Fluid Heating (@fluidheating)

We’ve been bashing out boilers for ages but we’d never used a flue snug, till today. So it was quite exciting. The side return of the house was around 1m wide so there was no way we were going up there on a ladder. It was proper easy. Especially when you get your mate to do all of it. We cemented it internally Kisses 😘 @CountrysidePlumberGuy #plumbing #plumber #flue #fluesnug #loft #pov #essex #loughton #boiler #boilerinstallation #tip #ladders #workingatheights

Thanks all! 2000+ followers. Well chuffed. I made a copper 2000 to celebrate. Check it out #2000 #2000followers #followers #thanks #thankyou #copper #bendingcopper #properincopper #bending #pipes #copperpipes #soldering #plumber #plumbers #plumbersoftiktok

I’m doing it cause I can…seeing if I can make a warm spot under the floor with unnecessary pipework. Why not? It’s my gaff I’ll do what I like. #plumbing #copper #experiment #warmspot #coppercoil #coil #bendingcopper #properincopper #plumbersoftiktok

This is something I made up to help me pressure test pipework. Who knows, maybe they exist already but I made mine. If you ask nicely I’ll tell you where I got it all from #pressuretest #diy #pipework #pump

I like to top up inhibitor during a service. Some filters are really useful for dosing. Some others, not so much. Experience has told me not to mess around removing them cause you’ll end up having to change washers etc. All I want to do is make some room for the inhibitor, and there’s no better way than a bit of good old fashion fluid displacement. Anyway. I hope this helps someone. Somewhere #displacement #plumbing #pov #tip #plumbingtip

There’s a million ways to get water out of a pipe…and frankly most of them are too much faff for me. I’ve always got a pen in my pocket and this low effort method works a treat. #eureka #hack #toptip #plumbing #thepenismightier

I think it’s important to do a job that suits your personality. Also one that helps you sleep at night. I’m a bit jealous of the office bods cause they obviously don’t mind sitting still and looking at a screen. Or going to meetings and emailing people about blah blah blah. But I can’t do it. Its depressing. I do like chatting to customers. Getting to know them. Popping in. Seeing how they’re going. Peoples lives develop and change and you get to see it. It’s really quite nice. #local #plumber #loughton #waffle

I don’t need to lie to people about work. But I felt like I had to this time. I’ve had this customer for years and see her reasonably regularity. She’s not been very well recently and has been diagnosed with dementia. I got a call from her friend asking if I could repair her fire. I said yes…but after I thought about it, I thought that it wouldn’t be safe her for So I lied. I told her it was broken. Gas engineers get to work out in the community. We make safety decisions about appliances. But this time I didn’t think it would be ok to repair it. I’m not sure if I make the right decision. Maybe I didn’t? #gasengineer #dimentia #pov #dilemma #screwfix

I’ve been coming to this house for over a decade and it’s been like this the entire time. Whoever fitted it deserves a high five. My guess is it must be really old and is hanging off old imperial pipework. I don’t think the modern 15mm would be able to handle that. Every time I come here I give it a wobble. It’s my highlight of the day. #plumbing #radiator #ruderad #imperial #copperpipe

It’s ok! It’s fine! There’s a roof space behind that wall. Sure the house might fall down but that’s why we have insurance right?! Also it’s my house so I’ll sue myself if it all goes wrong. These are recessed bath taps and they’re pretty deep. Hence the chase. I suppose I could have built a timber frame for them but I didn’t want to. Also they’re @crosswater_uk #taps #plumbing #bathroom #chasing #workingtheweekend

Plumbing keeps you fit the same way drinking beer keeps you hydrated. Sure you’re moving around burning calories, but you’re also bent over, covered in crap, lifting stuff, hitting yourself and knackering yourself out. #plumbing #tradelife #keepfit #exercise #badlifedecisions

You ever get this? What really bugs me about this is you sound like a liar….and I’m not! You’re there trying to help them out. Then suddenly you’re landed with “you must have broken it” Luckily this time the customer is a totally reasonable person but I can’t get over the fact that must sound like I’m trying to get away with something. Even though what I did couldn’t possible have caused the issue. #plumbing #tradelife #lying #itwasntme

It’s a sad day when you can’t rely on your water supply to flush your bogs. Around my gaff there’s been a few incidents of the water being cut off for days at a time. Luckily it hasn’t affected me much. But it has for most of the people I know. So having a weird little wasted space down the side of my house, I thought I could stick a could have additional water butts down there. So I did. I have an old salamander shower pump and I connect that to my butt to water the garden. And now I’ve got a couple of hundred litres more! So if we have another drought like we did this summer my courgettes may just make it. Now I’ve just got to wait for it to rain to see if they work. #rainwaterharvesting #watersaver #gardening #plumbing #dıy

Sometimes you find yourself in an awkward spot and you can’t get your slice in. I’ve had to multitool copper occasionally. Which usually leaves the pipe a bit, “not round”. Usually I file it a bit, but to get it back to prime roundness I use this little trick. #pipework #apprentice #tip #plumbingtips #plumbing

I don’t know what it is about the UK. It’s either way too hot or raining, or cold. It’s rarely just right. My heating is never off. It runs off the rooms stat. So if it gets a teeny bit chilly it’ll click on. For all the heating nerds it does run using weather comp and opentherm so it was only a teeny weeny bit of heat. Is this the start of silly season? #confession #heating #plumber #plumbing #dıy

Ok ok…this is the sort of stuff I think about when I’m driving around. I collect rain water in a butt. I’m actually about to enhance my butt storage due to all the lack of rain we’ve been having. …and if I had a loft that I wasn’t using for much I’d definitely consider this. Basically it’s about collecting rain water. Really simply. Using gravity. Straight off the roof in to a storage tank. Allow for excess rain, allow an overflow. Stick in a gauze or filter to keep leaves out. Pop on a ballcock so it’ll stay topped up even if there is no rain. Even stick in a drain off so it can be cleaned. Now we’re flushing with grey water. And who cares right? I don’t need my wee wee water to be drinkable. Especially at 6 litres a pop. I might even try and rig something up like this if I get bored #plumbing #intrusivethoughts #water #conservation

It’s too secret. But I can’t keep it any longer. This is how I learned all my plumbing skills #plumbing #plumber #skills #jesus

Plumbing and Heating engineers are the elite tradesmen. Hands down. Nothing comes close to the depth and breadth of the stuff we have to get involved in. We fit it, we maintain it, we fix it. Bathrooms, boilers, electrics, flues. We go in basements. Dig holes. Go on roofs. Handle electrics. Mess with carpentry. Run calculations, do heat losses, pump sizing. Oh, and we do plumbing too We’re the top gun. The big daddy. #plumbing #engineer #trades

I saved up my Vaillant “MyReward” Points and treated myself to a nice new SDS drill. If you’re bovved it’s a DeWalt DCH333N 54V. It’s a beast. I have a dedicated 240v core drill but I so sometimes use my SDS. I know I shouldn’t. And that’s probably why my old one died Anywho it’s good that companies reward you for a bit of loyalty. Vaillant are top banana in terms of boiler manufacturer. So it’s easy to rack up rewards. #vaillant #myrewards #boiler #tools

I think about this all the time. There’s a millions l off cuts of copper pipe. And there’s millions of plumbers out there cutting lengths. There’s thousands of incorrect bends. And there’s thousands of plumbers that need that exact bend. It’s probably the same with tiling and carpentry. You know what I think about it…there’s probably loads of examples. The gods of plumbing are cruel #pipework #plumbing #jokes #tradelife

Yeah so this isn’t how it’s done. Never mind. #soldering #pipework #badplumbing

I shouldn’t be telling you all this because this is how we earn our living. Every year as soon as winter kicks off things get busy. Really busy! Sensors block, diverters stick, pumps seize…. Stuff breaks! It goes silly. It’s silly season!!! The amount of times I can’t get to my own customers because I’m so booked up…and they end up using anyone who’s available. And sometimes a little preventative maintenance is all it needed. I can’t sit on the sofa all evening then go for a 10k run. And your heating system sometimes struggles too. So keep it busy…keep it limbered up. If something doesn’t work, then now is the time to book the top engineers before they’re too busy. Yes I know it’s mad. Who puts the heating on it winter. I do! But just for a bit #toptip #heating #boiler #diy #plumber

I 100% do enjoy wiring. If it’s off it’s off…but of snipping…bit of doing up. Easy isn’t it. Live in there, switch live out…maybe a common. Let’s all share an earth! After doing plumbing it’s a bloody dream. I haven’t even injured myself I don’t really listen to Enya though #sparkylife #electrics #wiring #diy

It’s pretty cool what a bit of old cardboard can do. Mess about with it. Get the shape of the thing you want to cut then transfer it on to the wood. Works a treat. I didn’t have to adjust it at all. Honest. It went in first time. Honest. #plumbing #template #dıyarbakır

There’s been massive mains water leaks where I live in #essex People have been without water for days. In my local area we’re slightly luckier - it’s only been 1 day I offered on local Facebook groups to help out with water and buckets for loos. But this morning I went to my local (and favourite) plumbing merchants. The chap there can’t leave the shop…so I filled up a massive bucket for him. It’s not much but at least he can use the loo. I think in times like this we should help out where we can. #loughton #water #thameswater @ox_tools @flowdirectplumbing

I’ve heard tale Rothenberger’s customer service. But blow me down and right back up again. They’re something else. Huge thanks to @Paul Sunderland & @Rothenberger UK I’ve been using these blow torches since I started plumbing. I have tried others and to be honest, they all broke. The superfire 2 lasted me years but I wanted an upgrade. I’ve loved the superfire pro and always thought I’d try the precision nozzle one day. Well today is the day! I’m absolutely made up. Thanks again Paul #rothenburger #blowtorch #soldering #plumbing #plumber

Why on earth would you burn a hole in a plastic lid? I think, if you know, you know. Answer on a postcard please! #plumber #plumbing #diy #hack #tipoftheday

Plastic pipework…what’s the score? What we saying? I do use it when I absolutely need to. But I’d always go for copper for preference. I find that most genuine pipe leaks are form plastic. Mice bite through them. Fittings pop off. Stuff occurs! You know, some people might love it? Who are you and why?! Tell me!!! #plasticpipe #properincopper #copperpipe #plumbing #pov

It’s quite possible that I’m just clumsy but I get burnt a lot by my blow torch. It’s almost like it’s self aware…like it wants me to know it’s still there. Either that or I’m delirious. You decide #soldering #burn #plumbing #copperpipe #plumber

Trade work is hard work. Mentally and physically. I can’t count the amount of times I get up and down off the floor every day. Let alone all the weird positions, bangs, scrapes, knocks, cuts and burns. You’ve got to pick your battles in life and I’d rather a physically demanding job than one that damages my soul. Dirty hands, clean money as they say #tradelife #workwithyourhands #plumbing #plumber #bluecollarlife