Archive for November, 2009
Extractor Fans Always Advised For Ventilation!
Whenever a shower is installed it is always advisable to fit an extractor fan to remove excessive water vapour and condensation. This is especially important in rooms without windows or en-suites where the moisture-laden air may cause discomfort if not removed.
Effective ventilation is now a primary consideration in the design and construction of all buildings. Greater use of sealed heating systems, double glazing, and increased insulation combined with the moisture created in kitchens and bathrooms, makes efficient ventilation a high priority.
An experienced and qualified plumber will need to assess correct extraction rates, the power and correct placement of the extractor, establish the source of return air, take into account energy saving issues and the correct choice of ducting through which air must flow efficiently. City & Guilds NVQ Plumbing training through the different levels at AbleSkills will provide the approved knowledge and practical training qualifications designed to handle all types of daily domestic plumbing issues.
One of the main problems that can reduce the efficiency of an extractor fan is poor placement. A fan should be installed in the furthest window wall or ceiling from the main air inlet point and at a high level. This will ensure maximum airflow of fresh air throughout the whole room. Internal grilles in the door, ceiling or wall will provide sufficient replacement fresh air.
Most bathrooms will be fitted with a through the wall extractor but a shower enclosure, or a shower in a confined space e.g. basement will require an in-line extractor which can extract the moist air over a longer distance.
The extractor fan can be turned on via a pull cord, which must be beyond the reach of anyone using the shower, a humidistat which automatically turns on when needed or a switch connected to the lights. The latter is usually used in rooms with no windows and is a building regulation requirement. IEE regulations require mains voltage fans to be positioned out of arms reach of the person using the bath or shower. Mains voltage fans and controls should also be sited away from potential water spray.
If installing a fan in a room containing a fuel-burning device, which has a non-balanced flue, there must be sufficient replacement air to prevent fumes being drawn down the flue when the fan is on maximum extract. Exhaust air must not be discharged into a flue used for exhausting fumes from appliances supplied with energy other than electricity.
Do not site fans where temperatures are likely to exceed 50°C, or above a cooker hob or eye-level grille. Wiring should be carried out in accordance with current IEE Regulations (UK). Ensure that the instructions provided are followed during installation, with particular care taken to check the supply voltage, fuse rating and wiring are correct.
What to Do If The Christmas Lights Go Out!
The annual ritual of getting the Christmas lights to work! You might even feel that you would need to take an electrical training course to just get them all working properly ! And to stay on for Christmas Day! Luckily, you don’t have to go to all the trouble of taking City & Guilds NVQ with Part P on this occasion, but it is one of the rare instances! Regulations are very strictly defined as to what you can and cannot do with electrics around the home, especially when it comes to house rewiring and installation. Short weekend courses are always available for all those who would like to take their knowledge further.
So what to do when the lights suddenly go out?
Check the Individual Light Bulbs : You should have already done this at the very start. Often the cause of the problem may simply be that one or more bulbs are loose in their sockets, a bulb could have fallen out completely or a bulb wire bent to the side so it isn’t making contact. Usually, you should have some replacement bulbs that came with the lights if recently purchased. More likely, this won’t be the case – so you really do need to check earlier and don’t leave till a problem occurs and you won’t be able to purchase replacement bulbs or new lights.
Check the Fuses in the Christmas Lights : It may be as simple as a fuse blowing within the light set itself. Located within the plug should be a couple of fuses. They are hidden behind a sliding door that is clearly marked. Simply unplug the lights and slide the cover to expose the fuses. Remove the fuses and check them with an ohm meter. If there is no resistance, they are good, but if there is infinite resistance, they are faulty and should be replaced.
Check the Circuit Breaker or Fuse Feeding the Circuit: Go to the fuse box /electrical panel and check to see if any circuit breakers are tripped or fuses blown. Use a circuit tester to see if the outlet that the lights are plugged into is hot. If not and the circuit is on, turn the circuit off, remove the outlet, and check the connections to the outlet.
When lights go out in domestic household, it is invariably a problem of ‘loose’ or lack of connection or a temporary circuit overload due to plugging in a device that draws more supply than the ring circuit is rated to supply. Incorrect 3-pin power plug wiring must always be suspected and checked - bare wires touching cause shorts, or worse! If a plug fuse has blown, it’s not always obvious, so replace with identical rated and known working fuse( pre checked in another appliance or with a circuit tester).
Consumer Confusion Over Gas Safe Replacing CORGI!
Maybe it’s because many Gas and Boiler Fitter Engineer vans still have the CORGI logo firmly stuck to their doors that householders are still unaware or confused by the changeover that happened earlier this year. From April, CORGI was replaced by Gas Safe Register as the official gas safety body for Great Britain. The public had become used to looking out for the logo as the Gas industry’s assurance of official approval and may of found it odd or mistrusted being shown a Gas Safe Registration card when a gas repairman or installer knocked on their door.
The Gas Safe register was put into place to protect consumers from unsafe gas work by reporting of notifiable gas work, managing inspection and enforcement and providing technical support and standards updates to registered engineers.
By law, only Gas Safe registered engineers should now carry out any work on gas appliances. All previous CORGI registered engineers should have registered with Gas Safe and have an ID card, with their photograph, name and business details. On the back of the card will be a list of the types of work that they are competent to carry out and no other.
Previously, with the CORGI scheme, the official card did not state which types of installation and repair work had been officially approved, and a CORGI card carrying engineer who may only be certificated to carry out one or two specified gas installations or repairs could still undertake a job that he was not actually qualified to attempt. The Gas Safe card was introduced to close the loophole.
ACS, NVQ and SVQ qualifications will still be valid. Providing that qualifications are current and recognised as valid under the CORGI scheme, they will be recognised as valid under the Gas Safe Register. For engineers with current and valid qualifications, there will be no requirement to retrain or re-sit examinations. If you have experience in the gas industry or related fields you may be able to follow the Nationally Accredited Certification Scheme (ACS) route to registration. This will allow you to gain certificates of competence that are accepted by Gas Safe Register.
Able Skills is an approved CITB training provider for those seriously wishing to gain entry to the Gas Industry, with Gas courses available for New Entrants, Initial Assessment, Re-Assessment and even over the Weekend.
What To Do When Returning To A Flooded Home
Once again, torrential weather and severe flooding is in the news with many homes subject to catastrophic water damage. Returning home to deal with the big clear up still has many hidden dangers that have to be thought out before entering the house. Think logically through a check list that draws on both some basic common sense plumbing and electrical procedures.
Check the house exterior by doing a visual walk around of your home to see if there are any downed power lines, or electrical connections that may be in contact with the water. Smell for any gas in the air as often there may be a gas leak and if you find either of these problems, call the correct utility company. If water is still around the house, check to see if the outside walls have cracked or giving way because of the water pressure being exerted on them. If there’s water still around, don’t enter the home, There’s always a chance that the walls could give way and the house could collapse around you. Be cautious around porches and overhangs. These areas may have weakened during a flood and could give way or collapse.
Disconnect the electrical and gas supplies to lessen the chance of fire, explosion or electrocution. Even if the power is out or the power supply has been disconnected from the power pole by the utility company, your electrical fuse or breaker panel’s main fuse or breaker may still be on. In this case, at any time during the day, the utility company could come back and turn the power on to your home. You may not be aware that they’ve turned the power back on and your panel is now live, subjecting you to potential shock hazards.
If the only way to disconnect the gas and power is inside the home and there’s water where you have to shut them off, don’t enter the home to do so until you can safely enter the home and the water has been removed.
Before you enter a home that has been flooded, be sure to have the proper clothing, footwear, and safety items that may be needed.
Boots : wear waterproof rubber boots or waders with hard soles. If you’re walking in muddy, water-coated floors and basements, there are likely sharp objects that you could step on.
Dust Mask : wear a mask over your mouth and nose to protect your lungs from pollutants and disease.
Gloves: wear preferably rubber gloves to handle anything in flooded areas. Materials may be a health hazard due to sewage, chemicals, and oil in the water.
Hard Hats and Protective Clothing: Loose and crumbling ceilings, falling debris, and trapped water are potential hazards to your head and body when entering a flooded home.
You are will need a First Aid Kit, Flashlight, A Dry Wooden stick ( to turn off electrical breakers, unplug cords) and cleaning supplies.
After flood waters have receded and there’s no water pressure on the walls, you can slowly pump the water, being careful not to pump it out too fast. Remember, the ground is still saturated with water and removing the internal resistant pressure on the walls may cause them to give way. Lower the water level over a period of a few days, reducing it a few feet at a time. With the power off, carefully spray the house down with water to remove a majority of the mud and muck from your home. Use disinfectant cleaners to wash walls and floors down.
Sump pump pits often fill up with mud and debris and must be cleaned up from time to time, especially following a flood.
It is important to open up the bottom of flooded walls and remove all wet material from them. Turn on fans and dehumidifiers as soon as possible to dry the home. Deadly mold can form quickly in warm and moist areas in the home. Get wet carpeting and padding out of the home as soon as possible. Get garbage, effected clothing, etc. out of the home and clear the floor space in rooms and closets. Open the windows to let the house breath. By getting the home dried out quickly, you’ll be on your way to cleaning and repairing it.
By using a pump sprayer and bleach water, you can effectively clean your home and make it sterile. The recommended mixture of water to bleach is ten to one. The water will soak into the wood and any mould will come out to the surface of the wood to be killed by the bleach.
Basic plumbing tips when considering installing radiators.
If you are considering installing a new radiator system or think you wish to add or resite radiator units, then obviously, a little knowledge goes a long way! It saves time and money to know some of the correct procedures and why certain siting decisions are made. This will apply if you engage the services of a plumber or - if you are in the process of undertaking a plumbing training course - decide you want to install a system yourself, once trained and qualified.
A first task is to select a radiator with the correct output. It is important to be aware that the radiator outputs listed in the manufacturers brochures are derived from tested outputs obtained under specific test conditions. Therefore, outputs may vary depending on the installation and heating design requirements of the room or rooms under consideration. Calculations will be necessary to accurately size a radiator for the supply of enough heat output to satisfy individual comfort conditions.
Locating radiators beneath windows is recommended to reduce cold down drafts. Curtain lengths - which could adversely affect the distribution of heat when closed - should be considered. Siting radiators at the entrances to a property is particularly important to offset cold air entering the building but take note of any reduced accessibility affecting the safety of the occupants, especially the young and infirm.
Part of a City & Guilds Plumbing NVQ 6129 Level 2 course for trainee plumbers will deal also with the many problems of corrosion.
Corrosion takes place to a greater or lesser extent in all domestic central heating systems. Just how severe it is will depend on many factors including the types of metal in the system, the degree to which air can be drawn into the system and the nature of the supply water. Even the quality of the installation work can have an effect.
On completion of the installation the system should be properly flushed and filled in accordance with the British Standard. This will remove flux residues and installation debris, which might promote corrosion and damage within the system. If it is decided to apply a corrosion inhibitor to maximise the working life of the system, it should be applied in accordance with the manufacturers instructions and should be suitable for the particular metals within the system.
Additional pointers and installation tips to look out for are :
Pressure testing: Radiators should be high pressure tested to perform at a maximum working pressure and temperature.
Brackets : deep hanging slots and equidistant lug positions ensure greater stability. Plastic inserts designed to seat the radiator precisely, are essential to minimise expansion and contraction noises.
Warranty : A manufacturers warranty of at least 5 years should be obtained. Check that the radiator is date stamped to provide clear date evidence. Some manufacturers rely on paper inserts which need to be retained by the installer.
British Standards: Radiators sold in the UK have to conform and have outputs verified to BS EN442, the European standard for radiators. All radiator literature needs to display BS EN442 compliance as this enables specifiers to show compliance with the European construction products directive.
Paint: Two coat, powder paint finish is more scratch resistant than traditional paint or resin finishes.. No further painting is required and the finish remains white and does not discolour.
How Do You Know If A Skills Training Centre Is Any Good?
Skills training centres seem to be popping up everywhere these days! Government encouragement of training initiatives for huge construction programmes like the 2012 Olympics - have been a catalyst for new building training centres appearing around the country. Five minutes on the internet and you can come up with a long list of training providers, all appearing to offer the same courses in obtaining trade skill qualifications, i.e. plumbing, electrical, gas, carpentry, etc.
But judging by the feedback on trade forums, the experience for many applicants has been negative and accusations of ‘ripoff’ fly around with alarming frequency!
So how do you work out the industry’s genuine, high quality training providers from the rest?
You have to do your homework! You must be prepared to spend time to conduct research by first finding out all about the course/s you wish to take then ask the right questions and see what answers you get! Ask if you can go and take look at the training facilities and speak with as many people as possible, including the tutors and especially the students currently on the course – find out directly what their experience has been!
The very first thing you can do is check their website!
- Many offer their own certificated diplomas but do they run approved City & Guilds NVQ qualification training as well?
- Check for accreditation from recognised national trade bodies in the relevant skills sectors.
- Are the site pics genuine, or are they poor quality, low res and look as though they have been taken from elsewhere?
- Generally, is the website trying to be open and transparent, offering as much information as possible about each course?
- How many training staff and are their pics and biographies available to check for approved training status?
- Do they have a feedback forum, and blog ? When was the last posting?
- How up-to-date is all the content? Does the site look regularly attended?
In other words, do you think they have proper training facilities?
You must give them a telephone call to fully satisfy yourself with regards the following:
• How long have they been around ? How do they reply to this and how much information do they tell you and how are their claims backed up?
• Is there dedicated space and equipment for each of the training subjects?
• Do the training staff possess genuine approved, recognised and accredited qualifications and credentials ? Have they substantial industry working experience ? Both the training provider as a company and all of its instructors and trainers must be fully certificated from established regulated bodies.
• How open and flexible do they appear to be ? Can you train both at home and at their premises? Is there an extensive choice of options that allow you to study and train in your own time and at your own pace? In addition to tuition, what other training aids do you get, to help with thoroughly understanding what needs to be learnt ?
• Can they offer you proper career progression through a schedule of approved City & Guilds training programmes?
• Are there Green Energy training courses in the new renewable technologies?
Even if you are just seeking to take a course, say in kitchen fitting, you need to know that the quality of training will be identical. The key is the final authorised assessments and examinations that are set in place for you to be sure you are properly trained to confidently do the work. You must ask if they are a fully accredited NVQ Assessment centre with approval to deliver qualification training from the City & Guilds, Construction Awards Alliance.
At the end of the day - you need to know what you are getting for the money? And can you be provided with options for a flexible payment plan ? Can they offer funding to help pay for the courses?
Surface finish – preparation is everything!
We’ve all done a bit of painting n’ decorating! How professional a finish can you get? Manufacturer’s are forever claiming their latest ‘one coat’ paint treatments and easy sponge or spray applicators can you save you time and money and still give you a great finish with the minimum of effort. Of course, we would like this to be true but we know there is really no substitute for rolling up your sleeves and being prepared for painstaking, patient and careful work!
AbleSkills offer decorating courses to cover everyone’s needs, level of experience and ability! Whether you fancy a weekend primer, a basic decorating Diploma to a 10 day or 6 week City & Guilds NVQ.
If you’re fed up with just bare painted walls and want to cover up with the latest funky pattern, AbleSkills even offer a dedicated wallpapering course too!
Remember – preparation and patience is everything if you want to achieving the best possible finish!
Here are a few troubleshooting basics to give you an idea of how you should approach preparation to a decorating project:
Filler : Apply too much - it makes your job harder! After applying filler, smooth with a damp sponge or wet brush to remove the stark edges. Some powder fillers (e.g. polyfilla) and most ready-mixed fillers dry very hard so apply as smoothly as possible.
If there are deep holes, filler will most likely sink below the surface. It may be necessary to fill two or three times allowing the filler to dry in between. Different fillers sink to various degrees depending on the depth to be filled. Many fillers claim on the packet that they do not shrink or crack; you should always work on the assumption that they will! AbleSkills run a patch plastering course just to help you become aware of these various problems and how to successfully deal with them.
Ceiling stained by cigarette smoke : This will show through normal emulsion/latex so the ceiling has to be sealed before painting. The stain, if very heavy, should be washed off with soap and water and then dried before a sealer is applied. Remember that the nicotine in the stain is toxic so wear protective gloves and goggles to protect your eyes.
Greasy kitchen ceiling and walls : Will need to be washed down thoroughly with sugar-soap and rinsed off and left to dry before applying any coatings. Sugar-soap is caustic so proper protective clothing must be worn to protect hands and eyes.
Efflorescence: A powdery residue coming out of stonework onto the painted surface. Encrusted soluble salts, commonly white, are deposited on the surface of coatings, stone, brick, plaster, or mortar. Usually caused by salts bleaching through from mortar or adjacent concrete as moisture moves through it. Scrape off all the loose material and before you do any filling, seal the affected area completely with an alkali-resisting primer.
Condensation – how to keep it down!
You probably noticed – Winter’s here! And keeping heat in and the cold out becomes a daily concern. So could the appearance of condensation as warm air meets a cool surface!
Condensation is formed when warm moist air, produced by everyday activities such as cooking and bathing, comes into contact with a cold surface. Like an invisible bubble of water, it moves around your home until it either goes outside through an air vent or window, or hits a cold surface where it bursts as condensation.
It can happen in many areas of your home, for example :
• On windows where moisture droplets will form.
• Around window frames where black mould will grow.
• On outside walls where black mould will grow.
• On all cold surfaces - even furniture and clothes - as it does not discriminate.
To combat condensation you need to attend to the following:
(i) Heating - cold areas in your home should be avoided, as these are where condensation can occur, so whole home heating is best. Heating systems and controls should be used efficiently. This will save you money, and make you more comfortable.
(ii) Insulation – a task for the Summer but still never too late! A loft should be insulated when you have one. This will cut heating bills, and keep your home warmer for longer. Windows, external doors and kitchen and bathroom doors should be draught proofed. This stops draughts, which make your home cold, and prevents moisture escaping elsewhere in the home. Walls can be insulated by filling the cavity with insulation material, or by dry lining with insulation board to warm up cold surfaces. Double-glazing can be fitted - but there must still be adequate ventilation of the room.
(iii) Ventilation - extractor fans fitted in the kitchen and bathroom will automatically get rid of moisture where it is produced. Windows opened during cooking or after a bath will let out moisture, but remember to close them again. Draught-free, permanent vents in all rooms should be provided to let out moisture. Remember - blocking up air-bricks, flues or ventilators can be dangerous if you use certain types of heaters.
Keep moisture in the atmosphere to a minimum by avoiding the use portable gas and paraffin heaters. Open windows in the kitchen and bathroom, or use extractor fans if you have them when you are cooking or having a bath or shower. Remember to close them afterwards.
Keep kitchen and bathroom doors closed to stop moisture moving around your home. Draught-proofing these doors will also help. Don’t block vents or flues, as this can be dangerous. Covering boiling pans also helps and saves energy too.
Don’t dry clothes indoors if at all possible. If you have to, open the window and close the door to the room. This also applies to cloths or towels used to mop-up moisture from windows. If you dry them indoors, the moisture is just re-circulated in your home. If you have a tumble-dryer, make sure it is vented to the outside if it is designed to be.
Keep radiators clear of furniture and other obstructions. This will make sure that the maximum amount of heat gets into the room, and allows air to circulate more easily. This is also a wise safety precaution.
You can find about more about how to deal with heating, insulation and the behaviour of both air and water on short plumbing courses over a weekend or longer.
Christmas Lighting – check yours now before blowing everybody’s fuse!
A little electrical DIY knowledge is always useful to acquire and apply when assessing or carrying out simple domestic electrical tasks. We’re getting close to that time of year once again and thoughts should be turning to digging out your Christmas lights buried at the bottom of a box full of crumpled decorations, last years’s crackers and New Year party poppers – somewhere up in the loft!
Defective Christmas lighting is a cause of electrical accidents and serious house fires each year, and in recent years there has been an increase in reported accidents to UK Trading Standards for Christmas lighting products resulting, in some cases, public recall notices by major high street retailers.
There are too many occasions when accompanying product instructions are inadequate or you haven’t the time to concentrate on help manuals! Electrical courses are available at approved training centres for basic multiskills learning all the way through to City & Guilds NVQs for the serious student.
An independent product testing company were commissioned to provide a report covering the selection and testing of several Christmas lighting products for indoor use. Eight lighting products were selected in total and were sourced from high street retailers (including lighting chains from so called ‘discount’ or ‘pound’ stores) and the internet.
Each lighting product was assessed for compliance against the general safety provisions of the relevant safety standards. Essentially, lighting products must be safe AND must have CE marking (which represents the manufacturer’s declaration that the product is safe).
(i) Standard marking departures were found on two of the products.
(ii) The remaining six products passed all the laboratory testing with no defects being noted.
Although not an immediate shock or fire hazard, the problems identified with markings on two of the products included:
• Incorrect symbol (for electrical safety) printed on the product label, the packaging label and user instructions.
• Safety information not given to warn the user :
- not to connect a chain to the electricity supply while it is still in the packing material.
- replacement lamps must be of the same type or of a type as specified by the manufacturer.
- that ‘lamps are not replaceable’ for lighting chains provided with non-replaceable lamps.
There are available a new types of chain decoration which incorporates an innovative safety device (a ‘chip’) in each lamp holder. This enables a chain to remain illuminated when any of the lamps are loose, broken or missing. The ‘chip’ keeps lamp voltages within their correct operating limits, so preventing overheating and failure of the remaining illuminated lamps.
Microgeneration takes macro step as Green Energy Bill gets all-parliamentary approval!
After five years of relentless campaigning by the Micropower Council, a major step forward for the Microgeneration sector took place on the 4th November as The Green Energy Bill yesterday cleared all its Parliamentary stages.
The term ‘Microgeneration’ is broadly defined as ‘a range of technologies that domestic users can use to produce heat or power from renewable or low carbon sources’ – the next step forward for householders concerned to take energy efficiency measures beyond basic home insulation.
The Bill will require the government to conduct a detailed overhaul of Microgeneration policy in the UK, as well as allowing air source heat pumps (and small micro-wind turbines) to be installed in the majority of domestic dwellings without planning permission.
AbleSkills has been an active participant in supporting the Government initiative and leading the way for Green Energy training. Knowledge learning and practical training in energy assessment and solar energy courses, installation of renewable technology appliances such as ground source heat pumps can all be undertaken at their new extended and dedicated training environments.
Key points of the Green Bill :
• Define green energy to include microgeneration.
• Secure a viable long term energy supply to alleviate fuel poverty.
• Require the government within 12 months to publish a new Microgeneration Strategy.
• Require the government by law to removing the need for certified installations of air source heat pumps and micro-wind turbines below a certain size and noise level to take place in or on domestic premises without planning permission.
Microgeneration - which is aimed at being made universally accessible - will help to create green jobs, engage citizens in their use of energy, enhance reliability of energy supply and cut harmful emissions of greenhouse gases.
