Yet Another Plumbing and Heating engineer

What I do

I concentrate mainly on Plumbing and Heating. "Heating" means gas: I'm Gas Safe (formerly CORGI) registered to work on domestic cookers, gas fires, water heaters and central heating boilers that run on natural gas. (I am also a member of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering.)

The range of work I do includes:

• changing washers on, or replacing, taps on sinks, basins and baths,
• repairing or replacing cistern valves on tanks and WCs,
• replacing (or restoring) sinks, baths, WCs and basins,
• installing outside taps,
• fitting water filters and scale inhibitors,
• unblocking waste pipes and drains,
• installing showers,
• replacing immersion heaters and hot water cylinders,
• fitting Thermostatic Mixing Valves (TMVs) to baths, basins etc to make hot water temperature comfortable and prevent scalding,
• diagnosing problems on, and repairing, central heating systems and boilers,
• "powerflushing" central heating systems,
• fitting Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs) to radiators,
• upgrading Central Heating controls, e.g. fitting Programmable Thermostats to systems,
• changing radiators and extending central heating systems,
• designing and installing under-floor heating,
• installing or replacing boilers,
• integrating wood-burning stoves with conventional heating systems,
• advising on and installing Heat Bank/Thermal Store systems for mains-pressure hot water,
• installing gas cookers and hobs,
• Landlords' Gas Safety inspections and certificates.

I'm also interested in out-of-the-ordinary projects (not all of which I claim particular expertise in) such as:

• air-source, ground-source (and maybe even river-source) heat pumps for heating (and possibly summer cooling) and hot water,
• thermal store/heat-bank based heating and hot water systems (including off-peak all-electric systems with radiators or underfloor heating and providing mains-pressure hot water),
• wet rooms,
• low energy buildings,
• rainwater harvesting, grey water recycling, reed beds and ponds.

Things I don't do include:

• installing whole new central heating systems (this usually involves too much work for me to do on my own in a reasonable timescale - though I am happy to help if someone else is supplying some labour for example fitting radiators and helping to install pipework)
• installing kitchens or bathrooms (though I will do the plumbing work if someone else is doing the tiling, carpentry, fitting units etc.)
• work on unvented hot water cylinders (e.g. "Megaflo" units). These require a particular qualification I do not have.
• work on oil-fired or LPG (bottled or "Calor" gas) systems. These also require qualifications I do not have.
• installing or working on:
  • Agas, Rayburns and ranges of the type that provide hot water and even central heating
  • gas tumble dryers
  • gas-fired warm-air central heating systems
  (these all require specific gas-appliance qualifications I don't have: I can work on other parts of systems containing these appliances but I am not allowed to work on the appliances themselves, even to do a Landlord's Gas Safety Inspection).
• installing or working on flueless gas fires (the sort that don't go in a fireplace or have a flue through a wall to outside). Although I am qualified to do so I have reservations about the safety and efficiency of these appliances.
• installing solar water heating (there are usually better ways of improving energy consumption for the same amount of money).
• dealing with blockages and other problems in main drains underground (I don't have the equipment which specialist drain-cleaning firms have for this).

Electrics

I am also qualified to do a limited range of Electrical work. I generally only do electrical work connected to Plumbing and Heating jobs, so that I can offer a complete service for work such as fitting shower pumps, immersion heaters, central heating controls, dual-fuel cookers or gas hobs + electric ovens, etc. Sometimes I do minor electrical works such as changing socket outlets, adding sockets to a circuit, changing light fittings etc.

For purely electrical jobs, and for more extensive work such as rewiring, replacing a consumer unit, wiring up an extension, Periodic Electrical Inspections etc, I can recommend electricians such as Red Kite Electrical.

Odd jobs

In addition to the above I do various other 'handyman'-type jobs if the need arises. These may include small areas of tiling, some carpentry, painting and so on. Generally I only do this sort of work where it's related to plumbing jobs (e.g. making good when installing a shower or boiler) or for landlords where something needs doing at a property I'm doing plumbing/heating work at anyway.

I do domestic work: that's in people's houses. Sometimes I work in small shops, offices or schools. I don't work on building sites (except extensions to people's houses).

And I work for myself: I'm self-employed, a sole trader, a one-man band!

Where I work

I specialise in Plumbing and Heating rather than driving(!) so I generally work within urban Reading, preferably near the University area where I live. That's not just because it's environmentally unfriendly driving all over the place, but because if it takes me half an hour to get to a job that adds up to an hour out of my day during which I'm working but not getting paid for it. And if I have to go back to adjust a valve or tighten a joint that's weeping slightly or whatever ....