Tag Archive for: Shower

Limescale. It’s a villain; taking over our kettles, pipes, taps, shower heads, and it’s tough to clean – the toughest! The hard, chalky deposit (consisting mainly of calcium carbonate), whilst not unsafe in a consumption capacity, will take away hours of your life in a “cleaning it away” capacity – especially in relation to shower heads, where a build-up of limescale can quickly block the flow of water.

So, how do you clean it?

The first cleaning tip to note is that not all showerheads are removable, and cleaning/descaling a fixed shower head is likely to be a touch more difficult than an adjustable one (so remove it before cleaning if you can) but the principles are the same:

  1. Use a sponge/scourer to wipe as away as much debris from the holes as you are able.
  2. Place the shower head in a plastic container and submerge it white vinegar for 30 minutes to an hour, depending how bad the limescale build-up is.
  3. Take the shower head out of the vinegar and rinse it with cool water. Be sure to spray some water inside the handset to help dislodge internal limescale.
  4. Give the shower head a good scrub and remove any remaining limescale with a toothbrush, paying special attention to the nozzle. This shouldn’t be too difficult as most of the surface limescale should have been dislodged, if not removed.
  5. Rinse again with water and rub clean with a soft cloth.
  6. Reattach the shower head to the hose and turn on the shower to flush out any remaining limescale.

(With fixed shower heads, fill a plastic bag filled with vinegar and submerge the head using an elastic band to tie the bag in place.)

How can you maintain this beautiful state of cleanliness? It requires a simple routine:

  1. Keep your shower head dry; after every shower use a small towel to wipe off any surface water.
  2. Clean your shower head once a month – it should simply require a rinse to remove limescale preventing a mega build-up over a long while.

For all your plumbing and installation needs, feel free to contact the team at AACooper on 01689 485007 or info@aacooper.co.uk – we’re happy to help.

Source: Mirashowers.co.uk.

Firstly, what is a wet room, and what happened to a good old fashioned shower? Don’t panic, they still exist and are fabulous but wet rooms are trending, and are a good way to add value to your bathroom and property.

A wet room is a shower but without the shower screen and tray – so, an open shower area, usually demarcated with tiles.

Why might you want one? Other than upping the price you might be able to sell your home for, wet rooms are contemporary and interesting. They work well in a small space, taking up less room than a bath although intentional design is a good idea; to avoid shower water wetting towels and loo rolls. With no screen or tray, wet rooms are easier to clean but do remember that whilst wet rooms have the potential to increase the value of your home, buyers are partial to one bath at least – so think carefully if a wet room is to replace a bath.

If you’re excited about the idea of an open-plan type of shower, it is important to know off the bat that this is a job for professionals, even if you have some experience with home DIY. A gradient will need to be created in your bathroom in order to channel shower water into a drain, and the room will also require waterproofing. This is hard graft and requires expertise and experience for optimum results.

Your qualified tradesman might suggest raising the bathroom door threshold to keep water contained (in the event of drain blockage) and under-floor heating to keep your feet warm as well as dry out the bathroom. The details will be up to you but advice from a professional is your best bet for a beautiful, successful wet room.

Enjoy planning and dare to do something different!

For all your plumbing and installation needs, feel free to contact the team at AACooper on 01689 485007 or info@aacooper.co.uk – we’re happy to help.

Source: Idealhome.co.uk

A new survey by the Water Regulation Advisory Scheme (WRAS) has found that 80 per cent of Brits are guilty of committing at least one water-wasting habit on a regular basis.

Check out the most common water wasting habits in British homes today:

  • Not reusing water when preparing food/cooking (29 per cent) – catching excess water in a bowl to reuse can reduce water wastage by 50 per cent.
  • Taking deeper baths than necessary (26 per cent) – a bath typically uses around 80 litres, but by running a bath just an inch shorter you can save five litres of water, on average.
  • Running the water whilst brushing their teeth, rather than turning off the tap (21.4 per cent) – a running tap wastes approximately six litres per minute.
  • Filling the kettle up to the top rather than the amount needed (21.1 per cent) – a full kettle (approx. 8 cups) will take twice as long to boil and use more electricity.
  • Running water whilst washing their face, rather than filling the sink up (20.8 per cent) – a running tap wastes approximately six litres per minute.

Other bad habits people admit to include having a shower after a bath and using a hose pipe to clean the car, instead of a bucket.

Making an effort to change these habits might seem inconsequential but every little effort to save water counts – not only saving you money but helping the environment by conserving water resources.

As well as changing habits there are other practical things we can do at home to conserve water, like reducing the amount of time you shower, using less water to wash dishes and using bath or dish water to water the plants inside or out. Installing simple devices such as water-efficient taps and showers will also save both water and energy by minimising the use of heated water. An efficient shower head could reduce household bills by up to £120 per year!

For all your plumbing needs, questions or information, feel free to contact the team at AACooper on 01689 485007 or info@aacooper.co.uk.

Sources: Waterwise.org.uk and hvpmag.co.uk

One of the trendiest bathroom design features so far this year is the ‘Push-Button’ shower, which, as the name suggests, allows complete shower controllability at the mere push of button. Yes, really! In fact, a new 2018 report on the UK shower market from MTW Research has found that the digital showers market continues to gain share in spite of the prospect of Brexit, which has, reportedly, had an effect on the UK shower market in general; dampening performance.

The high pressure digital shower market does, however, represent the fastest paced growth sector in 2018. The concealed mixing valve sector is outperforming the general showers market with double digit growth forecast to 2022, complementing the trend toward frameless shower enclosures, low profile trays and the wet room market – all features that would complement a super-swank push button shower in your newly revamped ultra-mod bathroom, right?

This cutting edge technology that enables the functionality of Push-Button showers, enables you to precisely control the flow of the water as well as the temperature, with start/stop activation and on/off flow controls. Depending on the brand or model (single, twin or triple valve) of your shower, you’ll be able to direct water flow from dedicated outlets such as overhead shower, body jets and the hand-held shower.

Again, depending on brand and valve, the shower valves work from as low as 1-bar water pressure and concealed installation maximises space for small or compact bathrooms – perfect for small, inner-city apartments. Shower settings can also be controlled from your smartphone and valves are designed for thermostatic control and safety, performance and durability.

If you’re thinking about a bathroom revamp this year, AACooper will be able to assist with all your plumbing needs. For any questions or information, contact the team on 01689 485007 or info@aacooper.co.uk.

Source: hpmmag.co.uk – “SHOWERING ‘AT THE PUSH OF A BUTTON’”; SHOWER MARKET SHUNS BREXIT BLIP IN 2018

Whether you’re living in a new-build or a Victorian or Edwardian terrace, the key to saving on heating bills is being airtight – as reported by Patrick Collinson in an article for The Guardian. It’s all about keeping the heat in, which might involve stripping a house back to its brickwork if you’re not building from scratch.

Insulation – lots of insulation – is a must for keeping your home airtight, which might involve  heavyweight construction using lots of concrete (a material that helps to iron out hot and cold weather) if you’re planning a new build. The concrete will heat up from the sun and retain the heat for days. A well planned ventilation system will then distribute the heat throughout the house.

When it comes to an existing property, stripping back in an effort to force  a gap between the bricks and the insulation will allow condensation to form outside the envelope of the house rather than inside it. As well as insulating the roof and walls to keep heat in, triple glazing windows and doors is likely to knock some pounds of your energy bill.

Energy-saving initiatives can be costly and only produce savings in the long term but there are ‘quick fix’ solutions that can make a difference now. Here are some ideas:

  • Chimney balloons, which cost a mere £20 and apparently save as much as half a tone of CO2 a year per chimney, as well as providing at the minute insulation.
  • Switch off standby and save around £30 a year.
  • In the kitchen; use a bowl to wash up rather than a running tap and cut energy bills by £30 a year. Only fill the kettle with the amount of water you need and save around £7 a year. Cutback your washing machine use by just one cycle per week and save £5 a year on energy, and a further £8 a year on metered water bills.
  • Have quick showers; one minute less in the shower each day will save around £10 each year per person. With a water meter this could save a further £10 off annual water and sewage bills. If everyone in a four person family did this it would lead to a total saving of £80 a year.
  • Install an energy saving monitor. Theycost around £25 and show you how much power you are using and where your cash is going.
  • Low energy LED lightbulbs cost more than regular bulbs but save in the long run.

For more detail on how to cut down your energy bill, read “A three-bed house with £500 energy bills? How you too can slash your costs” at Theguardian.com.