Frequently asked
questions

solate your gas at the meter, usually mounted at the front corner of the building or dwelling. If critical equipment runs off the supply then use our 24hr service to investigate and remedy cause

This valve is owned by the Local Authority and as such is maintained by them as part of your rates charges, so a quick call to the Local Council should have them on the way to fix that for you.

This type of work cannot be quoted as the unknown nature of it makes this work unable to be estimated. Some drains clear very easily and give no more trouble others can be very troublesome, with CCTV and drain locators problems can be pin pointed easier than in the past.
If you are unsure how to go about any of the above please feel free to contact F B Hall & Co Ltd for advice.

When it comes to hot water, we all want the best pressure and supply we can get, in the most economical before and upgrade. A very basic list of hot water systems is:

• Low pressure Electric Hot Water Cylinder, exhaust pipe through the roof – most common for houses older than 1990s and all Wetback installations.
• Low pressure Electric Hot Water Cylinder, valve vented, exhaust pipe through the roof with a valve on it or valve in the cupboard with a drain through the floor – most common upgrade for shower performance in houses older than 1990s.
• Mains Pressure Electric Internal: very simple and reliable, common from 1990s, and common upgrade to low pressure.
• Mains Pressure Gas Internal or External: common from 1980s on; some are reaching the end of their lifespan.
• Instantaneous External: Infinity or similar, common from late-1990s, becoming a very common upgrade to low pressure.
• Mains Pressure Internal Electric with Indirect Loop, Silver Bullet or Greenglo etc; allows Mains Pressure and a Wetback Loop, very effective with a good wood burner.
• Heat Pump Mains Pressure Electric: very efficient.
• Solar Hot Water Systems: generally mains pressure electric back-up.
• Combi Gas Boilers: very common in Europe to cover space and hot water heating in one unit.

The ranges and options available are nearly endless. Call us for advice on the best option to suit your application.

If you are considering a Bathroom Refit you are going to need to know the order in which  things happen and the flow of one trade to another so I thought I would do a quick bullet point list of how this all comes together.

Firstly though you need to know who to engage; you can call us for a more in depth explanation but generally speaking the Builder is the driver of the bathroom job and we work alongside them, they can be found and engaged by us the Plumbers or by you. We have a few firms that we interact well with and know-how to get the job done together.

You will need; a Builder, a Plumber, a Sparky (electrician), at a minimum – may be a tiler, plasterer and painter.

The Job Flow is something like this:

• Designs, ideas, quotes and drawings are all taken care BEFORE any work commences. If you are replacing same for same fixtures chances are you will not need a building consent. Additional fixtures and/or structural changes definitely will.

The more time you spend on getting this right and making decisions the more money you will save in the project…Late changes cost money.

• Builder and Plumber attend site on Day one and demo existing bathroom, cap off water and turn it back on (and the sparky if necessary). If alternative bathroom arrangements can be made this makes the project easier and more seamless.
• Once all is stripped back, re-piping and alteration to plumbing wastes etc is carried out. New timber for new fixtures such as wall hung vanities and mirror cabinets is installed along any changes to electrical for new towel rails, light, fans etc. (if consent has been raised a pre-line inspection will take place)
• Next the shower and/or bath goes in but not completely fitted off, this work is a joint effort of Builder (and/or shower installer) and Plumber.
• Then the builder lines the remaining walls and seals everything up and plasters. Leaving connections visible.
• Walls are painted, flooring goes down, ceilings are painted.
• Then final Plumbing and electrical fit off of shower rails, tap ware, vanity install, shower door, toilet, tiles installed, electrical switches are fitted.
• Final Clean and commission (and Final Council inspection if consented work) and your new bathroom is complete.

We hope this helps, it may be obvious to some but for those who have never done it, this a brief description of the flow of work.

Backflow Device is a valve designed to prevent the possibility of contamination of Potable water by either back pressure or back siphonage.

Backflow compliance has changed a great deal nationwide in the last decade and F B Hall & Co Ltd has stayed at the forefront of this section of the industry throughout these changing times.