to find the stopcock. Most stopcocks in homes in Reading are sited under the kitchen sink, or sometimes you will find the stopcock in the bathroom. When you have found the stopcock turn it shut, this will stop the water flow through your pipes, and then wait for your emergency plumber arrive.