1). For hot water pipes, and central heating pipework always check the joint remains dry once the pipework is hot as it is common for it to be dry when the water is cold yet leak when the water is hot. Hither Green Plumbers know this.

2). One of the best ways of shifting a blockage in pipework is a water vacuum cleaner set to blow. You must ensure all overflows are covered and plugs are full closed. On solvent welded pipe this approach can work well, but its not recommended for push-fit pipework as it can blow the joints of the end of the pipes. Be aware that it does make a mess but is effective.

3). A common scenario is to find a plastic fitting, with a plastic thread fitted to copper pipework with a brass nut. The brass nut will slice through the plastic thread very easily and will cause a leak. To stop this occurring always tighten the nut by hand being quite gentle. If the nut is hard to turn your probably ‘threading the joint’ i.e. the brass is carving its own route through the plastic rather than following the thread. If so, undo the nut, check the pipe is going straight into the fitting and not at an angle, check for damage and start again. If possible try and have the fitting itself quite loose so that you can be certain that the pipe and fitting are aligned perfectly, this cant be done with taps but is the best approach with ball valves. A Hither Green Plumber can remove paint.

4). Removing paint from copper pipes is quite a hard job but essential if you want leak free pipework. Open a set of pump pliers and gently grip the pipe and start to turn the pliers back and forth and this usually causes the paint to flake off.
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