Month: October 2019

So it’s Halloween, All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints Eve, Day of the Dead or Fright Night; whatever you call it make sure the only scary thing lurking around your home is the endless stream of trick or treaters.

What to Look Out For

Now we don’t want to frighten you but there’s a sinister silent killer lurking, one that no-one is safe from, you can’t see, smell or taste it and it goes by the name of Carbon Monoxide otherwise known as CO. We have covered a blog about the dangers of carbon monoxide previously, however it is something that is important to us and we really want to raise awareness of. This blog also covers what other haunts to look for throughout your home to keep you safe!

Dangers of Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide can strike quickly and without warning so it is important to be aware of the symptoms of CO poisoning: 

Headache

Breathlessness

Nausea

Dizziness

Loss of consciousness

Collapse

There are warning signs to look out for, if you see any or all of these, it’s time to act:

Lazy yellow flames on your gas appliances

Sooty stains on or around your boiler

Excess condensation

Turn off the gas supply, open the windows, evacuate the building and phone a
Gas Safe registered heating engineer.

However, don’t give up hope, you CAN protect yourself against its deadly effect this halloween.

Protection Against Carbon Monoxide

We would recommend having your boiler and gas appliances serviced every year by a qualified and Gas Safe Registered engineer, if you live in a rented house or student accommodation (parents take note!) your landlord should arrange this and provide you with a certificate.

For peace of mind, take additional precautions and install a carbon monoxide detector, but make sure it has the British Standard kitemark.

Other Things to Look Out For

There are many other gas and plumbing horrors to look out for throughout your home! These include:

Leaks or drips from the boiler

Boiler making gurgling or banging noises

Leaks or drips, particularly near to electrical fittings

Water bubbling up from sinks and toilets

As well as many more. If you have any questions on any horrors, our team are available to assist you further!

Please take time to watch the video below – it really hits home how serious this can be!

Thanks,

The DTS Plumbing and Heating Team

http://www.facebook.com/dtsplumbingandheating

Shannon and Dale are no strangers to the plumbing industry, both having had close family members who were also in the trade. This blog will give a bit of an insight into the plumbers of the family, many of them having an impact on where DTS Plumbing and Heating is today.

Dale – DTS Plumbing and Heating Founder & Owner

Dale started working in the plumbing world aged just 14. He worked for his uncle, who also has a plumbing business, in the school holidays doing labouring. He then left school and started his plumbing college course and apprenticeship , continuing to work with his uncle Glyn and cousin Ryan.

Dale chose to be a plumber as he enjoyed all aspects of the job and had a particular fascination with tools. His passion for plumbing was due to the fact the industry is always changing so there is always something else to learn. Not only that, he is always seeing different places, meeting new people and no day is the same.

Now that he is the owner of a company, Dales passion is passing on his knowledge and experience on to our apprentices, as well as encouraging them to deliver work to a high standard and make customers their main focus.

Terry – Shannons Grandad and Former Plumber

Terry started off as a plumbers apprentice at a Sheffield building company, Hassall’s, in 1952, when he was just 15. After 6 years of training, he took a break after getting his call up papers for National Service.

Two years later he returned to his trade and for the best part of 37 years thats what he did; with a couple of other jobs along the way when the building industry took a down turn.

Sadly, Terry passed away 6 years ago. So, although Dale was already plumbing, he didn’t get to see them start their own plumbing business; he would, however, be very proud of them both.

Glyn & Ryan – Dales Uncle & Cousin and Gas Engineers

Dale spent most of his teenage years working along side Glyn and Ryan which broadened his knowledge of all things plumbing and heating. They were the main starting block for his passion in the industry, taught him an exceptional amount and still run their successful plumbing company to date. We enjoy the friendly competition and like to help each other out where possible.

Glyn decided he wanted to be a gas engineer from being an early age. It all started when his family had a new gas fire installed and he was amazed that something was built from nothing!

We hope you have enjoyed our insight into our plumbing family history! Visit our website fortnightly, for our new blog!

Thanks.

DTS Plumbing and Heating

http://www.facebook.com/dtsplumbingandheating

There are many questions we get asked on a regular basis. So to help our customers, we have compiled a list of the top 10 questions we get asked. Some are plumbing related, others are company related, but we hope in some way they will help!

Plumbing Related Top Questions

1 – How do I top the pressure up on my boiler?

Switch the boiler off and allow it to cool down. Check that both ends of the filling loop (usually a silver braided hose on the pipework under boiler) are securely attached. Open both valves and allow water into the system. You should be able to hear this as the pressure is rising. Let the pressure gauge reach around 1.5 bar then close both valves, one after the other. If you are needing to do this regularly, there may be a leak on your central heating!

2 – My heating isn’t coming on automatically, what should I do?

Check your thermostat. It may need new batteries causing it not to detect the need to switch the heating on! When switching your heating on, we recommend that it is set between 18 and 21 degrees. This is the most energy efficient temperature.

3 – I have a bad water leak, what shall I do?

Turn off the water at the mains to prevent any further damage. Once the mains water is turned off, look for where the leak originally came from and see if it is possible to isolate the water supply to allow you to turn the water back on. Only turn the water back on if you are certain that the leaking area has been isolated! Once this is done, call a plumber to repair the leak.

4 – My radiator isn’t getting hot. What should I do?

If your radiators have a small amount of heat at the bottom but nothing at the top, it may be that it needs bleeding. This is a straightforward process that requires a bleed key and an old towel to remove any excess air out of the system. However, if there is heat at the top and not at the bottom or none of your radiators are heating up at all there may be a more in-depth problem with your central heating.

5 – I can smell gas. What should I do?

Turn off the gas at the emergency control valve located at the gas meter and open windows and doors in the area. Once this is done, call 0800 111 999 to come and isolate the gas supply. This needs to be done as soon as possible as gas may still bypass the valve on the meter. Then call a Gas Safe Registered engineer to repair the problem.

Company Related Top Questions

6 – What methods of payment do you accept?

We accept debit card, credit card, cash and BACS payments. However, we do not accept cheques. Payment for all jobs are taken on completion and our engineers have card machines with them to make the payment process simple!

7 – Do you offer cover on my plumbing and heating?

Yes. We offer three types of cover. These can be found at https://dtsplumbing.co.uk/boiler-service-plans/ and range from £10 – £25 a month.

8 – Who will be coming to my house?

When booking your appointment, wherever possible we will tell you which engineer will be attending. The engineer will send a text message on their way to your appointment to let you know they are on their way. When they arrive, they will also have DTS Plumbing and Heating ID. All of our engineers are DBS checked to give our customers peace of mind that those entering their house are safe and trustworthy.

9 – Do you offer free quotes?

Yes. However, we do not offer free call outs for boiler breakdowns or boiler diagnostics.

10. Will you need to turn my water off when you attend?

It depends on the job. For most boiler related appointments, we shouldn’t have to turn off the water at the mains. For plumbing appointments, we will try our best to isolate the water from each appliance. However, as a last resort we may need to turn the water off.

Thanks for reading,

The DTS Plumbing and Heating Team!

www.facebook.com/dtsplumbingandheating